Support NeoGAF

[∀ Narayan]

Started Monday, finished tonight. 28 deaths total...but awesome ride! I can't wait for the sequel to see what new stuff Platinum will add to Sam's arsenal.

I do want some DLC; new guns and maybe skins for the suit or the "extra" we get at the end of the final battle.

It's like Bayonetta in space!

Spoiler

One of the DLC guns is exactly that. It doesn't use ammo, just the AR gauge.

Is Digital Foundry doing a comparison?

 

[Dizzle24]

Spoiler

One of the DLC guns is exactly that. It doesn't use ammo, just the AR gauge.

But it's not available to everyone right now!

 

[Curufinwe]

Yeah. Often if I want to slide and shoot at the same time, I need to put both the index and middle finger on the controller. I usually don't do that.

You don't have to. See my previous post.

 

[Shurs]

One thing I find amusing about the earlier complaints about reviewers rushing through the game is that you're supposed to rush through the game. You get bonus points for doing so.

 

[Amir0x]

rocket sliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide

 

[Dr. Kitty Muffins]

I want some extra single player levels as DLC. Lucasarts did this with the Force Unleashed. Why can't another company do it too?

 

[John Rabbit]

OH MY GOD THIS GAME IS SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICK.

seriously how else can i describe the brain-fucking i just had for the last 90 minutes or so? i've only done the first act. going slow(er) trying to find those statues and get some achievements and what have yous.

but seriously this game is so goddamned amazing.

 

[Shurs]

Act 3 was a disappointment. Not that it was bad, but all the rails and elevators got old.

I wanna boost, goddammit, not be stuck on a small platform.

 

[thetrin]

Honestly, the game is god damn amazing, but I can see how you can play "wrong". You need to push yourself to be daring to get the most out of it.

 

[adversesolutions]

Vanquiiiiiiiiiiiiish

 

[ezekial45]

Loving the game so far. I started on Hard mode and i've been playing for the last four hours. It all just flew by. :lol

I'm at Act 3 Mission 5. How much further do i have to go?

 

[RedSwirl]

Short, but I expected that.

Spoiler

You're fighting in a small Stanford torus, so you're able to traverse some curvature. It's kind of neat. I really didn't expect the gameplay mechanics to change at all, and they don't. Shinji Mikami is very consistent when it comes to stuff like that.

Also,

Spoiler

everything about this game screams "TEST", to me. Not a bad thing. I think they just want to see how audiences react.

ENDGAME SPOILER!

Spoiler

A sequel is pretty much guaranteed from the last set of cutscenes. The sequel will be the real thing, I think. Can't wait! But take your time, PlatinumGames.

Yeah, the game does end kind of abruptly. It ended a bit before I was ready for it to. There's definitely going to be a Vanquish 2, but the question is, will Mikami still be involved? He's already started his own company apart from Platinum. I don't want this to turn into another Resident Evil 5, although it could turn into another Resident Evil 2.

 

[∀ Narayan]

Yeah, the game does end kind of abruptly. It ended a bit before I was ready for it to. There's definitely going to be a Vanquish 2, but the question is, will Mikami still be involved? He's already started his own company apart from Platinum. I don't want this to turn into another Resident Evil 5, although it could turn into another Resident Evil 2.

Keep in mind that Vanquish is a collaboration between his own studio Straight Story (who is now named Tango) and PlatinumGames. As far as I know, he's still a contractor with PG. I have no doubt he'll direct more games with them. I hope he directs Vanquish 2 as well.

 

[quinntendopower]

finished the game today. this is another classic example of "you either get it or you don't" gameplay.

a complete wow fest from A-Z. unbelievable stuff the entire time

 

[Forbiden]

Wow at the final boss

Spoiler

es

on hard. Just...wow

 

[ZealousD]

You know, the game really starts to feel more less like a shooter and more like an action game once you get to Act 4. It starts to feel like a Ninja Gaiden shooter or something. You basically have to start using AR mode at every opportunity and you have to dodge and evade like a mad man.

