Bayonetta

I am currently having a rest from what can only be described as sensory overload. This is sincerely the most intense and at the same time absolutely bonkers gaming experience I've had in all the years since videogaming itself began back in my distant youth. There's no slow invitational build-up here; Bayonetta just grabs you by your short and curlies and insists.
Plot you say?
What's the point when you have witches, Heaven vs Hell, huge mutant angels with babies heads or two headed dragon/angels with upside down heads for bodies.
"Bullet Climax"?... you bet.
A suit made out of hair that unravels into a giant boot, a hand for picking up and throwing cars or even a huge serpent that eats major enemies?... of course.
Sega's groan-inducing in-jokes and cutting off angel's heads in guillotines or sending them to hell kicked into an iron maiden?...just all in another day's work for this game.
These are just a few of the delights experienced within my first few breathless hours of play. Next thing I know I'm running up waterfalls in heaven (Paradiso) and stealing an enormous egg-timer. The pace never really lets up until you die.
(3 cheers for prompt delivery in this severely inclement weather too)

Certainly it is reminiscent of other well-known games that I won't mention here but take my word for it, within the first few hours of play Bayonetta has already surpassed them all. It's time to take off those training wheels and play with the grown-ups.
Fast and intuitive combat mixed with a superbly ecclectic soundtrack and some ridiculous "stupid big smile" moments. I know I haven't got far but I do know when I'm gobsmacked by something and Bayonetta finds me rocking back and forth mumbling in the prescence of true gaming greatness. The cutscenes initially appear to be the work of a lunatic mind but do link the segments together well enough so you can get on with enjoying yet more of the sublimely engineered combat. Rest assured the story does make sense but you'll only pull all the threads together towards the end of the game.

The animation of Bayonetta herself is so characterful and so over the top that she puts all other generic game leads to shame. In between acrobatics she struts around like she means it and her measured, disdainful English accent only serves to enhance the appeal.
There are a few rudimentary puzzles, a bit of "item/ring collection" and some very useful "Alchemy" which will no doubt bolster your offensive and defensive capabilities later on. Visit "The Gates of Hell" a cheesy cocktail bar on the edge of Hell where you can buy new items or fighting techniques. Replayability is looking good with scaling awards for each level completed and the usual host of unlockables and trophies to earn. There is more that I could add but I wouldn't want to spoil the joy of discovery for anyone else.

edit: Still playing Bayonetta over a month later and the addiction level is still fierce. The sense of achievement and actually becoming better is beautifully paced with what once seemed near-impossible now being a walk in the park. Don't let that fool you though; Bayonetta continues to ramp up the difficulty with "Hard" and then "Infinite Climax" mode. The latter becomes a war of attrition between you, your joypad and the joints of your fingers. This is not just a case of more hit-points per enemy but more enemies and the later-harder-enemies actually replacing earlier easier ones and they all move about three times as fast. Bosses have new moves and are less forgiving but worst of all there is NO WITCHTIME when you dodge so thank goodness for the "Dodge-Offset" move. I'm still trying to get platinum trophies, all umbran tears and unlock all weapons until I can face the ultimate unlockable enemy...Rodin..and I'm still enjoying it all immensely.

I had heard grumbles about the conversion for PS3 but seriously I have no complaints at all. Something this good shouldn't be compared to other versions; it should just be enjoyed.

As Bayonetta herself says "I've got a fever and the only cure is more dead angels"

This game is simply everything devil may cry 3 should have been.

Action games need to have something to stand out. For example, Dante's Inferno has the great conceptualisation of hell behind it, but comes across as a God of War clone. However, Bayonetta has so much more than Dante's Inferno.

You play as Bayonetta, a witch who fights against angelic forces who have extinguished all but one of the witches, destroying the balance between the two sides.

Bayonetta is a highly sexualised character. For instance, you can 'punish' a foe by, essentially, spanking them repeatedly. She attacks with her hair, which also serves as her clothes, so as you use increasingly powerful moves she... begins to lose clothing. It would be tasteless if not for the overall light-hearted feel of the game, and also if you weren't laughing whilst doing it. The gameplay is closer to Devil may cry than anything else, but has hints of God Of War's execution and button-mash sequences. There is no block button, which means you have to stay on your toes. Too often has a block button become a crutch to lean on, leading to Assassin's Creed style turtle combat. In Bayonetta, you have to dodge. It is your only defense, and works more fluently that Devil May Cry 4. A perfectly timed dodge will allow you to enter 'Witch time', which is essentially matrix-style bullet time. This feels rewarding as you pull off the perfect dodge, leaving the enemy defenseless for a few seconds. But unlike Max Payne, it doesn't overdo the bullet time: you have to work for it and it doesn't last long, and isn't the cornerstone of the combat, more just a little treat you get for a perfectly executed dodge.

