Vanquish

[Dante]

Vanquish (Mikami x Halo?)

Vanquish Trailer (http://www.gametrailers.com/video/exclusive-debut-vanquish/61349)

Vanquish is an upcoming video game developed by Platinum Games. It's Shinji Mikami's (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinji_Mikami) first game with Platinum Games. The game has been in development since 2007, however in January 2010 a full motion video trailer was released. The game is being publishing by Sega. Atsushi Inaba is producing the game.

http://i47.tinypic.com/2my7z0i.jpg

[Ryan]

Disappointing.

[Nolan]

Reminds me more of Mass Effect than Halo, but yea it certainly has that vibe.

[James McGeachie]

Disappointing.

Yes, as there's so much we can tell about the game from a short trailer with nothing but cutscene footage...

Looks interesting to me, I'm curious what the gameplay will be like. Looks like Platinum Games are trying their hand at a title more in style with Western games.

[Caris]

Looks like a Fiat Punto to me.

[Dante]

Just like RE4, P.N.O.3 but with alittle more push for western style.

[Coolness Bears]

Platinum Games, aye?

I'm interested. :D

[Ryan]

Yes, as there's so much we can tell about the game from a short trailer with nothing but cutscene footage...

Looks interesting to me, I'm curious what the gameplay will be like. Looks like Platinum Games are trying their hand at a title more in style with Western games.

And to me, that 'short trailer with nothing but cutscene footage...' looks like a science fiction inspired first-person shooter..

[James McGeachie]

I just noticed that development pic now. Strange how it says "Written and directed by Alexi Tylevich" then "Game Director: Shinji Mikami".

[Dante]

You know that part is about the trailer because he is the owner of the company Logan.

The game staff is the line at the bottom.

[Dante]

Info and scans:


Vanquish is PS3/360, it's confirmed. It's due to be out by Winter 2010.
Mikami says that while it is a third person shooter, it is not a "normal" shooter. It will emphasize speed and fast paced action, and you will also be shooting robots instead of humans.
The game setting is a near-future war between US and Russia. By setting it in the future, Mikami can use robots and high tech stuff to make the game more interesting. He says the reason why the enemies are all robots is because he wants to allow players who do not like shooting other humans to be able to play and appreciate the gameplay in shooters as well.
The mech suit features a high speed booster which allows you to very quickly boost next to enemies to pull off close range attacks. There are a large variety of close range attacks moves in the game.
There is a balance between using cover and using the boost, but it is definitely not a pure cover shooter
You do not pick up and change weapons in the game, instead your weaponry is part of the suit and it all transforms in realtime into different sorts of weapons.
The game is about 80% complete, and they're working on refining the AI for both allies and enemies at the moment. There is a demo planned.


Vanquish saw its video debut back in January, but Sega forgot to provide details on the game. Thanks to Famitsu and an interview with the game's director, we now have a few of the missing details.

First, the basics, as listed in the magazine. Vanquish is an Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 multiplatform title that's in development at Platinum Games, the studio behind Bayonetta. Shinji Mikami, known for his work on the Resident Evil series, is the director, with Platinum's Atsushi Inaba serving as producer. Sega will be releasing the game to Japan this Winter.

Famitsu first asked Mikami for his feelings on announcing his first new game in four years. His response was that he's happy to announce a new title, but he didn't put much thought into it being the first new one in four years.

Asked to describe Vanquish, Mikami answered with "Shooter." One of the big reasons for going with this genre, he explained, is that it's being developed not just for Japan, but with overseas markets in its sights.

"Making a normal shooter wouldn't be interesting," continued Mikami, "so it has the concept of the feeling of speed and good tempo, and something flashy. There are lots of games where you shoot and kill people, so this time we wanted to try and see how we could convey the good feeling of shooting robots."

Famitsu pointed out that Mikami has the image of making action games rather than shooters, to which he responded: "It will be a shooter that places importance on the good tempo and feeling of rhythm you get from playing an action game." The boss battles in particular will approach action games, he said.

Outside of the main interview, the magazine mentioned a few more specific areas for the game. One major feature is the use of "boosts," which can be used to close the distance to your enemy quickly. The game also has a large variety of close-range attacks along with a "Bullet Time" feature which lets you slow time down.

In addition to the speed being fast, you'll find that lots of enemies come out and attack. "Compared to a normal shooter, there's more information," said Mikami. One area of concern, he said, has been to keep there from being too much information, which would leave players not knowing what to do.

The magazine also offered preliminary details on the game's setting. The game takes place in the near future and has a story based off an American and Russian standoff. The future setting, explained Mikami, allowed them to make the enemies into robots, make the cinematic scenes flashy, and make the world large. The character you control sports a slim, flexible armor suit.

