When I was a wee lad, I had an epiphany while playing Mega Man 2 for the first time. Obtaining a boss enemy’s weapon after defeating it was the most perfect style of skill progression for a game of its genre. Not many games then or now employ a similar mechanic, but Metal Gear Rising is bringing it back in a limited capacity.

The latest trailer for Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance reveals that Raiden will be able to obtain boss enemy weapons after defeating them. The weapons shown off in the trailer include a pole arm, a pair of sai and massive pincers. Each provide their own advantages and disadvantages while allowing players to craft their own strategies as they take on enemies large and small.

Unlike Mega Man, I doubt that Metal Gear Rising will make certain boss weapons effective against future boss enemies. In that way, it loses a bit of the novelty, but the game still has plenty of punch as one of the most exciting action games to be released this year.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance slices its way to the PS3 and Xbox 360 on February 19. As for a potential Wii U release, Platinum Games says its all up to Konami and fan demand.