bayonetta
Latest
The Queue: A plea for help
Welcome back to The Queue, WoW.com's daily Q&A column where the WoW.com team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today. Somewhere along the line, I've picked up this habit of discussing games I've been playing (besides WoW) as my introduction to The Queue. It doesn't make a lot of sense, but it's fun. Unfortunately, I'm currently playing Bayonetta and I'm not sure I can really talk about that one here. Just look it up on Youtube, you'll know what I'm talking about. Now before I shame myself any more, let's get to the Q&A. Reuben asked... "How does the disenchanting option work? I find that sometimes I can choose disenchant, and other times I can't. What determines the availability of that option?"
Anything Bayonetta can do, Mega64 does better
We were unbelievers at the beginning of this new Bayonetta ad (after the break), in which Mega64's Rocco Botte insisted that he could emulate -- nay -- top any of the titular action star's moves. But he's definitely shooting bullets with his feet and he promises repeatedly that his hair is a demon, so now whose face has got egg on it? That's right: Ours. ... Hey, he wouldn't lie about his hair being a demon, would he? No, of course not. Who would lie about that? We're probably just being paranoid.
Review: Bayonetta
digg_url = 'http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/07/review-bayonetta/'; The first thing you should know about Bayonetta is that the story is entirely unimportant. It makes no sense. At all. Period. There's something about two warring clans, one of witches and one of sages (Light vs. Dark -- yada yada yada). There's a "journalist" who inexplicably carries a grappling hook; an ancient god that's being resurrected; and, at one point, there's even a dance-off. Now, forget about all of that. You'll be skipping through it on your second playthrough anyway. And that's really the point. If you like action games in the vein of Devil May Cry or Ninja Gaiden, you'll probably start your second playthrough of Bayonetta exactly when I did: immediately after the first. %Gallery-22955%
New Games This Month: January 2010
Traditionally, this is the time of year when we'd be able to put our feet up and savor the calm after the Q4 storm. But in 2010/Two-Thousand-and-Sin/ZOLO, we're stuck with a month of completely decent releases. We've always begged the industry to release games throughout the year, but never stopped to consider the terrible cost: More work for us. Check out the infuriatingly decent list and plan your purchasing strategy. %Gallery-81403%
Photoshoppers repurpose film posters for games
[Image credit: RiffRaff1138] Care of the forum users at Something Awful, a gaggle of films posters recently got Photoshopped into video game iterations of themselves. Everything from Avatar (Mass Effect) to Jurassic Park (DinoPark Tycoon) got the treatment, though our favorite is undoubtedly what Schwarzenegger's Last Action Hero has become. Now if only someone could get to work on a Breakfast at Tiffany's-derived Bayonetta poster, we'd be all set. [Via Kotaku]
Metareview: Bayonetta
We may still have a few more weeks before the hair-based weapon wielding Bayonetta arrives on US shores, but that doesn't mean that reviewers haven't gotten their hands on the region-free, fully translated PlayStation 3 Japanese release (and the lucky folks at Official Xbox Magazine seem to have secured an extra early Xbox 360 review copy). Regardless of the downright silly nature of the game's story and characters, Bayonetta has thus far received universal acclaim from the critics. Here's what some had to say. Edge (100/100): "A beautiful and graceful fighting game that lets imagination loose, and winks before slapping Dante, Kratos and every other hero back to the drawing board." Eurogamer (9/10): "It's in combat that Bayonetta's splendour is fully revealed ... a blast of creative brilliance, both technically accomplished, strategically deep and infused with rare imagination, Bayonetta represents the pinnacle of its chosen niche." Official Xbox Magazine (90/100): "Every one of these dazzling battles is thrilling without overstaying its welcome - and also challenges you without being cheap" Play.tm (95%): "Bayonetta could - and should - breathe fresh life into the ailing Japanese action genre ... an unrivalled showcase of imagination and creativity." Source 1 - Metacritic PS3 Source 2 - Metacritic Xbox 360 %Gallery-22955%
Bayonetta trailer invents unsettling new term: 'hair moves'
Thus far, Bayonetta has exposed us to a litany of disturbing oddities. First we were exposed to the expression "non-stop climax action." Then came the uncomfortable revelation of Bayonetta's "sexy" dancing. And now, we must forever live with the term "hair moves." As the ancient Egyptians figured out long ago, hair is gross. Short of the occasional Rita Hayworth hair toss, hair really shouldn't be moving at all. And it certainly shouldn't be transforming into giant boots, fists or demons. Alas, this is the proposition you face should you desire to play Bayonetta. You've been warned.
