Dustin Chadwell: Part of my excitement for this game stems from that fact I wasn't sure that it was even going to come out prior to this year's Spike Video Game Awards show. The other half of my excitement comes from Platinum Games officially being revealed as the developer. There was a rumor of that being a possibility early last year, but so little was known about the game that it didn't seem likely. After a pretty fun trailer reveal, I'm back on board slashing dudes up as cyborg Raiden. I'm also down for a little more Vamp action, as that trailer seems to reveal, and hope that we can maybe even squeeze a little Solid Snake time out of this one as a surprise.

Chris "Atom" DeAngelus: The insane genius of Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima alone would justify interest in the latest game in the franchise. Finding out that it is being developed by Bayonetta and Vanquish creator Platinum Games puts it over the top. The game's trailer is full of stylish and over-the-top action and the same strange humor for which Metal Gear has always been known. As long as nothing goes horribly wrong, Metal Gear Solid: Rising - Revengeance should be a must-play game for anyone who enjoys Platinum's over-the-top action titles.

Redmond Carolipio: What many fans grudgingly admit about Raiden near the end of Metal Gear Solid 2 and 4 is that he had extreme ass-kicking superhero chops (no pun intended). He earned his own game. But what can really set him apart is fact that the makers of Bayonetta and Vanquish are guiding the design. It's a perfect fit — if they can make an icon out of an oversexed witch, they can turn the once-vilified Raiden into a Cuisinart of Japanese action death. Throw in the Kojima effect (marathon dialogue, cool characters and the potential for something ridiculously named), and conceptually, I see no downside.

Reggie Carolipio: I wasn't quite sure what to make of the human sushi on-screen and Raiden tossing a mech to the side until I learned that Platinum Games, Bayonetta's alma mater, had taken the reigns on this MGS story with Kojima's blessing. It doesn't look like it's going to be doing as much sneaky espionage as it will pure kinetic craziness, but that's fine by me. I'm thinking of this as a trip into a slice-and-dice paradise; Platinum hasn't let me down yet.

Jason Grant: Easily my most anticipated game of 2012. Why? Well, the easy answer is that I love Platinum Games with a burning, fiery passion and consider it to be one of the greatest development houses of all time. However, putting that aside ... the makers of Bayonetta are making a game starring one of Metal Gear's cyber ninjas. I'm thus confused as to how anyone could have difficulty putting together why this would have potential.

Erik "NekoIncardine" Ottosen: Lemme just say it: I liked Raiden in Metal Gear Solid 2, over-the-top somersault moves and all. What he became in MGS4 was surprisingly interesting, and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance will explore that more intensely. Kojima Productions was highlighting its wish to develop the game using engine-based production techniques — similar to what Square did with Final Fantasy XIII. Instead, it's shifted gears to let the Bayonetta crew take on the game — and I have to admit, the results are very, very intriguing.