• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Bayonetta 2 |OT| The time has come, and so have Wii!

I feel Platinum reached a bit of its limit game design wise. They are the best in designing a polished combat system and amazing encounters, but they need to step up the non-combat areas of their games. Bayonetta, Vanquish, MGR:R, W101, Bayonetta 2 and Korra all share the exact same template and game structure.

I think this was something Retro_ touched on earlier, and you can go back and include prior Kamiya games like Viewtiful Joe or DMC1 into this equation as well. In a lot of ways, I feel like W101 and this Bayoetta games are the logical end-points for the kind of stylish arcade-influenced action game Kamiya and all these (former) Capcom alumni have been trying to make for 15 years. Good-to-great games all of them(well maybe not Korra), some of my favorite games of all-time, but even though P* is pretty much the last bastion in the AAA market for this kind of game, I'd really hope Scalebound is something genuinely new. What is the next evolutionary step for this particular brand of action game? Lets hope it doesn't involve pre-order XP bonuses or some shit.
 

Zocano

Member
Yeesh. I've been running Chapter 14 over and over for halos.

Now I have to get all of
......Jeanne....
's costumes, too ):

So much halo farming.
 
D

Deleted member 30609

Unconfirmed Member
I did really like Bayonetta 2. Maybe I'm just a very specific case. I'm in this weird place where I feel like I'm essentially done with it. A year from now, when I think to myself "I feel like playing some Bayonetta", I'll probably just pick up the first game again. It essentially did everything Bayonetta 2 did, but a tad better, maybe?
 

Neff

Member
Man, Moon of Mahaa-Kalaa got its dick ripped off :(

Reduced WT window and minuscule damage, or is there some new trick to it? My favourite accessory seems pretty much useless now apart from the free mash block.

I did really like Bayonetta 2. Maybe I'm just a very specific case. I'm in this weird place where I feel like I'm essentially done with it. A year from now, when I think to myself "I feel like playing some Bayonetta", I'll probably just pick up the first game again. It essentially did everything Bayonetta 2 did, but a tad better, maybe?

Very much agreeing with this sentiment. 2 is good, but 1 is better in just about every conceivable facet.
 
Was planning on jumping right into the game, but after playing Bayo 1 with the gamepad for a bit, I realized I'll need a pro controller if I don't want to kill my hands. Waiting until that comes in before I start.

Also, I'm in the Bahamas until next week, so there's that. It'll be the first thing I play when I get back.
 
Just started playing. I rreally need to get a pro controller. I just don't feel good playing with the tablet. I mean I guess it's ok, but I just know I'd like the game better with an actual controller. I'll probably pick one up tommorrow
 

Astral Dog

Member
First I want to acknowledge that I rate Bayonetta 2 a 5 out of 5. All the complaints I have are mostly nitpicks to an extremely polished game.
That said, you're right, even after 4 years, Bayonetta 2 felt more like an expansion pack than a true sequel to me. Other than a beautiful graphical update, it doesn't improve that much on the original game or introduce new concepts.
In fact they mostly just removed what was average in the first game, the QTEs, the mini-game at the end of the levels, the bike and Space Harrier levels, the reuse of level architecture and bosses. They didn't touch how the game works and unfolds at all. It's the same presentation between levels, same sound effects, barrier breaking animations and so on. Other than a new useless transformation, you don't unlock totally new abilities progressively like the panther form in the first game.
They could have been a bit more ambitious and change the game structure for instance. Why not have a main hub allowing to access the other levels just so the world feels more connected and coherent? They could have designed levels like in Mario Galaxy where every time you re-enter a level you access a new area with new enemies, objectives and bosses. The different chapters can feel a bit disjointed.
Here's are the main "flaws" I found in Bayonetta 2 :
- They still didn't get rid of the static cutscenes.
- The campaign is on the short side (I finished the story in 9h30, 12-14h would have been ideal)
- After playing Bayonetta 1, even 3rd climax is relatively easy outside of boss fights.
- Chapter 11, 12, 14 and 16 are very short.
- Hell and its enemies are underused.
- No new game changing abilities (Umbran Climax is fun to use but doesn't change how you approach encounters)
- Gravity defying levels are underused.
- The story is still confusing.
- The game structure is exactly the same.
- Levels are a bit disjointed, some lack a sense of place.