Mikami shared one little development secret for the game (yes, already!). Your character doesn't have a bunch of weapons in his possession. Instead, his weapon changes shape in real time depending on use. Originally, Mikami revealed, your character had a partner dog character who'd merge with your suit and take the form of various weapons. This wasn't received too favorably by the staff, so they switched to the idea of the weapons transforming.

Current development on Vanquish is at 80%, Mikami told the magazine. They're putting together the fundamental areas of the game, but detailed areas like enemy and ally AI remain. "The work from here on out gets annoying," he joked.

http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/1/14030/1289733-vanone_super.jpghttp://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/1/14030/1289734-vantwo_super.jpg

[Deathjam]

Ok now im semi interested. May remind me a bit of gun valkyrie on the xbox. Yes the old fat xbox.

[S.C.G]

Ok now im semi interested. May remind me a bit of gun valkyrie on the xbox. Yes the old fat xbox.

If it's anything like that then it should be pretty awesome, I mean it probably won't be anything like it really but damn... Gun Valkyrie was a criminally underrated game, very enjoyable. :)

[Dan Dare]

Sounds generic-o

platinum games have a certain way with polygons though. I'll keep an eye out.

[Dante]

Screens:
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[Deathjam]

If it's anything like that then it should be pretty awesome, I mean it probably won't be anything like it really but damn... Gun Valkyrie was a criminally underrated game, very enjoyable. :)

Hmmm, yeah, aftet those latest screens, its probably not gonna be anything like it. :hmm:

[Dante]

First Look: Vanquish (http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2010/03/04/first_look_vanquish/)
http://www.andriasang.com/blog/2010/03/04/first_look_vanquish/images/2132409367_view.jpg
In typical fashion, Famitsu.com followed through with a first online look at the game. The Famitsu.com story includes most of the screens that are in the Famitsu print story (I've included here official versions of these that were later released by Sega). But different from the print version, which consisted of a lengthy interview with Mikami, the online version is based off a press briefing that Sega held on February 23 with Japanese and overseas media.

Mikami and producer Atsushi Inaba were in attendance at the briefing. Mikami is the guy in blue in the pictures at the site. Inaba is not pictured.

The event began with a greeting from Inaba, who who described Vanquish's genre as "shooter," but also made note of its strong feel of action, fast pace and "high play tension." These comments are similar to comments made by Mikami in his Famitsu interview.

The term "shooter" is in reference to FPS (first person shooter) and TPS (third person shooter) games. In this case, the action seems to take place from behind the character's back. The site notes that this is a new challenge for Mikami, who's known for his action games.

Mikami conducted a demo play session for the press, controlling the main character, whose name the Famitsu.com article reveals to be Sam. Sam wears body armor which he designed himself. Mikami described the armor as "light as cotton, but extremely strong."

The start of the demo session placed Sam in the company of a number of NPCs (non-player controlled characters). These NPCs support Sam, and Famitsu noted that their movements look so smooth that it's like they're being controlled by another player.

The demo session showed off the "Boost" mechanics which help give the game its sense of speed. Boosting, according to the Famitsu report, makes the character slide around, speeding up to confront enemies, or quickly hiding being obstructions. The site describes the gameplay as "move quickly, take out enemies, then hide," different from the image of slow progress one has from typical shooters.

A later demo session held by the development staff's top player was set in a giant space ship and showed some flashy scenes, including futuristic cars being blown away by bomb blasts. The demonstration also showed what appeared to be a boss fight, pitting Sam against a creature many times his size. This creature could transform into a two legged robot form.

The international press was also invited to this event, so we can probably expect first hand impressions, as well as higher resolution screens, to follow.


Eurogamer Preview (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/vanquish-preview?page=1)

[Dante]

New Info (http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2010/03/31/vanquish_prologue/)

Vanquish begins in space, on a cylindrical colony known as Providence. This is actually America's 51st state. It was created in order to gather solar energy. The energy that it gathers in its power generation plants is converted into microwaves and beamed down to Earth.

This is where the expected "but" comes in. Someone has taken over Providence and converted its power plants into weapons of mass destruction. The enemy targets San Francisco with a blast of energy from the colony, instantly wiping out 500,000 lives.

Meanwhile, Washington receives a declaration of war from "Russia no Hoshi" (this is either "Planet Russia" or possibly the name for a satellite). Apparently, an organization that recently staged a coup in Russia wants unconditional surrender from America, or they'll attack New York next.

The only person who can save America from this ultimate danger is Burns, a hero who is a veteran of three wars and has received such high awards as the Silver Star. His ship fleet is already in approach of the colony.

The hero of Vanquish, Sam, has been dispatched by DARPA with this fleet. On the surface, his mission is to test out the new type of battle suit, "ARS." However, he's actually been given secret orders.

Little time remains until the attack on New York.

Playing as Sam, you make use of your ARS, or Augmented Reaction Suit. This suit is made of carbon nano tubes and offers the strength of steel in a package as light as air. It was designed to give a single soldier the same attack, movement, strategy, and information processing capabilities as the latest MBTs (a combat tank).

