I have been playing Vanquish for a little over two years. Such is the appeal of Shinji Mikami masterpiece, I just keep coming back to it. Vanquish is a polished gem of a game. Everything is rock solid, no glitches, no bugs no crashes. The game inspires confidence as soon as you see these beautiful graphics. And they are beautiful. Real care and attention has been placed on all aspects bun none more so than the Battle Suit. There are so many moving parts and flashing lights, it is a treat to look at and often worth a camera spin to see just how good it looks. Weapons morph into existence as extensions of the suit and are generated so beautifully they deserve a special mention.
The gameplay is solid. It feels very retro, in the style of Mega Man or Metroid. You feel overpowered with the control you have over the character as the gameplay is that tight, but it's not long before your control is tested to the max. Once you get past the learning curve it really does become second nature to operate the suit effectively in a heartbeat.
The difficulty of Vanquish is fantastic. Choose casual and it really is just that. The suit will look after you and the enemies go down like flies. Hard is the path to choose. Trophies are rewarded for completing each level and eventually the game by choosing hard mode. Each Boss (and there are many) has a knack to beating them just like great retro games of old, once you uncover the trick it is just a matter of great execution.
Like I said the difficulty if perfect. Scoring is done in the old Sega arcade style over Stages and Acts and scores are posted to an online leader-board This constitutes the only online aspect of the game and Vanquish is better off for it.
As you beat the game Tactical Challenges game mode will become unlocked. These are by far the most challenging aspects of the game. The sixth and final challenge is by far one of the most difficult aspects of any game I have played. Based on this challenge only, PS3trophies.org ramped the difficulty level for the Platinum to 9.5 out of 10. So again worth a special mention for those looking for a challenge.
Vanquish is a truly sensational game and one that you will keep coming back to. Most people I know are put off by the frantic nature of it but believe me it is so smooth and solid that once you get used to the overload it is a thing of beauty. The best game from developers Platinum Games in this reviewers opinion and it features the single best credits screen of any game.
If you are looking for old skool gaming with modern day gameplay and visuals, then look no further.
