History YMMV / Vanquish

* CultClassic: ''Vanquish'' didn't sell even a million copies within the same pace as ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' (830,000 versus 1.35 million within five months) and it didn't manage to spawn a franchise because of the poor sales. Yet it remained as one of the [[AcclaimedFlop well-acclaimed]] titles of Platinum Games to the point that it got the same PolishedPort treatment on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} months after ''Bayonetta'' had one on 2017. Even now, almost all versions of ''Vanquish'' between its original releases in 2010 and its updated compilation with ''Bayonetta'' score well above a 9.0 for user reviews on Metacritic, making it one of the most well-reviewed titles on the website.

* PolishedPort: [[GoodBadBug Damage increasing due to higher frame-rates and no frame limit aside]], the PC version has very lightweight system requirement (by virtue of the game being originally released in late 2010), support for ultra UsefulNotes/HighDefinition resolutions, special commands that properly scales for said resolutions, as well as increases to the field of view, and all the various accoutrements needed to be the definitive version, otherwise. Hell, the GoodBadBug didn't become a GameBreakingBug when it was eventually alleviated with [[https://community.pcgamingwiki.com/files/file/894-vanquish-damage-fix/ a fan-created fix]] before official patches addressed it.

* VindicatedByHistory: While the game was considered a commercial failure at release with its poor sales, it would become quite popular several years later when it's ported to the Playstation Network and UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}.

* SpiritualLicensee
** [[https://www.siliconera.com/vanquish-visuals-inspired-by-casshern/ According]] to Director Creator/ShinjiMikami, he wanted to do a ''Anime/NeoHumanCasshern'' game, but since he already did [[VideoGame/GodHand a brawler game]], he decided to put more emphasis on shooting. Hence, ''Vanquish'' is the closest we will ever get to a ''Casshern''-based video game adaptation.

** The game can also be considered a SpiritualSuccessor to ''VideoGame/AssaultSuitsValken''. Both games feature a global resource war fought with [[KillSat space weapons]] and [[PoweredArmor power suits/mecha]], between the player's North American faction against the enemy's European faction. [[spoiler:Both games also feature an antagonist political leader committing suicide when confronted.]] It's also with noting that ''Valken'' is one of Platinum founder Creator/HidekiKamiya's favorite games.

* CultClassic: ''Vanquish'' didn't sell even a million copies within the same pace as ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' (830,000 versus 1.35 million within five months) and it didn't manage to spawn a franchise because of the poor sales. Yet it remained as one of the [[AcclaimedFlop well-acclaimed]] titles of Platinum Games to the point that it got the same PolishedPort treatment on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} months after ''Bayonetta'' had one on 2017.

** Even the Unknown is this: the most unusual boss in the game, this visually-menacing technological EldritchAbomination is armed to the teeth with machine guns and [[EnergyWeapon Frickin' Laser Beams]] [[AttackItsWeakPoint and has an obvious glowing red core]] where, upon taking enough damage, it loses its scrap metal and junk that composes its body. All of a sudden, the core instantly sprouts little hind legs and runs away from players like a Creator/HannaBarbera[=/=]ComicBook/LooneyTunes character.

* VindicatedByHistory: While the game was considered a commercial failure at release with its poor sales, it would become quite popular several years later when it's ported to the Playstation Network and UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}.

* PolishedPort: [[GoodBadBug Damage increasing due to higher frame-rates aside]], the PC version has very lightweight system requirement (by virtue of the game being originally released in late 2010) no frame-rate limit, support for ultra UsefulNotes/HighDefinition resolutions, special commands that properly scales for said resolutions, as well as increases to the field of view, and all the various accoutrements needed to be the definitive version, otherwise. Hell, the GoodBadBug didn't become a GameBreakingBug when it was eventually alleviated with [[https://community.pcgamingwiki.com/files/file/894-vanquish-damage-fix/ a fan-created fix]] before official patches addressed it.

* PolishedPort: [[GoodBadBug Damage increasing due to higher frame-rates aside]], the PC version has no frame-rate limit, support for ultra UsefulNotes/HighDefinition resolutions, special commands that properly scales for said resolutions, as well as increases to the field of view, and all the various accoutrements needed to be the definitive version, otherwise. Hell, the GoodBadBug didn't become a GameBreakingBug when it was eventually alleviated with [[https://community.pcgamingwiki.com/files/file/894-vanquish-damage-fix/ a fan-created fix]] before official patches addressed it.

* VindicatedByHistory: While the game was considered a commercial failure at release with its poor sales and mixed to average reviews, it would become quite popular several years later when it's ported to the Playstation Network and UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}.

** Thanks to its familiar ThirdPersonShooter mechanics with a light emphasis on TakeCover, expect plenty of players to refer to ''Vanquish'' as ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'' [[ThisIsYourPremiseOnDrugs on steroids]].

* VindicatedByHistory: While the game was considered a commercial failure at release with poor sales, and mixed to average reviews, it would become quite popular on the Playstation Network and Steam years later.

** According to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanquish_%28video_game%29#Development game director Shinji Mikami]], he wanted to do a ''Anime/NeoHumanCasshern'' game, but since he already did [[VideoGame/GodHand a brawler game]], he decided to put more emphasis on shooting. Hence, ''Vanquish'' is the closest we will ever get to a ''Casshern''-based video game adaptation.

* ScrappyMechanic: The Weapon Upgrade system and its requirements. First, your equipped weapon must have full ammo and you'll have to find copies of in it the battlefield to increase its rank. Otherwise, it will simply replenish the ammo. This forces you to use weapons that you are not using so that you could upgrade the weapon of your choice. Second, you'll have to find ''multiple'' copies of it just to increase a chevron ranking, it's not a one-to-one upgrade path. Third, your weapons get downgraded when you die and reload a checkpoint (although there's a [[SaveScumming method]] to bypass this) in Normal and Hard difficulties. Lastly, the Weapon Upgrade system is absent in [[HarderThanHard God Hard]] difficulty.

