Bayonetta (PS3/360)

[CMoon]

Probably true, I just feel like a lame-ass playing it that way.

[StoofooEsq]

A patch for PS3 Bayonetta is on the way...in Japan, at least. It's going to give players an "Install" option, likely in order to cut load times.

http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2010/0 ... ta_update/
http://blog.bayonetta.jp/archives/1751

In Platinum Games-related news, their JP site is in the middle of a countdown. I know, countdowns to announcements have been done to death, but I'm quite interested in what they're coming up with next.

[Damocles]

Totally random, but has Itagaki commented on this yet? I'm sure he has some interesting things to say...


Good thing that patch is on the way...though I wonder how much the load times will be affected. I happened upon a clip from the PS3 rev and whistled at those long-ass times. You could make a damn sammich.


Edit: Nevermind. Apparently Itagaki has been rather outspoken. I just missed it.

[StoofooEsq]

Itagaki sure is outspoken.

"If I made a similar game as a game I made in the company I quit, people would say, 'What an idiot, can't he make anything else?' Well, that is more or less the opinion I have for, uh, that Bayo-something game," says Itagaki in a recent interview. "... Covered in hair, is she? I dunno, Mr. Kamiya must have a lot going through his head. Well, in any case, I would first recommend laser eye surgery. I'm sure he's not that strapped for cash, right?"

Itagaki shitting on other (action) games is pretty much expected from his interviews. I doubt any of his targets care about what he has to say, though.

[Lordstar]

Itagaki sure is outspoken.

"If I made a similar game as a game I made in the company I quit, people would say, 'What an idiot, can't he make anything else?' Well, that is more or less the opinion I have for, uh, that Bayo-something game," says Itagaki in a recent interview. "... Covered in hair, is she? I dunno, Mr. Kamiya must have a lot going through his head. Well, in any case, I would first recommend laser eye surgery. I'm sure he's not that strapped for cash, right?"

Itagaki shitting on other (action) games is pretty much expected from his interviews. I doubt any of his targets care about what he has to say, though.

i perfer this one

On a lighter note, Itagaki won't be making any more Dead or Alive games, nor will he be using Aerosmith anymore. "I want to send the deepest gratitude to Aerosmith and Steven Tyler. The power I needed to make DOA came from Aerosmith and the movie Armageddon," he adds.

which has little to do with anything but lets me think that he is one of them loose cannons at the company sure he is a pain in the ass, he makes little to no sense and sticks his nose in where it should not be but he can deliver a product.

[Rupert H]

While I can see your point entirely, I'm talking about a public who rely on commercial games journalism to make purchasing decisions, who will undoubtedly feel betrayed by Bayonetta because they don't understand it at all.

I forget who said it but I'm a firm believer in the "Don't give the people what they want, give them what they need," school of thought. I think if you get into the habit of only giving especially high marks to genres that are easily digested and appreciated by the game buying majority, it's an easy sell but you're just propagating the idea that the only valid genres of game are FPS, sports and gritty sandbox adventures. If a game is an incredible genre defining experience, you shouldn't shy away from the fact.

I completely agree that a ten should be more than just a genre defining experience though - It should transcend genre and ideally have some wider impact on gaming. I think there are possibly five or less games in this category. Much as I love Bayonetta, it doesn't qualify as a ten for me. I think there are possibly five or less games in this category.

I also think that while IGN and Edge are mainstream (perhaps relative to some of the absurdly niche gaming that goes on in these parts), they are read by gamers, not FHM readers or national press. If these people don't show some love for games like Bayonetta, they will be marginalised even further.

[Skykid]

I forget who said it but I'm a firm believer in the "Don't give the people what they want, give them what they need,"

I completely agree that a ten should be more than just a genre defining experience though - It should transcend genre and ideally have some wider impact on gaming. I think there are possibly five or less games in this category. Much as I love Bayonetta, it doesn't qualify as a ten for me. I think there are possibly five or less games in this category.

Yes, I totally agree. We're saying the same thing but going about it from different directions. High marks, yes, encourage those people to try something new. Perfect scores, no, that's reserved, as you mentioned, for genre defining experiences that everyone should play and love (regardless of diversity.) Netta ain't that game.

