Customer Reviews

Bayonetta

5 star:		(61)
4 star:		(49)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I've been playing games for 20 years, and I honestly can't think of one quite as insane as Bayonetta. The character and level designs are gorgeous. The bosses are ridiculously huge, and there's lots of them. The combos and special moves are wicked and fun to pull off. And I actually liked that the soundtrack wasn't the typical heavy metal. The story is a little hard to follow, but you can seriously skip the cut scenes and still have an amazing experience.

Now, I heard some negative things about this game before I bought it. The biggest one is that the Xbox version is far superior, allegedly. While I can't compare the two, I can honestly say I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the game. Yes, it has frequent load times. But, you know what? There's so much happening on the screen sometimes, I didn't mind the break. The graphics seemed a little low-res, but the inventive style more than made up for it. I will say, though, that if there is a sequel, I hope the PS3 port gets the development attention it deserves.

A couple other things to consider: You can beat the game on easy in 8 or 9 hours (the difficulty is set so easy means normal and normal means you'll throw your controller a lot). If you want tons of play time for your money, you may want to rent this instead. Also, I'm aware some people are saying that the game is offensive. While the female characters are hypersexual, I didn't see a huge difference between this and something like Tomb Raider.

Overall, I highly recommend this game. It's one of the most memorable I've played in a long time. The good stuff far outweighs the bad. There's a tsunami of amazing games gushing out this year, but don't overlook this one.

First of all, to put this review up as a critical review, I cheated a little by giving this game 3 stars. (Please, don't burn me alive!!! I'll explain now) So, sorry fans, I'm dragging the score down a little.

Actually, this is a solid 4-star game for me. I just want to draw attentions of gamers who are on the fence and still considering about buying this game with an analytical point of view.

Let's start,

GAMEPLAY
Light: The game is everything you'd expected from the creator of Devil May Cry. Fast paced, over-the-top, cool heroine with attitude, cool guns and melee weapons, crazy combos and evasive moves. Combats are satisfying as hell.
The 2-button-attack system makes it simple to do combos. You can either get away with a couple of combos or go crazy and be the martial arts master. A lot of unlockables give the game a good replay value.

Dark: Yeah, it's everything you'd expected from the creator of DMC all right, including the difficulty. Remember that DMC3's difficulty had to be dropped down when they released the special edition, according to complaints from fans. This game is not exactly Ninja Gaiden or Demon's Souls, but it can be punishing at times.

- You can't button-mash your way through the game. Your attacks don't really have a powerful impact or knock-back effect, so enemies counter you all the time. That makes remembering the sets of moves and plan how to execute them in the right moment important.

- Dodging is crucial to your survival, maybe a little too much since you don't have any blocking move. Screw up your dodge once, and the consequence is severe. Health bar can be drained half by one set of 3-hit combo from an enemy.
If you don't hunt down the item that extends your health bar, you'd better excel at dodging. And health recovery items are scarce too.

- Boss battles may need quite specific tactics. You will die and die and die again, get frustrated, curse, cry for your mommy, until you figure out how to fight. If you can endure the gaming-induced anger and frustration, you'll be okay.

- They don't let you customize the button config. I don't understand why. How hard is that? It's an action game. Players should be able to set up the control scheme according to their preferences.

- Check points don't really have very good consistency. Sometimes they are too far apart and it forced you to suffer hordes of enemies and die easily at the boss.

- Loading time of a PS3 version is a little too much. Normally I don't really care, but this one is getting on my nerve quite a bit. The game takes some considerable loading time even when you open up the pause menu or pick up an item. It's not very long each time, but they add up to an annoying amount. I heard that a 360 version doesn't have this issue, so if you also have a 360, I recommend that one.


STORY & CINEMATIC
Light: Story doesn't make much sense at first. But as the game progresses, it will unfold and you'll understand more and more. There are some cool cinematic cut-scenes. Actors' performances are over-the-top, but since the story doesn't take itself too seriously, that turn out to be quite hilarious and fit for the game atmosphere.

Dark: Story doesn't give you any 'wow' moment, just a typical Light VS Dark stuff. And it looks like the developer didn't finish all the cut-scenes in time. They put in a lot of film-strip animatics with just character poses and voice-overs where there should be fully animated cut-scenes. Doing so gave a weird result, consistency wise.

- The overly-sexualized characteristic of this game might pluck some feminists' nerves. With the amount of butt, crotch, and boobs shots in this game, it's too much to be sexy. While I myself found it hilarious and I'm willing to bet that those animators must have done their serious research from porno and strip club, feminists with no sense of humor would find this game greatly offensive (since, to them, everything that guys think sexy is objectifying women)


VISUALS & SOUNDS
Light: Character designs are good, very unique. They cleverly made angels look threatening and ugly while they still look like angels. Environments and props are intricate. Effects are lush and abundance. I'm not gonna go deep about models and textures since I'm playing this game on a very old TV. Soundtrack is a little bit on the weird side. They pick 'Fly Me to The Moon' and pop-jazz mix songs for battle BGMs. They go well with the atmosphere of the game though.