While in your ARS, you'll have access to a variety of weapons. But you'll also find that close range combat, like punches and kicks, are essential attack options here. The magazine notes that these are often reduced to support roles in other games.

The game also includes a boost option. When this is triggered, your speed is greatly increased, allowing you to jump at an enemy in an instant and dash past storms of bullets.

During battle, you'll need to make use of AR Mode, or Augmented Reality Mode. You can trigger this mode only after you've met certain conditions. In AR Mode, your reaction speed becomes much higher. This is reflected in the game by slowing everything else down. In other words, bullet time.

Despite all this power Sam won't be alone in his fight. He'll be accompanied by fellow American soldiers. You'll have to work together with these ally characters, covering one another as you fight your robotic foes.

New screenshots. (http://scrawlfx.com/gallery/vanquish/april-27-2010/)

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This new information makes it sound like viewtiful joe meets Halo. :)

Swedish mag LEVEL has a 6-page preview of the game in their latest issue. They also interviewed Mikami and Inaba during a conference. A couple of highlights:

• The game is a lot faster than traditional third person shooters. Sam can boost from cover to cover, quick tempo and intensity seems to be keywords when designing the game.
• According to the article, the action is only ever paused to allow Sam to take a couple of drags on his cigarett (which apparently explains the low placement of his visor.
• The game plays more like a shmup a la Sin & Punishment rather than Gears of War.
• Sam carries one gun, which the suit can transform into another gun, for example a shotgun turns into a machine gun. Real-time weapon morphing?!
• close quarter combat plays a major role.
• Mikami admits that the game looks very similar to other shooters on the surface, but promises that the speed and tempo will set it apart.
• Inaba says that "Mikami is free to do whatever he wants"
• The author of the article is not too impressed by neither story nor cinematics and thinks that the game works best when it focuses on the intense action.
• Mikami opens the conference by saying "Is there anyone from IGN here? Thanks for that God Hand review".

[Goafer]

This looks like it could actually be good.

Gun Valkyrie was awesome, if a bit hard.

[Deathjam]

This looks like it could actually be good.

Gun Valkyrie was awesome, if a bit hard.

Totally agreed on both sentiments.

[Dan Dare]

This new information makes it sound like viewtiful joe meets Halo. :)



That's probably the best pitch for a game of all time.

[Dante]

GT's Exclusive Gameplay Trailer (http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2010-vanquish/100954)

9VHbkJHiUsE

[Dan Dare]

That looks pretty good- somewhere between Gears and SHUMP aesthetics. Interesting.

[Ryan]

Gameplay looks fast paced but awful cutscenes. You can already tell that's where reviewers will punch at it..

[Dan Dare]

I dunno. Personally I'm looking forward to stopping that from happening.

[Ganepark32]

Does look pretty good. Although I think watching it in gameplay form won't really get across the gameplay as well as a demo so hopefully there will be one so we can see how smoothly the gun play and the faster pace of the action, with the slow down power and the jetpack thing, all comes together.

But certainly one to watch. Platinum Games have been on a roll really with the games they've made so far (I'd only really class MadWorld as a let down as it got a bit tedious a bit too quickly for me).

[Nolan]

Looking pretty smooth other than cutscenes/plot.

And, unprecedented attack on the US starts with......San Francisco? Really? There's nothing there, hell I'd be willing to call it the US just cleaning house.

[Aimless]

And, unprecedented attack on the US starts with......San Francisco? Really? There's nothing there, hell I'd be willing to call it the US just cleaning house.
Maybe Russia wanted to rid the world of American game journalists.

The cutscenes and dialogue do look shoddy, but I'm sure a trailer of RE4 would give much the same impression. Those aspects don't need to be dramatic, just the right side of bad.

[dwarf gourami]

And, unprecedented attack on the US starts with......San Francisco? Really? There's nothing there, hell I'd be willing to call it the US just cleaning house.
I'm just surprised they showed the temerity to call it an 'unprecedented' attack on America, seeing as in film and videogames that's about as original as the ending action cliché "this is gonna be fun".

It just screams of Lost Planet 2, it's close to identical. Mechanics wise, graphics wise, character model/design wise and every other type of wise there is. The bosses have similar looking orange weak spots and the grapple-hook jump thing is the same.

It just looks uninspired. As I said, it's essentially Lost Planet 2, with slightly better controls and visuals, presumably minus co-op.

[Cube]

It just screams of Lost Planet 2, it's close to identical. Mechanics wise, graphics wise, character model/design wise and every other type of wise there is. The bosses have similar looking orange weak spots and the grapple-hook jump thing is the same.

I disagree. This looks like it has a really fast pace to it. Lost Planet/Lost Planet 2 move as if you're controlling stone statues.

