Few developers do pure action as well as Platinum Games, and the
Bayonetta games represent the developer at the top of their game. They deliver the intense, sweaty-palmed combat, and yet remain at least somewhat accessible to regular players not willing to devote their entire lives to mastering combos. Of course, Bayonetta herself is a great character, offering over-the-top raunchiness balanced with
just enough irony so you don’t have to be embarrassed playing her games with somebody else in the room.
While the first Bayonetta is more iconic, Bayonetta 2 improves on the original in a variety of ways, including a much better hairdo for our leading lady. Yeah, sorry if you like the weird pointy hair, I’m more about the sexy soccer mom look. Er, it’s not all about the hair though – the game further refines the already-great action, and just generally turns the craziness up another notch or two.
Bayonetta may be Platinum Games’ flagship franchise, but the underappreciated
Vanquish is every bit Bayo’s equal in terms of pure, unfiltered action. Vanquish sprung from the mind of Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami, but it isn’t exactly hung up on establishing atmosphere – everything about the game, from it’s hulking bullet-spewing robot enemies to the way you boost around stages on your butt, is over-the-top and vaguely ridiculous, but that’s okay. Vanquish is all about fast, fluid combat, and a decade after its release, the game is still an absolute blast to play.
Wccftech’s Best Action Games of the Decade - Great Combat, Better Characters