Sci-fi game Vanquish was originally inspired by a 1970s Japanese anime. It was also supposed to star a remote controlled robot.
According to the game's designer Shinji Mikami, originally there wasn't anyone in the suit. "Instead," he explains, "it was a remotely operated robot with three different pilots who would take turns controlling the unit from afar."
And the robot would change depending on which pilot was controlling it. Each of the three pilots had their own speciality, such as shooting, melee, or hover and snipe. "This single robot was capable of being battle effective in a variety of situations," Mikami adds.
The concept was snuffed out early in the development process — vanquished, if you will.
But Mikami, who created the Resident Evil series, says that rejected ideas "can end up finding their way back, like in a sequel for instance."
The game designer recently set up his own studio in Tokyo and is working on action game Shadows of the Damned. He, however, doesn't know what he's making next. "Considering how fickle I am, it will probably end up being a game completely different from Vanquish." Will it have a remote controlled robot?
Last Time Up [Platinum Games via Eurogamer]