Parents' Guide to

Vanquish

By Chad Sapieha, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Frenetic, violent third-person shooter is for adults only.

Game PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 2010
Vanquish Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

  • Vanquish Game: Screenshot #1
  • Vanquish Game: Screenshot #2
  • Vanquish Game: Screenshot #3

Community Reviews

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age 13+

Based on 3 parent reviews

Anonymous 879
Anonymous 879 Adult
June 30, 2020
age 6+
Sam M.
Sam M. Parent of 0-year-old
March 31, 2016
age 16+

strong bloody violence, frenetic mayhem and language

90% of game is shooting robots. Yet in cutscenes bloody violence is present such as when a microwave cannon causes civilians to bloodily explode, a man riddled with minigun fire, splattering him all over the suroundings and causing a large pool of blood to form, a graphic suicide by gunshot and soldiers getting shot and torn appart by sawblades. A later chapter has you shoot humans and alot of bloody sprays and splatters from them. Bloody deaths can include getting your head crushed like a grape and being torn in half like a wishbone. Some allies can be gibbed in combat by explosives or bladed enemies with blood splats. The F word is used frequently but not constantly. Really Fun shooting, fast movement, over the top explosive and varied cinematic finishers, shallow but very accessible arcade style weapon upgrading, fun bosses, good enemy variety, short length of 4 or 5 hours, scenarios are fast paced and fun to play for what they are and how long they last despite not having much of a standout style othe than archetypically futuristic. Nonsensical impractical plot, cheesy macho dialog, . Pretty hard but mostly fair. Challenge stages VERY Hard especially 4; and 6 is impossible!
See all 3 parent reviews

What’s It About?

A rogue sect of the Russian military has taken over the country and launched war on the United States in VANQUISH, a Japanese-style third-person shooter with some decidedly Western elements. The game begins with the villain, Victor Zaitsev, obliterating San Francisco with a space-based microwave blast, then threatening to do the same to New York should the government decide not to surrender. The president, a strong, Hillary Clinton-esque personality, vows never to submit and immediately launches an attack on the orbiting platform Zaitsev's forces occupy. Players jump into the shoes of Sam Gideon, a DARPA researcher who wears advanced armor that makes him an almost unstoppable military machine. Armed with a wide range of upgradeable weapons, players begin a break-neck-paced, action-packed, and thoroughly adult-oriented adventure to save America.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3):
Kids say (7):

Japanese shooters often don't resonate well with Westerners, but Vanquish is different. It suffers the sort one-dimensional personalities and wooden dialogue found in its brethren, but still manages to be riveting thanks to some spectacular movie sequences, clever off-world settings, and extraordinarily quick pacing.

More importantly, the combat is highly gratifying. Players take on enemies ranging from small crawling robots to multi-storey behemoths using a healthy selection of satisfying weapons. The controls are tight, and the epic battles are rarely short of heart-pounding. Unfortunately, the frenetic action sometimes translates into bosses and missions that are more difficult than they should be. That quibble aside, this could be the most successful example yet of a game that marries Eastern and Western shooter philosophies. Good fun for grown-ups.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about smoking in games. What narrative purpose does making a leading character a heavy smoker serve? Does it glamorize the habit? Why would the game have him lighting up in the heat of battle? Does it make sense?

  • Families can also discuss why they play games. Is it to experience a thrill from doing things you can't do in the real world? To settle down and relax? To have fun with friends? To enjoy some alone time? Which of these pursuits does this game satisfy?

Game Details

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