At its core, Metal Gear Rising is a generic hack and slash game.
Weak attack, strong attack? Check.
"Weak attack, strong attack" is used as a basis for dial-up combos? Check.
Context-sensitive prompts for special moves or executions? Check.
"Press X to not die" sequence? F***ing. Check.
It even falls behind due to not implementing real-time weapon change.
The weapon change itself is awkward, because you have to stand perfectly still to do it.
If you're running or jumping, the weapon change menu won't open.
The game's saving grace is due to its connection to the Metal Gear Saga.
That's the only reason I ever gave a f*** and two s***s about this game.
Another saving grace is the innovative bisection mechanic, which truly sets it apart.
However, because the whole game revolves around having this mechanic, it gets shoehorned here and there.
And due to the game being overly focused on this mechanic, this becomes stuck, even if you're using different characters.
One of the things I like about the DMC series is how the game is so flexible that you can have totally different kinds of characters, like how Nero focuses on Exceed + grapples, Dante focuses on utilizing a huge arsenal and V manipulates demon pets.
Gameplay-wise, another saving grace for Metal Gear Rising is its non-stinginess of allowing you to restart from a checkpoint with absolutely no repercussions.
This makes getting No Damage & S ranks a whole lot more bearable.
Such feature should be standard for every game in existence, because not all of us are youngsters who can play 12 hours per day.
The problem I have about DmC is mostly the story.
I mentioned before that DmC felt like a "Western live-action movie adaptation" of DMC, except that it's a video game.
I have always preferred the anime-esque, "JRPG" aesthetics and style of the previous games.
Some of the enemies looked like they belong in a Silent Hill game.
It's been mentioned before but the whole "half-angel, half demon" thing doesn't appeal to me much.
Dante is relatable because of his half-human lineage.
So when you go for half-angel, half demon, Dante feels more like an outsider.
Maybe a sequel would explain that either Sparda, Eva or both have half-human blood but we'll never know.
Mechanically, DmC is totally a step in the right direction.
Something always felt off about the lock-on-dependent scheme of previous games but it was only after playing DmC a bunch of times that I realized the older scheme was dysfunctional and obsolete.
There was a lot of b****ing about the need to hold down triggers for Angel/Demon moves but haven't we all been holding down R1 for a long time to keep enemies locked on?
I initially thought that it'd be better for it to be on toggle but inconvenient as it sounds, holding down the triggers for different moves is best for muscle memory.
The revamped control scheme isn't perfect but it conforms to muscle memory more and all it needed was more refining.
I don't care if there's going to be a sequel to DMC or DmC but I really want Capcom to go with DmC's control scheme from the ground up.
I'm reminded about how DmC got criticized for having a "forward, forward" input for signature moves and haters would imply that this is a sign of bad game design and the game should be condemned for it.
And then Metal Gear Rising did the exact same thing.
Most of the DmC haters are usually Platinum Games fans, so the whole thing is swept under a carpet.
After that, there were criticisms about how DmC's Devil Trigger command was to have players press L3+R3.
Again, this is criticized as being a bad decision or bad design.
And then Metal Gear Rising did the exact same thing for "Ripper mode".
Once again, the whole thing was swept under the carpet next to the "forward, forward" criticism.
