"A great action game."

I bought this game the other day because I was in a bit of a slump. I needed a really good action game, like one of those old beat-em-up's from back in the day. When I asked for help on the message boards, I was given a bunch of fighting games in reply. Funny how you ask for an action game and you get fighting huh? Anyway, I got this game hoping it would be good and I must say that I am very happy with it. In case you are wondering, I try not give games 10 because they would have to be perfect in order to do so, and personally I don't think a perfect game exists. Yeah, yeah, I know, I gave Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance a 10 but I do tend to be biased towards that series. Anyway...

Graphics: 9/10
The visuals don't get much better then this. The characters all look very good and the special effects for your adrenaline attacks are just awesome.

Sound Effects: 9/10
The sound effects in this game are great. They all sound very realistic, like they were ripped right out of a Kung Fu movie. No complaints here really.

Gameplay: 8/10
As with all the other things the gameplay for this game is really good. It takes awhile to get used to using the right analog stick so much but the game is long enough and designed well enough that there is plenty of time for that. The switching up between close rang and ranged combat sequences are well placed and keep the game from getting to repetitive. If things do start to seem a bit old, you can freshen them up with adrenaline attacks and cooperative attacks once you meet up with the other character. Not to mention grabs and counters. You can even grab someone in a headlock and drag them to a certain area where you can use the environment to do an extra painful attack. Speaking of the environment, it's almost fully interactive. There are so many things you can knock/throw people into that have cool effects. Not to mention there are a slew of objects you can use to help you in battle. Whether you are wielding a baseball bat or two for melee or throwing chairs and trash cans around. You can eve jump off the walls sometimes for special attacks. My only bone to pick is how much the controls are different in ranged combat if you want to target an object instead of a person. You can fire at two targets because you always wield two guns at the same time if you use any, which is another cool thing.

The Little Things: 7/10
This is where I wrap up with all the little things that are good/bad that don't fit in anywhere else. The only real gripe I had with this game was the fact that there were a couple of missions that required stealth. That means that sometimes, it wasn't an option, but something you were forced to do. I don't know why game developers seem to think that stealth is such a requirement for all action games, but it shouldn't be. If I want a stealth game, I'll go out and get Hitman, Metal Gear Solid, or Tenchu. However, there load times are only an issue when starting the game. They are absent for the rest of it. There is some replayability for the alternate costumes, but not much else.

All in all, Rise to Honor is a great Action game and will take care of all your beat-em-up needs. Especially if you are a big Kung Fu fan as I am.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10 | Originally Posted: 04/26/04

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