Vanquish

UPC: 010086680454

Platform: Xbox 360

Publisher: Sega of America, Inc.

Developer: Platinum Games, Inc.

Category: Shooter

Style(s): Third-Person 3D Shooter

Synopsis: Developed by the team behind the critically acclaimed games MadWorld, Infinite Space, and Bayonetta, and directed by the creator of the Resident Evil series, Vanquish is a fast-paced 3D shooter set in a space station orbiting near-future Earth. With the world's resources dwindling rapidly, the United States sought to solve its energy woes by building a space station to harness solar power. But a nationalistic military group stages a successful coup in Russia, and subsequently attacks and captures the U.S. space station. The group, known as the Order of the Russia Star, then diverts the station's stored solar energy into a blast wave that demolishes San Francisco. With New York next to be destroyed, the United States springs into action, sending a team of space-based special operations forces and Marines to assist the few remaining soldiers aboard the station. Players join the rescue effort as Sam Gideon, a young researcher from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), who is officially on the team to test out the Agency's new Augmented Reaction Suit (ARS), but is also secretly tasked with tracking down the designer of the space station, Dr. Francis Candide. The ARS turns Gideon into something of a hybrid of Iron Man and RoboCop, with powerful armor, tremendous mobility due to jet thrusters on each of his arms and legs, massive firepower thanks to a system that can replicate any weapon he finds, and a special "AR" mode that allows for slow-motion attacks and evasion during periods of extreme duress. Players can store three weapons at a time, and the ARS also enhances Gideon's strength, allowing him to unleash deadly melee attacks at close range. He is not invincible, however, as the ARS can only boost for a short duration before it requires a cooling down period, so gamers are best advised to make use of Vanquish's sticky cover system during vulnerable moments. The game's environments were designed to be massive and interactive, with destructible elements, fights between background characters, and enough space for Gideon to comfortably boost, and Vanquish features a scoring mechanic engineered to dissuade over reliance on any one style of play by awarding multipliers for stringing together boosts, melee attacks, and slow-motion "AR" mode combat. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Package Contents: 20-page Instruction Manual

Controls: Joystick/Gamepad

Some of Japanese gaming's most renowned developers join forces to take on the typically Western world of cover-based shooters. Previously responsible for the wild and wonderful games MadWorld and Bayonetta, Platinum Games' Vanquish puts players into the robotic shoes of Sam Gideon as he fights Russian forces across a vast space station. With Earth's nations left fighting for its last remaining resources, the U.S. has developed a futuristic space station capable of capturing energy from the solar waves of deep space. This tool is a valuable new commodity, and when the nationalist forces of the Order of the Russian Star take control of it by force, DARPA agent Sam is sent in to regain control of the station by any means necessary. Vanquish's plot is as absurd as it sounds, pitting players against waves of robotic foes, Russian troops, and ten-story bosses. Unlike the slick and over-the-top presentation of MadWorld, however, Vanquish settles for a more clear-cut feel, losing some of the bizarre and ridiculous styling the developer's previous games were so well-known for. This grounded feel is also on show in the game's visuals, which, although toned down from the rich colors of previous Platinum Games titles, still offer a drastic change from the dark browns and greys shooters are quickly becoming known for. Environments are visually striking, but with the limited scope of the space station design, tend to blur together quickly. The stark environments and characters are at the very least incredibly detailed, right down to the minute workings of Sam's Augmented Reaction Suit. With Sam's whirring mechanical armor at their disposal, players are more agile and responsive than the lumbering musclemen typically seen in cover-based shooters of the West. Sam can boost around the environment with ease, quickly switching between cover and slowing down time for more precise shots. Sam has as much in common with the aerobatic exploits of games such as Ninja Gaiden as he does Gears of War, and it's a refreshing change of pace to have genuine control over Sam as he covers huge distances in seconds. Vanquish's real highlight is its frequent boss battles. With huge mechanical beasts filling the screen as they lumber into view, Vanquish takes more than a little creative license from Shadows of the Colossus, seeing Sam find their weaknesses and clamber across each metal shell to deliver the final blow. Rather than asking players slowly explore on their way to the top as Colossus often does, Vanquish focuses entirely on the spectacle of the moment, creating some dramatic set pieces that nearly reach the heights of Bayonetta's outlandish displays. With a steep learning curve, Vanquish can often be quite challenging, but never resorts to cheap tricks or overwhelming odds to keep players from progressing quickly. Platinum Games is rapidly becoming one of the most creative developers to come out of Japan in years. With many gamers growing tired of the slew of po-faced shooters now flooding the market, Vanquish offers a refreshing change of pace. The storyline itself can sometimes take itself a little too seriously, and many level designs tend to repeat themselves, but Vanquish is a twist on a well-worn formula that comes highly recommended to those looking for something a little different.

the game requires Joystick/Gamepad.