Review - Bayonetta (Xbox 360)

By Nige

Genre: Action
UK Release: 8th January 2010
Developer: Platinum Games
Publisher: Sega
Other Formats: PS3

One of the first games of 2010, Bayonetta hadn’t registered on my games to buy list. I really had no interest in the game until I saw the high review scores.

I decided to try the demo just to see what all the fuss was about and was amazed to find myself thinking I really want this game. A couple of hours later I had been out and bought it and was ready to start what must be the cheesiest and most over the top game I’ve ever played.

On loading up the game I was impressed by the simple but effective intro which ended with the ‘Bayonetta’ logo whooshing into the screen. The game stars you as Bayonetta who is a sexy crazy witch who has been awakened from a coffin at the bottom of a lake. You don’t know much about her but as the game progresses you unlock more about her past and the worlds you inhabit. It all boils down to a war between good and evil and just for a change you’re the bad gal. The enemies are supposedly the angels but they all look pretty crazy and scary!

To be honest the story takes a back seat as the game involves going through the 16 levels dispatching enemies and working out the various puzzles with lots to collect and unlock along the way. When you start playing the game has you shooting, kicking and violently killing angels that look very sinister all to the tune of Bart Howard’s ‘Fly Me to the Moon’. You know from that point this game is going to be something very different indeed - think Quentin Tarantino does Devil May Cry and you may get some kind of idea as to the general style.

You start with basic weapons and abilities but can unlock more as you go along. Most levels have a mid-level boss with a larger boss battle at the end, but every enemy is massive whatever the situation! I must admit the graphics really took my breath away and I found the end of level boss encounters offered some of the most impressive visuals I’ve seen on the Xbox 360 so far.

Sound is a mixed affair. The soundtrack itself is fantastic - I especially liked the choral music that plays when a new enemy appears. You’re given a little sequence to give the creature a name. However the voice acting is terrible. Voiceovers sound wooden leaving you feeling very little for the characters in the game. I feel better voice acting would have added a lot to the atmosphere of the cuts scenes.

Another point of debate is the save system. The game auto saves at certain points however if you give up halfway through a level its very touch and go as to whether you will return to that particular save point. You get the option to save before you start the next level but if you reload from this point then you have to start the level from scratch. An option to save anywhere would have been so much better, but maybe it would have made the game too easy.

One very annoying feature for me was the constant repeating of bosses in the game - when they are dead they should stay dead. It almost spoilt the game for me, but I will forgive it because the rest of the game is so damn good. It never seems to end either. Just as you think you have it beaten it throws another boss at you. I honestly thought I had finished the game after level 11 only to find there were another 5 levels. And after that the game still carried on during and after the end credits!

One thing to look out for is the homage to many older Sega titles dotted throughout the game including the Outrun soundtrack playing over one of the craziest motorway scenes I’ve ever seen. This involves a chase with you racing a motorbike at insane speeds across a collapsing bridge, which is a welcome break from all the slashing. I loved trying to spot all the Sega touches and they are done so well that they fit the atmosphere of the game perfectly.

Overall the game has some incredible bosses, amazing graphics, one of the best soundtracks I have heard for years and some breathtaking sequences. I would imagine this will be high on my game of the year list yet it’s only January. Sadly I think Bayonetta will get overlooked by a lot of gamers with more recognisable sequels to Mass Effect, Bioshock and Splinter Cell hitting in the next few weeks. After not really considering buying Bayonetta I’m glad I took the plunge...

9/10

Good:

• Amazing graphics
• Non-stop action
• Fantastic soundtrack

Bad:

• Dire voice acting
  
• Repetitive boss battles
  
• Unreliable save system