Not that this is a bad thing, mind you, but the game's Japanese roots become pretty apparent once you hit that point.

 

[thetrin]

You know, the game really starts to feel more less like a shooter and more like an action game once you get to Act 4. It starts to feel like a Ninja Gaiden shooter or something. You basically have to start using AR mode at every opportunity and you have to dodge and evade like a mad man.

Not that this is a bad thing, mind you, but the game's Japanese roots become pretty apparent once you hit that point.

How many acts are there?

 

[Tricky I Shadow]

I've been playing this all day (up to Act 5) and feel I can now post some random impressions:


• Yay! I was surprised that the game for me came with a 3D case!
• Visually the game is really good, though sometimes it looks a little rough around the edges with blurriness and ugly textures.
• Shooting the

Spoiler

Jellyfish/Spider

things in the dark tunnel at close range with a shotgun = so satisfying!
• The Unknowns are awesome enemies with such incredible animation! Wow!
• I wish the game had more weapons and enemies!
• The special effects are Godly!
• The game is so addictive!
• Lol at the

Spoiler

dancing

robots! <3
• The

Spoiler

train

section was amazing!
• The boss fights have been a little bit disappointing.
• Story, characters and cut-scenes are pretty horrible...worse than I thought.
• I really wish the game had more quieter moments to break up the pace like when

Spoiler

sniping the lights.

• The game does at times get a tad repetitive, but nothing at all to complain about. The pacing so far has been extremely good.


That’s pretty much all I have at the moment. All in all I love it and I really don’t want it to end!

 

[ZealousD]

How many acts are there?

5

 

[sublimit]

Quick question:does this game support custom soundtrack on PS3?

I would love to play this while listening to an EBM/Power Noise playlist!

 

[Bernbaum]

Ah shit, should I play with either Voice, Messages, or Interface in Japanese? Couldn't give two shits about the story- maybe some incomprehensible Japanese will add to the insanity.

 

[sublimit]

Couldn't give two shits about the story

Same here.I will completely ignore it and try to imagine one of my own lol.I'm sure it can't be hard to come up with something better.:lol

 

[leng jai]

Installing the game nowWWWWWWWWW

 

[Wizpig]

The reviews for this game are pretty terrible.
"Lol it's so short 5/10"? really?

 

[dark10x]

Honestly, the game is god damn amazing, but I can see how you can play "wrong". You need to push yourself to be daring to get the most out of it.

Yeah, you hear the whole "you're playing it wrong" mantra with a lot of games, but in this case, it really can be true. It's really just a side effect of offering wide open gameplay to the player. It's totally possible to play Vanquish in an unexciting fashion and I feel that some of the reviewers probably did just that.

If you're playing it like Gears, you're probably not going to have a good time. Once you nail the controls, though, it's insanely addictive. I don't even mind dying as it generally occurs when I'm trying to pull off some fancy moves and push myself just a bit too hard. The AR gauge really forces you to plan. You can pull off some sick shit, but if you push just a bit too hard, you'll run out of juice and wind up stranded in the middle of the battlefield (and will probably die as a result).

I'm also happy that, at this point, the framerate has become more stable. The first couple of areas actually dropped pretty hard (including the demo area), but the last several acts have all held a more consistent framerate.

 

[Shuusui]

Watching a live stream of it now to help me decide. This is actually changing my mind slowly for the better: http://www.justin.tv/redsungamer

 

[Shurs]

The reviews for this game are pretty terrible.
"Lol it's so short 5/10"? really?

I've only seen one 5/10 review, which was Destructoid's. Everything else has been 7 or higher.

After reading Jim Sterling's review I noticed something crucial, he doesn't mention AR mode once. Not in it's application, not in it's relationship to the game world and enemies, not even a mention of it's existence. The fact that it's completely ignored illustrates just how pathological his analysis truly is.

