Company of Origin:
Sony Computer Entertainment America
Graphics and Sound:
Unique controls, action packed story and subtitles, what more could you
want from a game based on the Kung Fu movie genre? Rise to Honor
gives you control of the action star Jet Li as he kicks, punches and
shoots his way out of the Hong Kong underworld.
Motion capture, that is what this game screams. Each of the various
attacks, jumps, blocks and weapon-work are wonderfully done and seem to
be just as well choreographed as any (good) kung fu movie. The work put
into making the graphics of Rise to Honor look good and pay off
because this is a beautiful and highly detailed game.
The music in Rise to Honor will get your blood pumping as you
fight your way through Hong Kong and San Francisco. The music fits the
situation every time. For example, when the game takes on a stealth
aspect (in the Metreon), the music becomes a quiet and subdued sound
that allows you to concentrate on avoiding security guards' flash
lights.
Gameplay: 
Kit Yun (played by Jet Li) is a bodyguard for one of the bosses of the
Hong Kong Underworld. When his boss is killed, his dying wish is to get
a letter to the boss's daughter (in San Francisco). Kit travels to the
states and fights his way through a story that comes straight out of the
movies.
As you play through Rise to Honor, you will notice that there is
a general pattern to the game -- you fight a bunch of guys, there is a
cutscene, then you fight some more guys and then there is another
cutscene. This might sound boring but as you go through the game, the
fights are anything but repetitive. There are times when you are running
down alleys shooting hoodlums, and then there are parts where you are
kicking bikers off the hogs as they try to run you down. You will run
into goon after goon as your work your way through an apartment
building, as well as dodge bullets from a helicopter along Hong Kong
rooftops.
Because Rise to Honor allows you to take out multiple enemies at
once, the game isn't restricted in using the classic action game
approach where enemies line up around you and attack one at a time like
kung fu monkeys. You will have three guys surrounding you and all three
of them attacking at the same time. The best thing to do when in a
situation like this is to stay out of the middle. Try and line up the
enemies so that when you knock one back, he will fly into others. If a
baddie drops a weapon, grab it; it will help in your fight.
In each of the areas, there are also various destructible items and
pickups that you can throw at your enemies. Always look for ways to use
the surroundings to your benefit (just like in the movies).
The game is divided into 63 chapters, and whenever you beat a chapter
you can go back to it at any time in the Chapter Selection option on the
main menu (yes just like on a DVD). You will also be able to unlock
various behind-the-scenes movies, image galleries, soundtracks and much
more as you go through the game.
Difficulty:
I ran through the first third of Rise to Honor pretty quickly.
But at one point, I hit a major bump that kept me in the same chapter
for hours. After that point, I noticed that the seemingly easy game
became more of a challenge and I had to think my moves through a lot
more than I had previously. This change made me enjoy the game a whole
lot more. I admit there is a certain primitive joy that comes out of
running into a virtual room with guns or fists blazing, but when I
actually had to plan where the bodies will fall, it became much more
than just another game in the crowd.
Game Mechanics:
The control scheme is one of the major innovations in Rise to
Honor. Instead of going through the same stiff animations of punches
and kicks whenever you hit one of the face buttons, the game plays out a
complex and unique attack based on the direction(s) you want Jet Li's
character to attack.
If opponents surround you on three sides, then tapping the Right Analog
Stick at each baddie will cause Kit to perform a 'multi-directional
combo.' The combinations are also different depending on whether or not
he has any weapons in his hands.
There is also another control scheme (though similar to the standard
controls) when Kit picks up some guns. Kit can aim at people or items
and which target you select is all a matter of tapping that stick and
pulling the trigger with R3.
I had heard that some people had trouble getting used to the different
control set up of Rise to Honor, but I was able to pick it up
rather quickly and I found this design to be rather natural.
Rise to Honor is a must get for any action fan. It takes the
cinematic style of kung fu movies and gives you control of the
choreography.
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