AU Shippin' Out February 25 – March 1: Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Platinum Games’ hack-and-slash action game Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is officially released this week. A spinoff title based on the Metal Gear universe, the game features cyborg ninja Raiden as he takes on a private military company known as Desperado Enterprises.

Originally, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance was intended to take place before the events of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, showing how the character of Raiden made his transformation into the cyborg ninja of the 2008 PlayStation 3 hit.

However, when Platinum Games was attached to the project, the time frame was moved to several years after Metal Gear Solid 4, to a period when cyborgs are becoming more commonplace in the world. Konami also dropped the "Solid" from the title to distance itself from the particular brand of stealth action that people associate with the Metal Gear Solid series.

Gaming site Kotaku reported that the game broke its street date last Friday, and is being sold early at selected retailers. Metal Gear Solid: Revengeance was originally scheduled for release in Australia on February 21, but was delayed till February 26 due to shipping delays.

Sony has announced that the PS3 version of the game will be receiving exclusive “virtual reality" content. Thirty new missions inspired by the original VR missions from the first Metal Gear Solid will be available as downloadable content for Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. No release date has been announced for the DLC.

The game was positively received in GameSpot’s review, praised for its fast-paced combat and balance of depth and complexity. Although Kojima Productions is considering a PC port of the game, producer Yuji Korekado has revealed that there are no plans to bring Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance to the Wii U.

For more details on the games available this week, check out the list below.

February 26, 2013
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (360, PS3)

February 27, 2013
Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds (360)