Gamersmint Review: Bayonetta
The Visuals
Set in the fictional European country of Vigrid, the locales of Bayonetta are fantabulous. While the earth locations are beautiful on their own, it’s the Paradiso segments which induce jaw-dropping behavior. The in-game angels are nothing like you’ve seen before. These angels have upside-down baby faces with dragon necks and tentacles sticking out at odd angles. The team at Platinum Games have messed-up imaginations; there can be no doubt about that.
The star of the show, however, is Bayonetta herself, who has been so lovingly crafted to be every man’s desire. All throughout the game, she will intentionally pose herself (or her assets) in front of the camera and flaunt all that she has. Hey, we are not complaining. And neither should you.
The boss levels specifically, ooze of intricate detail and epic scale. If you think you’ve seen the biggest of bosses, you need to play Bayonetta to understand how a lowly enemy in this game is fit to be the final boss for any other game.
The framerate holds up mostly and there are very little hints of screen tearing. All this can be forgiven considering the flashy mayhem taking place on screen. This is a game that will turn heads, make no mistake about that. Attention has been given to each and every little animation. While the attacks of Bayonetta and her enemies look wonderful and smooth, it’s the little things like the way Bayonetta walks or dodges that wow me every time I play this game.
On the other end of the spectrum, the weird filmstrip like jpeg’s which are used as cutscenes, dent the presentation quality. The only explanation to this can be lack of time to polish the game or budget problems. It’s not a game breaker in anyway, but does detract from the overall presentation
The Sound
Terrible voice acting and laughable script outline the sound department. There is an intended cheese factor that shows that the game never takes itself too seriously. But even the cheesiness wears off very quickly and the cutscenes become a drag to watch. Thank god we can skip them and get to the real meat of the game.
A heavily remixed version of ‘Fly me to the Moon’ and some other unknown J-pop songs are used during the action sequences but you won’t be missing much if you mute the audio. It’s unfortunate how a great song like ‘Fly me to the Moon’ is mercilessly butchered to fit the context of the game.
The Multiplatform Factor
There has been a lot of debate over the X360 and Ps3 versions of the game. Platinum Games made the game from ground up on the X360, but they did not port it to the PS3 themselves, leaving the job to SEGA. While the game is definitely playable on the PS3, there are noticeable slowdowns when the actions heats up. Also the PS3 version is home to unnecessary loading times that disrupt the fluid gameplay. Pressing the Start/Select button will result in a 5-6 second loading screen after which the respective menus will be displayed. The Loading is even more evident in the midst of gameplay when the player receives an item; a 2 -5 second loading takes place before information about that item can be displayed. These are valid complaints but should not stop you from buying a great game altogether.
Bottom-line: If you own both consoles, don’t think twice about picking up the X360 version. But if you only have a PS3, don’t worry; the loading times is a minor niggle which you can overlook. Bayonetta is still a great game on the PS3.
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