SEGA has a new mega-franchise on its hands with the release of Platinum Games’ Vanquish, a third-person shooter that gives players an unequaled sense of futuristic, sci-fi shoot-’em-up prowess. It should come as little surprise: The minds behind the marvelously kinetic action are Shinki Mikami and Atsushi Inaba, the madmen that created the beat ‘em up cult classic, God Hand. The same spirit of over-the-top action that permeated God Hand lives here, too, albeit in a far more refined, less goof-filled state. It’s genius-level action that makes competing titles feel downright poky in comparison, and enables Vanquish to overcome its main weakness–a bland plot and overly macho voice acting out of the Ahnuld and Sly school of delivery.
Everything about Vanquish is designed to transform the player into a stylish, flashy, incredibly efficient machine. The goal, as in many other third-person shooters, is to mow down everything that moves, but unlike Gears of War‘s overly buff grunts, the hero, DARPA agent Sam Gideon, wears a sleek Iron Man-like power suit that grants an array of super-abilities.
This ARS (Augmented Reaction Suit) is what gives Vanquish its truly unique feel and elevates over the typical third-person shooter. The armor contains rockets that enable Sam Gideon to zip along the ground at break-neck speed that serves both offensive and defensive purposes; in fact, it allows you to blend offense and defensive together in such a way that you’re never locked into one unless you choose to do so. For example, boosting around, or under the legs of an enemy will put you in prime position to deliver a payload from a hefty weapon, send you barreling toward cover, or, when your mind and muscle memory click in a marvelous act of synergy, slide toward cover while engaging in a firefight. It also works in reverse, as you can boost away from foes while tossing grenades or firing shells over your shoulder. The constant sense of motion, of non-stop action, is truly remarkable and well-constructed.
An energy bar fuels these rockets, as well as the suit’s satisfying melee attacks (which differ depending on which weapon you currently have equipped), and bullet time mode. Now, before you sigh heavily at the thought of yet another game using slow-mo effects, Vanquish takes the concept to a new level. It’s initiated by either sustaining enough damage that it automatically kicks in (not exactly the ideal way to use it), or by performing it manually. I can say with zero hyperbole that barreling over a barricade, entering slow-mo, and filling bi-pedal mechs with shotgun shells is one of the most exhilarating moments in video gaming.
Vanquish has terrific looking character models and visuals, that move realistically and sport like-like skin tones. The space station setting means there’s lots of gray steel and metal–not particularly eye-popping. In a game that strives to one up every other third-person shooter, I’m surprised that there isn’t more visual brilliance. Still, the blazing action, swarms of enemies, and chunky explosions more than make up for it.
There are weapons a-plenty ranging from EMP grenades to heavy machine guns, and everything in between. You can swap between three guns on the fly (and two grenades), which your armor morphs into being. Each weapon is upgradable, so they grow with you as you proceed through the game.
There are a few moments of “downtime” in the otherwise hectic title. When you sustain big damage, or push your ARS to the limit, you have to fine cover and cool down to prevent overheating and a explosion; rewards are given for taking time out to resuscitate fallen enemies. The former gives you time to plot out battles against the overwhelming red army, while the latter makes you feel as being truly part of team– a nice touch in a game that could’ve every easily focused entirely on style over substance.
For a game developed by a Japanese studio, Vanquish’s remarkably ho-hum plot is steeped in American political history. In a far flung future when mankind has taken to the moon to escape the overcrowding and food shortages on Mother Earth, a sadistic Soviet leader hijacks an orbiting space station, fires the laser cannon, and proceeds to microwave the populace of San Francisco. The former Cold War-era foes are locked in a new conflict as the Hilary Clinton-like President of the United States declares the American spirit will not be squashed by a madman, thus kicking off an orbital war. There’s a non-too-subtle 9-11 allusion in place here, but the story’s very generic nature is almost forgivable once the player has the chance to jump into action. There’s been lots of worry over the game’ length, but if you found that titles such as Shank and Limbo were the perfect balance of fun and length, you’ll have no problem with Vanquish.
The voice-acting also comes up short. Way short. While it isn’t bad, it’s not particularly good, either. Every males sounds as though he just stepped out of a 1985 action movie, with lots of gruff grunts and swears that are less Solid/Naked Snake and more muscle-bound comedy. Female voices are decent, and doesn’t inspire laughter. The soundtrack is passable, with some techno-like thumping taking place in the background, but there’s nothing truly memorable there.
There’s no co-op, the story’s forgettable, and the voices are comical, but simply put, Vanquish is an action game for action lovers. The utmost praise that you can give a video game is stating that you simply could not walk away from it even when other duties call: Vanquish sets its adrenaline-pumping hooks deep and doesn’t let go. Buy it now.
Founder and Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey L. Wilson’s love of all things shiny/digital has lead to jobs penning gadget- and video game-related nerd-copy for E-Gear, Laptop, LifeStyler, Parenting, PC Magazine, Sync, Wise Bread, and WWE. Besides overseeing the editorial content at 2D-X.com, the Brooklyn College grad hosts New York City’s monthly Bits and Bytes video game media and public relations meetup. You can find him at a bar sampling foreign beers, or on Twitter doing twittery things.
