Vanquish | Earning Adrenaline

Join me on an extended ramble as I talk about Vanquish, it's relationship to other fast-paced games such as Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and Doom: Eternal, and what makes for that adrenaline-pumping "cool" feeling one gets from action games.
Majuularcade videos are shorter form content than I usually produce, meant to focus on games that aren't as suitable for long videos & analysis. If you have any suggestions that might fit the bill, share them with me in the comments!
home
/ majuular

[@fenrirlives2226]

I really appreciate the discussion! Games like Doom Eternal and Ultrakill have very much dominated the space of "Shooters that feel like Character Action games" but Vanquish definitely highlights the way a 3rd Person shooter can toe the line of being Smokin' Sick Stylish in their own unique way! Kind of a shame that the last game I remember giving a comparable feeling to Vanquish was uhhhh Sunset Overdrive? Maybe Warframe as well, though there's some nuance differences with format there. It's definitely I'd love to see more of. Thanks for shining the spotlight!

[@stnilus3294]

The volume of your release schedule is impressive. Please don't burn yourself out. I really enjoy the videos, thank you.

[@Majuular]

You got it, I appreciate that.

[@therandomdickhead5744]

Seconded. Take your time.

[@itisgarrison]

Love the Majuularcade format just as much as the long form. I will accept this opiate in any form, keep the sauce coming

[@Majuular]

Appreciate the continued support Garrison!

[@DanielSantosAnalysis]

This game absolutely rules and you did a great job breaking down what makes it tick.

[@Majuular]

Thank you friend!

[@bananabike279]

A Vanquish video in 2022?? NICE! Great video of a great game. Many years later and I'm still discovering new tech you can do in this game! Need to play a 60 fps version someday

[@fenrirlives2226]

WOOHOOO VANQUISHED VIDEO BABYYYYYYYY awesome stuff man!

[@mitchmediak]

Fucking love this game, criminally underplayed. It's like a 3rd person shooter DMC

[@theFado96]

You forgot the most important thing about the Disk Launcher: its melee attack is the only one that doesn't overheat your suit when used, but only uses 1 disk of ammo. Because of that, you can use it even when you're overheated and waiting to regenerate your AR meter, giving you an offensive option when you're cooling off. All melee attacks have some sort of use in this game. The Assault rifle's melee hits many times if you mash the button, the shotgun's can be charged for massive damage, the heavy machine gun's can put you into AR more and can lift Romanovs in the air without overheating if done at just the right distance and finally the sniper rifle's can be cancelled with a roll for quick movement. Anyway, great video! Vanquish is one of favorite Platinum games! It's really just a character action game masked as a cover shooter.

[@samfivedot]

The Disc Launcher's melee attack will also cut Romanovs in half, forcing them to crawl around on their arms and disabling most of their attacks. This is so useful that I basically just started carrying a Disc Launcher around at all times

[@Bella_The_Chef]

I believe the correct word is spectacle fighter my good sir

[@theFado96]

@@Bella_The_Chef Indeed it is.

[@aetherfukz]

Found your channel as a recommendation, I love long form reviews/retrospectives. Great channel content, subbed!

[@matthewdyck5503]

Oh baybee. Good stuff my man. Loving all the content

[@jonnietsunami9992]

"is the action good?" I fukin was dancing my ass off after you said that!

[@videogamesare1]

You nailed the feeling of “badass”. Great analysis

[@HueyTheDoctor]

The quality of your content is consistently outstanding. I'm always nodding along in agreement and the editing is top notch.

[@jimmyredd]

Great video! I always love to see more people talking about Vanquish! Replayability is right. I remember the demo came out a couple months before the game and I probably put 5 hours into it just playing that level over and over again. Wish you had touched more on the challenge mode. It's so good. Beating the final challenge is one of the most intense gaming experiences I've ever had.

[@KeemBG]

So glad I found this channel bro keep it up!

[@vimbert]

Your highest Patreon tier is "people of lordly caliber"? Based.

[@Majuular]

I don't mess around

[@VerdanaVideos]

Insightful stuff. Subscribed and hyped for more.