Dark: Yes, effects are lush and abundance. But that turns into the downside as well. With all the razzle-dazzle going on the screen at the same time, dodging the attacks of 3 or 4 enemies becomes deadly. Effects can be very distracting and lead you to cheap death. Many times my mind just went blank and helplessly keep mashing the buttons just because I was overwhelmed by the visuals. Oftentimes after the fight ended, I had no idea what the hell I just did.

- You'll also fight with camera quite a bit. Mostly it does a decent job, but it twists into weird and undesirable angles at times and big enemies can completely block the view of your character. In those epic boss fights, they were so epic that your character sometimes shrunk down to about no bigger than half an inch. Playing this game for a long time can make your eyes filled with tears, but not of joy.


IN CONCLUSION
Despite some rough edges, it's good-looking, fun to play, and has a good replay value. Critics giving it 5-star or 40 out of 40 maybe a bit of a stretch. Nevertheless, the game is worth its full price, especially for Devil May Cry fans.

Button-masher and casual gamer beware, by the way. Under the sexy guise, Bayonetta is a younger sister of Ninja Gaiden, and she's a real feisty one. You're not gonna pass this game with one hand on something else. If you can't satisfy her, she'll punish you hard.

After reading countless of reviews on how the porting was done horribly on PS3 I was a little worried about the quality of the game on PS3. I have not played through the entire game, but overall the game looks and feels great. The graphics are crisp and looks good, people that complained about the frame rate dropping horribly during gameplay must have one hella of a TV. I run a 120hz 1080p TV and I do not notice it at all. The only issue (which I do not see it being as bad as people state) is the loading time is a little longer then the normal games that I have encountered. The most annoying thing is that when you pickup an item during mid fight you get a loading screen (displaying the item) for about 3-4 seconds. Also when you pause the game you get a delay of 2 seconds. I find it hard to believe that the 360 version is far superior to the PS3 version, it is possible that the load times are slighlty better but I do not have a 360 and would not know.

Anyways its a great game, and PS3 owners should not be afraid about the horrible reviews that people have been giving without even playing the actual game.

Alright, I'm sorry the title was a little rude, but it's true. For all those who complain of lag and lousy graphics, just download a patch that's available as soon as you select the game after establishing a PlayStation Network connection. It makes the game go faster, the graphics shine brighter, and the game that much more fun.

BUT... having played it for 3 weeks WITHOUT the patch, I could say it's a solid game regardless. You play as a witch with an insane hairstyle who summons torture devices and demons to kill angelic enemies. Welcome to backwards land people!

I'm really hoping for a sequel, as all of the characters brought something to the fold.

Imagine a game directed by Quentin Tarantino. CONGRATULATIONS! You purchased Bayonetta!

I purchased Bayonetta after the patch became available so I can't really compare with the unpatched version, but I can tell you this; loading is only noticeable during the beginning of the stage, or when skipping scenes. Overall, the game didn't suffer any framerate issues during my whole "normal difficulty" gameplay. This may be due to my 500GB 7200rpm Hard drive that also helped speed up the loading, but my experience with the game was fun, fast and epic.

GRAPHICS:
I have no complaints with the graphics although I read that the 360 version is much sharper, it didn't detract me from enjoying the game or cause me to die because of any graphical glitches reported; if I die is probably skill related. Background color seems lacking, but this is probably due to the fact that Bayonetta fights multiple/huge Angels which makes it easier to identify them for combos.

GAME MECHANICS:
If you've played Devil May Cry then you pretty much know how Bayonetta plays. Battle is fast paced with epic boss battles that can take minutes to defeat, and will get better and bigger the farther you get in the game. Battles will take you from the ground, air, water, and even space just to name a few. Weapons can be equipped on both hands and feet from guns, whips, katana, to claws etc. and can keep two weapon group setup so you can switch between them during battle for different combo effects. Also besides weapons, you can equip accessories, costumes, create/concoct items, and assign consumables so you can use them on the fly without interruption. Shooting galleries follows each chapter allowing you to trade points on items that can enhance/support your HP/MP for the next level. Items can be bought at the "Gates of Hell" bar accessible through a red portal you'll find in each chapter. If you want a challenge, just start in "Normal" or if you want to take your time and accumulate special items you can start in "very easy" or "easy", "Hard" is unlocked after "Normal" is completed.