He does mention it, just not by name. Did you read his review or just look at the score and come here to complain?

The endless assault of missiles and ambush attacks can be negated by a bullet time effect that kicks in when Sam glides and shoots simultaneously. This would be useful were it not for the fact that Sam's energy levels deplete rapidly, and once they go down, you'll need to wait for them to recharge. Of course, if an enemy throws one of its death missiles at you while you're recharging, you're boned. Sam's dodge maneuver is pathetic and won't get him clear of the giant energy beams and explosions that endlessly come his way.

 

[Wizpig]

Yes, I was referring to Destructoid's, it's a ridicolous review.
And even if you ignore the number, even some of the positive review are pretty stupid, like Game Informer's.

It's not a game you can attack by saying it's short.
It's not a game you can attack because it has a stupid plot.

Destructoid is having a string of terrible reviews: first Lords of Shadow, then this.
LoS was a poor man's Dante's Inferno, what's Vanquish then? a poor man's Gears of War? :lol

 

[Shurs]

Yes, I was referring to Destructoid's, it's a ridicolous review.
And even if you ignore the number, even some of the positive review are pretty stupid, like Game Informer's.

It's not a game you can attack by saying it's short.
It's not a game you can attack because it has a stupid plot.

Destructoid is having a string of terrible reviews: first Lords of Shadow, then this.
LoS was a poor man's Dante's Inferno, what's Vanquish then? a poor man's Gears of War? :lol

Sterling gave a lot more reasons for the score than "lol, it's short."

 

[dark10x]

The endless assault of missiles and ambush attacks can be negated by a bullet time effect that kicks in when Sam glides and shoots simultaneously. This would be useful were it not for the fact that Sam's energy levels deplete rapidly, and once they go down, you'll need to wait for them to recharge. Of course, if an enemy throws one of its death missiles at you while you're recharging, you're boned. Sam's dodge maneuver is pathetic and won't get him clear of the giant energy beams and explosions that endlessly come his way.

I wonder if he even knew that you could dodge while enabling AR mode? When I first played the demo I thought it was limited to sliding, but it's actually more useful when combined with dodging. Combing the two is incredibly fun and effective.

It sounds like he was just sliding into the crowds firing in AR mode only to end up with no energy and trying to retreat. You really have to plan. I generally try to make sure the direction I'm going has cover ready and abort my attack when the gauge has ~25% left to use the remaining energy to get to that cover. Using all of your AR energy while out in the open is a terrible tactic that doesn't work well.

The game really forces you to learn this stuff on your own, though. The tutorial is super basic and just gives you a basic idea of how to play. It never really goes into how you can put all of these techniques to use. Took a little while for it to really click with me, but once it does, woooo boy is it awesome.

 

[george_us]

Yeah, you hear the whole "you're playing it wrong" mantra with a lot of games, but in this case, it really can be true. It's really just a side effect of offering wide open gameplay to the player. It's totally possible to play Vanquish in an unexciting fashion and I feel that some of the reviewers probably did just that.

If you're playing it like Gears, you're probably not going to have a good time. Once you nail the controls, though, it's insanely addictive. I don't even mind dying as it generally occurs when I'm trying to pull off some fancy moves and push myself just a bit too hard. The AR gauge really forces you to plan. You can pull off some sick shit, but if you push just a bit too hard, you'll run out of juice and wind up stranded in the middle of the battlefield (and will probably die as a result).

I'm also happy that, at this point, the framerate has become more stable. The first couple of areas actually dropped pretty hard (including the demo area), but the last several acts have all held a more consistent framerate.

If that's the case then that's on the developer to provide more incentive to play the game in a crazy fashion. I think something like Bayonetta does this extremely well by providing with more Halos which in turns allows you to buy moves and other things. It doesn't really help that many of the encounters play out like a stereotypical Gears level i.e. close to midrange combat in fairly tight spaces. Probably the only levels where I feel like the game REALLY distinguishes itself is the

Spoiler

rock slide where you had to quickly boost up to avoid getting destroyed, the level where you had to use your boost to quickly race up the corkscrew energy reactor thing, and the final battle where cover was quickly sinking and popping up all over the place.