[@giovlms]

Somehow in each review you manage to bring something new to the table, even with games that have are being analyzed for over twenty years. First got interested with the Legend of the Dragoon one, subscribed when I watched the Chrono Cross vid, and fell in love with your channel with this one. Keep 'em up!

[@zpingusu]

This game has been on my backlog for a long time.

[@BackwoodSpiritAnimal]

Vanquish rules and I gotta say you're a great creator. Hoping someday soon you get that algorithm push and get a lot of eyeballs on all your content.

[@Silvarian]

Awesome video man. I think this is a really good concept for a series, you achieved a balance of video essay on the difficulty + BB, which also giving a good review. While the game type itself is not my favorite (fast paced shooters tend to be too difficult for me to process) the video still had content that was right up my alley. I also appreciate that although you almost certainly know you could have used more popular games for the essay aspect of this, you went with a game that has meaning to you. It's why I like systems that let us support artists, you aren't 100% beholden to "the algorithm" as you would be if you were relying solely on ad revenue. As an aside, games "hacking the brains chemistry to deliver fresh thrills using the same formula" is the bane of my ADHD lol. Victory Achieved is some of the best dopamine my brain can get.

[@CrooningWolfEntertainment]

I played this a long time ago. Wasn't good at it at the time, but it really nailed that sweet point of making the player feeling like a badass for sure

[@liquidladdy]

first time watching your videos, good stuff!

[@Ask4This]

Anyone that loves playing and covers Vanquish is an instant sub from me, good video.

[@MrTreespace]

Another awesome video, guy! Gonna have to reinstall this after work, it's been awhile.

[@xaszholazx]

Im calling it, Majuular will blow up

[@Raiden502]

Really love the game its so underrated 😪

[@blink3047]

Love the content my guy, keep it up

[@Tigerbro6]

great video homie now I'm itching to play vanquish again

[@TDJunkie226]

Platinum games just know how to make you feel cool. I think Bayonetta is the only game that has ever made me scream SIT THE FUCK BACK DOWN BITCH at my tv screen.

[@tinfoilhat3268]

I wasn't expecting a "oh hi Randy" moment here

[@MB-hu2jl]

This is the best Platinum Games title. I know MGR gets all the attention these days, but nothing lives up to this.

[@mekman4]

I play Youngblood as much as you play Vanquish. Youngblood has this big chunky arcade visual style and it is _pure_ unfiltered adrenaline. I love Youngblood on Switch, that game gets played nightly between bouts of Splatoon 3 and Arms. Doom is there but Youngblood does pyrotechnics _so much better_ than the Doom games on any platform! Great Stuff!

[@hawkbirdtree3660]

I sent the updated Napoleon Cat image. It’s coming along

[@Majuular]

I just checked my emails - this is shaping up to be frame-worthy, my God.

[@hawkbirdtree3660]

@@Majuular I sent the final image. I think I'm done working on it. But, if you need changes made, feel free to send them my way.

[@dotcomgamingd5564]

what, no mention of the melee attack of the blade launcher never overheating your suit? cmon man, that's what makes it an actually worthwhile weapon. anyways really great video!

[@snarthelg]

the cover in vanquish is just for the enemies

[@Thenormal880]

Woah cool video

[@JuliusCaesar103]

This is a great video.

[@sting7789]

Great game Sam was a badass character.

[@grimmace45]

That guy look like Paul Rudd in the SNES commercial

[@vibe1337]

Had a lot of fun with vanquish. Need to check if I got every game score. I definitely tried to. Have you considered doing a metal gear rising revengenc video? 😬

[@hw8991]

What's that game at 0:43 just before Tyranny? Tyranny is an absolute unknown beast of a game; crpg developers should steal ideas from that game. But most people don't even know the game exists in the first place.

[@KaosMachina]

I feel like the fact that this game was literally originally put out on hardware that couldn't handle its own gameplay without chugging is something worth saying. It's not that it didn't earn the love that it has now, but it was literally a game that was too far ahead of its time in one direction and too far behind the times in others to have any hope of getting well-reviewed in an era of "BUT WE LIKE THE MOVIES NOW!" games.

