Bayonetta Review (Xbox 360, PS3)

Have you ever watched an in-game cutscene and wished that your character could pull off those ridiculously awesome moves? Bayonetta, developed by Platinum Games and created by Hideki Kamiya (the Devil May Cry series) for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, is the answer to those desires and plans to begin 2010 on a very explosive note.

You play as the beautiful-yet-sassy Umbran witch, Bayonetta, who has been asleep in a coffin for 500 years. Awakening with no memory of her former life, she goes on a journey to seek out a stone known as the Right Eye and to find some answers to her mysterious past. Bayonetta is calm, collected and never second guesses herself. Although there has been some controversy about Bayonetta's sexuality, most female players probably won't be offended by it, as it never comes off as degrading and Bayonetta is never objectified. There are a few scenes that may suggest otherwise, but Bayonetta is reminiscent of a time period of awakened sexuality.

Although Bayonetta is a great character, the story told in the game doesn't do her justice. It makes about as much sense as reading the entire collection of Shakespeare in another language. There are some very humorous moments, but this is a game that's not here to change the world, more like be entertainment for entertainment's sake.

But, of course, most players don't play a game for the story and instead are more concerned about the action, which there is plenty of. Bayonetta can pull off her standard punch and kick, but it's her Wicked Weave finishers that will have you coming back for more. With these moves the heroine morphs her hair into some spectacularly oversized creature to eat the bosses. Yes, her hair eats them. It can also morph into a fist or a stiletto heel as a finishing move. Additionally, Bayonetta has weapons on her hands and feet. There's one move in which Bayonetta is doing a handstand and firing enemies in a complete 360-degree rotation. Players will probably abuse this move often if only to keep asking, "How does that work?"

Although the combat relies mostly on two buttons, it's surprising how much depth and combos there are to master. Included is an impressive amount of different animations and combos for various weapons you can collect or pick up from the remains of your enemies. Not only are the controls some of the best in the action genre, there's a pause in between levels that lets you learn the different moves and keeps count of how many times you've done a particular combo.

In terms of presentation, there hasn't been a game with this much imagination and creativity in a while. Your enemies are typically demonic-looking angels, especially the bosses. These are some of the most impressively designed creatures and they look very intimidating. Boss battles are not the standard tedious affair seen in many games, as several steps are required to defeat them, and they're not always at the end of the each level. Bayonetta has great pacing and players certainly won't be doing the same thing twice.

There are a few knots in Bayonetta's beautiful weave. Environments look pretty, but a little bland because they're often devoid of anything that will hold your attention for too long. After all the nonsensical action, it's pretty hard to stare at a beautifully rendered wall for a long period of time. There will also be times when you feel like you are wrestling with the camera during the short platforming sections. You can control the camera how you like, but it moves rather slowly for it to be of any real use. Then there are the "driving" portions of Bayonetta, which run on too long and the controls are a bit wonky. One of the driving segments had the controls inverted (when you move the joystick down, the character you control goes up and vice versa) and there was no way to change them. Another issue was that when Bayonetta acquired her first melee weapon, it took some menu navigating to find out where it was and how to equip it. These are rather minor complaints, however, as the rest of Bayonetta was well crafted.

Bayonetta will take 8 to 15 hours to play, depending on your difficulty. There's a high incentive to keep replaying it, as there are hundreds of items to collect such as weapons and costumes, two harder difficulties to unlock, and leaderboards that showcase your score compared to other players. Because the combat is so slick and fun, you'll enjoy replaying your favorite chapters to achieve that Platinum Trophy or finding all the hidden LPs to obtain some canons to strap on Bayonetta's stilettos.

Bayonetta is a great action game that doesn't follow the formula, making her stand out from the crowded genre and revamping it. Whether players are looking for the exhilarating action sequences or just want to see a bird made out of hair swallow or a dragon head, players are in for a good time. Let's hope more of Bayonetta will be seen in the future.