I feel Platinum reached a bit of its limit game design wise. They are the best in designing a polished combat system and amazing encounters, but they need to step up the non-combat areas of their games. Bayonetta, Vanquish, MGR:R, W101, Bayonetta 2 and Korra all share the exact same template and game structure.

Some of the things you said are more budget related, no i dont think Bayonetta 2 has the budget of a AAA game and i feel like the only one that says this, similar to the first game Bayo 2 reuses a lot of assets, locations, music,models,animations, etc. Kamiya said that Wonderful 101 was their biggest production by far, and i still think it is,and thats not a bad think at all! as they can make an amazing game, so the cut frames are still there, but they are less frequent and look a little better, the story actually makes the plot of the first game more clear, but you have to pay attention, a HUB is an interesting idea, im not sure how it would work for this type of game, what other action games do this,and mentioning Mario Galaxy as an example is not a very good idea, at least the areas are bigger and the level design a bit more complex.I agree about the chapters and level progression, but there were very cool areas around hell.
 

Monocle

Member
Man, Moon of Mahaa-Kalaa got its dick ripped off :(

Reduced WT window and minuscule damage, or is there some new trick to it? My favourite accessory seems pretty much useless now apart from the free mash block.
The ability to block anything is still a huge asset. You can keep some of the human sized bosses stunlocked for ages while you go to town on them with dual or quad Salamandra. It's the greatest.
 

Zomba13

Member
Yeesh. I've been running Chapter 14 over and over for halos.

Now I have to get all of
......Jeanne....
's costumes, too ):

So much halo farming.

I think the best way is to Tag Climax with the CPU. You can easilly get 140,000 to 200,000+by just picking the easy enemy verses at 2*s
 

Strider

Member
Played Bayo 1 and now on Bayo 2. Just finished chapter 4. HOLY SHIIIIT O_O

This game so far just feels like Bayo 1 just a little bit better at everything across the board. Nothing is truly any different. Combat is a little smoother, improved visuals, etc. It's an incredible game so far though and based on what I've played so far this will be my GOTY.
 

KooopaKid

Banned
I think this was something Retro_ touched on earlier, and you can go back and include prior Kamiya games like Viewtiful Joe or DMC1 into this equation as well. In a lot of ways, I feel like W101 and this Bayoetta games are the logical end-points for the kind of stylish arcade-influenced action game Kamiya and all these (former) Capcom alumni have been trying to make for 15 years. Good-to-great games all of them(well maybe not Korra), some of my favorite games of all-time, but even though P* is pretty much the last bastion in the AAA market for this kind of game, I'd really hope Scalebound is something genuinely new. What is the next evolutionary step for this particular brand of action game?

That's a tough one.
Some kind of online maybe? (In the Scalebound trailer, you see 4 colored dragons at the end).
I'm not sure a succession of chapters is enough going forward. As I mentioned earlier a Super Mario Galaxy-like structure could work and help make the game feel more like an adventure game than just a pure action game.
Another direction could be to introduce some kind of RPG elements and/or resource management, some kind of extra layer of depth to the overall game, something like the Nemesis system from Shadow of Mordor?
 

Neff

Member
The ability to block anything is still a huge asset. You can keep some of the human sized bosses stunlocked for ages while you go to town on them with dual or quad Salamandra. It's the greatest.

It's true, but I miss that big, meaty piece of enemy health disappearing from their bar as you slice through an opponent and get an extra big chunk of WT to follow it up with. Overpowered, maybe, but absolutely worth and deserving of the considerable risk and skill requred to get it. Landing a perfect parry on a Gracious or Glorious is one of the most goddamn satisfying feelings in gaming.

And while I'm on the subject, I miss the absurd amount of damage the dropped enemy weapons did in the first game. There really doesn't feel like much incentive to pick them up in 2, apart from the fact that they look cool.
 

Griss

Member
Not that anyone will give a single shit, but it is absolute torture waiting for this game to arrive. I have a US Wii U here in Ireland so I have to import. They haven't even shipped it yet, it'll probably be another two weeks.

Carry on enjoying it, guys... :(

(What's funny is that it's much cheaper to have it shipped across the atlantic than it is to buy physically or digitally over here, even online.)
 

