STORY:	8 out of 10
GRAPHICS & DESIGN:	9 out of 10
SOUND:	10 out of 10
GAMEPLAY:	10 out of 10
FUNFACTOR/TILT:	10 out of 10
OVERALL SCORE:	9 out of 10

I’ve played some crazy games in my day but I have to say that Bayonetta may in fact be the craziest, most over-the-top thing I have ever experienced. While many action games are content to stick by tride and true formulas, Bayonetta goes out of way to bring some truly unique stuff into the action genera. It’s ridicules use of “sex appeal” is something that only a 13 year old boy could appreciate but it’s style and superb gameplay make it the best pure action game this console generation has seen.

There are some who will compare Bayonetta’s gameplay and look to Devil May Cry and that’s probably because the game is directed by the creator, Hideki Kamiya. You see, Kamiya and a few other ex-Capcom guy formed Platnium Games. The new studio inked a deal with Sega to Publish games and if Bayonetta is any indication of the stuff these guys are going to put out, Sega better be thanking their lucky stars. But don’t be fooled, Bayonetta may have some similarities to the DMC series but it really is its own totally unique game.

The story in Bayonetta is ridiculesly cheesy and yet remains awesome throughout. Something about witches and how they have been oppressed and a little mobster guy and Morphious from the Matrix… and… well… okay… so the story isn’t important. Seriously though, it’s MORE than interesting enough to keep you playing. Not to mention the games cut scenes (which is where some of the most over the top craziness will ensue)! If you like Japanese culture, particularly anime and manga or even a movie like The Matrix then you’re really going to dig the action that at times moves so fast it’s almost difficult to tell just what the hell is going on!

Bayonetta is a game that oozes style. The character model of Bayonetta herself looks incredible as does the architecture of the European city that you’ll be fighting in throughout a majority of the game. From every brick of a massive castle structure to every strand of Bayonetta’s long hair, the designers have certainly gone out of the way to make sure everything looks simply amazing. Oh and the bosses! These guys are MASSIVE.

It’s really the gameplay that makes Bayonetta so special. It’s simple enough so that anyone can do ridicules multi-hit combos on winged-angel-monsters in a button-mashing frenzy but deep enough to that people who truly want to dig their teeth in and utterly decimate the game can do just that. Most of the button you’ll use the punch and kick button to get the job done. But you also have your guns for ranged attacks, witch time (which is activated when you dodge an enemy attack at the precise time) and brutal finishing move attacks for when you’re feeling “naughty”. The timing in Bayonetta is so precise and the gameplay so responsive that it will make you say “yes, this is how an action game should be made.” There are also lots of nifty techniques you can buy and items that you can weild such as a katana. All of this variety makes it so that combat never gets old. Truly, we haven’t seen gameplay this good since the first Ninja Gaiden… except it’s even better than the first Ninja Gaiden. If we have one complaint about Bayonetta it’s the quick time events that literally pop out of NOWHERE. There’s no way to know when these things are coming and they’re incredibly annoying. Still, that doesn’t actually take away from the outstanding gameplay and isn’t enough to drop the game’s score down in any way.

On its initial release there were issues with the Playstation 3 version of the game; mostly ridiculessly long load times and a few other glitches. However, a (large 138 meg) patch has become available and fixed all these nagging issues. So now whether you get the Playstation 3 or XBox 360 version of the game you can be sure you’re getting your monies worth.

Bayonetta is the kind of game where you think you’ve seen all the crazy insanity it has to offer but then the next part somehow manages to be even more crazy, more over the top and more fun than the last. It takes you on an amazing roller-coaster ride that stays strong all the way to the end and will make your jaw drop more than once. While I can see how it might not be for everyone I will say that in my view, it’s really the evolution of action games, particularly in this generation.

-Jason Glasco