[Dante]

Site is now online.
(http://vanquish.sega.jp/main/index.html)

rLxVt6qxDFM

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[Shorty]

That actually looks pretty slick in that video. I especially like the switch to hand-to-hand combat. The only thing I don't like the look of is the setting. It's very generic, very typical Japanese futuristic game design. Reminds me of FFXIII and PSO (and to some extent, ODST) in that they don't really look realistic or habitable in any way, rather they were just designed as "shiny fight areas" not "parts of a city".

[Cube]

It also reminds me of Sin & Punishment for some reason.

[dr4hkon]

The HUD is huge :hmm:

Other than that: Looks good.
Have to agree with Shorty, though. The surroundings really don't look like a city where people can live.

[Dante]

New screens:
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[Nolan]

Seeing a score counter on the HUD just makes me thing this will aim for fast paced re-playable levels ala S&P, but less rigid.

[Dante]

Eurogamer hands-on e3 demo. (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/vanquish-hands-on)

[Dante]

Gameplay videos:

prYMsbY3NNU
suqXz_8Xazw

[Dante]

Europe Release Date Announced (http://blogs.sega.com/europe/2010/07/08/october-release-date-for-vanquish-confirmed/)
We are excited to confirm that VANQUISH™, the epic sci-fi third-person action shooter from acclaimed game director Shinji Mikami, will hit stores across Europe on October 22nd 2010. In addition to this news, customers who pre-order a copy of the game with selected stores will receive exclusive access to a three-weapon pack, available via Xbox LIVE® Marketplace and PlayStation®Store on the same day.

The Tri-Weapon pack contains a small arsenal of experimental technology, made up of the Boost Machine Gun, Anti-Armor Pistol and Laser Cannon. This triple threat of futuristic weaponry gives players an edge in surviving the frenetic and massive battles onboard the vast space station setting of VANQUISH™.

The Boost Machine Gun is an early experimental weapon with impressive overall fire power and the speed to dispense rounds similar to that of a heavy machine gun.

The Anti-Armor Pistol fires a special penetrative shell and was manufactured to tackle hostile forces with much stronger armour.

Finally, the Laser Cannon is a miniaturised space warship laser and is more powerful than any other weapon available for infantry.

[Dante]

New Video:
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New screens: (http://vanquish.sega.jp/)
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[dwarf gourami]

It all looks the same Dante. IT ALL LOOKS THE FUCKING SAMMMEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!

[Dante]

I think that is because the screenshots and some of the videos are all around the same level.

[dwarf gourami]

Think about it next time buddy. If you've just worked that out then why...?...

[Dante]

Difficulty Settings
(http://platinumgames.com/2010/07/29/a-different-kind-of-game/)
http://platinumgames.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/2010_07_23_16_10_46.jpg
Vanquish has four difficulty settings to choose from. One that is surprisingly fun is Casual Automatic mode. Before we started work on it, I can’t say that I had high hopes; however, once we got it up and running, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I was wrong. Once you get your target on the enemy, the rest is easy as pie. I’m sure saying it that way makes it sound totally uninteresting, but when you actually give it a shot, the tempo it gives the game play will make you jump up and say, “Woohoo!”

Yet, I still have to say my recommended difficulty is normal. It takes some time to get used to aiming and firing at enemies on your own, but we’ve fine-tuned the aiming controls, so you should be fine. I have a feeling you will be finding yourself in some very pitched battles.

Finally, we have GOD HARD mode. I think our fans will get where this one is going. This mode is only for the chosen few (you can’t select it on your first play through). If you are a bit of a masochist, I think you will have a good time. It is something for our fans to look forward to.

-Shinji Mikami

[Dan Dare]

Dantei f you're going to flood pages with a fuckton of screens, use spoiler tags.

[Dante]

X8qp1Ura0R8

[dr4hkon]

It all looks the same Dante. IT ALL LOOKS THE FUCKING SAMMMEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!

Well, some people like to see more of the game. Even if it is more of the same.

I'm looking forward to Vanquish. It definitely got me interested. Hopefully we'll get a demo.

[Dan Dare]

Aye, consider me piqued or whatever. Some kind of viewtiful joe philosophy applied to the shooter genre is definitely new and worth looking out for. It could be awful but if it isn't i think it'll be a hell of a game.

[dwarf gourami]

I think Bullet Storm looks a lot more action packed and funz, although it may not be the better game.

[Dan Dare]

wouldn' be inclined to compare them, personally.

[dwarf gourami]

Well just in the way that they're shooty and fast/combo focused. I hear yo' though.

[Dan Dare]

Epic's game reminds me alot of BLACK and Borderlands, which is good. I loved both.

