New Vanquish trailer is shiny slide-kick to the groin

God, I’ve gotta stop forgetting about Vanquish! It doesn’t have the hype around of a CoD: Black Ops or a Halo Reach, but I’m looking forward to the latest title from Platinum Games more than either of those games. Not bashingThe Doots, nor The Halos, but more myself actually. Our Question of the Week intoday’s TalkRadarwas “What Fall 2010 game are you most looking forward to?” And duh, I completely forgot to say "Vanquish!" because it very much is, dammit!Not too hard to see why after looking at the trailer:

One of the reasons I’m excited is that it’s a wholly Japanese take on the third-person shooter genre, a field largely dominated by Western developers. It’s as if Shinji Mikami (the man behind outlandish classics like God Hand, Resident Evil 4 and Viewtiful Joe) looked at Gears of War and said, “That’s nice, but it’s a little too restrained, dontcha think?”

Nuts to your gritty realism and poo on your oily human weaponry - Vanquish is kicking it up several dozen notches and it’s a balls-out breath of fresh air. That thing in Sam Gideon’s hand isn’t even a gun! It’s a symbiotic Borg… thing of a weapon that can scan and replicate the form of numerousinstruments of doom, as you can see from the beginning of the trailer. Yeah, you’ve got a cover system, but instead of simply jumping or running between obstacles, that cyborg speed suit let’s you rocket slide between them fast enough to carve sparks in the floor.

Time-slowing capabilities, giant boss fights, a futuristic war between the US and Russia set on a space station, the return of a character that smokes cigarettes?! Vanquish is a game that really should be on more people’s radar. There’s just something about Platinum’s over-the-top, Japanesey hybrid that feels so pure and “videogamey.” Those of you who enjoyedBayonettashould know exactly what I’m talking about.Click hereto see brand new screens.

Aug 6, 2010