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Bayonetta 2; the best modern beat em up ever

VGEsoterica

VGEsoterica

Member
Or hack and slash, or "action adventure" game...but seriously...it's a beat em up so I will run with that genre lol

Growing up I absolutely loved the beat em up genre. Golden Axe, Streets of Rage, Splatterhouse, Final Fight, Slashout, all the amazing Capcom and Konami arcade games....solid gold! Super simple and addictive gameplay...make progress, beat people up and keep at it!

But then 3D happened. Don't get me wrong though...there have been plenty of solid 3D beat em ups. But for every decent 3D entry into the genre you got stuff like Golden Axe : Beast Rider; a game I bought for $10 and still didn't feel like I got my "moneys worth" out of.

But for me I swear Platinum perfected the concept of a 3D beat em up with the Bayonetta franchise and more specifically with Bayonetta 2. It has that absolute classic retro beat em up feel; fight through some low level bad guys then get to the boss. Kill him and move on and do it all over again. It has everything you need (amazing combat and combos, beautiful visuals, decent story) while not cramming in too many mechanics that needlessly seem to slow down the game (I am looking at you Castlevania Lord of Shadows 2 and less specifically the original lol)

I for one cannot wait for the third game and I am so glad Nintendo kept the series alive. But I am curious? Outside of Devil May Cry what is everyone's rec for other amazing 3D beat em up games? I am hungry for more and I really haven't played too many in the last few years...mostly due to the fact I kept getting disappointed in them!
 
NewChoppa

NewChoppa

Banned
I honestly don’t think I’ve played a beat-em-up/spectacle fighter that felt as put together as Bayonetta 2. Shit was incredible from start to end. There’s probably small pieces that I preferred from Bayo 1, but man...

Really hoping we get something on Bayonetta 3 soon.
 
R

Reizo Ryuu

Member
Bayo 1 is better overall, but bayo 2 has bar none the best "tutorial level" ever created. It shows you every single thing you can expect from the entire game, without slowing down the action for one second or even making it feel like a tutorial; it's fucking brilliant.
 
DunDunDunpachi

DunDunDunpachi

Banned
VGEsoterica said:
Outside of Devil May Cry what is everyone's rec for other amazing 3D beat em up games?
Click to expand...
Wonderful 101 is one of my favorites, and it's made by the same developer. Bayonetta (and I think Jeanine?) has a cameo as a playable Wonder hero.

It has a ton of on-screen destruction and explosions, similar to old beat em ups. Destroy that tree for coins. Smash that truck to get the collectible figure underneath, etc.
 
Ulysses 31

Ulysses 31

Member
VGEsoterica said:
Or hack and slash, or "action adventure" game...but seriously...it's a beat em up so I will run with that genre lol

Growing up I absolutely loved the beat em up genre. Golden Axe, Streets of Rage, Splatterhouse, Final Fight, Slashout, all the amazing Capcom and Konami arcade games....solid gold! Super simple and addictive gameplay...make progress, beat people up and keep at it!

But then 3D happened. Don't get me wrong though...there have been plenty of solid 3D beat em ups. But for every decent 3D entry into the genre you got stuff like Golden Axe : Beast Rider; a game I bought for $10 and still didn't feel like I got my "moneys worth" out of.

But for me I swear Platinum perfected the concept of a 3D beat em up with the Bayonetta franchise and more specifically with Bayonetta 2. It has that absolute classic retro beat em up feel; fight through some low level bad guys then get to the boss. Kill him and move on and do it all over again. It has everything you need (amazing combat and combos, beautiful visuals, decent story) while not cramming in too many mechanics that needlessly seem to slow down the game (I am looking at you Castlevania Lord of Shadows 2 and less specifically the original lol)

I for one cannot wait for the third game and I am so glad Nintendo kept the series alive. But I am curious? Outside of Devil May Cry what is everyone's rec for other amazing 3D beat em up games? I am hungry for more and I really haven't played too many in the last few years...mostly due to the fact I kept getting disappointed in them!
Click to expand...
How does Wonderful 101 stack up against Bayonetta 2?
 