Watch Bayonetta nab enemy weapons, add insult to injury
Being the stylish, fashion-way-forward gal she is, Bayonetta (of, um, Bayonetta) likes to accessorize. Sometimes she gets tired of having guns for shoes and hair that can take the form of giant demons, so she politely barrows steals weapons from her enemies, to use against ... her enemies. In this short-but-sweet clip from next month's Platinum Games action spectacle, we get to watch her do just that -- nabbing a giant mace (not of the "spray into a mugger's eyes" type) and use a very long, forcefully procured spear to pole-dance-kick the hell out of heavenly foes. Best of all, the clip is narrated by a velvety-voiced English woman who sounds just like Bayonetta, if she were real. Which she's not -- so please, stop calling Sega asking for her number. Yes, we're onto you.
Viewtiful Joe's Kamiya would 'like to finish' series, won't henshin-a-go-go back to Okami
Hideki Kamiya, creator of the forthcoming Bayonetta, would be up for making a sequel to his stylish side-scroller Viewtiful Joe if given the opportunity, according to a report by Game Informer. Not so much for Okami, though, which he'd wanted to revisit until he learned Capcom was making Okamiden for DS. "I heard the announcement that someone else would be making a sequel," he told the magazine. "Now I'm just not interested in it anymore." Kamiya, who left Capcom along with Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami and other key staffers to form the now-defunct Clover Studio, doesn't retain the rights to any of the IPs he created at either company -- but nevertheless feels that the story of Viewtiful Joe "is incomplete," adding "I'd like to finish it someday." While that's probably a long shot, Kamiya has already proven he's a man full of amazing ideas, which we'll hopefully see many more of after Bayonetta -- a game he could very well make a sequel to -- is released in the US on January 5.
Bayonetta demo brings climax action to XBLM
Here's a friendly little reminder for all the climax action fans out there: The previously announced Bayonetta demo has arrived on Xbox Live Marketplace. We've been able to spend some time with the demo, and it's probably safe to say that Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden players out there have something to look forward to. But you don't have to take out word for it, because you can try it yourself. Amazing world we live in, isn't it? Shortcut: Download the Bayonetta demo [Via Xbox.com]
European PSN releases for December 3
The wait to try out Sega/Platinum Games' over-the-top, demon/angel-slaying action title Bayonetta is finally over. The demo for the title is the highlight of this week's European PSN update, joined by a whole bunch of DLC for Fight Night Round 4, an Ezio Auditore costume for LittleBigPlanet and roughly 17,000 Rock Band tracks. That's just a quick estimate, but we think it should be pretty accurate. Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list: (Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)
UK Bayonetta pre-order bonuses revealed
We're not sure why publishers decided that purchasing a game should be more difficult, but the recent trend of retailer exclusive pre-order goodies seems to be here to stay. Case in point: the various pre-order bonuses for Bayonetta in the UK. Those who pre-order at Play.com will receive the Bayonetta Climax Edition, pictured above on the left. Meanwhile, HMV pre-orders get a "Manga's Leading Ladies" DVD, which features "full episodes, trailers and exclusive clips" of something. Perhaps the coolest bonus, though, belongs to game.co.uk, which offers a replica of one of Bayonetta's guns, Scarborough Fair. All three are being offered for £39.99, so the only decision you really have to make is which bonus you like the best. Well, that and whether or not you ever want to invite a pretty girl into your home.
Bayonetta's dancing is really 'sexy'
Did you think the footage of Bayonetta summoning intricate torture devices was disturbing? Wait until you see this context-free prototype dancing footage, featuring everyone's favorite giant witch cutting a motion-captured rug (after the break). We don't know if it's the fact that the animations have yet to be finalized in this sequence, or if it's the idea of Bayonetta taking a break from her brutal revenge quest to get down, or if it's simply Bayonetta's flagrantly inhuman body proportions, but yikes. What kind of touch-ups did Platinum do after this prototype stage? " ... on Kamiya-san's orders," animator Uchi says, "we accentuated the movements of her waist and butt to make it over-the-top in the sexiness department." You'd have to accentuate the hell out of those movements to go from that to "sexy."
Sega picks America's next top Bayonetta model in Maxim competition
Sega and Maxim.com have selected a winner in their search for a model that best captures the lead character from forthcoming action title Bayonetta. The young lady, Andrea Bonaccorso, walks away (slowly, considering she has guns for shoes) with an Xbox 360, a copy of the game and a 50-inch Panasonic TC-P50X1 HDTV Plasma TV. She'll also appear on Maxim.com, in a sensible, dignified outfit, we're sure. So how did she qualify for such an honor? This is really what it says in the press release: "While some entrants perfectly mirrored the outfit of the character and others simply donned librarian glasses, Andrea married both elements to come out on top." So, there you have it. We're rewarding this girl for wearing both clothes and glasses. Meanwhile, Joystiq and Joystiq.com selected a loser in Sega and Maxim.com's Bayonetta Model Search and it's all of us.
