Does Bayonetta Deserve Uncharted 2-Like Scores? Is It Really That Good?

Before everyone fall sick with fanboy rage, let me make it clear that I'm NOT about to dissect Bayonetta to bits and talk about how much of a terrible game it is. If I did, then I wouldn't consider myself fit to be a journalist in this industry because without a doubt, from what I've played on the demo (PS3), Bayonetta is one of the better experiences gamers will enjoy come early next year. But I guess I have a few questions that probably some of you could help me answer? See the game is getting universal praise and high marks from the likes of 1up, IGN, and even Edge, (although I don't trust the latter) and on many fronts rightfully so; but these extremely high marks are placing the game amongst the best of the best, I'm not sure it should be so I'm a bit perturbed.

IGN gave Uncharted 2 a 9.5 score because of the most ridiculous reason I've ever heard, they claimed at the beginning of the game the stealth portion was just too difficult to get through. What? Well going by what I've played in the Bayonetta Demo, (and although it's the PS3's version I doubt there's vast difference between the two) there are some points in the game the camera lagged, and to be honest, apart from all the wild moves the witch has at her disposal, there are not too many innovations in the game. I bring up innovation because it's one of the points reviewers love bringing up when reviewing a title, whether it can teleport its genre to new heights etc. But like 1up said, "Bayonetta is essentially a [Devil May Cry] sequel masquerading as a new game."

Again, the game is great and this is not a rant, but I just cannot see where all the innovations lie in this one. I will buy the Xbox 360 version come January, there's no way I'll opt for the PS3's because of obvious reasons and to be honest, the game is at the top of my most wanted for early next year. But the graphics are not up to par with what we've seen in games like Killzone 2 and Uncharted 2, nor is the storyline extremely compelling, the gameplay is fluid at must say and Platinum Games must be commended for the great work they did bringing this awesome title together.

At Metacritic, the Xbox 360 version of Bayonetta is at 9.4 and I suspect it might go higher, but by doing this, we, the gaming media have already placed Bayonetta at the top of the pedestal sitting proudly among the great games like Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The Patriots, Grand Theft Auto IV, Super Mario Galaxy, the Original Halo and Uncharted 2 just to name a few. Really, does Bayonetta belong there?

12/23/09 Ernice Gilbert

Only fools say Bayonetta is better than the God of War franchise, only fools

Let's not get this twisted, from what we've seen, Bayonetta is an awesome game. No doubt. Upon playing the the fresh IP, you can't help but be enthralled by the overall awesomeness of the game. She stylishly wicked. Her feet and hands are equipped with pistols that aids her in pulling off heavenly combos....So much so that's it's sometimes hard to tell where she is onscreen because of the way she obliterates enemies - from one side to the other until the're vanquished. No doubt the witch is deadly. But is all the flash, although great, enough to dethrone the god father of them all, Kratos? According to Edge, Bayonetta slaps God of War to the curb and VG Arabia reckoned that Sega's new sexy lady puts every other action game to shame.

We call bull, Kratos is the King, and we've yet to see an action title that has defined a genre like the God of War franchise has. So much so that titles like Dante's Inferno and you guessed it, Bayonetta, are learning from the veteran series, because of that, we conclude, only fools would say that Bayonetta is better than the God of War franchise, only fools. Here's why.

Truth be told, many aspects of Bayonetta are taken directly out of the God of War universe:

Combos - While playing the demo, you'll realize that many of the combos have similarities with God of War. Stylish, wicked, quick and brutal is the way Kratos takes down his foes, and Bayonetta follows suit.

Button Mashing - Another element from God of War that Bayonetta uses is the button pressing finishing move, the game even go as far as to feature both reflex and button mashing events which can lead to some extremely brutal finishers.

These two similarities listed above proves that the title, while great, is learning from the those before it, expressly the God of War franchise. But there are many more reasons.

When God of War first came on the scene on the PS2, it was like nothing we'd ever seen or experienced before in an action game. Part two came in the closing days of the PS2 and it's still better both in gameplay and graphically than a lot of the so-called next gen titles we're seeing today.

On March 10th, 2010, gamers around the world will experience what will be the most epic conclusion we've witnessed in action games. Ever. Everything in the God of War III demo trumps Bayonetta to bits in a mili-second. God of War's length will be double and almost triple that of Bayonetta. The graphics are already unrivaled, the gameplay is already establised and the gore will keep you awake at nights.

Bayonetta on the other hand while good, is a fresh IP that's only now putting its feet in the blood soaked foundation built by Kratos and Dante of Devil May Cry. Allow the game to have a sequel or two, and then we could start doing comparisons.

Until then, you're fool to say that Bayonetta is better than the God of War franchise.

12/09/09 Ernice Gilbert

Sony to fix PS3 version of Bayonetta before it arrives in the west

There have been issues plaguing the PS3 version of Bayonetta; screens look less appealing compared to the Xbox 360's version, and overall it just looks and feel inferior.

