14 DAY TRIAL // Vanquish is the latest cover-based third person shooter coming from Platinum Games for the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. The game is designed by Shinji Mikami, the creator of the venerable Resident Evil 4, emphasizing speed, as opposed to the usual slow-moving cover mechanics found in the genre.
Vanquish is set in the future, during a war between Russia and the United States, which are fighting for the last resource available for mankind, the Sun. Gamers fill Sam Gideon’s shoes, a special agent dressed in a suit of armor that improves reflexes. This armor is the reason for the lightning-fast style of gameplay that the developers are boasting.
Players will be able to quickly dash from cover to cover on the battlefield. Moreover, the enemy Artificial Intelligence is constructed to force them to act quickly to survive. Those who keep their distance and pick off their targets one by one from the same place will be flanked and killed in an instant, as the developers want to discourage camping. To contrast this fast-paced action, a time-slowing power will be available through the use of the suit for moments when Sam is overwhelmed by massive numbers of enemies.
Reports from the E3 demo of the game state that the animations when moving from cover to cover are sleek and varied. Sam moves like an acrobat, akin to the Prince of Persia, rather than Marcus Fenix. The visuals are said to look really good, with the characters being highly detailed, down to every last piece of their armor. Furthermore, the particle effects and lighting that occur when weapons start firing are quite spectacular, enhancing the already blood-pumping action. A release date was also announced by Platinum Games, Vanquish hitting store shelves this October.