A solid platformer that tries to rise above the rest by pushing the Genesis to its graphical limit.
The game itself is light on story, with some mild humor, but what it really tries to be - a run and gun game - it does quite well. Something of a Donkey Kong Country "killer" (more like poor competitor) - it tries to be a great game but it falls short of that greatness. I am reminded of my youth when Nintendo tried to convince its loyal fanbase that Sega was all flash and no substance. While that isn't exactly a fair thing to call Vectorman, there is some merit in the argument.
Is it better then Gunstar Heroes? No, I don't think so. Did it redefine the Run And Gun genre? No, not really. In short - it is a perfectly average, albeit fun, game in it's genre. Is it worth owning? Maybe, if the genre is a particular favorite of yours. Suffice to say I do not regret my purchase and indeed intend to acquire Vectorman 2 at my earliest convenience.
For those who might be unfamiliar with the genre, which includes such games as the brilliant Contra series - you're essentially playing a platformer though your character has the ability to aim his weapon in all cardinal directions and blasting hordes of enemies is fairly a given. While Vectorman doesn't quite have the flash as Gunstar Heroes you can still get into some pretty intense firefights. And the one nice thing is that Vectorman handles surprisingly well. He has the ability to do a sort of boost jump where once he's jumped once you can jump a bit higher while still in the air with booster rockets. He also has the ability to shoot down if he's in the air (this has the effect of slowing his descent as well which can prove useful in some situations) probably a better design choice then the graphics themselves (which - realistically do not necessarily make for a good game)
In this case however, Vectorman is certainly not "all flash, no substance" The gameplay IS solid and for those who like the Run And Gun genre, Vectorman is a game that is worth checking out. On the other hand if the genre is not particularly a favorite of yours, Vectorman has very little to offer (Sure, it is stunning, but let's be honest, it's graphics are outdated by a good 11 years)
Regardless, I recommend at least checking it out. It can give a few enjoyable hours of gameplay.