The Electric Underground
The Electric Underground
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Vanquish: When Action Games Had Confidence | Review
Vanquish: When Action Games Had Confidence | Review. Mikami is one of my favorite developers of all time and this is easily one of his most overlooked classics, Vanquish! Early Platinum titles are very strong in how they are able to provide a lot of mechanical depth and game play variety for the player, while also keeping the enemy design robust and challenging all the way through. Vanquish shares this defining characteristic as well but it is very interesting to see this style of design moved from a traditional Character Action context, like Bayonetta, and into a 3rd person shooter, cover shooter framework. It is funny that Vanquish tends to be more popular with character action fans, Devil May Cry players and so forth, than it does western Gears of War fans (from my understanding), but I think it's because Vanquish does such a strong job of emphasizing movement and positioning with its weapon variety and boost mechanic.
One aspect of Vanquish, and this era of action games, that I think goes under-appreciated is how confident and forthright the level design is. Rather than taking the typical Nintendo style approach of holding the players hand for the first hour and essentially forcing the player through a tutorial on the first level with each playthrough, Mikami understands that his games are meant to be replayed over and over and so it's much stronger to segment out the tutorial and actually trust the player (crazy idea) to learn the tutorial themselves or simply pick up the game through trial and error. Of all of the more contemporary action game developers, I think Mikami is one of the best at campaign design and rich game play density. Then to top that strong design off, he also adds in God Hard mode to Vanquish, which is the definitive way to play and must be an homage to his beloved, God Hand :-)
Right now you can get Vanquish on Steam (PC), PS4, PS5, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
T-SHIRT DRIVE ORDER LINK: forms.gle/j3h9JGkSc9acHbNM9
Awesome thumbnail created by @boghogSTG
Cool intro animation: @verygoodfreelancer
Also check out Zaarock's channel as he acted as advisor for lots of my Vanquish questions: ua-cam.com/channels/xpnnAUqNi0GssBsVmIJ_DA.html
Also here is a fantastic God Hard run that I used for some footage in the vid: ua-cam.com/video/Ki0n6jmiGeA/v-deo.html
And a stylish Challenge 6 run that I also used for some footage: ua-cam.com/video/WHRYqmOv35w/v-deo.html
Patreon
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Website: theelectricundergr.wixsite.com/the-electric-undergr
Electric Reddit:
www.reddit.com/r/ElectricUnderground/
STG Revision 2020 Discord (Shhmup Community Discord):
discord.gg/snRueeH
00:00 Vanquish Starts with Confidence
04:08 Vanquish's Gameplay Evolves with Knowledge and Skill
06:32 The Enemy Design is Robust and Challenges the Player's Move set
09:30 The Weapons Types Are Character Action Influenced
10:45 Quick Break, T-Shirt Drive!
11:10 The Boost System is the Secret Sauce
16:00 God Hard GOES HARD
19:35 Removing Weapon Upgrades is Top Tier
23:23 God Proves DIFFICULTY IS CONTENT
25:31 Critique 1 - Needs More Rizz Visually
29:18 Critique 2 - The Scoring is Underdeveloped and Kinda Broken
30:41 Critique 3 - Vanquish Deserves More MODES
34:08 Final Thoughts - Another Mikami Classic, Very Approachable Too.
#platinumgames, #actiongames, #bayonetta
Переглядів: 14 138

Відео

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Переглядів 46 тис.14 днів тому
Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike is Peak Arcade Design | Why It Endures. We will never see another fighting game like 3rd Strike. I love the Street Fighter series, but as time has gone on I've come to realize that I am especially fond of the Arcade Era games Street Fighter II, Street Fighter Alpha (Zero), and Street Fighter 3. In this video I explore what sets the arcade era of Street Fighter apa...
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Переглядів 34 тис.Місяць тому
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Переглядів 32 тис.2 місяці тому
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Переглядів 50 тис.3 місяці тому
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КОМЕНТАРІ

  • @patrickholt8782
    @patrickholt8782 8 годин тому

    I’m glad you touch on timers being important. A lot of RPG players joke about how “the main villain patiently waits while I play this fishing side quest” implying there should be some sort of time limit. But then you show them Fallout 1 with its 150 day time limit and then they suddenly tho a fit and have a toddler meltdown. They’ll talk about how it makes fallout 1 hard to play and makes it antiquated. I found the timer really adding to the urgency of the situation. I don’t want my guys to run out of water. Plus the main villains actually attack the ghoul city after 80 days meaning that no this villain won’t wait around. I don’t think anyone would really mind a timer if it was still in Mario wonder.

  • @adamyohan
    @adamyohan 10 годин тому

    This looks amazing

  • @zaboomba6635
    @zaboomba6635 10 годин тому

    I'd like to push back on this video a bit. Remakes can be lazy cash grabs for sure, but the RE remakes have resonated a lot with most of their players for very good reasons. They are very lovingly made, and RE4 remake in particular has probably my favorite 3rd person shooter gameplay ever. This has been my first RE game, and it has only made me more excited to go back to the originals. I don't think people generally see this game as a replacement, but another way to play the game, and especially to get newcomers into the series, as it has with me.

