For anyone who doesnt know there's some new MGR DLC featuring "Jetstream Sam" who's pretty much the main antagonist throughout Rising. (or at least the most well developed)

It's set before the original game starts and loosely explains Sam's motivations for joining the PMC group "Desperado".

Sam controls completly different from Raiden, he's much slower and more methodical but has the ability to 'quick draw' which unlike Raiden's quick draw can be chained into combos for different effects. He's also a lot more versatile in the air with the ability to double jump and dash. (kind of like Dante)

I enjoyed it, beat it on normal which was surprisingly challenging given that i'd beaten the original game on very hard and managed to get all those secret 'kill x boss without taking damage' achivements. The VR's were a pain (thankfully no stealth) but the interesting thing is they were integrated into the levels themselves and often gave you rewards. (besides BP) As uninventive and drawn out as they were (compared to the DLVR missions) It did provide a break from the somewhat bland enviroments recycled from the main campign.

I wouldnt recommend this for most people (unless you're the type to go after collectibles and achievements) as it's kind of overpriced for what it is. Personally I would have rathered the ability to play as Sam throughout Raiden's campign as it's much better. (sort of the same way I felt about Vergil's Downfall)

If you've already beaten the original game but arent the OCD'ish type I'd recommend just watching the cutscenes on youtube, as they're clearly where most of the resources for this DLC were spent and they're pretty awesome.

If you have any questions let me know. (I havent found all the collectibles, so no help there)

(sorry about the walls of text this was supposed to be a review but apparently this doesnt qualify as proper DLC)

thanks for the input, I was on the fence of buying it.

Just wondering if the story for Sam as wild or as over the top as the core Raiden game?

It was cool to get more Armstrong insanity, but overall it's disappointing. I found the Ray fight to be annoying with the increased speed of its attacks, it wouldn't stay still and the camera was going crazy (Same with the Wolf fight) I really don't find Sam as enjoyable to play as Raiden, I wasn't really fond of the lack of a slide, but the wall dash attack is cool... or would be cool if it didn't make the camera go crazy. It took about an hour and a half to finish for me and the lack of upgrades/unlockables seems a little shitty. I wish all the upgrades you collect throughout the missions could carry over to other playthroughs also.

The VR mission with the square platform and the rocket launcher dudes is like anti-fun.

Sam is the coolest ever

I bought it because I'd rather play through more Metal Gear Rising than just watch some cutscenes on youtube.

Interesting. I might pick this up down the line.

@boozak: You call that a wall of text? Ugh, kids today and their dislike for reading...

On-topic, I have acquired the DLC and so far I have no complaints. Raiden uses stealth and finesse, Sam just laughs at them before he kicks them so hard they get stunned before he zandatsus them.

For what's it worth, I enjoyed it. If it was priced at 1200 MSP, I might have felt robbed (like back with that ME3 Omega DLC). Plus, more Jetstream Sam is never a bad thing. Yeah, the fact that the enemy types and boss fights are recycled, along with the environments, is fairly lame, but as the name of the content implies, the draw of this DLC is playing as Sam. I'm glad they made him play quite a bit differently compared to Raiden, what with the Ninja Run being replaced by a double-jump and having a completely revitalised moveset. It was also nice to see reappearances from Bladewolf, Monsoon and Armstrong. However, all this leaves me intrigued to see Wolf's playable chapter. I mean, at least Sam was similar to play in the sense that he and Raiden walk on two legs. Wonder if there'll even be blade mode or zandatsu for Wolf?

Fair enough, all I was saying is it's a little pricy considering there arent any new enemies or boss's and it's set in two of the worst stages throughout Raidens campign, minus the setpieces. Just to be clear I didnt feel ripped off because I intend to go through it multiple times on various difficulties, some may not.

Walls, plural. Small walls but better that than than have an intimidating chunk of text noone wants to read. ;p

I forgot the part about Sam's taunting, cant say I used it much but I liked all the small touches to his character. I was worried going into this that he'd play largely the same as Raiden with a few new moves but they really put a lot of effort into making him feel different.

There isnt much story, they hint at parts of his backstory that were more fleshed out in codec conversations than in this DLC. But the cutscenes are great and just the way he fights is arguably more over the top than Raiden's playstyle. It does take a little while to adapt though.

Yeah, should be interesting. I mean technically Sam doesnt even need to zandatsu (besides powering his HF blade) since he's barely even a cyborg. But going into what should and shouldnt happen in a Metal Gear game is dark path to go down ;p (especially one made by platinum) I'm guessing Bladewolf will zandatsu or at least do something comparable. I'm hoping his stages are more open which would make sense given all the scouting ahead that will surely take place.

A tip for those having trouble in the DLC: taunt your enemies, even the bosses. It makes them more aggressive, but you can damage them that much easier.

I loved the hell out of this.

Sure, it's just one chapter; but it's a LONG chapter. And it's pretty goddamn hard in spots, even on Normal.

...Besides, there's more Armstrong! Being irrationaly mad at cherry blossom trees!

What's the game referring to when it mentions "Quick Draw" in the achievements? Zandatsu after a counter?

@donutfever: It's Sam's charged attack (hold down Y or Triangle) which unlike Raiden's charged attack (hold down X or Square) can be used mid combo for different effects.