Review: Bayonetta 2 (Wii U)
Ideally, this review should only be a single sentence: Play Bayonetta 2.
But you and I both know I can’t just say “Play Bayonetta 2.” There’s gotta be a reason. How about this: Bayonetta 2 is currently the best action game from Platinum Games. If you’ve never played anything they’ve made, Platinum Games is made up of some of the former Capcom employees responsible for games like Viewitful Joe, Okami, and Devil May Cry. It’s not enough to say that their games are merely “over the top;” just about everything they’ve released goes bigger and crazier than you thought might actually be possible out of an action game. Bayonetta 2 has you face off against a dragon that’s bigger than most skyscrapers as the game’s first major boss encounter, and things only escalate from there.
As the latest game in a long-running legacy of action games dating as far back as the Playstation 2, Bayonetta 2 is master-class. I’ve struggled many times to get in to Bayonetta’s progenitor franchise, Devil May Cry. My problems with Devil May Cry seem to lie in just how weak Dante feels at the start. Your combat options are extremely limited, and your attack animations feel weirdly deliberate for a game so dedicated to stylish action. Bayonetta has always danced circles around Devil May Cry, and Bayonetta 2 is no exception. Combat is faster and more responsive than ever. Bayonetta herself starts the game fully loaded with plenty of attacks that can be chained together in dozens of different ways, and her repertoire only expands as you play the game, acquiring new weapons and buying further combat techniques. Witch Time is, as ever, the secret sauce that brings everything together. It’s a move that asks you to deliberately put yourself in the line of danger and dodge at the last possible second to expose the enemy’s weakness, and it never gets old.
As a sequel, Bayonetta 2 improves on the original in every possible way. The original Bayonetta was a fantastic game, but there’s no denying that it had a few rough edges. In particular, its length. Bayonetta ended up running out of steam at a certain point; its slow drip feed of new monsters to fight stopped almost entirely, with every level forcing you to run through the same parade of creatures, often in the same order, over and over and over again. Be it from Nintendo’s involvement with funding the game’s development, or simply by virtue of sequels being bigger and better, Bayonetta 2 is almost constantly taking you new places and showing you new faces.
It also gives you more to do, too. The original game seemed to be pretty single-minded: you’d run down a hallway, get to a combat arena, duke it out, and repeat that process until the level ended. On a rare occasion, you’d contend with a driving or flying minigame that would overstay its welcome, but there wasn’t much in the way of down time or variety. Bayonetta 2 is a much better paced game overall, largely because it encourages exploration more. Both Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2 have special challenge rooms tucked inside of their levels, but when I finished the original game in 2011, I don’t think I ever found a single one. Bayonetta 2 makes their presence known without making anything too obvious, and other gameplay elements better nudge you to go poking around the environment between combat encounters, too. Even the aforementioned minigame segments feel more in balance with the rest of the sequel. It’s all around just tighter, smoother, and more engaging.
As a game that stands on its own, Bayonetta 2 is absolutely gorgeous. 2014 was the year that the Wii U proved that so-called “last gen” games don’t have to mean ugly games, and Bayonetta 2 is yet another solid example. A lot of that is strong art direction, and Bayonetta 2 is a feast of bright colors and intense action. It’s actually a little weird going back to the original Bayonetta and seeing how drab and washed out a lot of its environments were, and its refreshing to see Bayonetta 2 so lovingly embrace deep blue skies. Even when we see Hell, Platinum shows us incredible vistas full of vivid shades of pink and red. It’s almost an overload — a few boss encounters had me executing Witch Time dodges on what felt like instinct alone because I was almost blinded by the color explosion — but it’s a welcome overload, and contributes to Bayonetta 2 having a vibrant energy that most other games can’t compare to.
