Bayonetta review

Developers:
Platinum Games (Team Little Angels)
Sega (PS3 port)

Publisher:
SEGA

Designer:
Hideki Kamiya (director)

Artist:
Mari Shimazaki (character designer)

Composer:
Masami Ueda
Hiroshi Yamaguchi
Rei Kondo
Akari Kaida
Erina Niwa
Norihiko Hibino
Yoshitaka Suzuki
Takahiro Izutani
Takayasu Sodeoka

Platform:
PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 (BEING REVIWED ON THE PS3 VERSION)

Release date:
JP October 29, 2009
NA January 5, 2010
EU January 8, 2010

Genre:
Action

Mode:
Single-player

Rating:
BBFC: 15
CERO: D
ESRB: M
OFLC: MA15+
OFLC: R16
PEGI: 18

Remember when you first picked up Devil May Cry 1 and started playing it? Remember all the demon ass kicking you did, remember how awesome it felt to kick HUGE bosses in the face while being awesome and cool bout it , remember how Dante was so cool and epic? Well in Bayonetta it’s the same only x100 times more epic. I got my copy by the end of December 2009 which was leaked a week before its original release date , I was going to the shop to pick up Uncharted 2 and what ever second hand games they have. So while I was browsing through the games, I found this game with a weird cover, sexy girl posing in space and the earth is in the back ground?? . . . It took me a second till it finally hit me IT WAS Bayonetta, I picked up a copy and put in my pocket just to make sure that i have it lol. I went back home, pop the disc in and OMG @_@ all I can say is , well , I have been playing it none stop since then.

Presentation:
When you start the game you will notice kamiya's DMC (Devil May Cry) touch all over the menu, even the girl saying BAYONETTA like DMC when you press start. The main menus are straightforward while the in game menu a.k.a. “pause” ‎is a little tricky. To be honest it took me a few chapters before I fully understood ‎how to use the item and weapon menu properly, there is really no ‎explanation to tell you how to equip or shuffle your weapons and the item menu ‎”continue” part was the same. Pressing "O" will get you out of sub menus but it will not exit the main menu, you will still have to press "X" to exit which was weird for me. Aside from the menu talk, Bayonetta got one of the biggest environments I saw in an action game so massive yet detailed; I liked how they made some of the “no ground environments” work. Everything flows smoothly and reacts to the action you inflict on your enemies. I liked the health and magic bars how they sparkle it really fits Bayonetta's feminine side. When I first saw the screen shots of the game (specially the wicked wave a.k.a. ‎giant hands and foot stomp moves), I was kind of skeptical about it. I had the ‎feeling that it will never flow right through the game and it will make some frame ‎rate issues, but I was completely wrong as the game and battles flows like magic ‎and you enjoy how you inflict pain to your enemies. Of course regarding the whole PS3 vs. XBOX360 frame rate issue, well, yeah the xbox version is much more stable but honestly, I played the PS3 copy and it did not really affect the fun.
Score: 9.5/10

Gameplay:
Hmmm…the core game plays of Bayonetta is all about hack and slash at maximum level and time, what more do you need from an action?? the action is really satisfying and the amount of combos you can land on enemies is insanely big , i was surprised by how much the combos and chains you can use in this game to kill your enemies. The weapons were epic, how many games you know that has a female lead wearing guns on her high heels? Baynetta can do that and its not just guns there is a lot of weapons and different variations you can do by mixing your weapons. Depending on which weapon combination you use your whole strategy in killing enemies will change. I will not spoil anything but I like the skates :3
One of the most awesome things about Bayonetta is her Hair! What? Yes her hair, Bayonetta wears a suit made of her own hair because she is a witch and witches don’t protect people right? Well in this game they do lol.
The protagonist wears the suit not to just cover her body :3 but to also summon giant demon monsters to kill her enemies and believe me you will never be more satisfied when you kick an enemy's ass so you can behead them in a sadistic way. Bayonetta is easily the most action over the top game for the PS3 and XBOX360 at the moment
Score: 10/10

Characters:
In the game, you will meet a bunch of characters that help shape up the world and story of Bayonetta, I think the design was kind of weird at first but it grows on you and believe it or not the game was designed by a woman and she said no one will know what men wants like a woman. I think that the game needed more characters but I think it was fine the way it is, every character got its own charm and they added it nicely to the story.
Score: 10/10

Overall:
to sum it up , Bayonetta is a very satisfying action game and it will give you this adrenaline rush every time a battle starts or boss shows up. the game was relatively long which was nice, there is a very easy mode which will make the game approachable to anyone who is new the genre. Lots of replay value for all the weapons and bonuses to unlock. It’s a game that will always be there waiting for you to come back and kick some more ass. and as usual like every game made the guys formally known as “Clover”, their game endings is always nice and makes you sit and watch it till the end . The people who are behind it are Team Angels (sound feminine enough to be familiar?). Bayonetta is a game I think personally you should pick up if you were ever a fan of the DMC series and believe me its worth it.
Score 9.5/10

Pro(s)
Over the top action
It feels nice to kick foes ass
Long play time
Lots of replay value
Sexy Bayonetta bonus unlocks @_@
One of the coolest OSTs that I heard in an action game
Bayonetta can be baby easy or Demon hard for the hard core players, a treat for everyone

Con(s)
Frame rate issue in the PS3 version
Long loading times in the PS3 "fixed in a later update"
Needed more menu and system explanation


~MAMO chan~ :3

A chilly moment from the cold blizzard

A few weeks back my PC got fixed and ready for gaming. I found out that I also have pending games to pick and play on that system. To name a few, I include Blizzard’s notable titles like Diablo 2 and the expansion, Starcraft with expansion also and World of Warcraft.

