Substance TV

Clover Studios is like a hot chick that got her heart broke by that jerk of a boyfriend Capcom a few years back. She got over it, changed her name to Platinum Games, and is dating a nice fella named Sega. It’s nothing longer term, but they’ve had a few beautiful kids together. First was MadWorld, then Infinite Space, and then Bayonetta. Now Platinum Games is pregnant with their newest bundle of joy named Vanquish. I know, I’m sorry about the dating/pregnancy analogy. Give me a break here. I’ve just had a kid so it’s the first thing that came to mind.

What’s the best way to describe Vanquish? Take the core gameplay Gears of War, the speed of Outrun, jets of Virtual On, add one part slow-mo, mix in a liberal dash of color, a dollop of style, lighting quick action, guns galore, a pinch of God Hand melee, and one of the coolest mechanized suits this side of Evengelion, and you’d kind of have an idea.

You’d like a more detailed description? Well fine! Read on for more ramblings on the game.

From the get go, Vanquish is not your ho hum standard third person shooter wannabe. Everything about this game screams speed and action. You could huff it and run like a punk, or you could slide on your knees like a possessed guitar player mid solo with jet packs strapped to your boots. This ability greatly changes the gameplay. Going from cover to cover or long range shooting to up close melee is quick and easy. Gone are the clunky transitions between up close melee and shooting that plagues most third person shooters. The first time I slid on the ground, firing my weapon at full throttle in slow mo, hurdling my body towards an enemy under a rain of bullets, and unleashed a volley of melee attacks upon my foe, I was hooked.

For those familiar with the trappings of third person shooter, you’ll feel right at home with the payload of weapons. Automatic main gun, heavy machine gun, shotgun, and grenades fill out the roster. The weapons may be standard in name, but there is nothing slow or sluggish about any weapon. Firing off any one of these bad boys gives you a very satisfying stream of bullets. Each weapon also changes your type of melee attack from a back flip kick, punch combo, or charge.

Graphically this game has a style all its own. It does resonate the played out space marine vs. alien kind of vibe, but it’s in the details where things become drastically different. Your suit is made up of an array of bladed metal pieces that morph and shift in shape as you shoot, slide, and move. Frankly, it all looks awesome. There were times I couldn’t believe all the action and mayhem unfolding before my eyes.

Someone at Platinum Games must have heard my grumblings about camera speed and control. You can not only adjust the speed of the camera when in third person view, but also the camera speed when aiming, and the camera speed when zoomed in. This allows the player to select a higher speed when in third person mode, but a slower camera speed when precise aiming is needed.

Both the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions look and play identical (though the PS3 gets a slight edge because of the better controller). In light of the botched PS3 version of Bayonetta, I sincerely hope this means Sega got the message and will port Vanquish correctly.

As amazing as Metroid Other M is, Vanquish takes things to an entirely new level. I will be there day of when the game is released October 19th, 2010. I’m still amazed Capcom let this group go more than three years ago. I’d say Vanquish is the big middle finger to Capcom while Platinum Games says, “See what you missed baby”.

So go download the demo and play the goodness for yourself. For those who have played the demo, post your thoughts and opinions.