Unique controls, action packed story and subtitles, what more could you want from a game based on the Kung Fu movie genre? Rise to Honor gives you control of the action star Jet Li as he kicks, punches and shoots his way out of the Hong Kong underworld.

Motion capture, that is what this game screams. Each of the various attacks, jumps, blocks and weapon-work are wonderfully done and seem to be just as well choreographed as any (good) kung fu movie. The work put into making the graphics of Rise to Honor look good and pay off because this is a beautiful and highly detailed game.

The music in Rise to Honor will get your blood pumping as you fight your way through Hong Kong and San Francisco. The music fits the situation every time. For example, when the game takes on a stealth aspect (in the Metreon), the music becomes a quiet and subdued sound that allows you to concentrate on avoiding security guards' flash lights.

Kit Yun (played by Jet Li) is a bodyguard for one of the bosses of the Hong Kong Underworld. When his boss is killed, his dying wish is to get a letter to the boss's daughter (in San Francisco). Kit travels to the states and fights his way through a story that comes straight out of the movies.

As you play through Rise to Honor, you will notice that there is a general pattern to the game -- you fight a bunch of guys, there is a cutscene, then you fight some more guys and then there is another cutscene. This might sound boring but as you go through the game, the fights are anything but repetitive. There are times when you are running down alleys shooting hoodlums, and then there are parts where you are kicking bikers off the hogs as they try to run you down. You will run into goon after goon as your work your way through an apartment building, as well as dodge bullets from a helicopter along Hong Kong rooftops.

Because Rise to Honor allows you to take out multiple enemies at once, the game isn't restricted in using the classic action game approach where enemies line up around you and attack one at a time like kung fu monkeys. You will have three guys surrounding you and all three of them attacking at the same time. The best thing to do when in a situation like this is to stay out of the middle. Try and line up the enemies so that when you knock one back, he will fly into others. If a baddie drops a weapon, grab it; it will help in your fight.

In each of the areas, there are also various destructible items and pickups that you can throw at your enemies. Always look for ways to use the surroundings to your benefit (just like in the movies).

The game is divided into 63 chapters, and whenever you beat a chapter you can go back to it at any time in the Chapter Selection option on the main menu (yes just like on a DVD). You will also be able to unlock various behind-the-scenes movies, image galleries, soundtracks and much more as you go through the game.

I ran through the first third of Rise to Honor pretty quickly. But at one point, I hit a major bump that kept me in the same chapter for hours. After that point, I noticed that the seemingly easy game became more of a challenge and I had to think my moves through a lot more than I had previously. This change made me enjoy the game a whole lot more. I admit there is a certain primitive joy that comes out of running into a virtual room with guns or fists blazing, but when I actually had to plan where the bodies will fall, it became much more than just another game in the crowd.

The control scheme is one of the major innovations in Rise to Honor. Instead of going through the same stiff animations of punches and kicks whenever you hit one of the face buttons, the game plays out a complex and unique attack based on the direction(s) you want Jet Li's character to attack.

If opponents surround you on three sides, then tapping the Right Analog Stick at each baddie will cause Kit to perform a 'multi-directional combo.' The combinations are also different depending on whether or not he has any weapons in his hands.

There is also another control scheme (though similar to the standard controls) when Kit picks up some guns. Kit can aim at people or items and which target you select is all a matter of tapping that stick and pulling the trigger with R3.

I had heard that some people had trouble getting used to the different control set up of Rise to Honor, but I was able to pick it up rather quickly and I found this design to be rather natural.

Rise to Honor is a must get for any action fan. It takes the cinematic style of kung fu movies and gives you control of the choreography.