Bayonetta

Bayonetta
PS3 – Xbox 360
Sega

The Good – Fantastic Visuals – Superb over the top action – Bayonetta
The Bad – Narrative is a little muddled – PS3 version has technical problems

Sega are well known for making over the top action games with absolutely mental characters and larger than life gameplay, with Bayonetta they have truly raised the bar in crazy. For example, the opening prologue you control the titular heroine, battling angels on an exploding clock face, falling down the side of a mountain. However do not make the mistake of thinking this game is all style and no substance, Bayonetta has great depth and one of the most engaging combat systems of all time.

Bayonetta is a sassy bullet witch with a penchant for killing angels and she can’t help from using sexual innuendo in almost every cut scene. Even during the game the titillation doesn’t stop, for example you finish off the major characters with a climax, where upon bayonetta’s clothes, (which is her hair), are removed and she summons a demon from the depths of Inferno to rip apart the poor angel. Bayonetta even taunts her enemies with lines like,’ you wanna touch me?’



Bayonetta’s been in a coffin at the bottom of a lake for 500yrs, that’s a long time for anybody so she’s understandably suffering from a bit of amnesia, all Bayonetta can remember is that she’s an Umbran Witch and is looking for something called the eyes of the world. The basic premise for the story is the old Dark vs Light thing, Umbra Witches sided with the demons of Inferno, (the dark), the Lumen sided with the god of Paridiso, (the light). Each cutscene as you progress through the game somehow manages to be more over the top than the last but the story and insaneness is not the main thing that makes this game great.

Bayonetta is from the same director of Devil May Cry and you will notice similarities, but in my opinion Bayonetta is a step up. The combat system for Bayonetta is truly impressive, it’s so simple that anybody can pick it up and play, but there is still a lot of depth there, to really master Bayonetta requires skill and a lot of practice. There’s a variety of weapons to use throughout the game and you can quickly flick between two different weapon sets, she starts out with four guns, (two of which are on her ankles), a sword and two huge claws which have the elemental properties of Lightening and Fire, Shotguns and more. That’s another good thing about Bayonetta, the replay value is there, you’ll want to unlock more outfits, find hidden items you missed first time around and test your skill against the higher levels.



If you’ve already glimpsed the bottom of this review, you will have noticed for the first time there are two different scores. This is because the PS3 version of this game is so inferior to the 360 version, a few minor problems with the PS3 that you can live with is that the colour appears a little washed out, the frame rate is a bit slower and there is the occasional screen tearing. If these were the only problems the score would have remained the same for both, however the most infuriating thing is with the loading times on the PS3, not just between levels, but also between cutscenes and even picking up an item. To access your inventory takes time to load up and it just all becomes very irritating. However having said all of that Bayonetta is still a great game on the PS3.

Overall Bayonetta does everything really well and over the top, the game manages to make each spectacle grander than the previous one throughout. The combat system is fluid, fun and engaging. If you have a choice get the 360 version, but if you don’t, the PS3 version is still enjoyable. I wonder how Sega are going to top this one and I’m sure they are already planning Bayonetta 2. This is a great start to the year and it’s rare that you get a contender for game of the year in January. You don’t fuck with a Witch.

Xbox 360 – 9/10
PS3 – 8.5/10