Recently, a video comparing the environmental interaction effects in Marvel's Wolverine and PlatinumGames' 2013 title Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance went viral on social media. In this comparison, both protagonists chop at a tree trunk. Wolverine, clad in his yellow and blue suit, strikes the trunk several times with his claws, but only leaves scratches on the bark, leaving the trunk standing. Meanwhile, Raiden from Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance chops the trunk into increasingly smaller pieces until only a pile of stumps remains.
From the video, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance comes out on top in this regard, as slicing is central to its gameplay. Blade Mode allows players to cut enemies and objects along any plane, effectively slicing through almost anything, including vehicles and enemies.The highlight of Metal Gear Rising is its Zandatsu mechanic—Raiden cuts off cyborgs' fuel cells to restore health.
Even in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, the player's ability to slice the environment was intentionally limited. Developers mostly restricted slicing to pillars, walls, and similar elements to avoid breaking the level structure.
Marvel's Wolverine also features a destruction system, albeit in a different form. Destructible objects are scattered throughout the levels, and destroying them grants experience points—the game basically encourages players to slash anything that glows.
Some reviewers even mentioned Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance before this viral video surfaced. However, some argue that considering the game world itself is destructible, PlatinumGames-style dismemberment mechanics would be ideal for Wolverine, allowing him to tear apart enemies and the environment. In reality, however, the combat system relies almost entirely on parrying, and defeating bosses requires filling up a stun meter.
Reactions to this comparison have been mixed. Some consider it unfair, as Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance was originally designed around the concept of slashing Everythinggj in sight, with Raiden's high-frequency blade capable of splitting armored vehicles, whereas Logan's claws are much shorter.
Others have criticized Insomniac for missing an opportunity, recalling 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine, while many others have used this as another chance to call on Konami to remake or release a sequel to Metal Gear Rising.
