Vanquish - Xbox 360

Vanquish for Xbox 360

Vanquish for Xbox 360 is a third-person shooter in which you enter an occupied space colony as Sam Gideon. He wears an experimental combat suit, the Augmented Reaction Suit, which lets him slide across the ground at high speed. Amid robot armies, missiles and huge war machines, you try to stop an attack on the United States. You see Sam from behind and use his mobility to keep finding new firing angles.

A boost lets you cross dangerous stretches of ground or approach an enemy from the flank. You can perceive time in slow motion to aim more precisely while moving. These abilities put a strain on the suit; when it overheats, it must cool down and you are temporarily more vulnerable. Cover gives you a chance to recover and plan your next move. Weapons visibly change shape when you switch between them, and you can carry three weapon configurations at once.

You play the campaign alone, with a standard controller. Battles alternate between enemy waves, large opponents and changing circumstances. As you master the movements, you can tackle earlier sections again for a higher score. Separate Tactical Challenges require further practice at recognising enemies and choosing a route. This edition is the original Xbox 360 game from 2010; the later technical improvements of the PC and PlayStation 4 versions are not part of it.

Region and language

Our Xbox 360 games are PAL editions and come with a Dutch or English box, unless stated otherwise. By default, you receive the version for the European market. We note it in the product details if the region is different or the box is in another language. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.

Manual

Vanquish for Xbox 360 includes the manual unless the product title states otherwise. If the booklet is missing, the title says “No Manual”. This lets you see before ordering whether the game comes with a manual.

The manuals included with our games usually contain at least English and often around six European languages. The exact languages vary by edition, so Dutch is not always included. The booklet explains the controls and the main rules. You can use it to check how to control the game, which actions are available and how its different features work.

The history of Vanquish

PlatinumGames developed Vanquish under the direction of Shinji Mikami, who had previously helped create Resident Evil. SEGA released the game in October 2010 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The team explored how the precision of a shooter could work alongside fast movement and immediate actions. This placed a strong emphasis on the combat suit: the way Sam moves also determines how you attack and avoid danger.

During development, effects artist Takeo Kido described how the boost came about. Moving through the environments initially did not feel interesting enough. The team then incorporated thrusters into the suit's design, making movement itself an important part of the game. The visible components of Sam's equipment support that idea: the suit opens up and cools down when you expend its energy. Its design therefore also helps you understand when his special abilities become available again.

Vanquish was deliberately built around one player. This allowed slow motion to respond fully to Sam's actions. The campaign and unlockable challenges gave players room to repeat battles and improve their skills. A PC release followed in 2017, and an updated version for later consoles arrived in 2020. Those rereleases are separate from this original disc. The Xbox 360 version preserves the first rendition of the combination of sliding, shooting, taking cover and managing overheating.

Similar games for Xbox 360

Bulletstorm on Xbox 360 rewards creatively combining shots, kicks and an energy leash. Both games make it worthwhile to approach a battle differently and play it again. Bulletstorm builds its scoring system around individual kills. Vanquish places more emphasis on your position, the boost and the energy consumption of Sam's suit.

Crysis 2 on Xbox 360 also gives you a combat suit with special abilities. From a first-person perspective, you choose between features including camouflage and extra protection. Vanquish shows Sam from behind and uses his suit mainly for speed and slow-motion aiming. Both require attention to energy, with a distinctly different pace during firefights.

Gears of War 2 also uses a camera behind the soldier, cover and large enemy creatures on Xbox 360. Marcus Fenix and his squad move more heavily through the battlefield and can share the campaign. Vanquish remains a solo adventure and lets Sam change position much faster with his boost. You manage the suit’s energy instead of following the same rhythm of moving between sheltered positions.

Binary Domain likewise pits you against robots in third-person battles on Xbox 360. Dan Marshall leads a team through future Tokyo and gives his comrades orders. Vanquish focuses its systems more on one fighter’s freedom of movement. Boost and slowed perception make Sam’s position and energy use decisive, while Binary Domain gives more space to bonds and cooperation within the squad.

Vanquish on Xbox 360 also connects fast movement with third-person shooting. Sam Gideon uses a powered combat suit and slides between enemy machines. The Club uses more human movements and shorter courses in which a chain of hits builds your score. Both reward active play, but their tools and structure are clearly different.