User Review : Vanquish

Vanquish is a gem, of those we see only once a generation.

Vanquish. A game that defies logic of what's conventional these times. No multiplayer, incredibly crazy, fast-paced, arcade-like AND action-like gameplay, laughable story, one-liners everywhere, incredible variation in action pieces and enviorments, and references to older Mikami games.

Now, being a fan of Platinum Games, I really expected nothing less. The story is somewhat lacking (Although I love how cheesy the dialog is sometimes!) the gameplay is polished as hell. Vanquish, to put it bluntly, is Lost Planet gets polished and meets Devil May Cry or Bayonetta with a touch of Virtual On.

The gameplay mechanics are simple: Boost, slow-down time and shoot the living fuck out of every robot in sight. Now, that might sound like it gets old fast, but what helps Vanquish is than every Mission is pretty unique. You see different robots, you use different tactics, and it never gets old. Once you're killing these guys that throw missiles at you, and at the next level you're killing these guys who rush at you and tear you apart (Wich, by the way, kind of...traumatized me.), and then you see these other robots that throw lazers at you. Mind you, every one of these robots has a different set of movements and tactics they use on their own, wich kind of satisfied me and kept the game from getting repetitive on the first playthrough. What also helps the game on not getting repetitive, is how the enviorment works at your favor (or against you) in different situations.

Besides, the gameplay itself feels just fine- it feels polished, fluid, and awesome. The limitations against you are there, sure (I'm looking at you, A.R.S. overheat bar) but these limitations also feel like they ain't so much bother after a while, since you get used to them. They also help the game to feel more like it's about your OWN skill, rather than upgrades or whatnot. About the gameplay itself, shooting has the right amount of recoil, weapons have the right balance and polish (Overpowered weapons have less ammo, weaker weapons have more ammo, and hell, even shooting speed counts.), the cover system has the right amount of stickiness and the controls themselves are responsive enough. You can really tell how much they worked to polish everything up to perfection, to the point it outdoes anything any other shooter has done up until now.

Also, the game itself forces you to play on its action-based rules. Yes, this is a shooter, but the enemy variation and design is more like taken straight out of a Hack 'n' Slash, like Devil May Cry. For example, remember that tough mini-boss that tore you apart when it came close to you? How tough it was? Well, tough luck, because there are three against you now!. What makes all these battles even MORE exiting is the fact that they all are the same- These enemies are still as tough, you luckly have some upgrades, and everything else is up to your skill AND YOUR SKILL ALONE. There are no life reductions, no upgrades, no RPG systems, no easy way out. So, you'll have your heart racing more than once.

Also, the game is surprisingly difficult. I played it on Hard, and oh god, I died quite alot of times. When you die, you lose score AND your weapon upgrades. You can also pick to revive from a Checkpoint or start right at the beginning of the level, one wich affects your score more than the other. I always chose starting at the beginning of the level, just so it would have kind of a "Demon's Souls" feel to it. When your ARS slows down time after you taking so much damage, you simply have to think fast on what to do next- it could mean you dying or not.

Overall, the gameplay feels GREAT. It's of the most polished, perfect gameplays I've seen in my whole life.

"So, gameplay rox, we get it lol wut bout dem graphix?!"

Oh, my friend, I haven't forgot about that. Vanquish is a delight to look at, great particle effects, stable Frames Per Second, great animations, it's just another area where Vanquish does everything just right, although backgrounds could be a little more dynamic. To be honest, even so, Vanquish is just incredible on graphics. You might not see it on videos, but when you see it on your TV, you're gonna be blown off. It's probably of the best Multiplatform Engines I've seen.

Animations, you say? They are great as well. Sam's suit is incredible to look at, with moving pieces and lighting effects on every part of the incredible looking suit. And it's not only you, but your enemies have great animations, too. Robotic-like movements, and very few times the enemies have some odd animations after you kick them in the face while they were doing something else or something.

The enviorment themselves sometimes look great, and sometimes not so much. Overall, they get the feeling of Sci-Fi right as a whole, but they could've used some more action on the backgrounds and such. Still, alot of open areas and the enviorments themselves work for you on your mission of kicking some robotic russian ass. Texture-wise, and the game as a whole, there's never one part that looks unappealing, wich shows how much care they took on every area.

Music, you say? Sometimes orchestra-like music, sometimes techno. Alot of times it doesn't stands out like Bayonetta did, but it's good music on its own. About sounds, everything sounds fitting. Enemies will go down and the according sound will play, when you press the trigger guns SOUND LIKE GUNS, when you cut through a robot with a Saw-like circular thing it'll also do an according sound, and it's really, really fitting overall.

Now, we talk about story. Dialog might seem cheesy (But badass) sometimes, with alot of one-liners and a story that's pretty...B-movie like. But hell, that's to be expected from Mikami. Still, it wouldn't hurt him to do a good story sometime.

Overall, I liked the one-liners and dialog, but that's just me laughing at the game sometimes. It isn't about HURR WARZ BAD, BAWW SOMEONE GETS KILLED, OMG PLOT TWIST SOMEONE BETRAYS YOU!, etc, but it's rather the standard affair.

I must say, I enjoyed Vanquish greatly. It's a game with alot of charm, it is incredibly well-polished, and it has probably the best gameplay in ages.

Vanquish is a game that you shouldn't miss, mainly because it's of those games we see only once in a generation. You might not like the game, you might believe it's too short, whatever it comes to your mind (You goddamn little Sheep, you!), but it's still a great, awesome game, and an instant classic in my book.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll try to beat the Challenges (Goddamn, they're hard. And after this, God Hard mode, here I go!)

Oh, and a little tip! Rotate the right thumbstick on title screen around 20 times until you hear a chime, and you will unlock God Hard without having to beat the game first.