Bayonetta: The Queen of War May Cry

but she'll be more likely to titter while administering fatal spankings to angels.

I have to say, Bayonetta is probably the most Japanese game I've ever played. There was a handful of times that I thought to myself, "Only in Japan." And you know what? We, the game--playing populace are all the better for it.

Bayonetta is one of the most imaginative and fresh games I've ever played. This game is Hideki Kamiya's creativity unleashed. Thankfully it isn't a case of big ideas and spotty execution. Thanks to the development experience of Kamiya and his team at Platinum Games this is also one of the best 3rd person action games ever created.

Everything about the game is pitch-perfect. The action stays near 60 frames per second at all times (something even Team Ninja couldn't do with Ninja Gaiden 2). The flow of combat was clearly crafted by a team that understands how to keep players challenged with a variety of combat scenarios while leaving the player in total control.

In my opinion, one of the key's to Bayonetta's triumph of design over its competitors is the game's intelligent use of the dodge button. There are two mechanical reasons as to why this game's dodge functionality surpasses its peers: 1) There is a button dedicated to dodging and only dodging. 2) This button is placed right under the player's index finger, which makes it its primary task. The player is able to dodge instantaneously as needed as a result of this logical design.

Platinum Games wisely explicitly highlights the importance of dodging by rewarding the player for doing so. If you dodge at the last second before being attacked, Bayonetta will activate Witch Time, which slows down all enemies on the screen for a period of time. Thankfully, the timing for this is strict enough to reward you for having good timing, but not so strict that the mere mortals among us are able to utilize it. Think God of War parry timing for Street Fighter III: Third Strike parry timing and you'll know the difference. Witch Time not only slows enemies down, but some enemies have a shield of some kind that can only be efficiently dispatched if you are using Witch Time. This is what elevates dodging to being the core mechanic of the game, moreso than combos.

In the next updates I will talk about more combat system specifics and why Bayonetta may be craziest AAA games you will ever play.

Catching Up

My blog has fallen into the trap, like every blog does. "Sorry I haven't updated in a while guyzzzzzz!" and all that nonsense. I realized that it has basically been one year since I started it, with no updates to it since the dreaded annual Autumn Video Game Avalanche.

It's the truth of the matter though. Sorry! The reason why?

JESUS GOD, VIDEOGAME INDUSTRY.

I mean, I knew that everyone wanted to miss competing with Modern Warfare 2 last holiday season, but I have been besieged by great video games, many of them high profile games or high profile sequels. So, I have been spending all of my free time playing and enjoying them instead of writing about them. A better balance is required! I will try and update the blog more regularly while playing said games, instead of doing what I've done these past 5 months and gorge on the playing alone.

On the brighter side of life, this time away has given me many many games to talk about and post entries about. Progress on My Personal Top 50 has also been made, albeit slowly.

I think first up on the list for next update is the Best Game of 2009 That Slipped Into A Wormhole And Was Released In 2010, Bayonetta.

Stay Tuned!