Astral Dog

Member
I think this was something Retro_ touched on earlier, and you can go back and include prior Kamiya games like Viewtiful Joe or DMC1 into this equation as well. In a lot of ways, I feel like W101 and this Bayoetta games are the logical end-points for the kind of stylish arcade-influenced action game Kamiya and all these (former) Capcom alumni have been trying to make for 15 years. Good-to-great games all of them(well maybe not Korra), some of my favorite games of all-time, but even though P* is pretty much the last bastion in the AAA market for this kind of game, I'd really hope Scalebound is something genuinely new. What is the next evolutionary step for this particular brand of action game? Lets hope it doesn't involve pre-order XP bonuses or some shit.

In many ways, increased hardware power can lead to innovation, Bayonetta 2 has better graphics and art direction, but i dont think the Wii U is the system for that.
This is a well made sequel, not more or less.And the familiarity of having a new Bayonetta game is refreshing :p

Edit: Other thing, i already explained myself on the previous page, but i think were i lost you is that Wonderful 101, Rising, Korra are similar.
To me neither Wonderful 101, DmC, MG Rising,Korra, even Vanquish are tha same thing or similar to Bayonetta, yes they have the same type of progression, but they dont play the same or feel the same as Bayonetta.i see them as their own thing,I really like the combat system,soundtrack and world of the game. I just cant see it as "outdated". oh well. :/
 
Some kind of online maybe?
I'm not sure a succession of chapters is enough going forward. As I mentioned earlier a Super Mario Galaxy-like structure could work and help make the game feel more like an adventure game than just a pure action game.
Another direction could be to introduce some kind of RPG elements and/or resource management, some kind of extra layer of depth to the overall game, something like the Nemesis system from Shadow of Mordor?

lol this is why you we cant have nice things
 
oh man, RPG elements, I feel the ghost of tain's alt Riposte rolling in his grave

maybe they should keep doing Bayonetta style games every year lmao
 
After letting the game sink in for a few days, I can calmly state that Bayonetta 2 is my GOTY and not even Smash can knock it down. The game might even crack my top 15 favorite games ever. The love and craftsmanship Platinum injected into Bayonetta 2 can be felt in every punch, in every kick, in every enemy, and every character. They are undoubtedly the best at their craft. No one else even comes close. I would also like to thank Nintendo for providing Platinum with the opportunity to create greatness. Nintendo earns my ultimate respect by not letting this game die.

The only negative I have about Bayonetta 2 is that it might be the last Bayonetta we ever get. Listening to Fly me to the Moon and Moon River really hit home. This might be the end of the greatest character action series.
 
That's a tough one.
Some kind of online maybe? (In the Scalebound trailer, you see 4 colored dragons at the end).
I'm not sure a succession of chapters is enough going forward. As I mentioned earlier a Super Mario Galaxy-like structure could work and help make the game feel more like an adventure game than just a pure action game.
Another direction could be to introduce some kind of RPG elements and/or resource management, some kind of extra layer of depth to the overall game, something like the Nemesis system from Shadow of Mordor?

What?

I don't want to see any of that stuff.

Bayo 2 is fine as it is. It's like Bayo 1 but better, good enough for me.
If Bayo 3 is basically Bayo 2 but better, that's also good enough.

How about this? Platinum releases a bunch of different games, they throw some ideas around, then they take the stuff that works and find a way to implement it into the next Bayo game.
 

Neff

Member
All jokes aside, I have a feeling that Scalebound won't necessarily be an action game like we expect. Obviously it'll have awesome action in it, but I think he might be taking another crack at an adventure game like Zelda or Ōkami, or hell, maybe even a straight up
RPG
.

The only negative I have about Bayonetta 2 is that it might be the last Bayonetta we ever get. Listening to Fly me to the Moon and Moon River really hit home. This might be the end of the greatest character action series.

We love her, she'll live on. People will be pestering Sega/Nintendo/PG until the end of time for another one.
 

KooopaKid

Banned
oh man, RPG elements, I feel the ghost of tain's alt Riposte rolling in his grave

maybe they should keep doing Bayonetta style games every year lmao

Light RPG elements obviously and Bayonetta has already the ingredient/concoctions system.

