For the longest time, it seemed like it would never happen. After receiving 4K/60 remasters on PC back in 2017, it often felt like that Sega had just simply forgotten about bringing Bayonetta and Vanquish to Sony’s current generation console. Thank Crom then that wasn’t the case at all, as just over two and half years later Sega has turned in a remastered twin pack for the ages with the Bayonetta & Vanquish 10th Anniversary Bundle, and one that does grand justice to two of PlatinumGames most legendary action offerings.
Bayonetta & Vanquish Tenth Anniversary Bundle PS4 Review
At Last The Curse Of Bayonetta On PS3 Is Broken
While Vanquish acquitted itself ably enough in its PS3 incarnation, Bayonetta’s stiletto-heeled debut on Sony’s last generation console left a lot to be desired. With a lower resolution, reduced frame rate, degraded texture detail and inferior level of responsiveness when compared to its much more polished Xbox 360 counterpart, Bayonetta on PS3 was a travesty that many gamers tried to forget (indeed, PlatinumGames itself has frequently referred to Bayonetta’s PS3 port as its “biggest failure”).
Over a decade later, Sega and PlatinumGames have now thoroughly erased the grim spectacle of Bayonetta on PS3 with this new PS4 remaster and at last, players have got finally got the version of Bayonetta on PlayStation that they deserved all along.
Though standard PS4 folks will enjoy Bayonetta running at an already impressive 1080p resolution and 60 frames per second with ultra responsive controls, it’s really PS4 Pro owners that get the best spectacle, as Bayonetta not only runs at an unbroken 60 frames per second, but also turns in an absolutely pin-sharp 4K resolution presentation into the bargain too. Simply put, this is the very best the first Bayonetta title has ever played or looked, and that alone is ample reason for cheer and celebration (not to mention the fact that all previously DLC for both games are also present and accounted for in this bundle, too).
Related Content – February 2020 PS4, PSVR, PS Vita, DLC Video Game Release Dates
Of course such visual delight serves as the topping to an already delectable cake, and as such, Bayonetta has aged extremely well. For those unfamiliar, Bayonetta is a furiously stylish, third-person action adventure from Hideki Kamiya, the same genius mind that first introduced the Devil May Cry series to the world back in 2001. A story of vengeance set against an extravagantly fantastical backdrop of witches, angels and demons, Bayonetta certainly pulls from the same narrative well from which Devil May Cry’s own scenario was forged.
With guns affixed to her feet and hands, in addition to a wide range of melee and magical attacks, the hellacious offense that the title character can unleash upon her demonic and heavenly foes is something to both behold and enact. In addition to chaining combos together, Bayonetta can enter ‘Witch Time’ by evading attacks at just last the moment, while torturous guillotine and chain fatalities all tie into the taboo mystique of the character with due aplomb. I mean, Bayonetta literally summons demons with her hair. With her hair. Honestly, what’s not to like?
Throw in a range of difficulty modes to accommodate players of every skill level, screen filling bosses, one of the sassiest video game heroines ever devised and a level of spectacle last glimpsed when the Devil May Cry franchise was at its finest, simply put, if you’ve never played Bayonetta before, there is no better time to start than right now. You can read our original Bayonetta review here.
Vanquish Is Ageless, Has Never Looked Or Played Better And Remains Utterly Essential
Though Sega turned in a decent enough port of Vanquish for the PS3, the fact remains that in the nearly ten years since its release, there has been nothing quite like it on current generation console hardware. The fact that Vanquish runs at 1080p/60 and 4K/60 on PS4 and PS4 Pro respectively is merely the gloss on what is, like Bayonetta before it, an already delicious offering.
Related Content – Upcoming PS4 Games: PlayStation 4 Titles In 2020 You Won’t Want To Miss
A white-knuckle third-person cover shooter in which the action is played out at breackneck pace, Vanquish places players in control of a stupendously powerful DARPA rocket-propelled battlesuit as they attempt to blast their way through an onslaught of deadly robots directed by a shadowy power.
If you’ve never played Vanquish before, but are somewhat familiar with the third-person cover shooter genre, you might be surprised to discover that Vanquish violently expunges many of the negative tropes associated with other titles that might be considered its peers.
For a start, if it isn’t clear already, Vanquish is stupendously fast. Whether you’re destroying enemies at frenetic pace, dodging a spray of rockets at the last second or covering 100 yards in a blink of an eye via a rocket powered slide boost as you go from one piece of cover to the next, Vanquish is a blistering take of everything that’s good and great with the cover shooter genre that we haven’t seen replicated since.
Related Content – PS5 FAQ – Everything You Need To Know (Honest
A militaristic, mech-suit powered ballet of unrivalled intensity, Vanquish is one of the best shooters ever made, period. From the super responsive controls, to the ability to cover so much ground so quickly all the while slowing down time, leaping from cover to cover while tackling some of the most gigantic bosses ever committed to a video game, Vanquish is one of the most essential action titles ever and it’s a tragedy that it took this long for PlatinumGames finest hour to arrive on PS4.
In the end then, the Bayonetta & Vanquish 10th Anniversary Bundle is something of an essential purchase. Though attractive, the new coat of paint that Sega has afforded these two titles is perhaps not quite so ambitious as one would have liked.
All the same, this would seem like a churlish criticism – not least because both Bayonetta and Vanquish have both aged exceedingly gracefully and that now, at last, a whole new generation finally gets to enjoy these trailblazing efforts and finally understand what all the fuss was about.
Now, about that Binary Domain remaster Sega…
The Bayonetta & Vanquish 10th Anniversary Bundle releases for PS4 and Xbox One on February 18, 2020.
Review code kindly provided by publisher.