[dwarf gourami]

Have you seen Rage? It's about as Borderlands as you can get. But it looks way better than Borderlands:
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[Dante]

Blog has been updated. (http://platinumgames.com/2010/08/05/the-augmented-reaction-suit-system/)

New Trailer
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GameTrailers Preview (http://www.gametrailers.com/video/preview-hd-vanquish/702553)

[dr4hkon]

Looks absolutely mental. :awesome:

[Mundi]

Starting to get very excited with this game as this game reminds me a lot of God Hand and is being made by the same team.

God Hand is only my favourite action game ever.

[Daft]

Finally saw a video for this. Looks dross.

[Dante]

Site update (http://vanquish.sega.jp/event.html) and blog updated. (http://platinumgames.com/2010/08/12/background-design-in-vanquish/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PlatinumGames+%28PlatinumGame s+Inc.%29)

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Edge Interviews: Shinji Mikami (http://www.next-gen.biz/features/interview-shinji-mikami)

Today, we get the definite feeling that Shinji Mikami doesn't want to be interviewed.

With a designer ball-cap pulled down over his face and his body slouched deep into his chair, Mikami is far from appearing the firebrand revolutionary that his work on Resident Evil 4 might hint he really is. But his apparent reticence is not entirely unwarranted. Undoubtedly jet-lagged and tired from a packed day of interviews, it's probably a case of catching him at the wrong time and the wrong place.

When we mention P.N. 03, however, he noticeably perks up, keen to point out the differences between that title and his new game, Vanquish. We go on to discuss why Vanquish is the game Mikami hoped P.N.03 would be, the difficulty of balancing eastern and western tastes and the importance of iterative design.


Director of Platinum Games, Shinji Mikami

When Vanquish was initially announced a lot of people compared it to P.N. 03. Would you encourage that comparison?
Hmm. There are similarities, but only so much as there are a lot of things in Vanquish that I would have loved to do in P.N. 03 but couldn't due to time or technical constraints. Unfortunately, I'm very aware that P.N. 03 didn't sell as well as anyone hoped, and we're doing a much more solid job on Vanquish. Really, I'd just like to assure those people not to worry about Vanquish being anything like P.N. 03.

Well, we think the comparison was supposed to be positive. What were you unable to put into P.N. 03 that you've been able to put into Vanquish?
I wanted to make sure the main character would shoot guns! In the early stages of P.N. 03 Vanessa had guns, but because of schedule constraints we weren't able to create all of the animations for the guns, so we had to take them out. I really wanted her to shoot with guns…

Anyway, P.N. 03 was what I'd consider an older style of design. You run, you shoot. Vanquish takes that to the next level with the addition of boosting and cover. It allows you to take on your opponents in a much more fluid way. The one thing that Vanquish is missing is P.N. 03's sexiness, however. It would be just too odd if Sam Gideon shook his ass like Vanessa.



Was boosting part of the original concept for Vanquish?
It was the idea I had from the very beginning. In fact, most of the ideas I had after that have been cut from the game…

Such as?
I had created a partner character, a dog, that's no longer there. The idea was that it was a 'combat support robot' that, depending on the situation, could fly apart and attach to your suit to augment its powers or supplement the weapons. That was the original idea.

Did it not work, or did you find you didn't have the time to evolve it?
In the case of the dog, we got to a certain point of development, and all different kinds of people were asking me, "Isn't it odd to have a dog on a battlefield?" So he's gone.



When designing a game, do you generally react to other people's opinions?
When I begin designing a game, rather than approach it form the overall macro level, I start with the details. I go down to a very detailed level and I think about what kind of things I can put into the game that will please me. First I ask, "How does this make me feel?" then I ask, "How do I think this will make other people feel?" If it feels right, then I'm good. But if there's anything in there that makes me feel nervous, I will take it to the other team members, get their input, and see what needs to be done.

Do you focus group your titles while developing them?
Yes. With Vanquish, for example, the original idea for the story was for China to invade the US, but when we started testing that with western audiences they didn't understand it; they couldn't get their heads round that idea. So it was changed to Russia versus the US… well, actually, initially the game is about Russia versus the US. I can't really talk about the story but not everything is as it seems in the beginning.

The player score is a very big part of the HUD; is the scoring mechanic important to Vanquish's design?
No, it's just in there so that the game can have online leaderboards, which are very popular.



It seems that Vanquish has been designed very reactively, to hit all the beats that will attract the (western) massmarket. Is that true?
No, not really. Reaching the massmarket wasn't part of the decision. It's just turned out that Vanquish is what I wanted to work on.

Are you concerned that Japanese game developers are increasingly homogenising their work to reach the massmarket?
Perhaps, but one of the reasons is that the scale of game development has become so much larger. Massive. I think of Japanese game developers as craftsmen, not an assembly-line, and these craftsmen do not have the space to be creative in the current climate where detailed, realistic graphics are the mainstream in the west. The more stylized, artistic approach to graphics and design seen in Japan can get some positive coverage in the western press, and by some game players, but it just doesn't sell that well.

