Bayonetta Review (Xbox 360, PS3)
Alice Fisher | Staff Writer
Issue date: 1/6/10 Section: Lifestyles
Although the combat relies mostly on two buttons, it's surprising how much depth and combos there are to master. Included is an impressive amount of different animations and combos for various weapons you can collect or pick up from the remains of your enemies. Not only are the controls some of the best in the action genre, there's a pause in between levels that lets you learn the different moves and keeps count of how many times you've done a particular combo.
In terms of presentation, there hasn't been a game with this much imagination and creativity in a while. Your enemies are typically demonic-looking angels, especially the bosses. These are some of the most impressively designed creatures and they look very intimidating. Boss battles are not the standard tedious affair seen in many games, as several steps are required to defeat them, and they're not always at the end of the each level. Bayonetta has great pacing and players certainly won't be doing the same thing twice.
There are a few knots in Bayonetta's beautiful weave. Environments look pretty, but a little bland because they're often devoid of anything that will hold your attention for too long. After all the nonsensical action, it's pretty hard to stare at a beautifully rendered wall for a long period of time. There will also be times when you feel like you are wrestling with the camera during the short platforming sections. You can control the camera how you like, but it moves rather slowly for it to be of any real use. Then there are the "driving" portions of Bayonetta, which run on too long and the controls are a bit wonky. One of the driving segments had the controls inverted (when you move the joystick down, the character you control goes up and vice versa) and there was no way to change them. Another issue was that when Bayonetta acquired her first melee weapon, it took some menu navigating to find out where it was and how to equip it. These are rather minor complaints, however, as the rest of Bayonetta was well crafted.
Bayonetta will take 8 to 15 hours to play, depending on your difficulty. There's a high incentive to keep replaying it, as there are hundreds of items to collect such as weapons and costumes, two harder difficulties to unlock, and leaderboards that showcase your score compared to other players. Because the combat is so slick and fun, you'll enjoy replaying your favorite chapters to achieve that Platinum Trophy or finding all the hidden LPs to obtain some canons to strap on Bayonetta's stilettos.
Bayonetta is a great action game that doesn't follow the formula, making her stand out from the crowded genre and revamping it. Whether players are looking for the exhilarating action sequences or just want to see a bird made out of hair swallow or a dragon head, players are in for a good time. Let's hope more of Bayonetta will be seen in the future.
In terms of presentation, there hasn't been a game with this much imagination and creativity in a while. Your enemies are typically demonic-looking angels, especially the bosses. These are some of the most impressively designed creatures and they look very intimidating. Boss battles are not the standard tedious affair seen in many games, as several steps are required to defeat them, and they're not always at the end of the each level. Bayonetta has great pacing and players certainly won't be doing the same thing twice.
There are a few knots in Bayonetta's beautiful weave. Environments look pretty, but a little bland because they're often devoid of anything that will hold your attention for too long. After all the nonsensical action, it's pretty hard to stare at a beautifully rendered wall for a long period of time. There will also be times when you feel like you are wrestling with the camera during the short platforming sections. You can control the camera how you like, but it moves rather slowly for it to be of any real use. Then there are the "driving" portions of Bayonetta, which run on too long and the controls are a bit wonky. One of the driving segments had the controls inverted (when you move the joystick down, the character you control goes up and vice versa) and there was no way to change them. Another issue was that when Bayonetta acquired her first melee weapon, it took some menu navigating to find out where it was and how to equip it. These are rather minor complaints, however, as the rest of Bayonetta was well crafted.
Bayonetta will take 8 to 15 hours to play, depending on your difficulty. There's a high incentive to keep replaying it, as there are hundreds of items to collect such as weapons and costumes, two harder difficulties to unlock, and leaderboards that showcase your score compared to other players. Because the combat is so slick and fun, you'll enjoy replaying your favorite chapters to achieve that Platinum Trophy or finding all the hidden LPs to obtain some canons to strap on Bayonetta's stilettos.
Bayonetta is a great action game that doesn't follow the formula, making her stand out from the crowded genre and revamping it. Whether players are looking for the exhilarating action sequences or just want to see a bird made out of hair swallow or a dragon head, players are in for a good time. Let's hope more of Bayonetta will be seen in the future.
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