  • @Lifeonmarszps3
    @Lifeonmarszps3 11 годин тому

    I do hard KMS anually on my twitch channel , I'm doing one right now , come say hi :) also great video man you clearly undertands what makes this game so great

  • @commandershepard9920
    @commandershepard9920 12 годин тому

    23:10 In graduate school, I had a Japanese colleague. He destroyed me in Marvel vs Capcom 3, and I would destroy him in Halo. So there might be a point about FPS players in the West.

  • @CAVEDATA
    @CAVEDATA 13 годин тому

    True

  • @ivojankov7811
    @ivojankov7811 13 годин тому

    Capcom was hands down the king in the 2d arcade games by far

  • @seagullphilosopher2173
    @seagullphilosopher2173 15 годин тому

    You do like Metal Gear Solid then despite the cutscenes and codec calls? The gameplay is solid enough to meet your standards? Id be interested to hear your take on the MGS series and how the games evolved over their span.

  • @seagullphilosopher2173
    @seagullphilosopher2173 15 годин тому

    What's the background music in this vid?

  • @RandoLePerson
    @RandoLePerson 16 годин тому

    Dude it’s the same enemies the entire game, the levels ARE linear and the combo system sucks ass…. Wake up my boy. 🤦‍♂️ It a 6/10 without a doubt, there’s no replay value after your first playthrough, really, but it’s a mindless shooter, the prior 2 games were the exact same thing. It’s mediocre, but it’s mindless fun. The problem is it’s too long and half these levels are the same things over and under over. There’s a reason nobody looks at you, you are biased and clearly don’t understand why most people say this game is meh, at best.

  • @user-ck3fv2be9x
    @user-ck3fv2be9x 16 годин тому

    Atualmente o Shmuparch ficou para trás frente as versões mais recentes do Retroarch; pois com o Retroarch é possível ter os mesmos resultados (run-ahead/preemptive frames) na maioria dos cores, principalmente o MAME core mais atualizado; já que o MAME consegue executar ROMs mais recentes, ROMs essas que não funcionam no FBNeo.

  • @FGC-Option
    @FGC-Option 17 годин тому

    The PS4 version has an average of 60.75ms or 3.64 frames of input lag. That means the PS4 is actually the best version. This has been proven. ua-cam.com/video/BXudwDUM_5k/v-deo.htmlsi=nQWIgubaSbrlYJND

  • @selocan469
    @selocan469 17 годин тому

    They should not be confident about punishing players who do skip tutorials and the reason is similar to the case where the IGN reviewer gave an awful score 3/10 to God Hand which you have mentioned in your God Hand video. Basically people are dismissive and we are very flawed creatures, we enjoy the notion of blaming others for our short comings even without giving it a second thought most of the time. So, you failed miserably, it is obviously the shitty game design and you just draw cross on it. So, I can not imply enough, Devs and designers should be fearing the wrath of the players and reviewers even they have confident over their game to be a good one. Now we live in an era where there are a lot of alternatives for products, in 1990s any game is somewhat played by that small player community, nowadays even a good game may run out its course even before it is allowed to shine which means it generates money. Besides, initially holding a players hand has no serious side effect, it can prevent a player dismissing a nice experience outright and help it by giving her/him immerse into the game. Doing it through the whole game though, it is a recipe for failure.

  • @selocan469
    @selocan469 20 годин тому

    Before I start with my comment, I want to recommend another solid Beat em UP/Hack&Slash title. You should fefinitely check "Shadow of Rome" which also an original combat system and very fun to play. First of all, this is a very detailed and good analysis mate and thank you for it. Though God hand would not sell as much as Devil May Cry even with good reviews and even with the fact that it has better combat mechanics first DMC... reason being this game addresses to a way little amount of audience, it is quite niche in that sense, and nothing can be done about that fact. Money comes better by addressing the majority of audience who are relatively more casual players. This is a game from the studio who made Okami, Clover and Viewtiful Joe which are all very accomplished games. Though this was their first title, they are made injustice by some incompetent IGN reviewer whose name Chris Roper. It is obvious that this game should solely reviewed on its combat mechanics but nothing else and that reviewer is incapable of appraising that particular aspect... what a shame. God Hand delivers perfectly what it is designed for, in depth combat mechanics, replyablitiy on perfecting it via trying many different techniques and combos and most importantly a very solid entertainment. And it is just idiotic to find Sekiro and God Hand similar. Two are very perfect and original games but very different, they only share a genre similarity where God Hand is a beat em up and Sekiro has a hack and slash genre attributes in its core which all FromSoftware games share in common. What is more, Sekiro prioritizes parry over dodge as a defense where God Hand is all about dodging when it comes to defense.

  • @ali2191998
    @ali2191998 20 годин тому

    When does the tutorial actually start?

  • @seeker0587
    @seeker0587 21 годину тому

    Combos are not the worst way to learn a character. It’s also fun. You sit in practice and learn the combos. While dong so you learn how the key moves in the combo work.

