By Jakejames Lugo
There are very few studios that can give everyone high-octane and stylish action better than Platinum Games. Two titles from their portfolio, Bayonetta and Vanquish, celebrate their 10th Anniversary, originally being released on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. To celebrate the anniversary, SEGA has given both games a complete HD remastering for release on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, in the form of the Bayonetta & Vanquish 10th Anniversary Bundle. If you missed out on either one of these action packed games the first time around, now is the best time to correct that and experience two of the best action games around.
Bayonetta follows the exploits of an umbra witch of the same name. She’s sexy, powerful, and has a jaded past that ties into the fate of the world. When the game first released it caused a stir with how provocative and direct the game was with its suggestive themes, but it was complimented by solid controls and insane moments of action. Director Hideki Kamiya, responsible for the Devil May Cry series, designed the combat with similar elements to his previous titles. Everything about Bayonetta’s gameplay is transferred over accurately for this rerelease, but displayed in a much better looking 1080p and 60 frames per second. Luckily for those playing the game on PlayStation 4 Pro or Xbox One X, the game can be displayed in 4K at a smooth frame rate. Regrettably, the game doesn’t offer anything new that fans of the series haven’t already seen. No additional bonus features or extra content to celebrate the 10th anniversary, which is a bummer. Anything along the lines of behind-the-scenes featurettes or pre-rendered concept art would’ve sufficed to give more value to those revisiting the game again.
Vanquish is the other half of this bundle and given the exact same treatment. For anyone that hasn’t played Vanquish before, the game is a third-person shooter that is short, but very sweet with its action. The story of Vanquish follows Sam Gideon, a soldier recruited by the US government to fight a rogue military group known as the Russian Star. Sam uses a prototype suit that gives him near superhuman abilities, allowing him to battle against a variety of deadly mechs, unnamed machines, and other weapons. Vanquish is a game where speed is an asset in almost any situation. Moving across environments are incredibly speeds to dodge enemy fire and take out targets is incredibly fun and addicting. While the length of the game is short, it definitely isn’t a mediocre thrill. The visual upgrade from the 10th anniversary bundle makes the high octane moments in Vanquish look and feel even more intense, making every fire fight feel like the most hyped session of gaming you’ve ever played.
Once again, there isn’t any additional content added to Vanquish for the rerelease. Those who’ve planned on enjoying this game and Bayonetta will have to be okay with getting the same experience as before. The only perk to repurchasing this bundle is the inclusion of a limited edition steel book case for the physical release. The bright side of this is that both titles have little to no additional technical issues by making the leap to current generation consoles. There are some bugs and glitches that haven’t been addressed that were present in their original releases, which could’ve been ironed out in some way, but they aren’t made any worse by the remastering. These games still look the absolute best they have ever been before now. Seeing the crazy visual effects of Bayonetta or the backgrounds speed pass you in Vanquish looks incredible in 4K is a marvelous sight. It might be the same thing we’ve seen before, but anyone would be damned not to admit to themselves how good and fun Bayonetta and Vanquish are to play.
This review is based on a digital review code for the Bayonetta & Vanquish 10th Anniversary Bundle on the PlayStation 4, provided by SEGA.
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