- Publisher: SCEA
- Release Date: Feb 17, 2004
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Displays great imagination and attention to detail that is at once challenging, innovative, and fun. It accomplishes the task of re-creating the venerable beat-em-up genre with honor. [Mar 2004, p.62]
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The moves in the game look magnificent: crisp, clean and fast-paced. It's as if you are watching a movie rather than playing a game.
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Computer Games MagazineKung Fu fans will ultimately rise to the occasin, leaving all others to enjoy the excellent combat system. [Apr 2004, p.8]
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The reason to play isn’t the gameplay, rather the story and the cinematics.
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If you can handle the intense trial and error style of gameplay, you'll more than likely love Rise to Honor.
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The level design is also quite cool and somewhat akin to how Final Fight would be if released today.
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We can almost guarantee that you will not find another game that allows you to smite your enemies with a caramelized Peking duck.
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PlayboyThis isn't a game you replay ad infinitum; it's a story you experience. When you finish, you may stick it on the shelf and never touch it again, like a good book. But that doesn't mean it's not a fun read. [Feb 2003, p.32]
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Rise To Honor has a pretty solid plot, good combat scheme, and impressive design. Unfortunately, one of its greatest flaws is its length.
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The sound effects are, once again, nothing spectacular.
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You haters can go cuddle with your worn-out videotapes and skippy DVDs in the corner. You’re missing out on the best 3D game featuring a martial arts star to date.
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TotalGames.netIf the action sequences weren't so damn good it would be difficult to overlook this.
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With as much punch as kung pao chicken, Rise to Honor fights its way to the top of cinematic gaming. Outstanding direction brings the underground world of Hong Kong to live in beautifully animated action sequences.
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As an interactive cinematic experience, it ain’t bad, but if it had to rely entirely on its own gameplay, then it’d be something else entirely.
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Play MagazineThe controls may be simple, but the game is not. Between fighting, gunplay, stealth an dexterity challenges..., repetition is kept at bay but do-overs aren't. [Mar 2004, p.56]
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Entertainment WeeklyEach level features a remarkable cinematic flair and big-budget stunts, but the game's ill-conceived control scheme can be frustrating. [13 Feb 2004, p.L2T 18]
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While it is by no means a bad game, there’s just not enough substance to it, and the controls, which were touted as being revolutionary, are below average.
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A good example how top quality motion capture can be used within a game. Unfortunately the "revolutionary" control system hurts an otherwise solid game.
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It may be linear and occasionally repetitive, but the spectacular set pieces will surely rock your world as hard as any Hong Kong classic.
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PSM MagazineDespite an innovative control scheme, this is pretty much your typical action game fare, albeit with better-than-average environmental interaction and storytelling. [Mar 2004, p.26]
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An ideal example of the perfect rental video game. It’s neither hugely challenging nor is it easy to put down. It doesn’t last very long but that’s what keeps its simplistic nature appealing all the way through.
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Controlling Yun is actually quite intuitive, even with the sophisticated multidirectional fighting scheme.
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The game's short length and near nonexistent replay value means it's hard to justify recommending beyond a rental or picking up at a reduced price.
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As rewarding as the hand-to-hand combat is, Rise to Honor's thrills are short lived. It's an enjoyable play, but much like Jet Li's films, is nothing more than a lazy afternoon of fun. [Mar 2004, p.98]
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While there's not a whole lot of variety to the game play, the slick look and novel control scheme help make up for Rise to Honor's other shortcomings. And no, that's not a crack about Jet Li's height.
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The fisticuffs get tired pretty fast (as will your right thumb) trying to beat up the bad guys, particularly the later stages that feature god-like AI opponents and extremely trying boss battles.
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May have the flashy action and storytelling that you'd expect from a martial arts flick, but unfortunately, the gameplay doesn't hold up its end of the bargain.
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It is a well thought out cinematic experience, but it surely doesn’t hold a candle to the recently released "James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing."
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An interactive Honk Kong action movie with too much movie and not enough interaction.
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It's repetitive. Extremely repetitive. That's really all that needs to be said. I can praise the control scheme until I'm blue in the face, but that doesn't take away from the fact that the game repeats itself like a radio station with a small collection of songs.
