Vanquish – review

If success was measured by quality rather than sales figures, then Sega's publishing deal with Japanese boutique developer Platinum Games might have been one of the shrewdest bits of business in recent gaming history. The studio's fourth title – brainchild of Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami – isn't just its best yet, but one of the finest action games of this console generation. Most modern shooters force players to err on the side of caution, to crouch behind waist-high walls and pillars, occasionally peeking out to fire off a round or two before beating a tactical retreat. Vanquish actively encourages flagrant risk-taking by rewarding flamboyant play. Your exoskeletal suit deals more damage when activated, just as its rapidly draining energy meter forces judicious use of its full power. It's thrilling to rocket-slide into enemy territory and jump-kick one robot foe before blasting its cohorts in slow motion as you somersault backwards to a safe distance. The intensity of the combat is unyielding, the pacing relentless. The spectacle is, at times, staggering: towering mechanoid enemies fire scything laser beams and swarms of missiles, while a speeding train spirals queasily around a roller-coaster track above a yawning cityscape. Frenetic, ferocious and consistently entertaining, Vanquish makes its peers look utterly pedestrian by comparison.