So, What’s All The Hype About Bayonetta?
Excuse me for my blatant question and utter disregard for everything that gaming stands for, but I simply couldn’t get why Bayonetta made gamers tick. I mean what is it about her that is simply so outstanding that none other can come close to her? As always, I had to turn to the internet for my path of enlightenment. And oh yes, I did find quite a few compelling reasons.
o·ver·hype (vr-hp)
o·ver·hyped, o·ver·hyp·ing, o·ver·hypes (Slang)
To promote or publicize to excess: Promoters grossly overhyped the movie.
First, I cannot go anywhere without saying how amazing the clocktower set piece was. I saw the trailer and played the demo. Funny how everything falls into place [no pun intended], the setting, the top-notch action and the unique art style. There is something about the way the game zooms into the falling clocktower, puts you into control of a super hot heroine and throws endless enemies/angels at you. And don’t forget the baby faced creature with a giant axe that you get to kill. 😀
Hmm… it couldn’t be just the demo alone so I had to dig deeper. The focus seems to be on Bayonetta herself. Sure there was Lara Croft and the recent Rubi from WET (she looks the part but the game is so meh), but this heroine has the skills to back up the looks. Now how many games allow you to summon iron maidens (no they are not some hot iron chicks) to vanquish your enemies? The “torture combos” are a nice idea but it all boils down to variety. You can be impressed the first time an angel is clasped into a guillotine, but the novelty wears off without a variety of devices. Fortunately, Bayonetta does have quite a list of combos and finishing moves (oh, hair attack anyone?).
No Bayonetta article would be complete without praising how good she looks. But is she the next Megan Fox? Umm yes, because you get to run around naked and in a suit that is made of hair. Most would complain that her head is too small, but she is actually based on supermodel proportions. According to Platinum Games, Bayonetta’s design was based upon real-life models, meaning that she is not only sensibly proportioned, she is also based upon the hottest examples of physical perfection in the world [Destructoid]. Last time I checked Megan Fox was a super model, and if Bayonetta is based upon super models, then she must be Megan Fox. 😀 And then there is something about those glasses that makes her seem mild and timid, but actually she is Sarah Palin not. You wouldn’t expect a four-eyed woman to pull off such moves as Bayonetta, now would you? In the US they say Sarah Palin. In Japan, they always bring up people like [singer-songwriter] Angela Aki. [Wikipedia]
Am I the only one who thinks that Bayonetta is over-hyped? Well, Famitsu (the Japanese Gaming Mag) gave it a perfect 40 out of 40. The PS3 version sold 135,000 copies and was the top-selling game during its week of release in Japan, while the Xbox version sold 64,000 copies and charted at number seven. Can’t argue with close to 200,000 gamers, and in the first week alone.
Lastly, but certainly not the least, Bayonetta is developed by Hideki Kamiya of Devil May Cry and Okami. Need I say more?
So, did I find my answer? Yes, Bayonetta is not over-hyped. I started out skeptical and turned into a believer. Now I just can’t wait to get my hands on her when it hit stores Januray 5th, 2010, can you?
Image courtesy Destructoid
If you’re asking, yes this is that Xbox 720 blog.
Dec 7th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
@ Everyone
There was a problem that rendered this article unreadable. 😐 😕 ➡ It’s been fixed now.
Dec 7th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
I’ve played through Bayonetta already. imported n all. It’s mental for combat. Far beyond anything DMC or GoW has offered. That said. The story is a load of boring shit…
If anything this game deserves about an 8/10. Mainly because of the design for the gam and the sheer ball to the wall crazy combat. The characters are annoying, story is weak and overall not very fulfilling. Only reason i think this game is bad-ass is for the combat.
Dec 7th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
@ Zero
Story is crucial to any game I play. If a story is weak it rarely holds my attention long enough. However, the combat and the premise of this game alone will far more than make up for it.
And as for the import, all I can say is, you luck dog. 😛
Dec 7th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
😯 Holly Shit I played the demo and I can`t wait for it, by the way very informative and good article mate
Dec 7th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
@ Makudo
Why thank you m8. 😀 I finished writing this article at 3am last night. 😎 ➡ Btw, have you subscribed to my blog?
