Review by Jason
Vanquish... wow.. Platinum games is definitely establishing itself as a game developer with style and quality. Vanquish is a game that kind of came out of no where. It was off the radar for a long time and suddenly showed up at E3. This game throws everything it has at you from the start and despite a semi-weak story you can bet you will see a Vanquish 2 in the future.
Gameplay
Insane. Remarkable. One of the best shooters I have played in ages. Not to say games like Halo, Gears, Half-Life, Doom, Quake etc are average but those are games that focus on many aspects all at the same time. Story line, new cutting edge gaming engine, MP elements... etc etc. Vanquish comes bursting out of the gate in boost mode tossing much of that aside and focusing on a single element. Shooting. The polish on the gameplay is spectacular. The AI in the game is spot on. on "casual" you can expect the AI units to basically be there for target practice yet they still try to flank and will try to overwhelm you. "hard" you can expect very difficult AI that will use cover to its advantages, flank you, and even throw grenades such that it traps you in one spot so a sniper could put you down. The gameplay is fast.. vicious.. unforgiving of mistakes. Your AI marines actually can put up a fight but don't expect much from them. They tend to get in the way and get wounded fast but that is a plus since healing them gives you ammo or a weapon upgrade.
Sound/Story
The sound is fantastic. You will be behind a wall taking cover to heal up, reload or perhaps to take a smoke(yes that's right, Sam will smoke a cigarette while in cover if you wish; however there is a secret little use for this you will have to figure out on your own). Anyhow, while hiding you can tell exactly what is happening or where people are. From the sound of gunfire to the powering up of high energy canons etc. It is polished and sounds fantastic. The static from the comms, or the switching clicks of your gun remodeling itself into the weapon of your choice. Boost jets etc. Story.. well the story is there, don't be fooled by people saying the game has no storyline. It just lacks polishing. The game focuses heavily on combat and mission objectives leaving the storyline as an afterthought that doesn't show itself until the last 20 minutes of the game. Could be a good thing though as it could leave you wanting more, being a real storyline actually exists under all this chaotic action.
Graphics/Presentation
The graphics are spectacular. Presentation spectacular thanks to graphics and polishing. The suit Sam wears is just out of this world. The amount of detail and subtle things going on are countless. From grenades switching out, drag flaps opening and closing while boosting, the BLADE changing shapes, visor opening and closing. Just as much detail went into the environment and while invisible walls exist (in a way), the environment is also destructible on a small level. You'll be behind a cement barrier safe and sound.. wait.. i just got shot how? wha... will be your reaction as you look back over your shoulder to find a grenade, missile or just constant bullet fire tore that cement barrier to shreds and now your head is out there just screaming hello to a sniper.
Length/Replay
The game is short.. I beat it on "casual" in 4hrs 12mins.. "HARD" took me 40mins to get to act 1-5 and that is just 1/2 way through Act 1 so you can see how the game ramps up in difficulty and time harder it gets. HARD seems like a 6-8hr playthrough as enemies have at least double the HP as casual and have the aim of a sharpshooter + the marines are basically just in the way at that difficulty ( GOD HARD difficulty scares me ) Replay is like any shooter. If you like it you will come back to it over and over until you find something better usually a squeal.
Summary of "cons" I have for this game (with positive re-enforcement)
- Storyline could of been polished better. It is there and has the makings of a good storyline. [By the time you are done playing the gameplay more than makes up for the weak focus on story]
- Scoring system doesn't seem that polished up(far to simple) [seems like a last second addition in the dev process but a smart one. Would like to see it evolve into Halo's scoring system in a way. Have some detail so people can show off their HS count or nade kills.. melee kills etc]
Overall Score: 96%
A great shooter. A game the console generation has probably been waiting years for. While it isn't has hyped up as Halo, Gears, Killzone etc and has *no multi-player* the game really doesn't need it as badly as one might think (could just be that I grew up with games that were only SP prior to high speed internet being readily available). It plays fine and has incredible replay value simply on the fact it keeps track of your stats and there are 112 hidden gold statues around the game. ... (*opinion*) besides, why spend time developing a MP mode if people are just going to be playing Call of Duty, Medal of Honor, Halo MP etc. I would of liked to see a "Co-Op campaign" mode though. It would fit the gameplay much better than a simple thrown together Multiplayer system like Uncharted 2 has
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