29 Dec, 2010
Title: Vanquish
Platforms: Xbox 360/PS3
Developer: Platinum Games
Publisher: SEGA
TWOLS (Ten Word or Less Summary): Action Packed, fluent, explosive and generally awesome third-person shooter.
Vanquish is a no-holds-barred third person shooter from developers Platinum Games and Publishers SEGA. Throughout the game you play as badass Sam Gideon in a race to save an orbiting earth colony from the bastards of the Russian Star. To aid you in this mission Sam is equipped with a most formidable weapon, the ARS (Augmented Reaction Suit, or as I liked to call it, the arse suit) developed by DARPA (Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency). Using the BLADE system (ANAGRAM OVERLOAD!) the suit can create a replica of most weapons and store three separate varieties of gun at any one time. The suit also enhances Sam’s manoeuvrability and strength. It’s all pretty awesome.
The game starts you off in a pretty simple tutorial scenario and gets you used to the aforementioned aspects of the game. It also introduces the slowdown time and das mechanics of the game. Both of these are vital in order to pull off some of the most awesome slow-mo kills in the game, and possibly any game. Slow-mo can be implemented by simply dodging then aiming, or jumping over an obstacle and aiming. Bullets fly past you as if they were travelling through syrup and you are given plenty of time to surgically blow your enemy to pieces. Enemies are often dismantled in fantastic ways, with arms and legs flying off piece by piece. This allows you to give yourself a second to assess the situation around you, locate enemies and take out the larger threats first. It’s this that makes Vanquish such a prime example of third-person shooter action. It throws you into a hectic situation but allows you to eliminate the threats without feeling too overwhelmed.
This by no means makes Vanquish a simple game. Vanquish is tough as you like, and takes a fair amount of skill to beat (particularly on harder difficulties). Even though dying doesn’t set you back too much it does affect your score. For those looking to top the leader boards then dying must be avoided. Even for those who are not score orientated, it is always satisfying to complete a level with no deaths.
Straight from the get go Vanquish players are treated to spectacular graphics. The level of detail on friend and foe alike is pretty phenomenal. It is a particular joy seeing each little bit of Sam’s suit click into place after switching guns or performing a dash, like watching a transformer on speed. The environments are equally as pretty, but can feel a bit samey. The monotone palette of this game is occasionally brightened with the occasional neon sign or tree, but not often enough. But then again, you can’t expect a hulking great space station in the sky to be the prettiest place ever.
The story itself feels rather underplayed. The only story I could understand was that I was meant to get from A to B, blowing everything in between to kingdom come. Maybe this was my short attention span, but the story definitely came second to destroying robots. The voice acting is pretty poor and half the characters sound like they eat gravel for breakfast. The dialogue is also incredibly corny and makes you cringe more than anything. The game is split up into chapters and acts (Reminiscent of Sonic style level progression) but due to the fun this game offers you often find yourself completing a whole chapter faster than you can say ‘arse suit’.
Vanquish is a brilliant game. It builds on brilliant gameplay and style bought by previous third-person shooters and adds its own twist. The lack of multiplayer may seem like a disappointment to some, but this is a great example of a developer not being side tracked by botching together a quick multiplayer in order to sell copies. Instead they are focused on redefining, and chiselling down the single-player experience until it is near enough perfect. The fast paced combat, mixed in with slow-motion stunts and a variety of weapons makes Vanquish a very satisfying third-person-shooter to fans of such games. Probably one of the best I have played.
Good times
- Amazing Visuals
- Fantastic Gameplay
- Surgical type shooting action
Bad Times
- Gravelly voice actors everywhere!
- Plot is somewhat side-lined
- Goes too quickly
Rating: 4.5/5
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