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If not for some serious balance issues (some bosses can easily kill you in two hits), stupidly out-of-place stealth levels, and finicky weapon controls (it's really hard, for some reason, to hit someone with a stick), Honor might have been more than just a solid rental. [March 2004, p.120]
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Despite the decent controls, you still end up seeing the same four-hit combos repeatedly, and when digital Jet holds a stick or a bat in his hand, it becomes mysteriously harder to hit people with it. [Mar 2004, p.101]
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Cheat Code CentralBoth combat styles balance and carry each other making this game playable and even fun for the most part. Due to the relative ease of the gameplay and control system Rise to Honor will appeal mostly to beginners and casual gamers.
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Using the right analog stick for attacks just doesn’t feel right, and as a player, you’re never really allowed to control your attacks properly. That, added to the frustratingly cheap bosses, adds up to a mediocre gaming experience, despite the crisp visuals and entertaining audio portions.
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The cinematic presentation will certainly appeal to casual gamers; however the sheer repetition, poor AI, lack of depth and longevity issues should be a major concerns to anybody else.
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Besides the not-quite-fluid-enough controls, the main problem is that shooting is a bit of a pain (you tap the right analog toward your target and use the R2 to shoot). [Mar 2004, p.85]
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The cinematic cutscenes are completely uninvolving, with bored-sounding voice acting, the flimsiest of plots, and the most uninspired script imaginable. This would all be alright if the gameplay were strong.
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It’s simply too short and too frustrating to warrant a purchase, unless of course you’re a diehard Jet Li fan and want everything of his that you can get your hands on.
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The fighting engine is certainly innovative, but lacks basic variety, the graphics border on garish and the soundtrack, in terms of voice acting, is only as good as the writing... which is to say, it’s not too good.
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Worst game ever? No, not really. That was an exaggeration fed largely by the flames of my initial frustration. But it’s not really a very good game, either; probably slightly below average, in the scheme of things.
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Scores several points for the innovative control scheme that's destined to replace button mashing as the fighting tool of choice. But it doesn't have the interactivity or variety to back up the chop-socky skills, making for play that's tasty, but about as filling as a trip to a Chinese joint at your local strip mall.
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In the end, all of the cinematic flourishes can't help save a game that might've been good a few years ago, but is a lackluster experience today.
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It’s short length (only 5 to 8 hours) and it’s repetitive and sometimes lacking gamplay really hurt it. There’s definitely some good fun to have, but it would be better done through a rental.
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But the execution just totally destroyed all the good things this came could have been. Saying the game was almost devoid of gameplay might be a harsh statement, but when I turn off a game and say to myself “I have had enough”, and vow never to play it again, then harsh is a reality.
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Instead of finding innovative means to explore new narratives, they are content to rely only on its effective control scheme and Jet Li's face to drive the core experience. Everything else falls back on tired videogame conventions and that makes Rise to Honor an acceptable game, but a deeply flawed next generation model.
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It just really fails to excite you in the long run, despite the production team's efforts to keep you hooked.
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BoomtownThis is one title that could have… should have… would have…. been better without its similarly irritating controls. Rent it if you’re a Jet Li fan, pass completely if you aren’t.
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If only there were a few more moves to learn, and a bit more imagination than room after room of contrived fight sequences against hordes of identikit enemies.
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While it's a visually stunning game for the PS2 platform with great production values, the game underneath it all is far too pedestrian to be worth purchasing.
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A more traditional control scheme and some serious gameplay polish could have done wondersfor this game. Instead, terrible control, lame AI and a few other rough edges hand Rise to Honor the Black Mask of shame.
Awards & Rankings
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56
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#56 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2004
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32
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#32 Most Shared PS2 Game of 2004
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User score distribution:
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Positive: 55 out of 65
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Mixed: 4 out of 65
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Negative: 6 out of 65
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Jul 21, 2023This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view.
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Jul 18, 2023one of my favorite ps2 games very fun! beat people up and beat other people up. still holds up to be honest
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Dec 29, 2022the game itself isn't bad what kills him is the crappy commands that can't be changed and you have to hit enemies using the analog stick