Dec 7th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Bayonetta is the ugliest, most awkward – looking game i’ve ever set eyes on and that’s putting it nicely. This thing has been overhyped to the extent of Modern Warfare 2 and looks like it will give the end result of Too Human or Mirror’s Edge.
I can’t believe there are some “People” out there (Obviously people who have never played games before) that are trying to compare this to God Of War 3. It’s unbelievable that people can be that uneducated about the gaming industry. A new IP that many people do not care about being compared to the most epic trilogy conclusion of all time? LOL, oh dear……….
Dec 7th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
I think I can answer the question for you. You see( as you know ) this game already had a review in Japan. The gaming Magazine Famitsu gave this game a ( XBOX 360 version) a 40/40. The ps3 version a 38/40. Normally the others games that got the 40/40 score like :- MGS 4 and Zelda : Orcania of time went on to become highly critical hits and in some sites they became Game of the year.
I personally have no idea ow game will be but when this game comes out I will check out site like Gamespot to see what score this is game really get.
Dec 8th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
the game is good, maybe very good.
but no where near as good as some have been tooting up too.
i mean a 10/10?
i dont think so.
i imported the full game from JP, and glad i did it was a good game to keep me occupied till my imported version of the GOW Collection arrived.
now its here ive been on that, and bayonetta is gathering dust.
what EDGE said about the combat being better than GOW is utter tripe!
1 GOW is much much much more fun than bayonetta, just is, you feel much more powerful, you have many more moves at your disposal.
2 you cant compare the combat in GOW to bayonetta because there two completley different games.
bayonetta is a fast paced game, very fast paced.
your attacks are centered towards 1 enemy, where GOW your more destructive.
your attacks are more centered towards a group of enemies.
GOW is like surgery with a chainsaw.
bayonetta is like surgery with a scalpel.
ninja gaiden is like surgery with a high intensity laser.
very,very, very different games.
just because they have the same things does not mean you can compare them.
can you compare GT5 to burnout paradise?
can you compare uncharted to ratchet and clank?
can you compare ninja gaiden to heavenly sword?
can you compare little big planet to prototype?
Dec 8th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
@name
Well said, m8, well said. I really get pissed off when people compare Bayonetta to God of War. What people fail to do is see Bayonetta in its own light and not compare with others.
Btw, I wanted to import Bayonetta but got put off cause all the dialog’s in Japanese. Does it have English subs? Heck, Bayonetta releases next month, so I’m gonna hold off till then. 😀
Dec 8th, 2009 at 7:31 pm
nah i got it from JP and the whole game, everything is in english.
the game menues when you pause the game, the startup menus, the audio, the trophies list are even in english.
i dunno why, maybe the game automatically detects your PS3 is set to English and translates it for you.
i imported both SAW and bayonetta and they both play like if i got them from the US.
if i was you i would import it.
when this releases theres so many other games releasing you wont have time for something.
dark void is number 1 on my january list, thats looking very good.
Dec 8th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
O not to mention its cheaper.
if i waited till jan EB are selling it for 120 bucks.
i bought it off ebay for 70 AUD shipping included.
saved myself 50 bucks
Dec 8th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
@ name
Ah, you can’t get an Ebay/Paypal account from Bangladesh. Darn it 😥 I buy everything from Amazon because they allow different shipping nd billing address. Ship them to a mail forwarding company (myusabox.com)
Shipping costs arm and a leg. 🙁 Bought Fallout 3 collectors (new) for US$30 and shipped it for $60 (FedEX) lol. Funny thing is, if you ship it through post office, there is 30% chance that you will never get the item and a 70% chance that the item will be held at customs for 2 months. Sigh.
On a lighter note, just got Dragon Age Origins collector’s edition yesterday, so, it’s gonna suck a good amount of time. Next year it’s Mass Effect 2 and Bayonetta for me 😀
How are things in Australia (from the other side of the world)?