Sega and Platinum games are aware of this and according to a report over on Gamekyo, (via wearetheinternetz) are "taking responsibility" for the PS3 version and a team at Sony is hard at work fixing the game.

Long load times, and bad frame rates add to the problems and the team hopes to "guarantee" a better version of the game outside Japan.

Let's hope all is fixed before the game's release in January. It's sad that this situation is even occurring in the first place. Weren't they aware of those issues when the game was under development? Seems like a case of laziness and carelessness to me. But whatever.

Sony to the rescue again; hope this don't get out of control.

12/03/09 Ernice Gilbert

Western demo of Bayonetta coming next week

The demo you've been waiting impatiently for will arrive on PSN and Xbox Live next week.

Sega has just confirmed that the demo will indeed land next Wednesday. Some of you have already grabbed it off of the Japanese networks so this comes as no news. But for the other well behaved citizens, their taste for some fallen angel slaying will be quenched in a few days.

Bayonetta will be out early next year for PS3 and Xbox 360.

11/23/09 Ernice Gilbert

Sega: PS3 Bayonetta load times will be fixed

Sega is well aware of the of the long loading times that plagues the PS3 version of Bayonetta, and are looking into a the best possible way to fix the problem before the North American version of the game is released.

An inquiry made over at the official Platinum Games boards received a response from Sega that "they were well aware of this issue and are working on a solution."

Another Sega representative made Sega's stance even clearer:

"I can, in fact speak on their behalf in saying that a patch to correct this is under consideration through development to address the matter of the overwhelming load times with Bayonetta," the rep said.

"Something I cannot address directly is when this will occur however I will be tracking this directly on all sides (the Japanese, North American and European versions) as to ensure that we know exactly the status of each one.

"Provided that I'm given full disclosure on this, I will be sure to keep you posted on what to expect."

It's nice to see that Sega is very much concerned about the situation. PS3 fans can now rest easy.

11/17/09 Ernice Gilbert

Bayonetta Demo Review

I recently got hold of the Bayonetta demo, played through it a few times just to bring you the best review possible, hint, it's good, great even.

I'll start by saying that the version of Bayonetta I was playing was on the Xbox 360 so my entire experience stems from that system. The demo isn't very long as it only took me around 10-15 minutes to play through it to the end but to be perfectly honest, I enjoyed every minute of it.

The first section you play is a simple tutorial which I would consider to be self explanatory. All you need to do to complete it is follow the button commands and instructions that appear on-screen and it can be skipped if you don't feel the need for it but if you want to get the full experience of the demo, it would be best to finish the tutorial and learn how to pull off Bayonetta's large variety of moves.

Speaking of her moves, let me explain a little bit about her various attacks. I'm sure that I wasn't able to use her full attack list considering it was just a demo but what I was actually able to use impressed me. Every one of her attacks is very well animated and easy on the eyes, especially the ones that make use of her hair because the stronger ones. The 'Y', 'B', and 'X' buttons can be used together to unleash some unforgiving combos that will quickly turn your enemy into nothing more then a cloud of red mist and feathers.

Controls can either make or break a game and I'm pleased to say that they are very smooth, fluid, and responsive, allowing for precise movements which come in handy when you have to avoid constant enemy attacks from all directions. The camera is also not an issue on the Xbox version unlike many other games. I never came across any moments where it would go wonky or obscure the action, but I've heard that the camera has some issues when it comes to the Playstation 3 version.

The demo takes place over 3 small sections, most of which were seen in the E3 2009 footage we saw earlier this year. Aside from the tutorial, you have to battle a legion of angels while you're on a piece of free falling rock, while something which looks like a demonic dragon creature is launching balls of fire at you. Yeah, it's impressive and quite epic. After that section, you are placed in a cathedral where you have to battle it out against a horde of angels followed by a boss battle.

At the end of each area, you are shown a points screen where you are awarded medals depending on how well you did, basic stuff. I managed to unlock Platinum, Pure Platinum, and Gold. I'm sure these points can be used for either unlockables or upgrades in the full game which is a nice feature and very similar to Devil May Cry.

Overall, I can see why this game is getting praise from so many video game reviewers because it does look and play fluently. I'll admit that I was a little bit skeptical about this game because I originally saw it as nothing more then a female Devil May Cry rip-off; but after getting to experience it myself, I am convinced.

11/08/09 Colton West

Any Xbox 360 owners want early access to the Bayonetta demo?

Sega announced that 40,000 Xbox 360 owners will get extremely early access to the Bayonetta demo through what would appear to be a random draw.

To be eligable to be chosen for participation, you must sign up for a free Sega Pass which is essentially the company's newsletter, then on Monday, November 9th to Friday, November 13th, you may enter for a chance at the demo on it's official page by clicking this link.

Good luck to everyone who enters!