If there was one area where you could potentially have an issue with Bayonetta 2, it would be in its content. Bayonetta has always been a game series for adults, and part of that has to do with her portrayal as sort of a sexualized character. I wouldn’t even mention it if not for the fact that it seems to be unavoidable, and if you are the sort of person who is easily embarrassed by lingering shots of a woman’s posterior, Bayonetta 2 will be a difficult game for you to get through. There is a degree of debate on whether or not Bayonetta‘s content is pandering or earnest, but in my personal experience, as an adult male who is interested in women, I find little about her character to be legitimately titillating. Bayonetta bucks most of the eye candy stereotypes you can think of: she’s smart, strong, and in control. Rarely seen without a wry smile and a sarcastic remark loaded and waiting to be fired. She’s the type of character who isn’t doing this for your benefit, she’s doing it for her own, and that’s an important distinction to make. The counter argument to that is that Bayonetta isn’t a person, she is the product of a creator, and is therefore judged by different rules. Regardless of what side of the debate you fall on, it’s an unavoidable trait of her character, and in my opinion, you’re better off playing along with it than not.
Bayonetta 2 is everything a sequel should be and more. There are some sequels out there (your Zelda 2s) where it’s clear the developers experimented with new, weird, and unexpected ideas in an effort to better understand what players originally enjoyed about the first game. Platinum knew what people liked about Bayonetta, and Bayonetta 2 succeeds in improving every single aspect of the original game. It’s a bright, colorful, tour de force of pure fun. Even the characters themselves seem to be having a blast. If you own a Wii U, you have no excuse not to play this game, and if you don’t own one… well, now might be the time to start thinking about how you’re going to play Bayonetta 2.
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Sorry this took so long, everyone. It was a weird holiday season that kept me distracted.
Now, back to working on my Sonic Boom video review…
Be strong man, don’t hit the sauce too hard after.
S’all good man. Hey, life happens.
Finally TSSZ reviews Bayonetta 2. Took you long enough.
While I’m not entirely sure Bayonetta 2 is better than the original, it’s indeed an absolutely fantastic game. The first game had more impressive bosses, and more fun enemies to fight, it was also a bit more challenging; you couldn’t for instance spam items without receiving a penalty to your grade in the first one.
Now we await the long overdue reviews of Alien: Isolation and PD f 2nd.
When will Sonic become this extreme and over the top again?
Probably never, unfortunately.
Sonic was this extreme and over the top? This is news to me
Sonic did have extreme and over-the-top moments in the series, but it was never as over-the-top as Bayonetta or any Platinum game for that matter. I think the most extreme and over-the-top moment in Sonic was the GUN Truck remake in City Escape in Generations, and the final Boss Monster of the Weeks in the Adventure games, Heroes, and Unleashed.
Dare I say Metal Overlord was quite the…metal fight? HAHAHAHAHA—*shot*
when was sonic anywhere near remotely over the top as bayonetta? What are you even asking for?
Read Tomoki’s comment.
And even if Sonic wasn’t as pver the top as Bayometta 2, who says he shouldn’t be?
Im still unsure of what you’re asking for. Are you asking for DmC styled gameplay, more cinematic or kinetic cutscenes, darker content or what? If you thought Generations was “piss-boring” which included the aforementioned truck chase, what would please you?
And how would that operate from a gameplay point of view? I ask because I’m genuinely curious.
@Blues: I think he’s trying to say he wants a Sonic game that looks exciting to play, and is also just as exciting to watch with a lot of crazy spectacle that gets people hyped up every time they play it; like what you find in many games made by Platinum, with an engaging crazy “high-stakes” storyline to keep him interested.
If correct, this is my 2 cents:
@100Rings: Making a more interesting story for Sonic shouldn’t be that difficult; however, from a gameplay perspective, it might be difficult to execute with a platforming series like Sonic, though. Especially if you want to avoid scripted-events, which many have been criticizing the series for having lately.
Dynamic/Interactive music-changing like what’s found in Modern Green Hill and Sky Sanctuary in Generations, used for more climactic purposes (like how music changes in boss battles in Metal Gear Rising) could help, somewhat, especially if Boss Battles go back to being over-the-top and flashy like they were in Generations HD (but perhaps even more over-the-top), that would be cool. As for levels, music changing based on how well you play and how fast you’re going would help that feeling too. Dynamic, lively level environments that allow for a lot of player interaction (used for both secret routes and strategies for beating enemies) and new power-ups that don’t change the core gameplay into a weird mini-game for a few seconds/minutes (angrily glares at wisps), such as new shoes/shield power ups could help as well. It’s really hard to say exactly what would work, per se, however.
