Platinum Games has been on a bit of a roll recently, and I was looking forward to their sci-fi shooter Vanquish the moment I laid eyes on it. Everything about the early videos showcasing the ridiculous feats players would be able to pull off with the help of that robotic suit had me salivating at the opportunity to finally try it on myself. Figuratively speaking. While the final product is indeed fun, it’s short and repetitive, and left me wanting more. Since there is no multiplayer, and much of what Vanquish does has been done before, I was a bit disappointed.

Space Russians have fired a solar-powered super-weapon at San Francisco, devastating the city, and leaving countless dead. Their leader has given the US eight hours to surrender unconditionally, or the same fate will befall New York City. Refusing to back down, the President sends the Marines into space to capture control of the weapon. You play as Sam Gideon, a DARPA agent charged with accompanying the Marines. Donning an experimental new suit with an array of incredible functions, you’ll fight your way through the giant space station housing the weapon in an effort to save New York, and stop Communism from winning. If you’re into giant action spectacles where the plot only exists to move the lead character from one shootout to another, Vanquish should be right up your alley. Even though the campaign is rather short, especially when considering there is no multiplayer component whatsoever, Vanquish provides a nice break from some of the more serious first-person shooters released in the past year. The dialogue is occasionally hokey, and the big Russian threat is nothing new, but how often do you get to play a game as a chain-smoking physicist in a mech suit that loves to blow things up?

Even though a large percentage of your time in Vanquish is spent pointing various weapons at enemies, and then shooting them, the game does have a few new tricks to show off. Sam’s armor, the Augmented Reaction Suit (ARS), affords him some interesting abilities while on the battlefield. For one, all of your weapons are actually just one gun that can transform into whichever weapon you need it to be. While you can only have three different weapons pre-loaded at any given time, they can all be upgraded (more ammo, power, etc.) to give you the most bang for your buck. Utilizing a new weapon is as simple as scanning that armament when you come across it, but you will have to replace an already existing gun. I pretty much never used any weapons but the three I started with (assault rifle, heavy machine gun, shotgun), but everyone has a different playstyle, and Vanquish does allow you the freedom to arm yourself as you see fit. The ARS also has a special jet booster, which allows you to slide around the ground at high speeds for a limited time. Having the ability to quickly get out of harm's way is huge, especially in some of the later boss battles. Strangely, flight isn’t an option, but in a game with a cover system that’s based around ground battles, it’s understandable.

Sam’s suit can also manually slow time to a crawl for a short duration. The ARS’ slowdown is also activated instantly when Sam’s health is about to run out. Getting a hold of an overwhelming situation in slow motion is key, and knowing when and where to activate it comes in handy. For the most part, I would rush around a boss with the jet booster, and then hit the slo-mo, giving me a solid four or five seconds of time to target the weak spot without taking much damage myself. Though you can have both the jet boosters and slo-mo running at the same time, it will drain the suit’s power supply faster, leaving you overheated and vulnerable. Hopefully you’ll be able to find cover in time while you recharge. If you’ve played any of the recent third-person shooters like Gears of War or even Red Dead Redemption, you’ll be instantly familiar with the cover system utilized in Vanquish.  Enemies will frequently hop over cover to fight you, so your basic melee attack will be used quite often. Foes will also leave your Marine comrades bleeding out on the field. You can heal them so they’ll be able to help fight, but just like almost every other video game that implements computer AI, your squadmates aren’t very helpful. Boss fights are nothing more than shooting at weak spots until they’re defeated. There are a few quick-time events triggered by getting certain boss’ health down, but other than that, everything is fairly basic.

Though it’s not terribly challenging or revolutionary, Vanquish sure does look pretty in motion. From the motion blur that activates when Sam is rushing around any particular area, to the hazy heat resonating off the back of the suit when it overheats, everything about Vanquish looks great. Depsite having many overgrown human soldiers who must’ve ordered the Chris Redfield Workout Program (only $9.99 if you’re one of the first ten callers), the technological elements are very grounded and impressive. Sam’s suit looks great in motion and at a standstill, and enemy robots have no wasted part. If a piece looks like it’s supposed to be moving, it usually is, and often it has a purpose. You don’t get much time to take in small nuances like that, but if you know what you’re looking for, you can certainly see how much attention was paid to the details. The voice acting could be fantastic, but the lines delivered are so often full of machismo and bravado, it’s hard to take anything seriously. The game’s score is action appropriate, and hits all the right intense notes at all the right times.

I like Vanquish. It’s a solid game, but not much more. There isn’t very much replay value, and even though the action is right on par with many of its contemporaries, Vanquish just doesn’t do enough to stand out. Like any good summer action blockbuster, it’s great while you’re watching it, but there’s no real substance to bring you back for more. Unfortunately, with so many other shooters having at least a modicum of multiplayer, Vanquish is nothing more than a brief, but enjoyable affair.

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Vanquish Xbox 360

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