by Wyatt "JOEDOG" Elliott
There have been many games in recent memory that have tried to recreate the action films
from japan and china. They all wish to duplicate John Woo style with Jet Li speed. Sounds
easy, but try duplicating Jet Li on a control pad. You're either gonna break the controller or
your hand. Finally some guys down at Sony have gotten it right. You can't duplicate a true
original. Jet Li moves like no other human. Luckily for them and us, Jet Li was looking for a
video game project to do anyway. Together they created Rise to Honor for the Sony
PlayStation 2. Jet Li is completely in this game. his looks, his moves, and his style. In order
to capture Jet Li's moves, they had to completely rethink the whole action game. To start,
they scanned Jet Li and his moves into a computer using motion capture software. Much like
they do with athletes for 989's sports games. Once they had a virtual Jet Li they had to
figure out how to control it. How do you tap into Jet Li in a way so that any joe schmo can
mimic a Jet Li performance. The answer was surprisingly simple. Instead of using button
configurations for moves, they used timing and the second analog stick. So, all a player has
to do is push the analog stick towards a villain and Jet Li reacts the way he would in a
movie. Fast and improvised. Depending on your speed and timing, allows Jet Li's
performance to vary as well.
It sounds complicated or silly, but it works wonders. Think about it. How else can you have
Jet Li surrounded by enemies and be able to attack all of them at once. I'm tellin' ya, its an
amazing feat in gaming. It may also sound like it's a dancing or rhythm game. I assure you,
there are no symbols that light up in which you must match up against in a timely fashion.
Graphically Rise to Honor is good, I mean Jet Li looks like he's suppose to and the action
fast and furious. However, I wouldn't say it's anything ground breaking. It's not bad graphics
by far, it looks the way its suppose to look. The only real complaint I have about this title, is
the same problem that plagues all games of this genre. It's repetitive. Yes, that's right. What
a shock. Ever since the days of Double Dragon and Final Fight. They get repetitive. They're
awesome games, but even Jet Li can get boring. However, and this is a big however. If you
stick with it, Rise to Honor does offer many different levels. The levels where Jet is allowed
to use a gun brings a whole new feel to this game. These levels are obviously modeled after
John Woo's classic Hong Kong action films and not the lame one starring Ben Afleck. Hang
around a bit longer and Jet Li gets a partner where you can perform tag team moves with. If
you've seen Jet Li in action, you know what I mean. I really got a "kick" out of Rise to Honor.
I loved it. It really got a "rise" out of me. Okay enough of that. It's an awesome game.
The end.