VGEsoterica

VGEsoterica

Member
DunDunDunpachi said:
Wonderful 101 is one of my favorites, and it's made by the same developer. Bayonetta (and I think Jeanine?) has a cameo as a playable Wonder hero.

It has a ton of on-screen destruction and explosions, similar to old beat em ups. Destroy that tree for coins. Smash that truck to get the collectible figure underneath, etc.
Click to expand...

lol have you been looking over my shoulder. I captured that a few weeks ago for a vid. Another awesome game...clearly Platinum knows what they are doing
 
cireza

cireza

Member
Great game, but I prefer the first one. Wonderful 101 deserves a mention.

My favorite modern BTA is Ninja Gaiden Razor Edge. Simply on whole other level in terms of difficulty, and I prefer its gameplay overall.
 
yurinka

yurinka

Member
Bayonetta is a great game but isn't a beat 'em up (same goes with DMC or GoW). It's a hack & slash game.

Good modern beat 'em ups are Fight 'n Rage or Streets of Rage 4. Battletoads is ok, a fun new take in the genre.

P.S.: I don't like her hair in Bayo 2, let's hope they give her long hair for Bayo 3.
 
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Perry Simm but in space

Perry Simm but in space

Member
Lethal01 said:
I'm absolutely baffled how having many boss fights could possibly be seen as a flaw.
I would love if pretty much every game could have boss fights as frequent as Bayonetta.
Click to expand...
Don't get me wrong, the bossfights are great. But I like my beat-em-ups with stretches of regular mooks to kill in between, to relax and have time to test out new moves. Bayonetta 1 for me had a perfect balance.
 
Ridaxan

Ridaxan

Member
It's definitely up there for me. As much as I'm very thankful to Nintendo that the game even exists, I have to wonder what could have been if it wasn't stranded on low power hardware.
 
Hawks Eclipse

Hawks Eclipse

Member
VGEsoterica said:
Splatterhouse on PS3, the Castlevania. : Lord of Shadows series...the 3D Golden Axe, and the most recent Ninja Gaiden series weirdness
Click to expand...
Hmm, I quite liked Lords of Shadow back when I played it on release but I can understand if you don't like the downtime between the action, something which classic beat 'em ups avoid almost entirely due to their arcade nature.

Which NG games specifically?

NGB was heavily influenced by Ocarina of Time so it has a lot of puzzles and such in between.

NGII, funnily enough is a lot closer in spirit to the arcade beat 'em ups, with relatively minimal puzzling and backtracking, along with visiting plenty of diverse locales, something most 3D action games avoid. The action is similar in that crowd control is a key skill and the AI holds no bars at going aggro on you from all angles.

NG3RE does a decent job of trying to salvage NG3 and also involves varied locales. My biggest gripe with it is the number of waves of enemies that keep coming, ends up feeling exhausting but not in a good way.

Didn't play NG Yaiba and didn't get far in Splatterhouse to say anything :/

Have you tried playing God Hand via emulation (PC or PS3)? It's a really good brawler but its depth is hidden via the barest of tutorials. Much like a lot of PG's games, your primary means of defense is dodging and not blocking.

I'm thinking you should definitely give Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance a play if you haven't even though it lacks the polish of Bayo 2 and is noticeably rushed in its later half. The action is high-octane throughout with some rip-roaring boss battles with dynamic, synesthetic music accompanying it. It does have a few segments of downtime via stealth and a forced walking sequence in Chapter 3 (leading up to an incredible showdown though).

Transformers: Devastation is good stuff as well, with five characters of varying classes and abilities (reminiscent of The King of Dragons). Bosses and their music are just a smidge behind MGR and the G1 style is really well executed, environments and level design are somewhat weak and the loot system is arguably more painful to stomach than Nioh's. Still, you owe it to yourself to duel Starscream and show who's really lost in space.
 
AndrewRyan

AndrewRyan

Member
Bayonetta 2 runs at 60fps and still one of the greatest technical achievements on Switch, IMO.

Wonderful 101 and Astral Chain by the same developers are also really good.

Another great hack-n-slash is Darksiders 3. The combat isn't as deep but it's harder and lots of fun but in a different way. Also Metal Gear Rising.
 
