Before I start my review I’d like to state that yes, I am aware that Vanguard is still in the pre-alpha stage. I know there is much work to be done still, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. I have an extensive history in playing FPS games; starting in 2002. I did play at a somewhat high competitive level for some of them; Counter-Strike, and Overwatch to name a few.
Initially, I enjoyed Vanguard. However, the more I played it; the more of a slog it became. Let me explain my thoughts on the game. I will try to avoid the pre-alpha complaints.
The Good:
The weapon system is unique, and I think it has a lot of potential. Being able to nearly instantly swap your attachments gives your guns boundless utility. Different types of ammo adds even more versatility. It will be nice to see how much further the modifications go as the developers add more to the game.
You can do multiple things in a single game; it adds lots of variety. You can do missions, you can do event specific missions, there are also little things here and there you can do, like hacking jettisoned escape pods. Hell, you can even just join a game to mine resources for fabrication.
Crafting on the fly is handy and welcomed. It’ll be nice to see how much better this system gets in future releases.
The Bad:
The “command center” missions become incredibly repetitive. I am sure more variations will be added. As of right now though, every single mission is basically on a loop of two different things. Every mission is “Go here” “Hack this” or some variation of it.
Utility items are not good or imaginative. The only one that has use is the shield generator, but it has two major problems: it takes too long to activate, and it deactivates too quickly. The grenade is bad, and I’m not even sure if it works in PvP, I threw one directly at another player and it didn’t damage him, I watched it blow up right under his feet. The proximity mine is gigantic; even Stevie Wonder could see it. It would be nice to have something more imaginative other than stuff that is already in every other single game out there. We are in the future, and in a different galaxy; get crazy with it guys.
Movement is janky. Everything about movement right now is awful, especially the jumping mechanics. I bunny hop through the whole map because you make next to no sound and can immediately get the jump on anyone who doesn’t see you. You travel uphill faster when you spam jump, opposed to if you were just running. Jumping onto objects is awkward and doesn’t feel right.
Closing Thoughts:
I would like to see this game be successful, but it has a long road ahead of it.
One of the biggest hurdles this game faces is the current extraction shooter market is saturated. Vanguard is competing against games like Escape from Tarkov, Arena Breakout, and The Hunt. Can the developers create a game on par, or better?
Secondly, is there a market for a game like this set in the EVE universe? Let’s face it, most EVE players are old dad gamers now. An extraction shooter doesn’t seem to appeal to that type of gamer. Could this usher in a new generation of players? Maybe, but that remains to be seen.
Again, take everything I say with a grain of salt. I want what’s best for the game, as I would love anything that adds to the overall EVE universe.
Non-Vanguard Complaint:
I did grind enough missions so I could obtain all 2400 points to get all the rewards in EVE. I don’t think it was worth it in the end. The skins are all account bound, and I don’t care too much for the SKINR stuff. The only thing worth getting were the containers, but I just sold them because the deathless trader doesn’t really offer anything I wanted all that badly.