First off, I finally got to try WOW (World Of Warcraft). A Massively Multiplayer Online game and a Role Playing Game shortly known as MMORPG. WOW has been around since 2004, there were two expansions released up to now, and they are “The Burning Crusade” which was released in 2007 and “Wrath of the Lich King” in 2008. This year, a third expansion is on the making named “Cataclysm” which will be released somewhere around this year.

I felt a bit left behind knowing that I would never imagine myself to play WOW one day. But here I am, a messed up body clock spending too much time on PC and left my consoles at bay.

During my first week in WOW, I found out that Blizzard Entertainment finally made an official release date for Starcraft 2 called “Wings of Liberty” and would due at July 27 this year. Fortunately, the game will surprise Facebook users, linking it that will see gamers able to search their Facebook friends lists for opponents. When I first heard this feature, I started to think that Blizzard would make additional millions for just applying that feature. I looked at the gameplay on video and I quoted that “I would rather watch the pros go head to head than me playing it”. It is at all sorts awesome.

In addition, Diablo 3 has been presenting some impressive teasers so far, from classes, environments and gameplay. Unfortunately, composers of the previous game are no longer in the company, However, I’m optimistic for the new teams to set a fair good game for the upcoming many sleepless nights.

Looking at it in a bigger picture, Blizzard Entertainment is showering us some goodies on three different franchises this year. My perception is that many gamers will soon focus more on pimping their PC units and/pr buying a new laptop just in time to get a hold on a copy.

I wonder what other’s think of this year now that we have a release date for Starcraft 2 or Blizzard’s raging return of PC gaming domination.

Review: Heavy Rain

Developer(s) 
Quantic Dream

Publisher(s)          
Sony Computer Entertainment

Engine          
Havok

Platform          
PlayStation 3

Release date          
February 2010

Genre(s)         
 Interactive drama

Mode(s)          
Single-player

Rating(s)          
BBFC: 15
ESRB: M
OFLC: MA15+
PEGI: 18


In today’s world, there are a lot of basic game releases going on and at some point it gets a little tiring overtime to see releases with familiar gameplays weather its FPS, RPG, JRPG, SPORTS or such.

But this game I will talk about dose not fall on usual gameplay releases. And I’m talking about Heavy Rain.

A few weeks ago, I invested a huge amount of hours just to finish off this game. Before buying this game, I had two main reasons why I picked it up, 1st it was about the “nude” controversy that restricted it to launch officially here in this country and 2nd I just want to know who’s the killer. Yet getting there will give you a lot of time to devote with all the explorations around you.

In the game, you interact with your surroundings and lead you to a different scenario. You will also control four main characters with their separate scenarios and they are as follows:

Norman Jayden: An FBI agent who’s in search for the Origami killer trying to connect the dots while he uses an advanced virtual technology device called ARI as his main tool (and a pretty neat tool too) while suffering a drug addiction just to keep him focused on his work.

Scott Shelby: A retired cop who is now a private investigator hired by the parents of the victims to hunt down the Origami Killer. To add that the old timer has Asthma so he uses an inhaler.

Ethan Mars: A simple parent who lost his elder son from a traumatic accident 2 years prior to the game and currently he is searching for his second son who’s kidnapped by the Origami Killer. Mysteriously, he suffers a mental problem after the traumatic incident with his lost son that leads him to blackout and wake up in an unknown place.

Madison Paige: A photojournalist who got herself involved with Ethan Mars’s problem and conducted her own investigation to search his son. She also has trouble sleeping and ends up crashing into motels.

The first few hours of the game was so darn slow and walking controls felt a bit clunky, though I understand why at some silly situations you have to execute them. Like brushing your teeth or play with Ethan’s kids just to get the hang of the controls are just some simple in game examples. At some point it gives a critical situation where you have to make a fast decision to react on the commands just to stir the plot’s outcome and that’s where the game will determine on what type of ending you will get. It’s pretty fun to make different decisions though at some point at the end, it will give you almost the same results on who’s the killer.

Presentation:
It’s a pretty familiar experience which is close to where I describe as a Movie. Not too fast phased as Modern Warfare 2 or too boring and long dialogue of Assassin’s Creed. Among one of the most vital aspects were the voice acting, I can say that this game has one of the best voice acting I have seen however, some acting did not sounded as it should for noticeable regional accent that dose not represent the character’s profile. Executing actions and given environments really helps to relate.
Score: 9.5/10

Graphics: 
Even though some character expression may look a bit awkward, they serve a good purpose and forgivable to the point of not noticing them.
“It has one of the best looking graphics out there.” Facial expressions are close to real as well as water effects and for those who’s looking forward to the human skin well all I can say is it’s close to real. 
Score: 10/10

Gameplay:
 It is a very uncommon gameplay experience for me. It’s incredibly slow at first but will make you want to know what will happen next as you progress further to the story. Although some unwanted commands will make you ask why they included them in the first place or the clunky walk commands. But they are minor issues that won’t distract you from not playing it till the end.
Score: 8.5/10

Overall: 
Heavy Rain doesn’t come easy when we talk about similar releases out there. It’s a winner for its own genre and for those who waited for it to come. They must be happy by now.
Overtime, I understood why others really appreciate this game but in the end I’m down to say it’s not really my cup of tea. And I can say it’s a one time game for me even though there were several multiple endings in there.  

Score: 9/10

Pro(s) 

One of the best voice acting executions out there
Superb graphics
Good music + great environmental graphics + great voice acting = excellent execution.
Multiple endings

Con(s) 
Slow start
Multiple endings (I didn’t have the luxury play it again when most of the games will slow you down)
Clunky walk controls
Some characters accent didn’t fit to the voice actors
At some point it feels more like a movie than a game

~Mookie-Mookie~