Actually I think the final battle is, appropriately, the best level in the game.

 

[Tain]

There's a scoring system, but I don't really feel all that excited about digging deep into it.

Hard mode has been plenty encouragement to not play boringly, though. You can't. The game doesn't let you get away with chilling stationary behind cover and inching forward slowly, unlike pretty much every other cover shooter I've played. The developers looked at the genre, saw the biggest, most common problems, and fixed them. This is the game's big accomplishment.

 

[dark10x]

If that's the case then that's on the developer to provide more incentive to play the game in a crazy fashion. I think something like Bayonetta does this extremely well by providing with more Halos which in turns allows you to buy moves and other things. It doesn't really help that many of the encounters play out like a stereotypical Gears level i.e. close to midrange combat in fairly tight spaces. Probably the only levels where I feel like the game REALLY distinguishes themselves is the

Spoiler

rock slide where you had to quickly boost up to avoid getting destroyed, the level where you had to use your boost to quickly race up the corkscrew energy reactor thing, and the final battle where cover was quickly sinking and popping up all over the place.

Actually I think the final battle is, appropriately, the best level in the game.

I definitely feel the developer could have done a better job pushing players to use all of the abilities, but at the same time, they probably wanted to make sure the game could still be played by a wider audience.

They should have added some sort of incentive to push players to use the suit more effectively. That could have been implemented easily without changing the design of the levels themselves.

Still, I do kind of appreciate the fact that the game CAN be played in so many different ways. The problem with the reviewer above is that he TRIED to use the systems but seems to have failed. He was unable to make use of what the game offers and stuck to playing it in a more defensive, slower paced manner, it would seem. He basically wanted to the restrictions on the suit removed, which would have hurt the game balance and score mechanics. Perhaps a mode allowing this could have been a bonus, however.

 

[FlashbladeGAF]

Still, I do kind of appreciate the fact that the game CAN be played in so many different ways. The problem with the reviewer above is that he TRIED to use the systems but seems to have failed. He was unable to make use of what the game offers and stuck to playing it in a more defensive, slower paced manner, it would seem. He basically wanted to the restrictions on the suit removed, which would have hurt the game balance and score mechanics. Perhaps a mode allowing this could have been a bonus, however.

The reviewer wondered why he wasn't good at a new game and was too lazy to practice

 

[~Devil Trigger~]

This game does GIANT BOSSES in a shooter right, shit is just epic

 

[Shurs]

This game does GIANT BOSSES in a shooter right, shit is just epic

Yep.

 

[MikeE21286]

• Lol at the

Spoiler

dancing

robots! <3

:lol

Yes!

 

[JKTrix]

Fought two big bosses at the same time. Did this to one, and then this to the other one.

So awesome.

The set pieces are great. Game could really use something like Halo's replay feature, where you can look at the crap you do from various angles and take screenshots and stuff. Heck, Kirby lets you take screenshots.

 

[robor]

He does mention it, just not by name. Did you read his review or just look at the score and come here to complain?

Will you look at that, he does mention it. Regardless, I still find his analysis pathological. Numbers mean nothing to me Shurs, I only read reviews from two sites (one of which considered Vanquish a rent-worthy game). My curiosity peaked by those who mentioned it before the review was taken down. So when it was re-posted back on the site, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

Anyways, did anyone else notice Shinji Mikami's cameo in the game? :lol

 

[BobsRevenge]

I definitely feel the developer could have done a better job pushing players to use all of the abilities, but at the same time, they probably wanted to make sure the game could still be played by a wider audience.

They should have added some sort of incentive to push players to use the suit more effectively. That could have been implemented easily without changing the design of the levels themselves.