MUSIC:
Well shes no Dante so don't expect any metal soundtrack during battle but in a good way. Personally the music in the game is perfect for Bayonetta since it fits her personality. Never once did I think that the music didn't fit the situation Bayonetta was in. The way she moves and the music accompanying her (i.e. Fly me to the Moon remix/Mysterious Destiny) is right for her... and since shes fighting Angels you can pretty much expect choir/orchestral soundtrack during boss battles.

STORY:
Well story wise... its nothing revolutionary but not bad either since I can tell you the whole story in a good three to four sentences... so its best not to say it. Just accept it to what it is. Have fun!

So that you know a little about where this reviewer is coming from, let me say that action/adventure games are my sweet-spot when it comes to gaming, with the God Of War trilogy being my favorites. At least, until possibly now, with the introduction of BAYONETTA. There is quite a lot to say about BAYONETTA because it's a very highly detailed, intricate, and variably complex game (more on that statement in a moment), so I'll get right to it....

THE GOOD :
As I just mentioned, there is a LOT to Bayonetta. Proof of this is the 400-page plus Collector's Edition Strategy Guide that can be purchased for this game, and if you intend to go deep on it, it's a very worthwhile investment to make. However, if your intent is not to `go deep' on this game, it's built for that too. That's one of the great things about BAYONETTA - it lets you determine how much you want to get out of it and you can play to those levels of interest or not. I guess the first tangible thing that should be noted about BAYONETTA is the unbelievably intricate, complex, smooth and tight combat system the game employs. With any variety of melee or ranged weapons you can strap to both your hands and feet, the ability to slow time down with well-executed dodges, the absolutely STAGGERING number of combination attacks that can be performed and the items you can employ to assist you in your battles, the game truly has an imposing and almost endless number of combinations that can be employed to defeat your various enemies. And it's absolutely fantastic. After you've played through the game once (it takes about that long to REALLY get the feel of everything available to you and how to use it), then you start to get an idea of what this game can be. The designers made this game so that once you have mastered the controls, fighting styles, weapons, items, etc., that the act of doing battle becomes like an artistic ballet of death for your opponents. It's truly something to behold! Beyond the centerpiece of this game, which would be the combat system, BAYONETTA, has some other impressive strengths. Not the least of which is the graphics and design. The levels, scenery and especially the design of the enemies is absolutely stunning. In the case of the enemies, which, in this game, are angels and angelic hierarchy, they are truly a wonder to behold. These are not your `humans w/ halos and wings' angels. These are truly wondrous, regal, spectacularly designed `heavenly creatures' that come in all shapes and sizes. Honestly, these are the most creative and interesting visual interpretations of angels I think I've ever seen. Truly fantastic! Equally as fantastic is the design of the main character herself. Speaking purely as a gamer-geek / fanboy (and just a guy in general ;-), it's hard not to like a hot, sexy, tightly wardrobed heroine whose clothes go flying off every time she executes certain types of attacks. The easily offended need not worry as there's no nudity in the game, but the game does have plenty of sexual innuendo, both tongue-in-cheek and not. Additionally, the game allows you to unlock (among many other weapons, characters and items) additional costumes for Bayonetta, some of which are quite revealing. Beyond the things I've already mentioned, there are other things to like about BAYONETTA, such as the fact that the game throws different methods of play at you instead of sticking with the formula and combat system you're used to using. There are entire verses that play like the old Afterburner game, there are shooting gallery sections at the end of each Chapter and other asundry methods and such thrown in. Additionally, there are other fun things you can do with the game like farm halos ( halos are the games currency and you'll need a LOT of them - read : millions - to buy things!) practice your moves on the load screens and use cheat codes to bypass unlocking some of the harder items, weapons and characters. There are many other positive things to mention about this game, however, like anything else, BAYONETTA is not without its' shortcomings, which brings me to .....

THE BAD:
Honestly, there wasn't much that I didn't like about BAYONETTA, and with the exception of one thing, all my beefs are rather menial. The one big thing that rubbed me the wrong way w/ this game (and I realize this is purely a personal thing) was that the enemies are angels and you spend the entire game brutally destroying them and other heavenly beings. Not exactly my cup of tea as it runs directly against my own religious proclivities, but I will admit that it is a rather unique approach (how often do you see the angels / heaven as the bad guys?). Beyond that one major gripe, there were a few minor things I thought could have been done better. For instance, you can assign certain items to your D-pad for easy access during gameplay, but you can only assign items to 3 of the 4 positions. That's a FAIL. Especially considering how unforgiving this game can be in terms of scoring. And speaking of that, this game is pretty difficult when it comes to scoring (if you even care about something like that in this type of a game - I really didn't)! Every item you use, every hit you take, every time you die GREATLY impacts your overall score for a chapter. And considering how difficult some of the fights in this game can be, it makes you wonder why scoring is set-up like it is, let alone in the game at all. Then again, it adds yet another dimension to your gameplay and, as I mentioned before, you can choose to play to that or not. So I guess that's a matter of perspective. Some other things that were less than stellar with BAYONETTA were the absolutely, ludicrous, inane and stupid plot and the long cut-scenes. However, it should be noted that you have the ability to quickly bypass the cut-scenes if you desire, so that's something of a plus, even though it's a good idea to watch them all on your first playthrough. Additionally, the game is unapologetically girly in certain regards (flowers underfoot when you run, butterfly wings when you jump, dance & jazz soundtrack) but nothing that bothered me personally. All in all it was kind of a decent change of pace from the testosterone fueled world video games normally exist in, but it's worth mentioning if that's not your cup of tea. Really didn't bother me at all though......As one last item of interest, I read a good number of reviews that must have come out around the time this game was released that stated that the load times for this game on the PS3 were painfully long and a lot of people were having problems with that. A patch to fix this has since been released and I have found there to be none of the problems that others were mentioning with the load times.