Bayonetta's moves are designed to attack several enemies at once, often in more than one direction. She can shoot 360 degrees and spawn demons to crunch up her enemies. The combat is typically frenetic, with more urgency than Devil May Cry. You feel that Bayonetta is not to overpowered but also has a lot of moves etc. It's strange, I know, but in some games you feel invincible, and in some like Demon's Souls you feel powerless. Bayonetta get the balance just right.

As a pure action game, it's fun enough just to try to discover all of Bayonetta's combos. But in real time it's just crazy. It's very difficult to describe, and certainly not for everyone. My suggestion is to download the demo from PS store, then decide whether or not you will buy it.

There were some graphical issues, but these have since been patched. I've never noticed a drop in framerate, or any real screen tearing and didn't have any issues with it graphically at all.

Finally, don't listen to the people who say it is a bad port. There have been worse, and as I said the graphics have been patched. People do that all the time, because Digital Foundry say it is better on one console, it is automatically a bad game on the other, but in reality it is a good game on PS3. If you have an Xbox 360, I'd recommend you buy it for that, but if not it's fine on PS3.

Bayonneta is developed by Sega and is a real action game, packed with devastatingly powerful combos and large enemie battles.

===Story===
Bayonneta is basically the players hunt for their memories and to learn about her history, whilst kicking a considerable amount of angel arse.
Travelling through many different cities and areas , aided by your informant Enzo, you are also trying to discover the eyes of the world. The eyes were split into two parts, left and right. Bayonneta beleives the gem she holds is the left eye, but by finding the other , maybe that will also help discover her past.

Now this story was pretty difficult to follow as their is constantly new characters turning up, not only this but its more of a cover for them making a game to sell off the highly popular, Devil may cry. The storyline doesn't always seem to fit in with what your asked to do and it can feel slightly random at times.

===Characters===
Bayonetta is a witch, who uses both magic, kicks and firearms to take down everyone and anything in her path. Add to this the power to shapeshift and you get a pretty powerful character, however whilst she is very cool on the outside, we never get any depth and bar a few moments , it could have been anyone walking around in the game. I felt no real link with her and you feel she is just a way of showing off the great fighting of the game.
Other supporting characters are:
Enzo, who provides some much needed comedy
Luka, a love interest of Bayonneta
Jeane , the main rival
Balder, the main enemy of the whole game
And Rodin, who you can buy new weapons and items

===Game===
Its a 3rd person , action and shooting game. Produced by the same man who made the Devil may cry series and the similarities are all very clear to see, both in design and gameplay.
Using a varied amount of attacks , either up close or from range. You also have special finishers and torture moves, 2 examples from early in the game are summoning a massive high heel to rip through time and kick the enemy out of the area, or , creating a massive gullotine, in which you repeatedly beat the enemy down till their head rests on the block and then off chops their head. Counter attacks also have a part in "witch time" where in classic gaming style, dodging gives you a few seconds to unleash all hell on the enemy.
Transformations mainly consist of becoming , my personal favorite a panther, or a handful of other creatures. These allow you to do new abilities as well as enhancing others.
In a game so violent , you wouldn't expect it to be lollipops that healed you after a hard days battle.
Being sega , collecting is also important and so sorrounding the world is Sonic rings , sorry "halo's". I really cant see that this was done by accident , they are exactly the same and dont really add anything to the game apart from looking out of place. Their main use is as the games currency but im sure a more elegant way could have been thought up.
Finishing the level you are ranked in medals, either gold, silver or bronze. A nod to the creators other game , Viewtiful joe. Medals are also hidden in the map and unlocked through challenges , but I never felt the need to wander off and find them.

===Control===
Moving bayonneta round with the sticks is really smooth and so is moving the camera. All the attacks are on the 4 action buttons and these were very simple to remember.
Double tapping the X button allowed you to double jump for extra height in attacks. Jumping in the game isn't the best as it can feel a little floaty and so its hard to judge your movement.
If you play the game on very easy, you only play the game with the 4 action buttons and the game takes care of the rest.

===Sound===
A rather strange j-pop song likes to play in the background and this felt really out of context for the game. To be honest it means during fight sequences I couldn't hear the guns firing or kicks hitting, it was all just an entrancing pop song.

===Graphics===
The graphics in the game are of a very good standard. Considering the amount of stuff happening on screen it always runs smooth and its easy to see all the weapons and magic happening.
The sorrounding areas are also well designed , buildings and interiors all fit the gothic structure of the game and make it nicer to play.
The small details in the game make it beautiful, all paving stones have individual details and the clouds which fly across the ground look eerie.

===Overall===
An ok action game , if you were a fan of Devil may cry you will probably enjoy this. A demo is available on PSN I beleive and the game has a whole will probably give around 50 hours of play if your trying it on difficult and trying to get everything.