Example of the Dynamic/Interactive Music used in a Generations Mod:
This^ said it better than I did. Tomoki knows me well enough to know what I mean by now xD
But I also want to add that the new direction is turning away more people than it is attracting. If the “playing it safe” comedy direction was working I wouldn’t have a leg to stand on but it clearly is not. Each game since Colors has been met with increasing criticism and even worse, indifference. Fans need something worh being a fan about, a cartoon with no real substance is not enough to keep the series trucking. It’s just that simple.
When pigs fly 100Rings.
Yeah you’re probably right. We’re either gonna get games that sacrifice the identity (Lost World/Boom) or games that are simply piss-boring. (Generations)
What are you talking about? Generations was so fucking fun
Gens. was too short, notice how the modern stages were basically the same thing from their respective games?
it’s repetitive, the missions suck and it’s mind boggling as to why you would do them to get keys. As much as I liked Unleashed, I can’t stand the boost mechanic anymore, it is BORING, all you do is hold X or Square the whole time through or if you go into a 2D area( Which by the way, think it’s stupid to have considering Modern Sonic is really all about 3D platforming)
Not even the Steam community can make that steaming bag of crap look good, models,levels, etc. it’s still the same boost to win complexion that is already dried out.
For the record, I am not completely anti-boost. Something as simplistic and shallow as the boost gameplay woould have functioned better in a “pick up and play” racing game. The boosting mechanic is nothing but a simple test of refexes and memory, this would have functioned best in racing environment. It’s simple and takes about 15 good minutes to learn. It’s built on shortlived adrenaline bursts that loses it’s novelty very quickly. It could work if SEGA would find a way to keep it entertaining. A multiplayer Sonic footracer with solid online capabilities and consistent DLC would be awesome. Combine that with a short but extravagant “campaign” mode we would have a Grade A Sonic game on our hands.
I would pay good money for that.
I would just say make sure the content is appealing and TRUE to the Sonic identity. More emphasis on being visually appealing, shunning all traces of Mario, Crash Bandicoot and any other series Sonic was never meant to be.
@100rings
While I know what you mean, to be fair, Sonic WAS supposed to be a lot like Mario. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that Yuji Naka got the idea for Sonic’s gameplay by speed running Mario.
This game improves upon the original in every way. Visuals, Gameplay, More weapons, More diverse environments, More playable characters, More modes except for a few things. The game is pretty easy, at least compared to the original, after getting nothing but stone in the first game I found myself getting pretty much straight golds and even a couple platinums plus the enemies felt so much less aggressive this time around. Another thing is the story which is still nonsensical bullshit but still entertaining none the less although I found bayonetta less interesting as a character this time around. There’s also the final boss which is extremely lame compared to the original, especially after the original pretended to end twice. After beating him I was wondering what came next. Then the credits rolled and it was back to the title screen and I felt extremely empty.
I pray platinum doesn’t forget the series, I’d love to see more of the bayonetta world. Maybe a title based around jeanne like kamiya hinted, exploring her backstory and fleshing her out more as a character
The first game had tons of references to old SEGA games. Does this one has it too?
So far, I haven’t discovered nearly as many as the first game had. And those that are in this one are more implicit than they are explicit.
I know it has some wonderful 101 references and even a star fox reference but I’m not sure of any others, I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a bunch of nintendo references still waiting to be found
There are references to SEGA still; Alex Kid, Virtua Fighter, Sonic, After Burner and more.
Many of them are re-used, like the game uses Halos that resemble rings from Sonic still. The Alex Kid reference is a new one though.
Bayonetta 2 seems crazy.
Every time I hear “Bayonetta 2 improves on its predecessor in every possible way” I die a little inside. In my mind, it does the exact opposite in every way that actually matters.
I kept waiting for it to “get good”, and it never did. I used the same weapons the whole game, because none of the others are that great, and all the good ones feel kinda same-y. The boss battles lacked the epic scale of the previous game. Yes, that first boss is cool, but having a bunch of chaotic shit happen in the background is not the same as DOING that shit yourself. Madame Butterfly having a punching match in the background does not compare to throwing giant missiles at Jeanne during a rival fight.
