Vanquish

Vanquish is back, with all of its frenetic and wonderful gameplay.

Vanquish was and is an incredible experience and one of the most original and challenging third-person shooters.

Fast, explosive and damn stylish: Even today on PC Vanquish is a unique experience.

Compared to Bayonetta, Vanquish has some catching up to do. The story and characters are forgettable, the environments quickly get stale, and there's no progression in weapons and powers. At the same time, the gameplay remains brilliant, with solid shooting that melds well with some very fast action; it's enough to overcome any visible flaws. With the improvements in frame rate, Vanquish is a good action shooter for anyone with even a mild interest in the genre.

Not Platinum Games greatest title, but still an absolute blast. [Issue#263, p.68]

Vanquish is the same cocky, powerful and magnetic shooting experience we fell in love with in 2010. Now, on PC, it's even better with full resolution and no limits on fps, and it represents the definitive edition of this little Platinum Games masterpiece.

Vanquish gets another shot at the limelight fixing its presentation flaws from the first time it was released. With possible 4K resolution and an unlocked, constant frame rate during its high paced action sequences, the PC version of Vanquish is the definitive version.

On the other hand, the minimal number of changes made to this re-release likely helped keep the entry fee reasonable. As much as I loved Vanquish when it first launched, it was tough to justify paying full price for a five-hour title with no multiplayer, few extras, and little replay incentive. Now, PC gamers can finally get their hands on an overlooked gem from the last generation for a fair $20. It’s worth it for the nonstop excitement Vanquish still offers, and I’d have been far less eager to see cover-based shooters go if they’d all been this energetic.

Even after nearly seven years, Vanquish still has some of the best combat of any action game. It’s fast, it’s intense and most importantly, it’s downright fun. Unfortunately, variety isn’t the game’s strong point. From an artistic perspective, not a whole lot changes from the beginning of the campaign to the end; everything has a sterile mechanical look to it that refuses to change. It’s also criminally short, coming in between five to six hours. Granted, it’s non-stop action, but you’ll have a burning desire for even more as the credits begin to roll. Regardless, Vanquish’s strengths are in its gameplay mechanics as skating around on your knees and taking down enemies with the unique arsenal is highly engaging. It helps that the PC port, outside some oddities, is done with care, with optimization being a positive component, and keyboard & mouse controls feeling natural. In the end, Vanquish isn’t a perfect game by any means, but its high-octane combat makes it a must play for any action fan.

Vanquish deserved this second chance to reach a larger audience. The game has aged very well and is still as fun as it used to be.

Vanquish does have its problems, but very few of them are tied to the PC port, which incidentally makes this version the best one by default. It’s B-movie nonsense at its best, with a science fiction setting, and very cool action sequences. It could definitely do with a bit more variety in enemies at times and it’s a little on the short side, but it’s still a great romp seven years later.

Platinum didn't create a captivating universe with Vanquish, but it also serves as a showcase of some of their best pure action work. If you haven't had a chance to give it a shot yet, you might as well with the definitive version on PC.

Vanquish is likely one of the smoothest all-around PC ports in recent memory, limited framerate in cutscenes notwithstanding. Sporting features I wish similar modern games had, Vanquish now has a firm place in today's generation. Should Shinji Mikami and Platinum Games feel so inclined as to revisit this title and make it into a series, I would be the first in line.

Its lack of longevity and ancillary options are an issue, but this still plays like a classic and is one of the best shooters of its generation.

A great port of an entertainingly subversive cover shooter. It's short, but the core loop never gets old.

Quotation forthcoming.

Vanquish wasn't what I envisioned when seeing the trailers and reading the hype surrounding it. I think there is a fan base for these types of games and even for its creator Shinji Mikami, the creator of Resident Evil and director of The Evil Within. This game is far from those two games. It reminds me of going to the movies or the bowling alley and playing an over-the-top, action-based arcade game until I ran out of quarters 15 minutes later. The arcades were there to fill a void for a few minutes of time, not to entertain for several hours. Granted the style of game fits the bill for the amount of time I have to play these games but if you are looking to sink your teeth into a game to get lost in for several hours, maybe even days, this may not be for you.

Vanquish is still an excellent and original TPS game, even if this PC port suffers some technical issues.

Vanquish delivers on action and unique gameplay. Although it’s missions can feel repetitive, it remains exciting due to it’s easy-to-master movement system and it’s addictively fun slow-motion gunfights. Vanquish is a welcome distraction from today’s multiplayer- focused entries in the genre.