Dec 9th, 2009 at 7:15 pm
shipping is a pain here also.
ive bought 6 games off ebay from the US and 4 of them never arrived.
i opened up a dispute with ebay and paypal and both told me tough titties.
and shipping is really slow.
took 3 weeks for my copy of the GOW collection to get here.
cost wise its not too bad, most of the games i import are roughly 80AUD and shipping is normally 20.
so i end up saving 20 bucks per game i import, only if ebay were more reliable i would import all my games.
only bad thing about gaming here in AU is bans.
we missed out on L4D 2 and were going to miss out on dantes inferno, alien V predator and probably GOW3.
bayonetta gets through but L4D2 does not.
WTF?
bayonetta has you turn into a eagle and rip apart a enemies stomach, L4D2 has heads blown off.
oh well, at least it gives me a excuse to import and save some money, hopefully i get everything i buy this time.
Dec 9th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
@name
And there I thought Bangladesh was the only country where mail got lost. 😛
💡 AU really needs an M 17+ rating, isn’t that the reason why certain games don’t make it over to AU? Aliens vs Predator is also banned in Aus, correct me if I’m wrong.
If Bayonetta can get through ( ➡ torture moves?)but L4D2 can’t? 😆 ROFL
Dec 10th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
i kno i kno the inconstancy of the OFLC is baffling.
there the guys in charge of rating games, movies and novels.
throwing a guy into a spiked case and ripping him in half is dandy, but hitting a zombie in the head with a baseball bat is not?
WTF?
dark sector got banned because you can slice heads off, but thats exactly what you do in ninja gaiden 2 and then some and that did not get banned.
im starting to think it comes down to the highest bidder.
yea thats why they get banned, if there deemed not suitable for people 15 years of age they get banned.
and the stupid thing is not only the inconsistency but whats ok for a M movie gets a game banned.
as i said dark sector got banned because you can slice heads off.
but theres a episode of south park where eric cartman goes into the future to play the wii, long story short these needles blow enemy heads off.
and its rated M.
WTF?
blowing heads off in a cartoon show warrants a M rating which has absolutely no age restrictions what so ever, legally a 10 year old could watch it by themselves.
where blowing heads off in a game warrants a R rating.
WTF?
i was gutted when i found out AVP got banned, the videos OMFG they are so gory, like this makes GOW look like a kids game.
definitely importing that, hopefully it does not get lost and i end up wasting 100 bucks like the last few times.
and the stupidest thing about it is 1 man out of 10+ Governor generals is stopping us from having a R18 rating.
what happened to majority rules?
no, everyone has to agree otherwise its not in.
so were basically waiting for this one pain in the …. to say yes, and its going to be a cold day in hell before he does that.
theres hundreds of petitions online with thousands of signatures and he just keeps ignoring them.
and his excuse is “someone has to think of the children”
which is pathetic in its own right but it holds no water.
1 MA 15+ means you do not need to be 15 to buy a game, if your parents buy it for you.
2 MA means nothing to game stores, ive never been asked for ID, very few stores do they dont care about MA content.
R18+ on the other hand they are very,very,very strict.
1 you MUST! be 18 or over even if daddy wants to buy it for you, its illegal for him to do so if your under 18.
2 game stores are incredibly strict with R18+
so basically what hes doing is exactly what he does not want to do.
well thats what he says he does not want to do.
because IF we had a R18+ rating kids would not have access to games like fallout 3 or FEAR 2 or AVP or GOW 3.
IF we had a R18+ it would make it much, much, much harder for kids to get their hands on these games.
but getting that through his thick skull is near impossible.
the second you mention that, he says well
1 game shops should not be doing that, they should stick to the age ratings.
2 wii games are not violent so why do we need this?
a hello WII IS FOR KIDS, PS3 IS NOT!
simple.
sorry about the rant, its a sensitive topic with me and i get a little carried away.
Dec 10th, 2009 at 7:31 pm
@ name
Wow, your country’s government/rating board is so fucked up. Sorry to hear that mate 😐
It is really absurd ………. no wait its hilarious…… and here in BD? Well it doesn’t even matter if a 15 year old buy pr0n …. they just say….. we are looking into the matter and doing our very best to prevent access… lol