Anyway, I just had an idea that just proves Platinum didn't look very hard for newness in Bayonetta 2 systems. At no point in the game you fight Angels and Demons at the same time. It's a missed opportunity. They could have introduced an Ikagura system where you have to switch between weapons to hurt Angels or Demons. And what about a Light/Dark gauge you have to keep in the middle : if you hit too many Angels successively, you accumulate too much Light and that breaks your combo, so you have to alternate enemies. It would have added another layer of strategy if only for a few levels.
 
Anyway, I just had an idea that just proves Platinum didn't look very hard for newness in Bayonetta 2 systems. At no point in the game you fight Angels and Demons at the same time. It's a missed opportunity. They could have introduced an Ikagura system where you have to switch between weapons to hurt Angels or Demons. And what about a Light/Dark gauge you have to keep in the middle : if you hit too many Angels successively, you accumulate too much Light and that breaks your combo, so you have to alternate enemies. It would have added another layer of strategy.

STOP

What you're proposing is exactly what I hated the most about DmC's combat.
 

Astral Dog

Member
All jokes aside, I have a feeling that Scalebound won't necessarily be an action game like we expect. Obviously it'll have awesome action in it, but I think he might be taking another crack at an adventure game like Zelda or Ōkami, or hell, maybe even a straight up
RPG
.



We love her, she'll live on. People will be pestering Sega/Nintendo/PG until the end of time for another one.

Honestly,this is likely to be the last full game we see of her :(
If the worst complaints i see are that its similar to the first game and has a weaker final boss, they did a good job.
 
Light RPG elements obviously and Bayonetta has already the ingredient/concoctions system.

Anyway, I just had an idea that just proves Platinum didn't look very hard for newness in Bayonetta 2 systems. At no point in the game you fight Angels and Demons at the same time. It's a missed opportunity. They could have introduced an Ikagura system where you have to switch between weapons to hurt Angels or Demons. And what about a Light/Dark gauge you have to keep in the middle : if you hit too many Angels successively, you accumulate too much Light and that breaks your combo, so you have to alternate enemies. It would have added another layer of strategy.

You do in the lost chapters, cant tell if trolling or
 
I'm curious to see what Kamiya new ideas for a great game are, even if there's a big chance I don't like it and they have me clamoring for something like Bayonetta 3 lmao

never know what you got til its gone

RIP Halo
 
Anyway, I just had an idea that just proves Platinum didn't look very hard for newness in Bayonetta 2 systems. At no point in the game you fight Angels and Demons at the same time. It's a missed opportunity. They could have introduced an Ikagura system where you have to switch between weapons to hurt Angels or Demons. And what about a Light/Dark gauge you have to keep in the middle : if you hit too many Angels successively, you accumulate too much Light and that breaks your combo, so you have to alternate enemies. It would have added another layer of strategy.

I haven't gone through all of Infinite Climax but I like the idea of having Angels and Demons mixed in combat scenarios.

Big NO to the rest of that though. That sounds like a pain in the ass.
 

Zomba13

Member
Light RPG elements obviously and Bayonetta has already the ingredient/concoctions system.

Anyway, I just had an idea that just proves Platinum didn't look very hard for newness in Bayonetta 2 systems. At no point in the game you fight Angels and Demons at the same time. It's a missed opportunity. They could have introduced an Ikagura system where you have to switch between weapons to hurt Angels or Demons. And what about a Light/Dark gauge you have to keep in the middle : if you hit too many Angels successively, you accumulate too much Light and that breaks your combo, so you have to alternate enemies. It would have added another layer of strategy.

Oh god no. One of the best things about the combat is being able to go after who you want, if they forced you to alternate or not kill too many of one type that would ruin the system and having light/dark weapons is exactly what DmC did and one of the reasons it's weapons are boring and forgettable. There was what, the dark weapon that was slow and heavy, and the light weapon that was quick and AoE? Imagine if you could only go after Angels with the Scythe or Hammer and only go after Demons with the Swords or Bow? That would suck. Even if it was just an Ikaruga toggle where you are in Angel mode or demon mode that wouldn't be fun and would just add a button press before attacking a target to switch tot he right mode.

Besides, Inferno and Paradiso still hate each other.
 
I'm getting really frustrated with this. I accidentally keep activating panther and crow form during this boss battle and I'm being destroyed like it's no one's business. I refuse to drop the difficulty.
 

