Gaming Target - PlayStation 2: Rise to Honor

Written by Matt Swider on June 03, 2003

Hands-On Preview: More action than Chinese people!

Rise to Honor was among the newly playable PlayStation 2 titles at E3 2003, but unlike most of SCEA's lineup, this game isn't part of a long-standing franchise. It's a kung-fu freshman that features a Jet Li driven character throughout areas of Hong Kong and San Francisco. While Bruce Lee: Quest of the Dragon was severely plagued with problems on Xbox, this master of martial arts seems properly trained in the console dojo thanks to over 3,000 motion captured moves and a unique 360-degree attack range. Without a doubt, Rise to Honor looks as if can rises to the occasion and reclaim the essence of Hong Kong cinema in video games with lots finesse to spare.

There's enough action to go around given Jet Li's role as Kit Yun, a bodyguard for notorious Hong Kong crime boss Chaing. When Chaing is assassinated, Yun must deliver an important message to his boss's estranged daughter in San Francisco. This, of course, is done while fighting countless enemies in hand-to-hand combat as well as gun-filled battles. The 360-degree fighting engine is put into practice when performing the array of martial arts moves using the right analog stick. Simply slapping the stick in the direction of a nearby enemy throws Yun into a single move. It can then be combined with four additional moves in the same direction or in a different location where an enemy is present.

The amazing thing about this fighting system is that moves can be performed on multiple enemies no matter which position Yun is facing. As producer Jim Wallace explained, this makes perfect sense when looking at most martial arts movies. Combat scenes often depict characters throwing a fist or leg in the air behind them, and they still manage to knock an opponent unconscious in the process. Thus, Yun will also be able to execute attacks without turning around to do so. For defense, the right shoulder button can be used to either block or counter moves in conjunction with slapping the right analog stick. Enemies can also be placed in a headlock this way with a number of actions to ensue. The best options for busting them up from there include bowling their bodies into other enemies or a table, running their heads through the sink, or simply dragging them to a nearby wall to perform a headslam.

In addition to using walls for headslams, they can also be used to perform back flips. Although this is especially helpful when encountering close to a dozen enemies at once, it still looks cool when there is only one left to fight. For those unavoidable fights though, Yung has the ability to string together eight moves in one combo when the game's adrenaline meter is to the max. Pressing the left shoulder button during this time also slows the action down Matrix-style, which makes the game seem even more impressive when busting out the special moves with a new level of aggression.

From Hong Kong to San Francisco, each level in Rise to Honor is teeming with interactive tools of torture or breakable objects that can be picked up and thrown. Items such as tables, sinks and chairs replicate what is seen in the movies, but now, the actions you take directly impact the events on screen. All of these melee attacks are fluid and come off really well on the PlayStation 2, making the martial arts movie genre comes to life. Jet Li is lending his voice in English and Mandarin in addition to his moves and Lucy Lu's stunt double from Charlie's Angels is set to do the same. In certain levels, she plays the partner role of Michelle, much like Aaliyah did in Romeo Must Die.

Aside from the melee portion of Rise to Honor, gun battles give players a break from the all physical labor they aren't really going through. Much like the fighting system used for hand-to-hand combat, gun fights follow a similar control scheme. The right analog stick targets an enemy while R2 fires the bullets from the gun. When in the heat of heavy gunfire, Yun will sometimes be able to take cover behind crates or have the option of hitting an explosive barrel to clear out several enemies at once. When the adrenaline meter is full though, nothing beats directly targeting enemies while flying through the air using the slowdown effect. This alone makes me want to go back and play Rise to Nation, if only once more.