My beef is with all the damn 10's, that's what I'm trying to say!

[Zaarock]

And no, I haven't unlocked lost chapter yet (or at least, I don't think I have)...what are the requirements for it?

Beat all alfheims on normal or above. Cant use items or continue in it and there are 5 verses each with ten fights. You get small health items every time you kill an enemy with a torture attack (so making big combos is very useful here) You can use the star of dineta to heal if you want, pretty useful in the later verses. I think the last two switch the difficulty to infinite climax. The first verse for example has fights with craploads of affinities and other lowest tier angels, I got 650,000 combo there once

[CMoon]

A patch for PS3 Bayonetta is on the way...in Japan, at least. It's going to give players an "Install" option, likely in order to cut load times.

http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2010/0 ... ta_update/
http://blog.bayonetta.jp/archives/1751

In Platinum Games-related news, their JP site is in the middle of a countdown. I know, countdowns to announcements have been done to death, but I'm quite interested in what they're coming up with next.

Great news!

[CMoon]

Apparently you folks in PAL regions with a PS3 now have the patch available. From what I've read, the game prompts you to install it upon loading. Hopefully it will follow shortly here in the US.

[StoofooEsq]

Anyone with access to the patch, let us know how it helps (or hinders) the game's loading times.
Perhaps I'll quietly buy Bayonetta PS3 afterwards.

[CMoon]

Just to confirm--the patch is now out in the US. I'm installing now so will report later today/tomorrow on how it handles.

[Jedah Doma]

Just to confirm--the patch is now out in the US. I'm installing now so will report later today/tomorrow on how it handles.

I've got a friend who only has a PS3. He's been holding off buying the game because of these issues. I'd be interested to know if that fixes anything.

Played a few hours the other day and have been enjoying the game immensely. Capcom getting rid of Clover = fail.

[Zaarock]

Capcom getting rid of Clover = fail.

I like how Okami ended all "look, sequel" and then this happened

[CMoon]

From what I've seen the install _drastically_ fixes the loading times. I don't think it changes anything else. That said, having played through the game on the PS3, I'm not sure anything else needed to be fixed anyway.

[Skykid]

GamesTM, Eurogamer, Xbox360 mag all gave Mass Effect 2 a perfect 10/10 score.

They're handing these things out like its fucking Christmas.

[AraraSPAMWitch]

I don't see why anyone here would be so distressed by "professional" review scores. Especially as a forum for shooting games, we should be well aware that most major reviewers are idiots and that their scores tend to be worthless.

[Taylor]

I forget who said it but I'm a firm believer in the "Don't give the people what they want, give them what they need," school of thought. I think if you get into the habit of only giving especially high marks to genres that are easily digested and appreciated by the game buying majority, it's an easy sell but you're just propagating the idea that the only valid genres of game are FPS, sports and gritty sandbox adventures. If a game is an incredible genre defining experience, you shouldn't shy away from the fact.

But there are two sets of people here and Metacritic ratings are definitely used by publishers. Whether or not this a good practice is also beside the point, it happens and I'd hate to see a game losing points because it's specialist. I have limited sympathy for a fabled Joe Average that gets stung buying a game based purely on the number at the bottom of a review they didn't read.

I completely agree that a ten should be more than just a genre defining experience though - It should transcend genre and ideally have some wider impact on gaming. I think there are possibly five or less games in this category. Much as I love Bayonetta, it doesn't qualify as a ten for me. I think there are possibly five or less games in this category.

I don't think Bayonetta is a 10/10, but what Bayonetta scored is almost beside the point. I dislike the implication that it should lose marks for being niche. But while we're on the subject, scores are ridiculous as it stands:

00 - 89: Crap
90 – 94: Good
95 – 99: Great!
100: Nothing will ever be better?! This is an outrage!

Film reviews don't seem to have similar worries about their top scores, unless there is a 6th star I don't know about, and they don't give 4 and half to something they consider average. Why do we create an even bigger scale and then have the final 10% contain everything from “okay” to “so good nothing should ever be awarded this”?

[Skykid]

I don't see why anyone here would be so distressed by "professional" review scores. Especially as a forum for shooting games, we should be well aware that most major reviewers are idiots and that their scores tend to be worthless.