Bayonetta demo available in North America and Europe Dec. 3
Finally, a chance to play Bayonetta for those of us who never got around to setting up Japanese PSN accounts or Sega Passes. Sega announced that the demo for Platinum Games' torturiffic action game will be available on Xbox Live and PSN, in North America and Europe, on December 3. With this demo, you'll be able to gauge the limits of your Bayonetta fandom. Maybe you'll like it enough to buy it. Maybe you'll like it enough to buy the PAL limited edition. Or enough to import the PAL limited edition (for North American gamers). Or maybe you'll freak out about Bayonetta and feel compelled to import the Australian limited edition. This is why demos are so important: you can make sure you actually like the game before you bring yet another fancy plastic foot-pistol into your home. %Gallery-22955%
Bayonetta's magical torture fetish explained
Bayonetta has the magical ability -- and macabre desire -- to conjure torture devices for use against her enemies. But why does the hair-clothed, gun-toed heroine of Platinum Games' action game do this? Is she just a horrible person? In a new developer diary (after the break), Director Hideki "Viewtiful" Kamiya explains that Bayonetta and her fellow witches have suffered through torture themselves, and so she fights not only for survival, but for revenge. Her sadism is a direct result of her own experience previous to the game's events. Plus, as Kamiya says, "It is important players enjoy seeing enemies sadistically destroyed." Do try to enjoy the torture. Otherwise you'll be doing the cruelest attack of all: hurting Kamiya's feelings. Congratulations to Jonathan on being the first to comment. You've been emailed a free Battlefield: Bad Company 2 beta code. Click here, for more information on this giveaway. Official rules apply.
Video: Bayonetta gets creative with death
Apparently it's not good enough to simply dispatch enemies these days. No, in these modern times, one must also torture them before they die. At least, that would appear to be the stance of Platinum Games' Bayonetta. The latest video released for the game explains the magic system. In short, landing successive blows on enemies without being struck fills the magic bar, allowing Bayonetta to unleash some particularly nasty finishing moves. For example she can summon a guillotine, stomp a foe's head right onto the chopping block and then drop the blade with a snap of her fingers. Or, if you're not really a traditionalist, you can opt for the giant, spiked wheel of death. Your choice. See the video after the break.
Sega Europe announces Bayonetta special edition
Sega of Europe revealed a new offering for PAL gamers who are way into Bayonetta, but not so way into Bayonetta that they're already buying the crazy five-disc soundtrack from Japan. The Bayonetta special edition, announced for release in the UK, Spain, France, and Australia, includes a single soundtrack disc, along with a hardcover art book. It'll be released alongside the regular edition of the game on January 8. Sega of America has yet to announce a special edition of Bayonetta, but we won't be shocked when the company does decide to pick up the extra money generated by such a release.
So you want to play the Bayonetta demo early, do you?
Sega just announced that 40,000 lucky Xbox 360 owners will get extremely early access to a demo for the upcoming action game Bayonetta. To be considered for the prize, gamers must register for a free Sega Pass -- essentially the publisher's newsletter -- and enter for a chance to be selected on the official Bayonetta demo site. Registration for the "contest" will be open from Monday, November 9 to Friday, November 13. Winners will be notified on Monday, November 16. Those not selected will then be referred to as "the group least likely to win a 'boot-gun thing' firing contest" ... or PlayStation 3 players. Should you not get selected, you might want to take advantage of making a Japanese account.
Bayonetta launch continues Platinum's winning streak
Bayonetta had a strong debut in Japan this week -- on PS3. The PS3 version of Platinum Games' action title sold 135,242 copies in its first week, topping the Media Create sales chart. The Xbox version had a good launch for an Xbox 360 game in Japan, at 64,325 copies. It wasn't a Resident Evil 5-size launch on either console, though the Xbox 360 version came close, and it wasn't a Wii Sports Resort-level sensation, but it should be enough to be considered a successful launch. This is Platinum Games's second launch in Japan, and it's the second to debut at the top of the charts. Infinite Space on DS took the winning position back in June, with a comparatively modest 38,394 copies. MadWorld, Platinum's other game, has yet to be released in Japan. The number two and three spots on Media Create's chart are also occupied by new games: Four Warriors of Light: Final Fantasy Gaiden, the new Final Fantasy for DS made by Matrix Software, and Tekken 6.