  • @Dewprism427
    @Dewprism427 22 години тому

    I honestly feel lucky that I found this channel.

  • @Peremptor
    @Peremptor 22 години тому

    Man this was so good I watched it twice haha.

  • @Peremptor
    @Peremptor 22 години тому

    Maybe it's just due to my preferences but ever since evo 2024 seems like SF3 and SF3 content is making a big resurgence. Even if you are trash at fighting games and SF3 in specific it makes for great viewing.

  • @Garychan726
    @Garychan726 День тому

    looks like gradius 2 of fc not included

  • @commandershepard9920
    @commandershepard9920 День тому

    Well, sir, I have come around nearly a year later. I replayed Resident Evil 4 on the gamecube and.... now I see where you're coming from. This could just be me, but I DO think it's best played on the original system - I hated the controls on PC, using either M&KB OR a modern controller. Aim sensitivity just felt way off either way. Also 24:58 , spot on. Spot on. I hate channels like that lol.

  • @custardgannet4836
    @custardgannet4836 День тому

    It sucks it was never released in Europe for whatever reason. Id have bought it day one.

  • @mondruner
    @mondruner День тому

    It is just me or there was a video about Bayonetta?

  • @damianbuchholz3523
    @damianbuchholz3523 День тому

    You’re not wrong with what ya said but Holy Shit this coulda been a lot shorter video!

  • @greatrulo
    @greatrulo День тому

    The remake of RE3 is there, co-developed by former members of Platinum Games, just sayin', it exudes confidence, but people weren't ready for the game that og RE3 tried and failed to be. ;)

  • @DaLooseGoose11
    @DaLooseGoose11 День тому

    haha oh wow, i thought i loved this game. but u are PASSIONATE af for it, and this remake! that is awesome dude. =D Daioujou is an excellent, EXCELLENT game either way. Peak of the genre, although i do still love Radiant Silvergun...that game was like a whole adventure! but DOJ is INSANE action, superspeedy gameplay, soundtrack be makin u also feel like ur gonna die in real life if u lose in the game LMAO it's great

  • @thimy69
    @thimy69 День тому

    8:06 Just imagine 4 cabs together with Street Fighter 2,Third Strike, MvC and Ex+Alpha(or PowerStone). That's 4 different flavors.

  • @ChrisVsRPG
    @ChrisVsRPG День тому

    Damn this is a cool looking shmup

  • @thecheekychoof
    @thecheekychoof День тому

    1 year in. Season 2 updated for sometime now. I consistently play third strike and USF4 outside 6. In sf6, I tried modern controls. Didn’t enjoy much but I can see some who would prefer it. The mechanics in 6 has one major thing for most players. Higher mental stack. I’m not a high level player but the learning curve due to this made the game much more difficult to learn to be consistently good. Here being good means having higher win rates overall. Regardless I prefer battle hub, casuals and ranked the most. Single player isn’t much important for me. The rest you pretty much cover up in the video. So nothing to add to that. Good stuff as always. PS to those getting into fighting games. SF6 is good to get into ngl. But I’d also recommend 3rd strike if you want to get into street fighter series. Fighting games in general outside street fighter you want to look into (list follows from most to ok) 1. Virtua Fighter 5 (believe me this is an amazing game) 2. Rival schools (I’m biased lol) 3. Vampire saviour 4. Tekken 3 or 5 (could bump it up) 5. Blazblue central fiction 6. Garou: mark of the wolves 7. KoF 2002 and 13 These games above are probably the best I’ve played outside SF games

  • @commandershepard9920
    @commandershepard9920 День тому

    ALRIIIIIIIGHT, YOUR video is the one that finally convinced me to buy the darn game. Paying full price. I love SOR4.

  • @conradojavier7547
    @conradojavier7547 День тому

    Even Fighring Games Evolved, while Maintaining their Roots.

  • @ryandavid1277
    @ryandavid1277 День тому

    The best third person cover shooter ever.

  • @astreakaito5625
    @astreakaito5625 День тому

    Finished it on Hard for the first time, I didn't play it in like 10 years and yep it's still a masterpiece. Game plays like a dream with controller and gyro aiming! So it really wasn't too difficult. God Hard however.. I wonder if it's even humanly possible to beat it? One slight issue with the game is the lack of projectile visibility, when the game runs at normal speed the bullets are basically invisible and I swear those bots have aimbots so it really looks like it's impossible to shooting anything in the face without being nuked instantly yourself? I'll keep trying but..

  • @Schraiber
    @Schraiber День тому

    I wish I liked Vanquish more than I do. I think that it's just somehow a bit boring, and definitely agree that the visual style doesn't help. I know its a game that gets better with replay but I've played through it a couple times separated by a few years and when I think of immediately jumping into a replay, I'm just like "ugh" Also given your hatred of meters, I'm surprised you didn't criticize the boost meter, which is pretty bad. The fact that melee, one of the most exciting and engaging things to do in the game, drains your whole meter is just so bad. It's a fine game, definitely not bad. But it just doesn't click with me.