[@trndrd]

And that's the difference between powertripping in any of these games, compared to Warframe, where difficulty doesn't exist.

[@aeternisgloria]

Based

[@chasepalumbo2929]

Shmups are the most replayable genre with the deepest mechanics that no one cares about. Sucks cause they’re super fresh in todays bloated, “””content rich””” gaming culture. Really great video. Ps: I think we’re going through a second video game crash. Think about it for a little, it starts to make a lot of sense.

[@ggmasterguiltygear6315]

Could you possibly upload the clip of the gorgi jumping on Sam and he uses the quote "cheap fuking toy!"? It's a badass quote. Alway had hard time forcing that qte to happen since they can just blow up at close proximity instead of doing the lunge qte.

[@nachoolo]

I will defend Platinum's Korra game to my very end. Even with its lack of enemy variety and its... "limited" budget its combat is top-notch.

[@whinegummi6329]

Gameplay is awesome, the japanized characters are hard to stomach for me today. It is just to over the top. Still stellar game.

[@manhphanhoang9555]

i kind of disagree with what you said about how resources management is better than just giving the players candy all the time. DMC, Bayonetta and Ultrakill are like top of action genre and they don't have resource management in them, they pretty much give you what you want if you can do it. And no, memorizing combo in these game is not the same as resource management like you said here

[@ryanpercival9823]

They did right by Nier Automata as well, Platinum did

[@Drprophetius]

that was fast

[@kie2]

I can't even believe the anti armor pistol was DLC. I just played this game this year and the anti armor pistol carried me. It almost feels like it wasn't balanced well because with mouse aiming the amount of damage you can dish out that accurately is stupid

[@couchmoba]

Person of Lordly Caliber...is that an ogre battle ref?

[@stephensmith7327]

16:25 the only time I take issue is if they include a increased difficulty modifier like in Sekerio. If you trust me when saying it's too easy, trust me when saying it's too hard, even if it's unlocked after multiple deaths and a monster pees on me.

[@senritsujumpsuit6021]

I just got reminded how in Xenoblade Chronicles X if you fail a boss a lot you get the option to slightly handicap the boss an if you still keep failing you get the prompt again so are you a weeny an gonna wimp through the fight or be badass

[@GreenEyedDazzler]

You didn’t know the disk launcher lets you do unlimited melee attacks with no cooldown

[@LutraLovegood]

Never cared much for the challenge in Souls games, I'm more into the world, the fashion, exploring dungeons and slapping skeletons with a big sword. Maybe that's why I didn't really care about most of the bosses, or maybe my history of playing fighting games against tough AIs and real opponents, most of the bosses don't feel that hard to me, but I'd still prefer an easier mode so I can fuck around.

[@greglongmore6503]

Turrican in 3D

[@nicobeans]

I don't agree with the difficulty bit. People asking for an easy mode isn't hurting anyone, and there are far more people complaining that their favorite action games don't get any notice than there are people asking for an accessibility options. (These things are linked.) This isn't just about being a hardcore enough gamer, people have disabilities-- and if you don't care to make it accessible that's fine but people who could use them aren't going to disappear. Everytime a Fromsoft game comes out, a bunch of losers get really elitist about how you play it-- and absolutely dog you out if you want things easier by any measure.

[@Majuular]

I think that people asking for an easy mode are well within their rights to do so. My argument is simply that developers don't have a responsibility to make their work any less difficult if the feelings associated with overcoming difficult challenges are inherent to the experience they're trying to convey through their games. You wouldn't expect horror movie directors to make their films less scary for people with low tolerance for being frightened/anxious.

[@Majuular]

I would also note that all From Software games DO have a built in difficulty setting - summoning.

[@sicnarfghost]

What is the title at 14 sec?

[@turboyabo864]

vanquish is a mix bag the parts i hate like the fact that some mini boss enemies are instant kill and fighting a boss who you where escorting the whole way of the game . some weapons made bit fun but not most

[@TheStowAway594]

I was super excited to play this when it finally came to steam, but I was pretty disappointed. Everyone said it was so crazy fun, and it was just meh for me, with a few annoying parts. I like the style and attitude, but the gameplay was just so bland. I don't know if I'm missing something or what, but I'll have to go back and try it again at some point. I kind of feel this game just clicks with some people, and I'm not one of them.

