Friday 4 December 2009

Bayonetta: I just don't get it.


I, like many, played the Bayonetta demo yesterday. However, as usual, I seem to have put myself in a minority group by not really enjoying it. Edge gave the game 10 out of 10. It is perfect in their eyes. Whilst I'm sure that they do indeed bum the hell out of the game, I feel that the main reason they scored it as 'perfect' was to further their efforts of becoming the western equivalent of Famitsu. The Japanese 'gaming bible' also gave Bayonetta a perfect rating (on the 360 at least) with a score of 40 out of 40.

I can appreciate the work that went into the game. It's animation is seamless, combat is both effective and deep and the latex-clad pistol-shoed heroine was a winner from the start. It deserves it's praise, I can't really dispute it's quality. The part I'm having a hard time coming to terms with is how no-one is marking it down for the sheer cheek of it's creator. I can imagine Hideki Kamiya's pitch right now:


"So, yeah, guys. Basically, it's Devil May Cry 6, only this time you're a chick."

Wow. What a fucking genius. What an inspired creative mind. If Capcom didn't retain the rights to Devil May Cry, I'm sure Bayonetta would have never existed. This game is Devil May Cry 6 in everything but name: the gameplay, the ridiculous plot, the tongue-in-cheek self reflexivity, the outrageous design and let's not forget, the ham-fisted mis-use of religious imagery.

I find it hard to believe that this guy also created two of my favourite games - Viewtiful Joe and Okami. Which brings me nicely to my finishing statement which largely undermines everything I just said. If this guy basically re-made Viewtiful Joe at Platinum Games, I would lap it up. I never liked Devil May Cry anyway.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Add on to the end God of War, and any of the upcoming slash-em-ups and its also pretty much how I feel, I gave it a go and didn't like it so I won't be getting it either (unless someone buys it for me as a gift, I'm way too polite to discard it unused then, but I hope nobody buys it for me as a gift).

Death By Die said...

cant say i've downloaded, and unless blood bowl and mw2 can release me from their clutches i doubt i will, but in games tm theres an interesting piece about it by the japanese correspondant in kongetsu. very much worth a read.

normally, when a magazine gives a game 10/10 its not given as a perfect score, more as a point that pretty much everyone will gain enjoyment from the game, at least thats what games tm have said about themselves.

Anonymous said...

Yes, but I read Games TM and am perfectly aware just how few games get 10/10 from them, the only ones I can currently think of is Demon Souls and half life 2...

They do have a disclaimer stating that 10/10 games aren't perfect but merely the sterling examples of their creed, but the same block of text also says they use British averages (5 is the middle) so getting 10/10 is still something remarkable. And also that leaves 2 people who didn't gain the enjoyment ^_^

Death By Die said...

half life 2 only received a 9, as did the orange box.

burnout 3, bioshock, metroid prime, god of war 1 or 2 had 10's.

i'm really intrigued with demon souls, looks like a nice new idea has been implemented quite well.

The Faux Bot said...

Demon's Souls has been teasing me for a while now. It's just that I'm not sure how much access I'd have to the online stuff seeing as I'd have to import the U.S. version and the fact that it's constantly touted as 'the hardest game ever'.

Anonymous said...

Demon souls does look good, except it would cost about 300 GBP for me to get it o_0 (no PS3...)

That's right, Edge gave it 10, my bad.

Death By Die said...

yeah i'm really intrigued by it, but in a 'i'd watch someone else play it' kinda way. and hard games arent for men, i like ease and enjoyment, not difficult and tense and frustration lol

Anonymous said...

I actually prefer to play through all games on their hardest setting (make the most out of my money I guess is what I feel I'm doing by playing it so) and I'd consider myself quite apt at doing so so it does intrigue me just how hard it is.

Anyway, we need to get back on topic. Bayonetta bad. ^-^

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