* ItsShortSoItSucks: {{Zigzagged}}; the average player can complete ''Vanquish'' in roughly 3-4 hours from the campaign on normal difficulty, but this complaint comes primarily from people who overlooked the multiple difficulty modes, a scoring and timing system that allows for scoring runs and speedruns, as well as multiple maps to tackle in Challenge Mode.

** Some of Sam's [[TheManyDeathsOfYou death animations]], especially when killed by the Romanovs, are quite {{Squick}}-worthy.

** Even the Unknown is this: the most unusual boss in the game, this visually-menacing technological EldritchAbomination is armed to the teeth with machine guns and FrickinLaserBeams [[AttackItsWeakPoint that has an obvious glowing red core]] where, upon taking enough damage, it loses its scrap metal and junk that composes its body. All of a sudden, the core instantly sprouts little hind legs and runs away from players like a Creator/HannaBarbera[=/=]ComicBook/LooneyTunes character.

* PolishedPort: [[GoodBadBug Damage increasing due to higher frame-rates aside]], the PC version has no frame-rate limit, support for ultra UsefulNotes/HighDefinition resolutions, special commands that properly scales for said resolutions, as well as increases to the field of view, and all the various accoutrements needed to be the definitive version, otherwise. Hell, the GoodBadBug didn't become a GameBreakingBug when it was eventually alleviated with [[https://community.pcgamingwiki.com/files/file/894-vanquish-damage-fix/ a fan-created fix]].

* DarthWiki/MostAnnoyingSound:
** Players will get incredibly tired of the Augmented Reality Suit's cooldown cycle really fast, especially when there are hundreds of bullets and rockets flying by.
** "[[ArtificialStupidity Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Get out of the way!!!]]"
** The default Romanov N model has a teeth-grinding "bloooork" sound every time it fires its ranged weapon.

* MostAnnoyingSound

** The "[[TheMario Romanov N]]" is the standard version that enjoys [[SpamAttack spamming missiles]].

* CompleteMonster: [[TheHeavy Victor Zaitsev]], a key member of the "[[MakeTheBearAngryAgain Order of the Russian Star]]", [[EstablishingCharacterMoment begins the game]] by hijacking the American space colony "Providence" by using its KillSat to destroy San Francisco - its population [[CruelAndUnusualDeath agonizingly boiling and exploding from the microwave radiation]]. He threatens to do the same to New York City in ten hours if the United States does not unconditionally surrender. Revealing to [[PlayerCharacter Sam Gideon]] [[spoiler:[[PresidentEvil President Elizabeth Winters]] backed their coup]], he tries to justify his actions by saying [[spoiler:Winters wanted war with Russia to stimulate America's flagging economy and the Order was her pre-text]]. The fact the Order was already a military dictatorship before ''Vanquish'' starts and Zaitsev struck a civilian city rather a military target makes his excuse weak and he's hardly the victim. After his apparent defeat, he triggers a nuke to destroy Providence. [[KarmaHoudini Evading capture]] and crippling America, Zaitsev proudly proclaims [[TheBadGuyWins his mission is accomplished]]. Calm, smug, condescending and with a constant satisfied smile even as he commits hideous mass murder, [[KnightOfCerebus Victor Zaitsev stands out]] in the game's BMovie science-fiction setting.

** "A Heartbreaker and a Lifetaker" requires you to defeat 100 robots with melee attacks. Sure enough, melee attacks are powerful in this game that they can OneHitKill most lightweight robots such as Gorgies. However, with the mechanic that Overheats your suit everytime you connect a melee attack, you can not easily spam melee attacks over and over in the same area. You must wait until the ARS cools down before attempting to destroy another robot with a melee. In other words, this achievement is more of a grind in itself, not including the fact that it is very difficult to get up close to a target in the middle of a BulletHell firefight. The Disk Launcher's melee attack however solves the first problem, as itdoes not overheat the suit, eliminating the cooldown time, and essentially allowing you to saw through multiple targets repeatedly.

** "A Heartbreaker and a Lifetaker" requires you to defeat 100 robots with melee attacks. Sure enough, melee attacks are powerful in this game that they can OneHitKill most lightweight robots such as Gorgies. However, with the mechanic that Overheats your suit everytime you connect a melee attack, you can not easily spam melee attacks over and over in the same area. You must wait until the ARS cools down before attempting to destroy another robot with a melee. In other words, this achievement is more of a grind in itself, not including the fact that it is very difficult to get up close to a target in the middle of a BulletHell firefight.

* ThatOneBoss: On God Hard difficulty, [[DualBoss Bogey Alpha and Bogey Bravo]] are nightmarishly difficult thanks to their frequency of dodging attacks, high damage and flanking manuveurs to catch players off guard. Expect plenty of players to induce a RageQuit in all, but the most insanely determined of gamers. According to the Xbox 360 leaderboards, less than 100 players in the world have beaten them on that difficulty setting.

* ThatOneAchievement: "A Heartbreaker and a Lifetaker" requires you to defeat 100 robots with melee attacks. Sure enough, melee attacks are powerful in this game that they can OneHitKill most lightweight robots such as Gorgies. However, with the mechanic that Overheats your suit everytime you connect a melee attack, you can not easily spam melee attacks over and over in the same area. You must wait until the ARS cools down before attempting to destroy another robot with a melee. In other words, this achievement is more of a grind in itself, not including the fact that it is very difficult to get up close to a target in the middle of a BulletHell firefight.