[@ligerstripe99]

The original doom's badassery came from taking on hordes of demons 'however' you choose. doom2016 recaptured that. doom eternal threw it away in favor of making you spend more or less half the game watching glory kills while playing like a fan made doom total conversion of metroid prime. I laughed out loud once i saw the mario like fireball chains in doom eternal.

[@ninepillarsofsalt]

4:30

[@astral33]

please, games at 16:39 and 16:42

[@YeardoZeardo]

Video request for what Platinum did wrong. Is this common knowledge??

[@ninjammer726]

Please do a video review on Ace combat 7 and nier automata 🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤😘🥳💸💸💸💸🐲🦎🐉🦖

[@christianf.4833]

I played this game wrong

[@samfivedot]

This game legitimately ruined all other cover shooters for me, man. Like I can't play The Last of Us because I just keep thinking how much cooler it would be if Joel had rocket boosters in his knees

[@danieladamczyk4024]

So Ultrakill but worse.

[@Neongulieashhhhz]

Even if you say that Vanquish is meant to be played more than once, it doesn't seem like you did so. As a person who has completed the game multiple times to achieve the lowest total cover usage, I can pretty much tell. I guess I was okay with you not covering skipping weapon reload technique, quick switching, melee movement, diagonal boost, grenade shooting in mid air/landmining them while sliding, and some other hidden mechanics and interactions, but man, you could at least say something about melee attacks Sam can perform and the smoking mechanic. Not to mention how many things you missed making weapons showcase by not experimenting with weapons enough, especially not using special melee attacks, which almost each of them has. It seems like many vanquish reviews are popping out recently, which makes new players interested in it, but it hurts how not a single review has managed to cover vanquish mechanics just about right. You should try watching some Vanquish freestyle videos to see how much stuff you missed.

[@julien2983]

Bruh moment

[@Gatorade69]

I have never heard of this game. I may have to check it out on a Steam sale.

[@CptManboobs]

It's worth noting that the disc launcher let's you instantly kill just about every enemy in the game with a single melee hit.

[@Bella_The_Chef]

Can someone tell me the fuck is the difference between the difficulty settings

[@TFSned]

This game is brilliant. I just wish there was a difficulty between Hard and God Hard though. Hard is too easy and God Hard is just not for me. I love playing Kingdom Hearts 2 and 3 on Critical Level 1, but that punishing difficulty doesn't work in a shooter. You just have to learn where enemies spawn and kill them before they get a chance to aim at you.

[@Majuular]

Yeah, God Hard is such an astronomical step up from Hard.. I can't imagine how it's possible playing the original console version, but I guess some people are just really, really good at games.

[@amatsu-ryu4067]

I got this game along with Bayonetta 1 on the PS store (There's a neat little bundle of the two games you can get for like 20 bucks) fully expecting to neglect it and give Bayo all the time in the world. However, after finishing Bayonetta for the first time, curiosity struck me and I booted Vanquish up. I was honestly extremely surprised by how much I loved the gameplay, despite not really being into shooters all that much.

[@Zaothus]

Majuular still on that grindset - I thought you'd earned a break after the Symphonia video, but I'm not complaining! I remember liking the idea of Vanquish more than the reality of it - it felt to me like there was a lot of time spent skating in circles, chipping away at bullet-sponge bosses and tanky enemies, rather than duels against other fleet and agile opponents that would have conveyed the anime-ass fantasy it was selling so much better. That said, I might just suck at action games.

[@Majuular]

I think that's a totally fair take, and perhaps where Vanquish leans closer to third-person shooter as opposed to action game. Whereas in an action game, enemies become less powerful in proportion to the skills/weapons you've unlocked, in Vanquish bullets are as powerful as they're ever gonna be. Appreciate the comment!

[@ImWatchingYou69]

I love this game but it had to grow on me for that reason. There are parts of the game that are phenomenal, but there are parts that feel like they should have been way more fast paced. It's very telling that the "Challenge" missions are much more high octane than the campaign IMO.