Consider Ico, or Okami. They didn't sell as well as I think they should have. If Ico had sold, like, five million copies worldwide maybe Japanese publishers would have taken notice and it would be much easier for Japanese game developers to make the games that we want to.

[Dante]

Demo On The 1st September (http://www.gamersyde.com/news_vanquish_demo_gets_a_date-9842_en.html)
SEGA® Europe Ltd. and SEGA® of America, Inc. today announced that the demo for VANQUISHTM will be available exclusively for download from Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®, and PlayStation® Store for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system in North America on 31st August, across Europe on 1st September and Australia on 2nd September.

The VANQUISHTM Official Demo: Velocity Attack, allows players to choose one level from the two levels of difficulty (Casual or Normal) available. Taking on the role of Sam, a United States government agent kitted out with a futuristic ARS battle suit, players are vying for ownership of the planet’s remaining energy resources against Russia on board a huge space station. On entering the third port lobby of the space station, numerous enemy robots are being brought in by dropships. Players have an array of weaponry and upgrades at their disposal, as well as the ability to hijack “Walkers”, or use the suits unique Boost and AR mode to take down the robots. The demo climaxes with the formidable boss, Argus which you will need to use all your skills acquired throughout the demo to defeat.

VANQUISHTM is the hottest title Shinji Mikami has worked on in over 4 years, achieving high tension throughout the game and delivering a new sense of game merged shooting and action in a finely balanced manner. The game is set for release across North America on 19th October, Australia on 21st of October and across Europe on October 22nd 2010 for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system.

[Dante]

j7_RdPBwJZc

[dwarf gourami]

The thought of getting this hadn't crossed my mind til now. Might have to give it a gand at some point.

Was online support confirmed at all?

[Aimless]

It's singleplayer only.

As a competitive online game it simply wouldn't work due to the mechanics — high-speed movement, constant time dilation — although I suppose some sort of cooperative mode would be within the realm of possibility. Perhaps if they make a sequel.

[dwarf gourami]

I understand some aspects wouldn't work, but I don't see why the speed would make it impossible.
Either way, my interest is perked.

[Aimless]

Well, my understanding is that the rocket knee slide is your primary movement mechanic during combat, i.e. you're supposed to be using it all the time. In a competitive environment that simply wouldn't be fun, as you'd either a) have everyone jetting around the place being almost impossible to hit, especially when you factor in lag, or b) have the knee slide on a severe cooldown so it could only be used sparingly, which when coupled with the lack of time dilation would turn the game into pretty much every other cover-based shooter.

I'm not saying the issues are insurmountable, but any competitive mode would need to be very divergent from the singleplayer. It's not like Halo of Uncharted where the mechanics already fit.

[Deathjam]

Im sure someone else has said this, but everytime i see this game in action, it makes me want it that much more. Before I was midly interested, not this could be a day 1 purchase. Still not sure. If it does a resi 4 then I think my mind will be made up.

[Dante]

Eurogamer Hands-on (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-08-26-vanquish-hands-on)

[Wesley]

This looks terrible.

[Aimless]

I never knew you suffered from dysgraphia, Wesley.

[Dan Dare]

demo today! Technically!

not sure I can play this (I r spaz and have rubbish hands) but we'll see.

[Wesley]

I never knew you suffered from dysgraphia, Wesley.

I've struggled with it for a long time.

But.

I can usually cover it up.

Pretty well.

Uninspired visuals and tired gameplay.

[Jamba]

I've struggled with it for a long time.

But.

I can usually cover it up.

Pretty well.

Uninspired visuals and tired gameplay.

I can see how you would think that from the point of view of someone who hasn't played it as it combines stuff that has been done before. But from the words of people who have played it, the combination makes for a new experience.

Check out the demo. Which by the way is out today (1st Sept) in Europe. The 31st Aug release day was for the US.

[Aimless]

But not on the Xbox, for some reason. It should be out tomorrow on the Marketplace, but they even seem to have made it unavailable in the US to boot. Not sure what's going on there, but you can always download it via a PC and whack it on a USB stick.

Anyway, grabbed the US PSN demo last night. It plays really well, it's just as slick to control as Bayonetta despite obviously being in a different genre. You can shoot from cover just as you'd expect, but that's evidently not what you're supposed to do: really the cover's there to give you a breather and vent your heat guage to which all your suit's fancy abilities are linked.

Basically sliding about on your rocket knees, kicking into slow-mo and melee attacking all build up heat. It's quite a bit like Halo in two ways: the heat system itself is like firing a plasma rifle, including the overheat cooldown period if your overstretch, but the gauge itself also acts somewhat like the player's shield; if you get hit into a critical state your suit will automatically kick into slow-motion until you overheat, your primary concern being to get into cover until you're up to full strength again.

