![]() What Bayonetta 2 does well, it does spectacularly well. The debate between which game is better will continue until the end of time, and I think both games are fantastic for their own reasons, but Bayonetta 2 has a layer of polish the first game noticeably lacks. It was smoother, looked better (no more ugly sepia filter), and has, in my opinion, more engaging enemy designs. Coming hot off the high heels of Bayonetta, an already fantastic action game, Bayonetta 2 felt like jumping into a cold pool after getting out of a hot tub. I say this because anyone who didn’t play it on a Fisher Price tablet can now experience it for the first time in a much smoother form on a much better console. I had the misfortune of experiencing Bayonetta 2 in its original form on the Wii U. Does that make it less spectacular that anyone who didn’t play Bayonetta 2 because it was stuck on Wii U can now play it? Absolutely not. They made it happen, and we shouldn’t be surprised considering these games came out on last generation consoles. Framerate? You better believe it’s 60 fps (with some dips here and there). What’s the resolution? 720p docked and undocked. This is especially apparent when slogging through some truly horrendous sections, like the mind-numbing Route 666, or the snooze-fest shoot-em-up segment (featuring Bayonetta riding on top of a missile) which takes far too long.ĭid I mention I played half the game from my bed? Bayonetta‘s grace and glory are preserved perfectly on Switch. They even crop up during boss battles it’s mind boggling as to why these are in the game at all, but it feels an awful lot like nobody on the development team had the courage to object to their inclusion. ![]() Luckily these are absent from the sequel, but you do not know frustration until you’re one platinum medal away from a perfect chapter only to die because you didn’t press a button fast enough. Lest I forget, however, Bayonetta‘s greatest flaw: the quick-time events. Bayonetta is remarkable at making even the most unlikable plot points and characters feel sympathetic by its conclusion it’s got a charm that can easily be credited to director Hideki Kamiya (who supervised, but did not direct, Bayonetta 2). ![]() It’s not so much the narrative that’s engaging, but the way it haphazardly leads to some truly glorious set pieces. The plot, in which you play as the titular witch Bayonetta, involves a tired amnesia trope and some hilariously endearing side characters. I’ve always been a sucker for imagery of “the church”, so the art direction had a huge impact as well the way the angels were morphed and distorted flesh beasts beneath their porcelain masks, it was all just so overwhelming. The visuals, the action, the pure unadulterated sex appeal, it spoke to my adolescent mind in a way no other game had. ![]() I may be considered a late-bloomer in this regard, because my first mind blowing experience with gaming was probably the moment I played Bayonetta on Xbox 360 way back in 2009. People like to talk about their first “wow” moment in videogames, whether it’s the first time they played Metal Gear Solid on PlayStation 1, or literally their first WoW (read: World of Warcraft) moment. The days of cuh-razy combat and aerial combos can sometimes seem passed, but with Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2 arriving on Switch this week, we are served a triumphant reminder that the genre isn’t quite dead yet. “Character” action games like Devil May Cry or Metal Gear Solid: Revengeance have been mostly usurped by the Souls-like genre, with its slower-paced and more methodical combat. No, I’m not talking about games like Monster Hunter: World or Bloodborne, I mean the good stuff. We just don’t get enough good action games anymore.
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