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

Aliens vs Predator: Hunter Edition Announced

Sega has revealed the pure awesomeness that is to be known as the Aliens vs. Predator: Hunter Edition and I must say, it puts Modern Warfare 2's Prestige Edition to shame in my opinion.

When the game is released on February 19th of next year, players who pre-order this special edition will receive such items as a Wayland-Yutani badge, a replica model of the infamous 'Facehugger', an exclusive map pack, and a lenticular 3D post card type thing. Pricing is still unknown at this time.

Will the game suck? It's a true possibility but even if it does, the Facehugger included in the box is enough for me because there are few things greater then that.

12/11/09 Colton West

Yakuza 3 coming to North America!

Skeptics and rumors can now be tossed into the wind regarding a western release of Sega's 'Yakuza 3' as it would appear that it will be doing just that.

Sega's assistant community manager Aaron Webber announced today on the official Playstation blog that Yakuza 3 will indeed be coming to North American in March as (you guessed it) a Playstation 3 exclusive.

An interesting thing to note is that the game will not be localized with English voice acting and will ultimately rely of subtitles to tell it's story with the Japanese voices intact.

I believe that this is the more realistic and far better approach that Sega could have made as an English cast could have totally ruined this game's credibility on the market.

12/09/09 Colton West

Lance Henriksen will be in Aliens Vs. Predator

The upcoming Aliens Vs. Predator game being created and distributed by Sega and Rebellion Entertainment has just found another thing to add to it's credibility.

For those of you who have seen the 'Alien' movies, then you are well aware that a recurring character in the franchise is a character known as Bishop 341-B which is a cyborg designed after Charles Bishop Weyland played by Lance Henriksen.

This character, or rather the descendant of Charles, Karl Bishop Weyland (who appeared in the film version of AVP) will be appearing in the new game and will feature the voice talent and likeness of Lance Henriksen which is a huge bonus for fans of the franchise.

"This is the first time I've been fully represented in a game, with my voice and how I look, and the Rebellion guys have done a great job," Henriksen said in the announcement. "I might score from this game!"

12/09/09 Colton West

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

Smooth Criminal invades your Wii

For a bit more retro news, it is being reported that Michael Jackson's Moonwalker is hitting the Wii virtual console this week. If you're old enough to remeber the Genesis then you'll probably remember the whole Smooth Criminal tie in and either loved it or hated it.

Seems like Nintendo and Sega have timed the release to take advantage of Mr. Jacksons recent passing. Like Tupac and Elvis before him, Michael looks set to make more money in death than he did in the last 10yrs.

As for the game, I look forward to revisit the Genesis days of MoonWalker. Although not one of the best games ever released on that console, it surely was not one of the worst. Despite several reviews stating that it sucked, let me tell you it was far better than 90% of the other movie tie in games of the era and if the price is right, it's definately worth a re-visit. Check it out soon on the Virtual Console to get your fill of all the 2D hat throwing and crotch grabing action.

Oh and lets not forget Bubbles the Chimp.

Get the full thing at Nintendolife

11/09/2009 David Allison

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!

Resonance of Fate has brand new features

Sega has updated their 'Resonance of Fate' blog with some very interesting new features that should more then please any gamer excited about this one.

Resonance of Fate (End of Eternity in Japan) is the upcoming RPG from tri-Ace, the company behind the popular 'Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope' and the not so popular 'Infinite Undiscovery'.

• SDTV-friendly text - Yes, for those of us who have not yet advanced in the HD world of gaming, Resonance of Fate will feature text that can be read easily on a standard-definition television set which is a life saver. A telescope is required these days to read any sort of text on-screen.
• High music production - The game’s soundtrack will be recorded with a full orchestra and be delivered in 5.1 surround sound. The music will actually change depending on how you are doing in battle.
• Fast load times - This has been promised for both Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 versions. The game will also support installations on both systems, but the code has be optimized to load quickly without installs.
• No disc swaps - One of the biggest issues on Xbox 360 when it comes to multi-disc games like 'Star Ocean 4' and 'Lost Odyssey' is that you had to constantly switch out the discs, but with Resonance of Fate you don't need to. A single DVD disc (Blu-ray for PS3) will hold the game and the designers say they achieved this by making the cut-scenes real time as opposed to pre-rendered.
• Battle retry option - Ever die in an RPG during a tough boss battle only to restart at your last save point which was at the beginning of the dungeon? Well in this game you will have the option of retrying at the game over screen.
• Quick save anywhere - Unlike many games today that rely on designated save points, Resonance of Fate will feature a save option at any time, even during battles.

Resonance of Fate will be released in Japan on January 28th, 2010, but the North American and European release dates have not been confirmed as of yet.