The demo's not very long but it holds up well to replaying, with several different approaches to each situation. In fact I'm going to give it another go right now.

[Choze]

Game is brilliant. Shinji Mikami knows his stuff. Cant wait for the full game.

The shooting is alot of fun and the game plays very well.

[dwarf gourami]

It's kind of how I expected it would be, but it's a bit smoother than I first imagined. I liked the melee attacks and the feel of the weapons. Phat Gun turrets = yes.
I enjoy.

The thing they'll need to show a bit more of for me is environment style, and changes in gameplay/gadgets & moves.

[Dan Dare]

so no 360 demo? displeasing.

[Mundi]

Been delayed until tomorrow.

[Dante]

GiantBombs Quick-look (http://www.giantbomb.com/ten-minutes-of-vanquish/17-3158/) (Not demo areas)

[Jamba]

I liked the Demo for the most part as everyone else stated but there are a couple of design choices that I found puzzling.

1 - The rocket slide is just running, there is very little other point to it.
2 - Doing Melee once completely fucks your energy bar. Surely there should be a non-hyper powered melee attack so I can rocket slide in a happy slap someone.

[Dan Dare]

the idea is to slide in to enemies with a melee. It's awesome.

[Daft]

Played the demo. Was as crap as I suspected. It's so Japanese it hurts.

[dwarf gourami]

Played the demo. Was as crap as I suspected. It's so Japanese it hurts.
But Americanized. It's eugh. Actual visuals are good, but I have the feeling it's a one trick pony.

[Dan Dare]

The whole aesthetic is rancid. The voice work is utterly beyond redemption.

However, you can slide on the ground using boosters on your knees, backflip off a badguy, throw a grenade at his pals and shotgun him in half. So, you know, fuck it I suppose.

[dwarf gourami]

The whole aesthetic is rancid. The voice work is utterly beyond redemption.

However, you can slide on the ground using boosters on your knees, backflip off a badguy, throw a grenade at his pals and shotgun him in half. So, you know, fuck it I suppose.
There's always a way of spinning it to sound good. But what do you do after that? Repeat?
It's good but I think it's getting a bit too much media attention.

[Daft]

Yeah, bottom line is you get all that stuff in the demo - and quickly get bored of it.

[dwarf gourami]

One thing I will say - I do enjoy bosses that can take lead. That's all I'll give tangible credit for.

[Daft]

I had to run around looking for ammo near the end of the boss, which annoyed me. Then he one shot killed me with his mega gay eye cannon. Then I got bored. Then I selected quit game instead of start from checkpoint.

[dwarf gourami]

I had to run around looking for ammo near the end of the boss, which annoyed me. Then he one shot killed me with his mega gay eye cannon. Then I got bored. Then I selected quit game instead of start from checkpoint.

Lol that's what I did. The thing only had 3 nano-sheaths of health and the the omega doom ray bomb killed me in his 2nd form. The gun turret fucking raped him but then I couldn't be bothered.

[Daft]

I used up one of the turrets blowing up the shitlings beforehand so I was like no way when the big dude popped up. There should be unlimited ammo. Who wants to waste time reloading and faff.

[dwarf gourami]

Yeah, it was lame having to kick open the red crates to pick up another assault rifle.

Plus, since when did gun turrets run out of ammo? Everyone knows turrets have an unlimited bullet supply, it's just that they sometimes overheat.

Someone didn't do their bloody research.

[Daft]

That's the Japanese for you. When has a good game ever come from Japan?

Like never.

[dwarf gourami]

I think one did once. I may have misheard though.








Thinking about it, yeah, that was something else. I think the people were talking about slaves.

[Ganepark32]

Played the demo. Was a bit strange at first but I did enough it. Was thinking it was going to be a bit more bullet hell than it was given what I've been hearing other journalists say about the game, and perhaps the full game will ramp it up in later sections (think that's guaranteed given just how difficult Bayonetta got the further you went on), but it was enjoyable.

I'm unsure how the gameplay will stand up through the course of a potential 8 hour campaign though. I did find myself at times not even having to use the slow-mo or rocket knees and playing it like a standard third person shooter. Still, I said the same things about Bayonetta before playing and really enjoyed that so who knows, this may turn out similarly.

[Daft]

I think one did once. I may have misheard though.








Thinking about it, yeah, that was something else. I think the people were talking about slaves.

TBF, why would you play games when you can Whale shit.

http://oliveventures.com.sg/act/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/0616-03.jpg

BAM!

Fucker didn't see what hit it. Now that is a national sport.

[dwarf gourami]

I'd tend to agree with that.

I am more partial to Cheese Rolling though. I have no idea why they don't play that in Antarctica. They just gave me a weird look when I went on holiday last year and enquired about their sports programme.

[Daft]

Everyone knows Japanese people don't believe in cheese. They think the Moon is made out of rock. ROFL

[dwarf gourami]

Everyone knows Japanese people don't believe in cheese. They think the Moon is made out of rock. ROFL
Pfffft, you're just getting silly now. Grow up.