Still, I do kind of appreciate the fact that the game CAN be played in so many different ways. The problem with the reviewer above is that he TRIED to use the systems but seems to have failed. He was unable to make use of what the game offers and stuck to playing it in a more defensive, slower paced manner, it would seem. He basically wanted to the restrictions on the suit removed, which would have hurt the game balance and score mechanics. Perhaps a mode allowing this could have been a bonus, however.

From what I played of the demo, the melee really should've been tweaked. One hit completely drains your energy, so its practically suicide. I can't figure out why they would include melee only to have it be worthless.

Does it relate to the scoring somehow? Its was so obnoxious that I stopped bothering with it even though I felt a strong drive to boost up to a dude and fuck his shit up with a physical strike.

 

[Shurs]

Anyways, did anyone else notice Shinji Mikami's cameo in the game? :lol

I fought alongside the man. Good solider, he is.

 

[~Devil Trigger~]

I fought alongside the man. Good solider, he is.

in fact, he was a great soldier. Never when down, not once

 

[Fimbulvetr]

From what I played of the demo, the melee really should've been tweaked. One hit completely drains your energy, so its practically suicide. I can't figure out why they would include melee only to have it be worthless.

Does it relate to the scoring somehow? Its was so obnoxious that I stopped bothering with it even though I felt a strong drive to boost up to a dude and fuck his shit up with a physical strike.

Disk Launcher Melee, Bosst Kick + hold Down Aim.

 

[∀ Narayan]

Fought two big bosses at the same time. Did this to one, and then this to the other one.

So awesome.

Yeah. That corkscrew attack is some total Casshern stuff. Awesome.

From what I played of the demo, the melee really should've been tweaked. One hit completely drains your energy, so its practically suicide. I can't figure out why they would include melee only to have it be worthless.

Does it relate to the scoring somehow? Its was so obnoxious that I stopped bothering with it even though I felt a strong drive to boost up to a dude and fuck his shit up with a physical strike.

This game isn't a brawler. Melee is something that should be used as a finisher, or as something to juggle your opponent. Furthermore, you can use the Heavy Machine Gun's melee to boost yourself up. This allows you to enter AR mode while stationary. Do not play this game like a brawler. You will suffer for it.

 

[thetrin]

Yeah. That corkscrew attack is some total Casshern stuff. Awesome.

That's pretty much the QTE that cemented for me that he is totally Casshern in a shooter. Which is great, because I fucking love Casshern.

If only he had his version of Friender, still. T_T

(Btw, I do find it funny that Mikami has now made two games that are obvious homages to his favorite anime/manga. God Hand is basically Hokuto no Ken, and Vanquish is, of course, Casshern)

 

[andymcc]

(Btw, I do find it funny that Mikami has now made two games that are obvious homages to his favorite anime/manga. God Hand is basically Hokuto no Ken, and Vanquish is, of course, Casshern)

Vanquish also borrows from Gundam pretty liberally. The environments look like one of the Sides.

 

[Retro_]

Doesn't overheating from Melee recover faster than overheating by other means?(near death, AR, Boost)

or is near death recover just longer than everything?

I think I read that something recovers at different speeds

 

[∀ Narayan]

Doesn't overheating from Melee recover faster than overheating by other means?(near death, AR, Boost)

or is near death recover just longer than everything?

I think I read that something recovers at different speeds

No. The overheating recovery duration is the same for everything. The overheating gauge, however, drains differently depending on what you're doing.

 

[Fimbulvetr]

No. The overheating recovery duration is the same for everything. The overheating gauge, however, drains differently depending on what you're doing.

Oh, I didn't know this.

So, it recovers faster if you aren't moving? or is it the other way around?

 

[thetrin]

Oh, I didn't know this.

So, it recovers faster if you aren't moving? or is it the other way around?

I think he means different actions that use the ARS drain the gauge at different rates.