Bayonetta 2 is here, and it’s not messing around — just check out our review if you don’t believe me. Of course, CraveOnline isn’t the only site blown away by the game, and in the short time since reviews have been published, Platinum’s superb followup to its 2010 fan favorite has sent shockwaves through the industry. If you haven’t figured it out by now, you’re going to want to find a way to play this game. Don’t have a Wii U? So be it. Go play at GameStop or something. Just take the game for a spin. Sneak into your friend’s basement and play the demo if you have to.
With release still over a week away, it seems appropriate to take a look at just what makes Bayonetta 2 so special. Why has the internet been whipped into a frenzy over a wacky, seemingly niche Wii U action title? Well, the entirety of that story is a long one, but the gallery below should fill you in on the basics. In short, Bayonetta 2 is a titan in a slowly dying genre, and a flag-bearer for what games of the same ilk ought to try and be. That said, I doubt we can expect a new champion anytime soon.
Related: Bayonetta 2 Review – Start Creating Miracles
Bayonetta 2 releases in North America on November 24th, so you officially have that much time to grab a Wii U and secure a copy of the game. Short on cash? Nintendo sells the damn things for less than it costs to upgrade your iPhone. Think about it — which is really going to give you more enjoyment?
Bayo 2 EYNtK
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The sequel to a classic, sponsored by Nintendo
In case you hadn’t been made aware, the story of Bayonetta 2’s existence is a curious one. The short version is that Nintendo swooped in to fund development when nobody else would, rendering the title both a Wii U exclusive and a high-profile release the likes of which may not have happened otherwise.
Of course, it remains to be see how Wii U exclusivity will affect sales, and though units haven’t exactly flown off of shelves in Japan thus far, neither have home consoles in general. Positive critical reception and the holiday rush, in theory, could help Bayonetta 2 at least return on its investment this Fall and Winter.
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Cinematic, but in real time
Remember QTE’s? You know, quick time events. They became popular during the PS2/GameCube era, particularly with the God of War series on PS2. In the time that’s passed since then they’ve become disliked and even mocked, often seen as filler for a lack of compelling gameplay.
Bayonetta 2 does QTEs right, and the result is a mind-bogglingly cinematic combat experience. At times it feels as though you’re playing through a choreographed scene from a film, with an enemy’s well-placed jab sliding by inches from your head the only thing to remind you otherwise. QTEs are short and well-placed, amplifying the cinema aesthetic handily. For a game of modest runtime when it comes to cutscenes, Bayonetta 2 finds a way to feel like the one of the greatest action flicks you’ve ever seen.
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Critical domination
Wii U owners and those who intend to purchase one will be pleased to learn that not only has Nintendo allocated proper trust and resources in Platinum Games, but that those efforts have paid off -- possibly more than anyone ever expected. In addition to a glowing review from CraveOnline, the title has earned a whopping ten perfect scores on Metacritic, making it the Wii U’s third highest-rated game on the site.
Of course, numbers aren’t everything, and you don’t have to go far to find some especially loving language directed toward the title’s craftsmanship, attention to detail, and all-around brilliance in the departments of both gameplay and design. The visuals aren’t half bad either, especially by Wii U standards.
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Bosses for a new generation
I mentioned this in my review, but Bayonetta 2’s boss encounters are some of the most thrilling and high-energy fights I’ve yet found this generation. Resembling a cross between the grandeur and artfulness of bosses found in Skyward Sword and the cinematic splendor of those from God of War, Bayonetta 2’s boss encounters are the sort that’ll leave you not just breathless, but wondering if what you just saw actually happened. The only logical course of action upon defeating one is to hurry up with the rest of the missions so you can do it all over again.
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More than a few duct-taped Wiis
The original Wii received flack for amounting to little more than “two duct-taped GameCubes” in the graphics and visual-horsepower departments, and though the Wii U has proven its superiority in the past, Bayonetta 2 hammers the point home. Not only does the game run at 60 frames per second, but its levels and enemies posses detail and polish that simply wouldn’t be possible on a lesser machine. The original Bayonetta on Xbox 360 and PS3 proves it; though not leaps and bounds ahead, it's clear that Bayonetta 2 is the prettier game.
This extends to specific encounters as well, and the more high-strung or frenetic a mission tends to be, the better it’s going to look. As scenery and even other characters whiz up, down, and around as you dismantle foes one-by-one onscreen, a well-placed blur effect really does make your surroundings feel shockingly high-fidelity. In-game cutscenes can occasionally draw attention to some visual shortcomings, but they don’t last long -- play on a big-screen TV at a reasonable distance and things should look just fine.
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Online co-op that’s friend-code free
A surprising feature that I’m enjoying more than I expected is Bayonetta 2’s online co-op mode, called Tag Climax. Teaming up with another player, your goal is to play through a series of encounters selected from the main game (and plenty that are not), collecting halos as you place wagers against your online partner. After six battles, a winner is declared and the appropriate winnings are doled out. Given that halos are the game’s currency, success in this mode can prove quite useful.
Not only that, but the mode proves fun even with strangers. The larger your wager, the higher the difficulty will be, which can result in some hilariously quick defeats but also thrilling victories if you actually pull them off. It’s also fun to size up your opponent and attempt to guess their skill level from the limited info you have. Though not a reason to buy the game itself, Tag Climax is a blast when you’re not absorbed in the main game.
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Play again, then play the original
My first inclination upon completing Bayonetta 2 was that I want to replay it, and the single-player experience is something I’m sure I’ll run through at least twice more before getting bored. Luckily, for those who never experienced the first game, its been ported to Wii and fully included here, down to every last detail.
I wouldn’t quite call the Wii U version of Bayonetta a remaster, but it is a superior port than the notoriously bad PS3 version that released years prior. The game is about as worthwhile as you might expect, and though it never quite reaches the soaring heights of its sequel, it’s more than enough to feed the insatiable action-game appetite you’re going to have upon completing Bayonetta 2. Regardless, one thing’s for sure -- it won’t be easy to put this game out of your mind when it’s time to move on.