[Dante]

That's the Japanese for you. When has a good game ever come from Japan?

Like never.

Sigh! [10 chan]

[Daft]

I wasn't being serious.

[Dan Dare]

There's always a way of spinning it to sound good. But what do you do after that? Repeat?
.


you could say the same about Gears of War or Halo- the latter is built around a '30 seconds of fun' core mechanic and I'm still playing it ten years later and it's still awesome.

[Nolan]

I wasn't being serious.

Or were you being the most serious anyone has ever been in the history of the internet?

[dwarf gourami]

you could say the same about Gears of War or Halo- the latter is built around a '30 seconds of fun' core mechanic and I'm still playing it ten years later and it's still awesome.
But this is single player, and so far we've seen one environment. Plus, I don't think it's as fun.

[Caris]

The only problem I have with this game is that it's shit.

[gaggle64]

I very much enjoyed it. It's a typical piece of high-flying anime-style Japanese nonsense involving big robots, slow mo and a cover mechanic. It's precisely the sort of thing I'm the market for. That and rocket knees.

[Shorty]

I'm in the surprisingly small camp of this is awesome.

I don't care if it's simplistic, cheesy or poorly voice-acted, it's a lot of fun. I loved the knee booster thing and the shotgun and grenades have such a kick. Bringing down that robot was challenging and fun, if simplistic.

[Mundi]

Really liked this, love the campy Shinji Mikami style games as he is the master of them.

Everything controlled smoothly in all of the chaos and was just really fun to play.
The sniper was just really pointless in this style of game, why be behind and pick them off when I can rocket knee them in the face...

The highpoint for me was easily when your twisting the bullet back into the barrel of the giant mecha.

[Aimless]

The sniper was just really pointless in this style of game, why be behind and pick them off when I can rocket knee them in the face...
Because you can snipe whilst vaulting over cover in slow motion. It's especially useful for taking out the pilots on the walkers and gunners on the turrets.

I think my favourite manoeuvre is chucking a grenade above a group of enemies, flipping into ARS and shooting it out of the sky for a seemingly even more destructive explosion.

[Dante]

kpYWRIFmRcU

[Shorty]

Holy shit I did not know you could get in those AT-PTs robots.

[Dante]

PDDmMGvVUvs

TGS Demo Footage (http://www.gamersyde.com/news_tgs_vanquish_gameplay-9961_en.html)

[Dante]

New demo is out now.

0qShmbzpC1A

[Dante]

First review from Play UK -
When it's in the zone, Vanquish is about as good as action gaming can get. Much more than the 'Gears Of War only faster' many were expecting, it draws upon the best ideas from a wide range of influences and blends them into an eye-bleedingly intense whole. The best game of the month.

After the surprise success of Bayonetta, Sega and PlatinumGames return with a shooter that is in contention for game of the year. Vanquish is a fast, frenetic and, above all else, fun shooter that manages to meld a wealth of established ideas together into something that feels fresh. I think it will certainly surprise a lot of people and is a perfect mix of both Eastern and Western gaming styles. 9.3/10

[Rummy]

Played the demo of this yesterday for a bit, kept getting merked by the big thing with the laser, but it didn't put me off. Admittedly, I have yet to beat him cos I had to stop, but I like the fact it might pose a challenge. Got a bit of a feeling of GoW meets Halo from it, though I have limited experience with either of those anyway so it may be a bad comparison. I don't see why it's getting such disliking though, maybe not lots of liking(tho i think it's cool) but why all the hate!

Having said that, I wouldn't pick this up until it was sub-£15, though.

[Shorty]

This game is £39.99 on Play.com and comes with a free copy of Bayonetta.

No, seriously.

[Rummy]

This is true. I've recently played a bit of Bayonetta, and I guess it's quite good, don't know if it was amazing enough for me to still want to buy this until it's...well, less.

[dwarf gourami]

This game is £39.99 on Play.com and comes with a free copy of Bayonetta.

No, seriously.
I've find out a bit about Miss bayonetta, she has a tendency to hang around the bargain bins these days, so I wouldn't think much about such a deal. You could get better offers on certain Manchester roads.

[Dante]

http://i.imgur.com/Q681Z.png (http://ps3.ign.com/articles/112/1128417p1.html)

[Solo]

Eurogamer and Gamesradar both gave it a 9.

[Shorty]

I feel that this is a renter or a wait-til-it's-cheaper. This kind of game is inevitably sub-£10 in 6 months.

[Solo]

Or bundled free with Platinum's follow up.

[flameboy]

I feel that this is a renter or a wait-til-it's-cheaper. This kind of game is inevitably sub-£10 in 6 months.

Yes defintely it has no long term appeal so will be traded in a lot hence low price.