Coda

Member
Love playing as Jeanne now but man is her Witch Time a doozy to pull off unless I get a bat within dodge. Still though, she's super rad.
 

Neff

Member
Honestly,this is likely to be the last full game we see of her :

I dunno, I thought the first one was gonna be.

I'd only write off part 3 if this one bombs catastrophically, and even in that event I still wouldn't be surprised if another turns up. Any character popular enough is worth an entertainment company's time and money to take a gamble on from time to time, and she's had more than her fifteen minutes by a long shot.

Wouldn't be surprised if it was on 3DS/4DS though.
 
I'm getting really frustrated with this. I accidentally keep activating panther and crow form during this boss battle and I'm being destroyed like it's no one's business. I refuse to drop the difficulty.

Keep the stick neutral while dodging and you cannot morph into Beast Within. Just chill out and stop mashing buttons. Even though the fights are intense, you just need to reach a hyper-focused state where you can easily anticipate what move the enemy will do.

That said, defeating the final
Un-
Masked Lumen fight on Infinite Climax took me like 40 tries before I reached that level :V
 
Keep the stick neutral while dodging and you cannot morph into Beast Within. Just chill out and stop mashing buttons. Even though the fights are intense, you just need to reach a hyper-focused state where you can easily anticipate what move the enemy will do.

That said, defeating the final
Un-
Masked Lumen fight on Infinite Climax took me like 40 tries before I reached that level :V
The stick neutral thing is working a little but weird since I'm not used to it. I didn't have this problem at all in bayo one. And masked lumen 2 is the one kicking my shit in momentarily.
 

Astral Dog

Member
Light RPG elements obviously and Bayonetta has already the ingredient/concoctions system.

Anyway, I just had an idea that just proves Platinum didn't look very hard for newness in Bayonetta 2 systems. At no point in the game you fight Angels and Demons at the same time. It's a missed opportunity. They could have introduced an Ikagura system where you have to switch between weapons to hurt Angels or Demons. And what about a Light/Dark gauge you have to keep in the middle : if you hit too many Angels successively, you accumulate too much Light and that breaks your combo, so you have to alternate enemies. It would have added another layer of strategy if only for a few levels.

Why dont give her just guns and have the game be open world while we are at it? maybe a skill three would be nice, a more cinematic ,serious and grounded story could be what it needs, maybe with modern topics,more contemporary.

But seriously, start trying to mix more genres it could end worse than you think.

Bayonetta is a game that is fucosed on having awesome battles,diverse attacks and a silly, over the top story.
Its one of the few pure Action games around, thats what makes it great imo.its trying to be pure over the top action.
There are other action games to experiment, but please, not with Bayonetta.:(
 

Settin

Member
So tag climax is bad. I get zero points for a perfect dodge, the other guy also gets witch time, and they can combo while I'm in the dodge animation? Yeah, no thanks.
 
Light RPG elements obviously and Bayonetta has already the ingredient/concoctions system.

Anyway, I just had an idea that just proves Platinum didn't look very hard for newness in Bayonetta 2 systems. At no point in the game you fight Angels and Demons at the same time. It's a missed opportunity. They could have introduced an Ikagura system where you have to switch between weapons to hurt Angels or Demons. And what about a Light/Dark gauge you have to keep in the middle : if you hit too many Angels successively, you accumulate too much Light and that breaks your combo, so you have to alternate enemies. It would have added another layer of strategy if only for a few levels.

This is a terrible idea.
 
Just fought
Balder
and man... fuck this. This is ridiculous.










I was supposed to play Lords of the Fallen tomorrow now I don't even want to play any other game at all. This sucks. Fuck Bayonetta, it's too good.
 

Coda

Member
And even with all that, it also found room to include Bayonetta.
So she wins no matter what she's in.

yoxkJW.gif

Holy crap, I played through the W101 and never saw that before!
 
So tag climax is bad. I get zero points for a perfect dodge, the other guy also gets witch time, and they can combo while I'm in the dodge animation? Yeah, no thanks.

Well this game is more focused around Witch Time than the original and you can't really have WT for only one player in a cooperative environment. I do think you should get some points for a perfect dodge though. The whole scoring mechanic for co-op is kind of weird in general. You can get a Pure Platinum but still lose to someone who got a Gold.
 
Top Bottom