[@versebuchanan512]

Pulling off a cigarette throw/instakill bonus felt just as fucking awesome every single time I did it. I love this game. This is what I described to a friend as MY Bayo, lol.

[@Geese_boi777]

I'm so happy you reviewed this, I wish more third person shooters played like an action game.

[@davidsburningdumpster8728]

You can't lie to me, with how fast you're pumping these out you got an ARS suit yourself! This game's awesome! And the review makes it justice!

[@spoopskeletal2873]

Friday AND a new video? Gonna be a good day tater

[@RrraverCrow]

I’m here for it.

[@ChuckART]

Another awesome vid man! Vanquish is one of my favs from the 360/ps3 era ❤️

[@jameskelly5523]

Hey, I liked this format a lot. Of course I'm also a big fan of the bigger in-depth looks at games, especially the JRPGs, but I also liked your Harvester vid too. You've got great taste in video games and great insight into the games you cover.

[@DurdleDers]

Hell yeah, another upload! I love hearing about obscure games like this. Ever played the Onimusha series? For the time, they had combat that I found very satisfying. Mixing Resident Evil tank controls/fixed cameras with kick-ass demon fighting magic samurai weapons made you feel awesome. I would personally love to see a review on those done to your standard of quality. Used to pump hours and hours into those games, particularly Onimusha 3: Demon Seige, and Dawn of Dreams.

[@novemberbravo6194]

I love the way that you use your game reviews to expound upon greater points and ideas. As you say, the purpose of art is to say something, to elicit a reaction, and the seamless segue from discussing action game mechanics into talking about the art inherent in games' difficulty was so smooth I wanted to dip ciabatta in it and eat it. Also, holy shit someone else in the world cares about Vanquish! I thought I was the only one! As ever, a fantastic video that deserves waaaaay more views than it has. Oh, and I noticed you mentioned ZOE there at the end. Please, *please* do a ZOE series review. That would make me beyond happy.

[@SaltyCalhoun]

The ONLY thing I kind dislike about this masterpiece is Sam. I don't feel like his personality matches 'scifi-jet set grinding-flipping-mech suit', if that makes any sense.

[@gearhead417]

Vanquish is a game that I should love to death but I just don't. I understand why people love it and I did have fun playing it. But I guess the novelty of it wore off way before I finished the game. It has all the makings of an amazing game but never takes that extra step for me that I needed it to make. It lacks things like memorable characters or insane set pieces that make games like Bayo or MGR so great. It's a game trapped in a 7th gen shooter that wants to be a 6th gen action game.

[@jotakux7489]

There was a Ps3 demo that had a horde mode. Always wondered why it wasn’t included to the main game.

[@fitzgeraldpalmer9231]

Just commenting so I can say I was here before this guy blew up

[@julien2983]

Recently watched a friend play through this and while it's not my kind of thing it was a ton of fun to backseat.

[@MEGATRYANT]

Actually, yes, I still am play Call of Duty Black Ops 1.

[@timothykirby4406]

Vanquish is the ultimate play at any time game.

[@henriettereines6273]

You should make a video on Xenogears

[@Gukoh]

Can confirm, he held me at gun point and told me if I didn’t buy it he’d kiss me on the lips! Glad you decided to review a game you made me play. Keep killing it Guko, love the reviews!

[@Majuular]

I love that in spite of the fact that I'm aiming a loaded gun at you, the real threat is being kissed. Thanks bb ❤️

[@EmeraldReaper]

yippee!

[@nepu47]

Vanquish and stranglehold were better than Max payne 3 and they still remains their charms & funs in this era.

[@yomuyugi]

I played Vanquish on release in the Xbox 360 and got it on Steam a few years ago because it's such a good game, fast action with cool QTEs and a cliché story is such mindless fun

[@FlyingLampshade]

yea while your still at only 16000 subs and might still read these. i really would love to see you play or review bulletstorm its a fps from 2011 ish. at least look it up. its crazy for the year it came out.

[@gjtrue]

It's a CRIME as awesome as Vanquish never got a sequel.