A satisfying action game that had me going back for more.
Fast forward under a month later and I got my hands on the finished article and for one whole week it's all I've been playing. Having beaten the game on Revengeance difficulty I can officially say I am in love with this game. The combat system is excellent making it so much fun to string together combos and take those spines for a health refill while countering enemy attacks tasks you with swinging your weapon in the direction the attack is coming from to deflect it. For me this added another layer of fun to the combat, especially on the harder difficulty levels whilst trying to get through battles without taking a single hit. Playing with old fashion stealth nets you some extra points as well and while it's not as intuitive as other Metal Gear titles it's still possible to play most of the game (excusing the forced battle sequences and boss fights) without being seen. The story fits in with the Metal Gear series and the game contains easter eggs and references by the truckload. The soundtrack is a fantastic mash up of Electronic and Rock music that fits well particularly in the boss fights. Little extras like the V.R. Training missions and collecting the officers hands will keep you busy for a while after completing the main story which only last between eight and ten hours. Short as the story may have been though the collectibles and extra difficulty levels kept me interested for at least three playthroughs. Not to mention the added armour and other customization options you can add to Raiden to make him more powerful, quicker or maybe invisible. The only major issue is with the camera which has a tendency to face a certain object or get caught up in the corner of a small room which obstructs your view of the Gekko that's about to smash you in the face. I haven't come across any other issues as of yet.
All in all this game is just a joy to play from start to finish. Highly recommended for Metal Gear fans like myself but will also appeal to those not so familiar with Snake and the La Li Lu Le Lo.