SEGA have released a free demo for their sci-fi shooter Vanquish on Xbox Live and PSN.
The demo features a tutorial and several combat encounters designed to give prospective purchasers a good handle on the finished product.
We've been playing a fair bit of early code in the office this week - you can read more about our experiences in our hands-on article.
According to SEGA, Vanquish is a "sci-fi shooter of epic proportions with a fast, fluid and frenetic combat system, and an engaging and immersive storyline."
That's not actually all that rare these days, the same comments could be levelled at any one of half a dozen other sci-fi shooters released in the last couple of years. The real question here is what exactly makes Vanquish stand out from the crowd?
You're not likely to find the answer in the roll-call. Protagonist Sam Gideon works for DARPA, who military buffs and conspiracy theorists will recognise as being a research and development agency for the U.S. Government. He's the typical grizzled, dysfunctional hero we've all come to expect from futuristic space shooters, ticking most of the stereotype boxes across the board. Five o'clock shadow? Check. Sounds like Adam West? Check. Chain smokes? Well, that's perhaps more of a surprise inclusion, but it's there.
UPDATE: SEGA has confirmed that the Vanquish demo will be available in New Zealand on the 2nd of September.
ORIGINAL: SEGA has announced that a playable demo of Vanquish will be available next week. No date has been finalised for this region, but global dates range from the 31st of August to the 2nd of September.
The demo includes one level from the game and two difficulty settings: casual and normal.
SEGA has confirmed that Vanquish, their sci-fi third-person action shooter from director Shinji Mikami, will hit stores across New Zealand on October 22nd this year.
In addition to this news, customers who pre-order a copy of the game with selected stores will receive exclusive access to a three-weapon pack, available via Xbox LIVE and PSN on the same day.
The Tri-Weapon pack contains a small arsenal of experimental technology, made up of the Boost Machine Gun, Anti-Armor Pistol and Laser Cannon.
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The story takes place on a vast space station in a near future world where nations war over the planet’s remaining energy resources. Against this backdrop, players take the role of Sam Gideon, a government agent kitted out with a futuristic battle suit. A versatile fighter with a huge arsenal of weaponry at his disposal, Sam also has an array of martial arts skills that he can use to take down his robot enemies.
Features:
- Fast, fluid and frenetic - This is gaming at its most explosive and exciting, as you storm into battle.
- Experience a game character like no other - Sam is the ultimate weapon, donning a futuristic battle suit of destructive firepower and superhuman speed and agility.
- Wage war in space - Fight your way through the enormous, open environments of the space station. The most advanced, futuristic city in the skies becomes home to the action.
- Genre breaker - Taking the shooter genre to the next level by adding unique offensive and defensive moves, and kinetic melee combat.
- Challenge and competition - VANQUISH will rate players on a variety of statistics, rewarding them for quick reflexes and strategic thinking, ensuring they will want to play the levels again and again.
