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She got legs and she knows hot to use 'em...
How much is too much? That’s the question that Bayonetta raises at every turn. And just when you think you’ve witnessed its extremities, it pushes that little bit further. From the objectification of the eponymous witch herself to the searing pace at which the action runs, this is a game that tests your limits in every sense and it’s already dividing opinions as a result. It’s almost as though Platinum Games is as eager to challenge and offend as it is to excite.
The routine slaughter of angelic enemies, the sexually charged cinematics, the dialogue and mechanics, and the seizure-inducing showdowns all conspire to make this a videogame you really wouldn’t want your mother to catch you playing. It’s guilty-pleasure gaming taken to the extreme and it honestly wouldn’t work any other way.
To suggest Bayonetta is ‘a bit like Devil May Cry’ isn’t strictly accurate: the similarities are such that Bayonetta could almost be a Devil May Cry game. The HUD, the style-based scoring system and the mix of melee and ranged combat all take their cues from the superb Capcom series and even the attitude comes across as the female equivalent of Dante’s machismo. But if you thought the intro to Dante’s Awakening was a little over-the-top, Bayonetta might just push you over the edge.
As if having a gun attached to each limb wasn’t weird enough, special moves will send the witch into a swirling flurry of arms, legs, and bullets, and the more impressive combos make use of her plentiful hair to call forth mighty summons. The downside – for her, at least – is that her entire outfit is just a wildly impractical haircut, meaning that the more powerful the conjuring trick, the more naked she becomes. A swirling swathe of tresses usually protects her dignity during such lavish sequences, but who’s to say where Platinum Games will draw the line when it comes to Bayonetta’s ultimate techniques.
And the lunacy of the action doesn’t stop there: ‘torture moves’ triggered by certain combos tend to execute your opponent on the spot. How you do so is determined by both weapons equipped and relative position, so there’ll be plenty to see in the final game. You can even grab the weapons of downed foes to unleash special attacks, many of which seem to be powerful, single-use bursts useful for crowd control.
And just in case the frantic combat doesn’t give you enough of an ocular workout, the lush backgrounds often have their own agenda and activity – one section takes place on a plummeting clock tower, for example, and there’s always a hell of a lot going on. This, coupled with the breakneck speed of the combat, demands your attention at all times. We’ve heard that it’s supposed to be easier than the Devil May Cry franchise at its most ferocious, but chaining attacks is rewarding and thrilling all the same.
The sound is definitely worth a mention. While Dante slays his enemies to the sound of a wrestler’s iPod, Bayonetta throws yet another curveball and opts instead for a jazz-cum-J-pop soundtrack. It fits the chaotic action wonderfully and gives proceedings a unique twist that distances things from the myriad other action games out there. Bayonetta is a beautifully presented game in every respect, provided your eyes can keep up.
The combat is coming along nicely and the game has established a certain sense of style – even if it is a little divisive – so it’s really just a question of whether Bayonetta has enough variety to go round. There will be plenty of new weapons to equip to each limb, and we’ve already borne witness to an assortment of enemies and environments in the few levels that we’ve seen so far, so we’re anxiously awaiting our chance to sit down and really get to know Bayonetta.
Final Summary
With blades on her fingers and guns on her toes, she will have slaughter wherever she goes.
EXPECTED RELEASED DATE : 25 SEPTENBER 2009