Vanquish - Playstation 3

Vanquish... wow.. Platinum games is definitely establishing itself as a game developer with style and quality. Vanquish is a game that kind of came out of no where. It was off the radar for a long time and suddenly showed up at E3. This game throws everything it has at you from the start and despite a semi-weak story you can bet you will see a Vanquish 2 in the future.Gameplay: Insane. Remarkable. One of the best shooters I have played in ages. Not to say games like Halo, Gears, Half-Life, Doom, Quake etc are average but those are games that focus on many aspects all at the same time. Story line, new cutting edge gaming engine, MP elements... etc etc. Vanquish comes bursting out of the gate in boost mode tossing much of that aside and focusing on a single element. Shooting. The polish on the gameplay is spectacular. The AI in the game is spot on. on "casual" you can expect the AI units to basically be there for target practice yet they still try to flank and will try to overwhelm you. "hard" you can expect very difficult AI that will use cover to its advantages, flank you, and even throw grenades such that it traps you in one spot so a sniper could put you down. The gameplay is fast.. vicious.. unforgiving of mistakes. Your AI marines actually can put up a fight but don't expect much from them. They tend to get in the way and get wounded fast but that is a plus since healing them gives you ammo or a weapon upgradeSound/Story: The sound is fantastic. You will be behind a wall taking cover to heal up, reload or perhaps to take a smoke(yes that's right, Sam will smoke a cigarette while in cover if you wish; however there is a secret little use for this you will have to figure out on your own). Anyhow, while hiding you can tell exactly what is happening or where people are. From the sound of gunfire to the powering up of high energy canons etc. It is polished and sounds fantastic. The static from the comms, or the switching clicks of your gun remodeling itself into the weapon of your choice. Boost jets etc. Story.. well the story is there, don't be fooled by people saying the game has no storyline. It just lacks polishing. The game focuses heavily on combat and mission objectives leaving the storyline as an afterthought that doesn't show itself until the last 20 minutes of the game. Could be a good thing though as it could leave you wanting more, being a real storyline actually exists under all this chaotic actionGraphics/Presentation: The graphics are spectacular. Presentation spectacular thanks to graphics and polishing. The suit Sam wears is just out of this world. The amount of detail and subtle things going on are countless. From grenades switching out, drag flaps opening and closing while boosting, the BLADE changing shapes, visor opening and closing. Just as much detail went into the environment and while invisible walls exist (in a way), the environment is also destructible on a small level. You'll be behind a cement barrier safe and sound.. wait.. i just got shot how? wha... will be your reaction as you look back over your shoulder to find a grenade, missile or just constant bullet fire tore that cement barrier to shreds and now your head is out there just screaming hello to a sniper.Length/Replay: The game is short.. I beat it on "casual" in 4hrs 12mins.. "HARD" took me 40mins to get to act 1-5 and that is just 1/2 way through Act 1 so you can see how the game ramps up in difficulty and time harder it gets. HARD seems like a 6-8hr playthrough as enemies have at least double the HP as casual and have the aim of a sharpshooter + the marines are basically just in the way at that difficulty ( GOD HARD difficulty scares me ) Replay is like any shooter. If you like it you will come back to it over and over until you find something better usually a squeal.Summary of "cons" I have for this game (with positive re-enforcement)- Storyline could of been polished better. It is there and has the makings of a good storyline. [By the time you are done playing the gameplay more than makes up for the weak focus on story]- Scoring system doesn't seem that polished up(far to simple) [seems like a last second addition in the dev process but a smart one. Would like to see it evolve into Halo's scoring system in a way. Have some detail so people can show off their HS count or nade kills.. melee kills etc]Overall Score: 96%A great shooter. A game the console generation has probably been waiting years for. While it isn't has hyped up as Halo, Gears, Killzone etc and has *no multi-player* the game really doesn't need it as badly as one might think (could just be that I grew up with games that were only SP prior to high speed internet being readily available). It plays fine and has incredible replay value simply on the fact it keeps track of your stats and there are 112 hidden gold statues around the game. ... (*opinion*) besides, why spend time developing a MP mode if people are just going to be playing Call of Duty, Medal of Honor, Halo MP etc. I would of liked to see a "Co-Op campaign" mode though. It would fit the gameplay much better than a simple thrown together Multiplayer system like Uncharted 2 has

I was on the fence about Vanquish for a few weeks after it came out, but I found myself playing the demo over and over again... what I liked so much was:* Super-stylish gameplay with ultra polished mechanics - meaning it was easy to do awesome stuff and look cool while fighting with no control frustration.* Fun boss-fights - not insanely frustrating ones... just huge bosses to fight that were a challenge but not impossible.I finally took the dive and got the game and have to say, if you like the demo, getting the game is a no-brainer. I enjoyed the heck out of it, it is more of the stuff you like from the demo.The story isn't too bad, it has it's moment of campy-ness, but really it is just a vehicle to get you out of the door and into the action-packed fighting which is the best part.I thought that the lack of gore from fighting all robot enemies would bother me (I am a big action/horror/etc. fan) but it felt so good that I never felt shorted with the lack of gore. Very family friendly action and just flat out fun.The graphics are excellent for the fast paced future shooter, constantly running at a smooth framerate (I never noticed any stutter). Nothing really more to say, if you grab the demo on PS3/Xbox 360 you can tell in about 10 mins if this is your type of game or not... if the demo bores you, then skip it, because the full game is just a lot more well-executed content like the demo.If you dug the demo like me, then buy this, you'll enjoy it :)P.S.> This is a single player experience only, no multiplayer. The replay value would come from trying to get higher scores between levels and go for achievements or finding the little figurines through out the environment.P.P.S.> I bought the PS3 version, but the company that produced this has expertise on both platforms and this time didn't write for 1 then contract out the porting to another. Both platforms run smooth and look great.

Great condition and as described. Fast shipping too. Thanks!

Awesome game!

Insane, i bough this game last year with a tone of cheap PS3 games and waited a while to start playing it. Well i shouldn't have, the suit is amazing, i love it, you can turbo charge with it, the weapons are not that varied but fun to use. This is what gears of war should have been. Playstation for life baby

Platinum Games is a severely underrated game studio and wish they would get more credit than they are currently getting. Vanquish is another example of a beautiful well executed fun game that passed below the redar. If you get a chance to play or purchase this game....DO IT! You will not regret it.Highly recommended!

Solid game with slick controls. Even though the first play through will probably take about 7 hours, Vanquish is a dynamic action packed game with no filler. The graphics are great and the game play makes up for a weak story. All in all, this game is my favorite third-person shooter.