The mech and chase sequence was boring as shit, and re-using the old bosses just highlighted how much cooler and more interesting those boss battles were in the original game. I feel like half the major fights in this game were exactly the same: “fly around” on a 2D plane that restricts your movement and punch at a small guy who barely fights back Not even as ridiculous or crazy intense as the Jeanne fights of the same nature.
I just never really felt that crazy Platinum OH SHIT, LOOK WHAT I’M DOING rush at any point after the first level – not even in most of the cutscenes. No chucking gigantic missiles at enemies, no picking up bosses 10x bigger than you and breaking their necks off, no awesome motorcycle scene racing past giant monsters OR UP INTO GODDAMN SPACE. Just a lot of forgettable low stakes fights. I feel like Platinum’s heart wasn’t really in this, or like it went against their nature to do a sequel. Mechanically, it’s every bit as polished, but I just felt like they didn’t bother to up the ante or bring anything new to the table, which just makes the whole thing just kinda fell flat for me.
I largely agree with all of this. Even the enemy design wasn’t quite as good as in the first; I was overjoyed to see Grace and Glory return in B2 for instance, and still consider the pair to be the most fun enemy to fight in the whole series.
After a certain point, there’s only so big you can go. I mean, Bayonetta still fights things that are significantly bigger than she is. The only way for her to fight monsters BIGGER than the ones in Bayonetta 1 would be if she fought, I dunno, an actual planet.
There’s the old “It’s not about the size, it’s how you use it” addage, and Bayonetta 2 is so much tighter than Bayonetta 1. More basic enemy types in exchange for less huge bosses is a change I’m more than welcome to.
You didn’t use any weapons beyond the first ones? Sucks for you, I guess. I was constantly changing things up and trying new combinations out to see what I liked (near the end of the game, I became a big fan of katanas and whips on my feet — doing a Witch TIme dodge and punishing enemies with a strong whip slam is great).
It just sounds like you had impossible expectations.
Katanas and whips were essentially weapons I used, and even then they both feel relatively similar. Nothing surprising like the claw weapons, gun-chucks, or rocket tonfas. Even the chainsaw weapons felt pretty lackluster, with their only redeeming feature being their re-used skating mechanic.
I wasn’t necessarily hoping or expecting Platinum to top “killing God” as the final boss fight, or even up the ante that dramatically, but the large scale boss fights from the original were a lot more involved, varied, and interesting than the same-y smaller-scale rival battles in 2 (which even lacked the exciting intensity that most of the Jeanne fights from the original had).
Similarly, there may be more different enemy types in 2, but it certainly doesn’t feel like it – maybe just because so few of them are interesting or memorable. Nothing that compares to ripping chainsaw tails off of flying death mantas. If I may mutilate your adage: “It’s not about variety, it’s about how you use it”, and – to me at least – Bayo 2 feels like it does a lot less with a lot more. I’d hardly say it’s an “impossible expectation” to have hoped the game would at least live up to the what made the original great.
Big ol’ comment probably got lost, but to put it another way: Bayo2 is only better than the original on a superficial level. Sure, it’s pretty, maybe it’s more mechanically polished (if it is, it’s hard to tell since there’s no discernible issues in the original), and yes, that opening sequence is pretty intense… but after that there’s just a lot of dull and muted “meh” that never quite adds up to the interactive spectacle of the original. This is B-list Platinum,
Seems it was discovered and is now visible so…yeah. XD
Comment got eaten by the spam filter again.
Anyway, Bayo2 looks fun and all, but eh, there’s not much else that interests me on Wii U. A shame Sega abandoned it and left it for dead, but at least Nintendo saved it from oblivion. I’ve played the demo of Bayo1 on 360 sometime ago, and it was fun; maybe I’ll pick up the first one sometime.
…That’s really all I have to say about it, honestly.
Found your comment and it should be up now!
Thanks!
Left a reply to “Blues” but the spam folder ate it. Assistance is required.