Vanquish: First Screenshots & Details From Japan

Annette Gonzalez — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:00:00 GMT

Vanquish is the fourth and final game in PlatinumGames’ suite of titles that were part of an exclusivity deal made with Sega in 2008, an agreement that produced original IP’s such as MadWorld, Bayonetta and DS title Infinite Space. Earlier this year Vanquish was revealed through a cinematic live-action trailer that hardly shed any details. Now after sitting in on a demo with Vanquish director and Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami, we have gathered new information on this third-person, sci-fi shooter.

In Vanquish, a powerful solar blast destroys San Francisco after Russian forces capture a United States space station used to store energy. In response, U.S. armed forces are tasked with recapturing the space station before a second enemy strike. Our protagonist, Sam Gideon, joins the fray sporting the Augmented Reaction Suit, full-body armor that grants the wearer enhanced physical abilities. As a researcher for DARPA, a team key in the development of the ARS, Sam has a true understanding of the suit’s abilities giving him an advantage against the giant mechs he’ll face off against.

“The suit is what allows the main character and the player to use superhuman actions within the game environment,” Mikami says. “Sam as a member of DARPA wouldn’t necessarily have the ability to simply jump in with the space marines and go attack this place. It’s this suit and his knowledge of it that allows him to operate it at the same level or even a superior level to these guys.”

During the demo, we got a chance to see the suit in action. Sam’s ally, Elena Ivanova, feeds tactical information over the radio regarding a major looming threat. She warns him that a heat source is emanating from a substructure behind him as he starts one of his own. As she relays the information, Sam takes a pronounced hit from a freshly lit cigarette. The breather is cut short as he turns around to find a Russian Argus robot, a massive heaving mechanical creature on all fours rising up from a platform below. Sam will have to take it down limb by limb.

Vanquish - PlayStation 3

Vanquish: First Screenshots & Details From Japan