Vanquish
Sony PlayStation 3
Developer: Platinum Games
Publisher: SEGA
Rated: M for Mature
Released: 2010
Completed: 20 December 2015
Vanquish is one of those games that never got the recognition it deserved. Despite a very warm critical reception, gamers the world over completely ignored the title and it has since been relegated to a hidden gem of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 library.
Developed by Platinum Games, the studio behind such games as Bayonetta and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Vanquish is another example of the exciting, fast-paced, over the top action games the company is known for. With mastermind Shinji Mikami (creator of Resident Evil) at the helm, Vanquish is a game that screams quality from start to finish.
In the not too distant future, overpopulation has made resources scarce. After a group of Russian nationalists successfully overthrow their government, led by a man named Zaitsev, they demolish San Francisco in a nuclear blast in order to force the United States to surrender or else New York will be next. As Sam Gideon, a DARPA operative with a special suit that augments his physical abilities far beyond those of a normal human, it's up to you and the US Marine Corps to stop Zaitsev.
The story lacks subtlety, but I have to admit I was entertained throughout as plot twists developed. I also couldn't help but notice the U.S. President's strong resemblance to Hilary Clinton. Characters are all pretty flat and one-dimensional, but this isn't a game about political ideals. It's an action game, and a damn good one.
The main feature of Sam's suit is the ability to slow down time. This isn't anything new for video games, but the way its implemented here is fresh. When Sam takes enough damage, the suit kicks in automatically, giving him precious time to take out hostiles and get to cover. You can also activate the slow motion by combining several evasive maneuvers, but the caveat is that in either case the suit will eventually overheat and leave you even more vulnerable.
The game plays primarily like a cover-based shooter. The battles are extremely large scale, with tons of enemies, gunfire, and massive battlefields littered with plenty of convenient walls you can duck behind. Enemy AI is aggressive and accurate, but you have one more advantage - boosting.
Instead of opting to slow things down, you can use your suit's rockets to slide around the battlefield. Whether you're escaping a hail of gunfire, moving from cover point to cover point, or trying to get better position on an enemy, speeding around the environments in an ultra-cool pose never gets old. You can even shoot during boosts, which will simultaneously trigger slow-mo to help you aim, but your suit still runs the risk of overheating when you boost. Using all your tactics wisely is the key to your survival, and Vanquish is a surprisingly tactical action game.
At your disposal are several weapons, but truthfully I found most of them unnecessary. You can carry three guns at a time, as well as both EMP and explosive grenades, but I rarely found myself swapping out either the assault rifle or the heavy machine gun. True, they're very similar, but they got the job done with plenty of ammo to spare, unlike most other weapons in the game which have rather small capacities. Guns can be upgraded by either finding special upgrades in the field, or by collecting another of the same weapon you're carrying provided you have full ammunition on hand. Upgrades result in increased damage, accuracy, or larger magazine sizes or overall ammunition capacity. After upgrading my sniper rifle fully, I occasionally swapped it out for the rocket launcher for battles against large enemies, but I almost never found myself using the disc launcher, LFE gun, or the lock-on laser.
Vanquish is a fairly short game with only five acts that will last between 6-8 hours, even on your first playthrough, but stages are very memorable. Defending a monorail car by sniping search lights, fighting multiple gigantic robot enemies, dodging huge chunks of debris in an uphill battle, and boosting along a crumbling freeway are just some of the awesome setpieces the game has to offer. The game is practically non-stop combat, but I never found it boring or repetitive thanks to the chaotic nature of the battles. There's hardly a moment to blink.
Even with all of the on-screen action, the game rarely stutters. I can only recall one mission where the framerate chugged a bit. Overall, Vanquish is an attractive game with great designs, animation, and loads of impressive particle effects.
Thumping electronic music accompanies and compliments the action very well. The voice acting is a little hammy, but it also works in tandem with the somewhat clumsy story. I also couldn't help but notice a striking resemblance between Sam Gideon and Metal Gear's famous Solid Snake, both in looks and his gravelly voice.
If I had one complaint, it's the sudden difficulty spike in the game's fourth act. It's not unbearable, but after the game's first three relatively breezy acts you may suddenly find yourself dying multiple times in a single mission. There's not much of a penalty, except for a point reduction (which means nothing in the grand scheme of things), but it's still frustrating to suddenly receive one-hit kills.
Even though the ending clearly leaves things open for a sequel, it's unlikely we'll ever see such a thing. That's really unfortunate, because Vanquish is a terrific action game. You could easily plow through it in an afternoon, and there's not a lot of incentive to come back unless you're one of those types who aims for the highest possible score or enjoys masochistic difficulty levels like the unlockable God Hard mode. Given the incredibly cheap cost of the game on the secondhand market, however, I can't recommend Vanquish enough. It's a short ride, but man is it fun while it lasts!
Vanquish was completed on a PlayStation 3 with no cheats.
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