Thank you Sega
Monday, November 16th, 2009So a couple years ago I had to join some Sega online club in order to participate in the Universe At War: Earth Assault beta. What I got out of it as giving Sega my contact info was a completely unplayable beta. I would go on to not buy the game based off its very “meh” demo, even though it had an absolutely fantastic soundtrack by Frank Klepacki of Command & Conquer fame (a sound track that you can download for free by the way. I recommend you do).
Anyway, much to my surprise I got an e-mail last weekend from Sega asking me if I’d like into the demo of Bayonetta early. I don’t know how Sega figured out I had a 360, maybe I told them, but the answer to that is a gigantic yes.
So I’ve downloaded it, I’ve played it and let me tell you, it’s good. While I still feel guilty for admitting my interest in the game since it features a curvy woman in a skin-tight outfit who gets more naked the more powerful her spells are, and whose ultimate attacks are called “climax moves”, the game play is momentously solid. It is the same kind of over-the-top action you expect from a Devil May Cry game, but in a vastly different flavor. The team has done a fantastic job of creating a unique fighting style for Bayonetta and I can already see there’s tons of depth to be explored with it in the full version of the game. I can’t quite put my finger on it but for some reason the combat feels more fluid than it does in Devil May Cry 4, and it’s certainly much easier to dodge than it was in that game.
My only complaint so far is that I’m gonna need a better TV to play this game. The camera likes to stay pretty far away from Bayonetta (surprising giving how much work the team put into her “assets” *ahem*), and that can make it hard to make out the white-colored baddies standing against stone-colored floors and backgrounds if they are more to the background. This is an issue since dodging is just as important in this game as aiming your cross hairs on the target’s head in a FPS is. Dodging unlocks a slow-mo “Witch Time” mechanic, during which you have a few seconds to just absolutely pound your foes and get bonus points for doing so.
So, long story short, thank you Sega for giving me early access to this game. I can definitely add this one to the list of “Pick it up in January” titles this year.
Now quit screwing about and release a good Sonic game.