Super Street Video Game Reviews
| Game Title: Rise to Honor |
| Console: PlayStation2 |
| Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America |
| Hot: 360 fighting, cinematic action |
| Not: Not enough things to use as weapons |
| Rating: |  |
The demo version of "Rise to Honor" gave us a tiny taste of Jet Li's new fighting game from Sony. It did an excellent job as a teaser by succinctly showcasing the game's strengths and easy playability. Now, in the final version, players can look forward to playing a full-fledged action game that includes both hand-to-hand combat and a fair amount of gun play. "Rise to Honor" centers on Jet Li's character Kit Yun and his quest to take out the bad guys in this cinema-like fighting game.
In many ways, this game plays like a movie with gamers in the starring role. As Kit Yun, bodyguard to infamous crime lord Boss Chiang and secret undercover Hong Kong cop, players will fight through 11 action packed levels from the streets of Hong Kong to San Francisco. Game developers took pains to add movie-like details such as great cut scenes, intense gun battles, and fight scenes choreographed by famous action director Cory Yuen. Jet Li voices Kit in both Chinese and English lending that extra polish to the excellent cast of voice artists on this game. To complete the cinematic quality is a skillfully done soundtrack that adds the right amounts of drama and tension to keep players pumped up and ready for action. Another element to immerse players quickly into Kit's world are the pared down controls of the game. There are only five or six buttons to remember which allows players to easily move through the story without having to concentrate on correct button combos to defeat the enemy and advance to new levels. Hand-to-hand combat will have Kit performing eight different combos, plus blocking attacks, countermoves and deadly adrenaline-enhanced attacks. Using the 360 degree fighting capabilities, all players need to do is flick the right joystick for a directional attack and Kit will bust a move and some heads. Kit also blocks attacks or throws objects by pressing R1, and L1 gets the hyped-up adrenaline attack for the ultimate smackdown. Gun controls are just as easy and gamers will be running down alleys shooting, hiding and targeting gangsters without even thinking about it within minutes of starting the game.
Sony developers did a fantastic job creating this cool action-fighting game. It's easy to learn, incorporates dynamic cut scenes, inspired fighting sequences, and a movie quality soundtrack to re-create the "I'm-in-a-movie" feeling. By using state of the art motion capture animation making a digital twin of Jet Li, gamers can punish the bad guys Hong Kong style--even in San Francisco. Top notch voice acting from Jet Li and the other cast members add to the whole sinister atmosphere of Kit's dangerous world. "Rise to Honor" hits the mark by immersing players into the life of Kit Yun in a classic Hong Kong tale of honor, revenge, and justice. If you want to see what it's like to be an action superstar, this is a fun way to start. We give it 4 nukes.