It’s probably best to get this out the way from the beginning: Bayonetta is not my type of game. Button mashing/fighting games that come with long cinematic cut scenes will never make it onto my must play list. I’m just not that into them.
Right, now that that’s out of the way, lets talk about what Bayonetta is.
Bayonetta is a witch, a very tall and physically disproportionate witch, who apparently is clothed in her own hair, and wears glasses so has the kind of librarian look who wouldn’t kill a flea, except she has guns attached to her shoes. This is one girl who you really want to see in action when she lets her hair fly…
The main story – detailed in the cut scenes – is a load of hogwash, and probably won’t affect game play at all if you skip them all. Basically you’re a witch and you are on a quest and you kill any angelic being that gets in your way. Along with some ugly looking giant monsters, with wings.
The game – on easy setting – isn’t overly taxing, you have a simple combination of buttons – jump, punch, kick and shoot – to set up your attack combos, and you have the originally titled ‘witch time’ to master which allows you to fight/dodge in slow-motion for short periods of time.
It’s visually very gory in the fight scenes, with plenty of blood flying around, and disturbingly sexual. From Bayonetta’s character design, to her clothing made of her own hair that flies off with regularity, to some of the cut scenes, it’s almost as if the game has been designed by a group of horny, twelve year old boys.
But the fighting seems to work really well for a third person fighter, and this is in essence what the game is about. It’s been likened to Devil May Cry or Ninja Gaiden by other reviewers. So if that’s your cup of tea, Bayonetta will satisfy.
Graphically Bayonetta is a mixed bag. At some points it really shines, but at other times it starts to look dated. But when the action kicks in you won’t care, because you’ll be leaping around, guns blazing, punching and kicking legions of angels to their bloody demise.
And that’s all that matters really.
Reviewed on: XBox 360
Available on: XBox 360, PS3
Reviewed by:
Man, these games are deffinately not for button mashers. If you want to have any semblance of being good at Bayonetta (or Devil May Cry) then you need to be as well practised as the pinball wizard.
Mindlessly gorilla knuckling will get you so far but to realy play these games you need timing and finesse which is not usually required in games these days.
Extreme Combat games which focus on a highly skilled warrior vs the horde require a different touch and its all about chaining attacks and evasion together. Is about focus and control not blunt force and respawns.
I tried the demo on easy, and it just didn’t do it for me. Felt like the game too ADD. Maybe I’m just getting old.