The Tri-Lite

Issue date: 2/23/10 Section: Entertainment

Ladies and gentlemen, the New Year is here, and what better way to celebrate than to play one of the year's best new games right off the bat. Sure, there are a million of other things you can do, but why deprive your thumbs of the fun of mashing buttons until they are sore!?

Okay, I can see your point. This game isn't for everyone anyway. If you are easily offended by sexist jokes or evil angels, then this game is not for you and you should stop reading and move onto another article. Are you still there? Then allow me to explain this game.

In Bayonetta for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, you control a witch named, what else, Bayonetta, who is literally armed head-to-toe with various weaponry to combat what appear to be evil angels of all things, rather than demons that are usually seen in Devil May Cry or Ninja Gaiden. For those who are wondering if you are taking down specific angels like in the religions, relax. If anything, these angels ARE demons. Have you seen the pictures of this game!? Many are armed with enough bizarre weaponry to keep you on your toes, from such things as staffs to guns, and trumpets to giant crossbows!

Combat flows perfectly, almost making it look like a Ninja Gaiden/Devil May Cry clone. In reality, it actually manages to surpass both games in terms of gameplay, making almost every fight feel like a boss battle itself, and sometimes they are! Weapons of choice vary, much like in the two games mentioned above. Everything from swords and whips, many firearms, and even skates lie for you to collect and use on your adversaries, and even literally dance around them! However, they won't all be available right off the bat, and you have to earn them. But finding all of them and testing them out in your next mission makes it all worth it! Bayonetta can also slow down time, allowing for more crazy and insane combos to be unleashed. Fans of DMC will no doubt get a kick out of this for all the combos they can rack up.

You are also graded on your performance, earning statues that rank your level of skill. It goes without saying that if you earn Platinum or Pure Platinum, consider yourself practically a master at this game! Naturally all this doesn't go unrewarded, for there are many unlockables and such. So the game almost never ends with the replay ability.

The same can't be told for the story however. While it does feature a lot references to various other titles made by the same people who made Bayonetta, the story is pretty bland and hardly even there. Most cut-scenes are also told in freeze-frame reels, but not all. Still, this is a major letdown.

If you have played DMC or NG, then you know what to expect in terms of difficulty. It's not nearly as hard as NG, but close to it, especially for new players. It's recommended you play DMC or NG beforehand, unless you like seeing the game over screen over and over. But if you are experienced, then this won't take too long to beat. However, there is still so much unlockable content that you will actually drag yourself back to your own console and keep playing again and again.

In short, while gameplay is unbelievably awesome and exciting, and there is a wide amount of cool stuff to unlock and purchase, the game's story falls short. Still, considering we are getting action more epic than God of War, and more content to boot, this is a must buy for hardcore gamers. Everyone else who is easily offended by anything in this review, well…there's always Okami for the PS2!

Bayonetta earns a solid 4 out of 5!

For more of my uncut reviews, head on over to reapers0shadow.wordpress.com.

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