Raiden in MGS4, note the blue eyes

I had my problems with MGS4 as did others. But it cannot be denied that the game was an example of poetry in motion. Visually the game was simply stunning and sits on a pinnacle that few can even come close to visually.

It surprised me to learn from the Konami podcast that the next game for consoles, MGS: Rising, will have an entirely new graphics engine built from the ground up to look better than MGS4.

Exciting? Verily. Of course this means if you were expecting a quick turn around for this game based on using existing architecture you can nip that dream in the bud right now. MGS Rising is still a far way off. Another interesting feature to note, in the ever evolving fictional fanboy war, is that this game is going to look better than MGS4, which could apparently ‘only exist’ on the PS3, yet it’s a multiplatform title. The lesson here? Stop listening to console hyperbole bullshit.

Of course the new graphic engine for Rising is just one of the tidbits of information leaked out in the podcast. The fact that Raiden’s eyes in the Rising promotional image are clearly brown when they were, in the past, blue is mentioned as not being a developer fubar and there is a reason. Wild speculation all ready points to this not being Raiden at all, but Sunny, the little girl from MGS4.

Podcast Sean Keystone also talks about the reasoning behind the title; that it signifies the younger members of the MGS universe rising up into a role of more prominence. But can we have an MGS game without Snake? Do we want one? Consider as well Kojima’s latest comments that the PSP title Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is his true MGS5 while Rising will feature ‘a completely different kind of action from what has appeared so far’. Hands up anyone else sensing a jumpy slashy Ninja Gaiden kind of vibe from that quote?

That would be kind of cool actually.

Below is a screenshot of MGS Peace Walker, is that not the prettiest PSP game you've ever seen?