Highlights
- Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is now on GOG, but not in Japan.
- Developed by PlatinumGames, Revengeance is a departure from the usual Metal Gear formula that's been praised for its intense gameplay.
- The GOG version not being available in Japan is possibly due to PS3 exclusivity.
The 2013 action spin-off Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is now available on GOG, but not in its native Japan. Developed by Bayonetta studio PlatinumGames, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance follows the cyborg ninja Raiden as he fights to prevent a corrupt private military company from plunging the world into war four years after the events of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. It largely forgoes the usual stealth and gunplay-focused gameplay of the Metal Gear series in favor of letting players slice enemies using Raiden’s futuristic katana, though sneaking around to avoid enemies is still an option.
Despite a long and troubled development cycle that saw the game switch developers from Hideo Kojima’s own Kojima Productions to Platinum Games partway through, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance launched to much praise from critics, thanks to its blistering and at times punishing gameplay that really lets gamers cut loose on anything in Raiden’s path. The game’s adrenaline-packed story and cutscenes have also spawned various memes in the years since its initial release, which have only encouraged new players to try Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance out for themselves.
Now these players have a new outlet to experience Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, as it was recently added to the DRM-free GOG storefront earlier this month. As reported by PCGamer, this comes with an unusual caveat: it isn’t available in Japan, the country the game originates from. It was initially available to purchase on GOG in Japan for one hour following its launch on July 4, but was eventually pulled. Konami then addressed this in a statement to Japanese outlet Game*Spark, explaining that Metal Gear Rising: Revengance was only made available in certain Asian regions due to an error on the part of GOG.
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance PC Version Isn’t Available In Japan
As for why the PC version of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance isn’t available in Japan, the issue might stem from the title seemingly being exclusive to the PlayStation 3 in that country when it first launched in 2013, though it was released on Xbox 360 and Steam in other regions. There is no official word from Konami about the reasoning behind this, but it is worth noting that Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots has also remained exclusive to PS3 consoles.
Meanwhile, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance can now be picked up on GOG, a platform that is known for lacking the controversial DRM of other PC game outlets. While its availability in Japan could be a source of contention, gamers elsewhere have a new chance to jump into this action-packed Metal Gear Solid spin-off ahead of the upcoming Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater’s launch later this year.
Franchise Metal Gear System PC , PlayStation , Xbox Platform(s) PS3 , Xbox 360 , PC Released February 19, 2013 Developer(s) Platinum Games Publisher(s) Konami Genre(s) Action ESRB M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language Expand See at SteamSee at Amazon