Not distressed, just adding some fuel to an aforementioned point.

How seriously you value the opinions of commercial publications these days is another matter entirely though.

[StoofooEsq]

From what I've seen the install _drastically_ fixes the loading times. I don't think it changes anything else. That said, having played through the game on the PS3, I'm not sure anything else needed to be fixed anyway.

Excellent! Here's another report on the patch.

Okay, inventory, it's tabs, and that ghastly 6-second pause submenu now load near-instantaneously. First-time item pick-up descriptions also now load instantly.

Also, holy fuck, I had no idea it took this long to load the shop, but videos on the web seem to indicate it took over 30 seconds! Anyway, the bar comes up at ~10 seconds now, post-patch.

I guess each chapter varies, but I loaded Broken Sky and Angel's Metropolis and they took about ~15 seconds each.

Apparently, we should be thanking Sony for this patch, not Sega. Not surprised if it's true, but I'm just glad somebody did something. For a new IP that kicked off 2010 with such a bang and earned so much praise from both critics and the gaming community, it would be a disservice to leave any version of Bayonetta unfixed somehow.

[CMoon]

GamesTM, Eurogamer, Xbox360 mag all gave Mass Effect 2 a perfect 10/10 score.

They're handing these things out like its fucking Christmas.

This might be a relevant bitch, but it should be bitched about in its own thread. I'd like to discuss more Bayonetta (if there's more to discuss.)

[Skykid]

GamesTM, Eurogamer, Xbox360 mag all gave Mass Effect 2 a perfect 10/10 score.

They're handing these things out like its fucking Christmas.

This might be a relevant bitch, but it should be bitched about in its own thread. I'd like to discuss more Bayonetta (if there's more to discuss.)

Sorry man, just through it was OT after some of the stuff we'd been talking about. Wasn't planning to start a discussion on Mass Effect 2 or anything.

[CMoon]

Skykid> I wanted to hear more about your thoughts on the game after getting platinums on a couple levels.

I'm still finding new game mechanics in there that I didn't know about. Using the moon bracelet heavily = win.

[Skykid]

Skykid> I wanted to hear more about your thoughts on the game after getting platinums on a couple levels.

I'm still finding new game mechanics in there that I didn't know about. Using the moon bracelet heavily = win.

Right, so the other day I went back to square one, but I still had the katana weapons, shotguns and flaming fire feet thingy. I started off and got a bronze medal in the prologue because I messed up the section on the plane (I forgot I had to use torture attacks to pass it within the time limit), but I got a few pure platinums and ended up with a gold medal on my first attempt at Chapter one.

My combo score wasn't bad. In fact, according to the leaderboards I was actually above quite a few on my friends list for that particular chapter (what I don't get is if the game lets you restart with weapons earned later on, isn't that a bit of a gyp for leaderboard results, especially as it gives you an advantage?)

Anyway, it was definitely more fun. The RT/back cutscene skipping is a gift, improved the experience hugely.
It's very early days and I need to get back to it to try no-missing more of the fights. It hasn't grown on me hugely, but by taking things slowly, using the loading screens to practice new combos, I'm at least understanding it more. I'm happy that I'm getting a lot more halo's out of the fights now too, meaning the shop has more purpose for me.

Can someone let me know the approx length of the game in hours pls? That would help me organize time for it (as I don't like to leave other half finished games on the back burner.)

[CMoon]

Apparently its about 12 hours or so for first play through. Mine was much longer because I kept replaying levels. I hate continuing, and when I start doing badly in a level I tend to reset.

[Skykid]

Wow, that's longer than I'd like.

[CMoon]

It can apparently be played through in under 3 hours.

[Damocles]

My fastest, after going back through for speed, is 2:54.

[Taylor]

10 hours on my first play, though the chapter totals were about 5 hours in length, so about half of that was cutscenes and going for a wee. Got it down to less than 3 hours for the accessory afterwards without too much trouble.

[Skykid]

So just did chapter 2 over. I replayed it three times and couldn't get better than a gold trophy. I didn't get any platinum medals this run. The initial fight with the chick in red seems difficult to perfect plat. Her timing is weird. How do you guys play, do you just hang back and wait for the attack and then dodge for witch time, or just pile in (like I do?)