THE BOTTOM LINE: If you're into action/adventure games like God Of War, Devil May Cry, Dante's Inferno, etc. than this game is an absolute, undeniable must-have for you. This game is very much the perfection of its' genre. And even though I'm WAY into the God Of War trilogy and I'd say those are my all time favorites, I can honestly say this game plays better than the first 2 of those (though not quite as good as the 3rd) and I almost like it better. Almost. But I just can't bring myself to say I like a game I've called unapologetically girly in certain regards and one in which you destroy angels throughout, `my favorite'. It's very close though - that's how truly excellent this game is!

Who woulda thought killing angels would be this fun? For a long time i wanted to give Bayonetta a try seeing how it plays like the Devil May Cry series and i'm kicking myself for not getting this sooner. I love this game and see myself playing this as much or more than one of my Favorite action games of all time DMC3.

My only gripe about this game is the default music. It gets on my nerves having to play through some parts over and over due to death and listening to it. Thank god there is an option to play music off your HDD instead of listening to the default music. This is my favorite aspect of this game and thats not all.

Combos are fun to pull off but if you don't want to remember combos you can just button mash til your hearts desire and occasionally hitting dodge. Either way everything looks so fluid and smooth especially when you unlock all techniques.

Graphically solid. Some of the angelic stages look beautiful and big boss battles Absolutely amazing.

Tons and tons of replayability in this game. There is a ton of accessories to unlock which all give Bayonetta certain abilities like blocking incoming attacks or instantly going into witchtime without having to use the dodge button. And of course they cost alot so this gives you alot to work for if you choose to play through the game again.

Great game, Great character, Great animations and humor involved. Get this game. It is the most fun you will have with a button mashing action game not named God of War.

A year ago I saw the trailer and demo for Bayonetta and I knew it was I game I wanted to have. Unfortunately, there were too many other great games coming out around the same time that I couldn't fit Bayonetta into my budget. It's now a year later, and I finally got it. After a few minutes in I was hooked, and a few hours later I was in love with the game. I shouldn't have waited so long to get this. I would gladly pay Sega $50 today for it, but it's outdated software now, so what can I do?

If your planning on getting this you should be aware that it's probly not a game for a family household that's very religious. Also there isn't any deep sexual content, but some fighting moves and language may be too seductive for younger gamers.

This can be set to easy for rookie players, but normal definetly puts a challenge on tougher gamers. Maybe not Ninja Gaiden hard but pretty close.

I went with the PS3 version, and I can't complain about the loading times.

Overall, I'm having a blast with this game, and I believe you would too, if your into awesome beat-em-ups.

Ok I'll start saying that I'm a girl... And I find this game really interesting... I saw some other reviews saying that this game is too long.. the story is silly and confusing.... Come on!!!! It is supposed to be like that, it's different, it takes you to another world that I have never seen, and I consider myself as a good gamer. I had every kind of video games since I was 6!! I loved that the game is long, so it keeps me interested. I saw that some people like to finnish the game in 2 days... What's fun about that?? You buy, and 2 days you're done, no fun... If a good game takes me 2 months to finnish it, Great!! But well, that's my opinion, I like to have fun with video games, My husband thinks the same... We play it toguether and kind of compete against each other, and when we're home from work, and we just wanna escape from the real world and have fun, that game is perfect!!!

The game is just a jewel.
For those who are looking for fan service, youve got it here. The story is pretty interesting.
The moves are just amazing, she's got many combos, abilities and magical powers.
The design of the game is really appreciated. The character is pretty funny and lovable.

People who likes anime, specially men, must own this game in their collection.

I only regret the game for PS3 is not the same as Xbox 360, It seems the game was designed originally to the Xbox 360 and then it was ported to PS3. This caused the graphics looks poor in the PS3 console.

I recommend to buy this game for Xbox if you have the console. In other case, you can try it in the PS3, but youre warned about the graphics.