Half Life vs Vanquish
Half Life
Half Life is the first game in the famous Half Life series that has gained a certain amount of infamy among gamers mainly because Valve has refused their fans' request to create a Half Life 3. That being said, the game itself is pretty old - released back in 1998 - and it was a shining gem of a game back in its time because of its amaing gameplay and engaging storyline. Unlike any other games in the 90s, Half Life manages to combine action and adventure along with a what-was-back-then a realistic world into one amazing package. The game also has a multiplayer mode that turns the game's many maps into arenas for you to play against your friends.Half Life is one of "those games" that almost every gamer (midcore and above) would at least have heard of before. It's as classic as classic games go. If you enjoy old-school games, Half Life is probably one of the first few games you'd want to play.
Vanquish
Vanquish puts you into the shoes of government operative, Sam Gideon, who is part of the elite group of operatives that has their own Augmented Reaction Suit which give them superior firepower, superhuman speed and agility as well as a certain amount of suave as they take down groups of hostile and deadly robots. The combat system in this game is incredibly well-made and unique. Aside from having a bullet time system, it also provides players with a smooth gameplay, be it when they are performing kinetic melee moves or when they are trading gunfire with the robots.However, many players have mentioned about the flaw when it comes to weapon upgrades in this game. Unlike most games, you actually have to be equipping the correct gun type in order to pick up the upgrade cube, which randomly appears. It does provide players with the incentive to keep replaying the game but it can be pretty frustrating if you had to give up picking up a hard-earned cube because you don't have the weapon you need.
Besides this downside though, Vanquish is among the top-most third-person shooters that have excellent, well-designed mechanics. If you enjoy smooth combat and a cool and somewhat Halo-like suit, then this is definitely the game for you!