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Blond

Blond

Banned
Perry Simm but in space said:
The only two flaws of Bayonetta 2 are:

- too many bossfights
- stupid hair

Hoping for Bayo 3 to be the ultimate.
Click to expand...
Too many cutscenes as well. You could honestly finish most levels in a matter of minutes once you start skipping them and focus on the action.

Devil May Cry 5 also exist in this vacuum so Bayonetta is basically irrelevant to me now so have fun platinum but you’re so-so meme beat em up with tits was dethroned.
 
VGEsoterica

VGEsoterica

Member
Hawks Eclipse said:
Hmm, I quite liked Lords of Shadow back when I played it on release but I can understand if you don't like the downtime between the action, something which classic beat 'em ups avoid almost entirely due to their arcade nature.

Which NG games specifically?

NGB was heavily influenced by Ocarina of Time so it has a lot of puzzles and such in between.

NGII, funnily enough is a lot closer in spirit to the arcade beat 'em ups, with relatively minimal puzzling and backtracking, along with visiting plenty of diverse locales, something most 3D action games avoid. The action is similar in that crowd control is a key skill and the AI holds no bars at going aggro on you from all angles.

NG3RE does a decent job of trying to salvage NG3 and also involves varied locales. My biggest gripe with it is the number of waves of enemies that keep coming, ends up feeling exhausting but not in a good way.

Didn't play NG Yaiba and didn't get far in Splatterhouse to say anything :/

Have you tried playing God Hand via emulation (PC or PS3)? It's a really good brawler but its depth is hidden via the barest of tutorials. Much like a lot of PG's games, your primary means of defense is dodging and not blocking.

I'm thinking you should definitely give Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance a play if you haven't even though it lacks the polish of Bayo 2 and is noticeably rushed in its later half. The action is high-octane throughout with some rip-roaring boss battles with dynamic, synesthetic music accompanying it. It does have a few segments of downtime via stealth and a forced walking sequence in Chapter 3 (leading up to an incredible showdown though).

Transformers: Devastation is good stuff as well, with five characters of varying classes and abilities (reminiscent of The King of Dragons). Bosses and their music are just a smidge behind MGR and the G1 style is really well executed, environments and level design are somewhat weak and the loot system is arguably more painful to stomach than Nioh's. Still, you owe it to yourself to duel Starscream and show who's really lost in space.
Click to expand...

I forgot Revengeance. Awesome game for sure.
I’ll check out God Hand and Transformers. Honestly I saw Transformers come out but I thought “licensed game” and never really followed up with the reviews
 
ULTROS!

ULTROS!

People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
Bayonetta 2 is better than 1 but it’s too short compared to 1. 1 on the other hand was too long.
 
Kokoro2020

Kokoro2020

Member
I would say it ties with Devil May Cry 5. Both games are so great. In fact, I even bought Bayonetta 2 twice. First on the Wii U, and then on the Switch.
 
Keihart

Keihart

Member
Bayonetta 2 it's horrible, i had more fun with Korra and Transformers, fight me!

But honestly, i'm not exaggerating, Bayonetta 2 fucks the fundamentals and pacing of the first game so much that makes it unrecognizable almost. It's full of boring setpieces where you have very little more input than pressing dodge and using umbran climax. Wicked wave and witch time scaling where nerfed to oblivion to incentivize the use of umbran climax making combos during witch time and using wicked wave to stun enemies a thing of the past. Talking about staggering enemies, bayo 2 it's full of enemies that don't get staggered and can parry, which again fucks with combos, wicked waves and makes you use umbran climax. Worst thing about parry enemies is that it's used as a way to make fight longer, parries are not telegraphed and you are not really punished, it's just to make you dodge more and then umbran climax your way to victory.

Yeah, i love Bayonetta and fucking hate the sequel, no worth while additions to the mechanics, boring new weapons and is not even capable to feel as good as the first since it fucks up combat. DMCV makes bayo 2 look like amateur time, i hope 3 it's way way better since i love the characters and the first game. I hope they make some of the things they actually wanted for 2 and 1 that were never implemented, like using the environment against the enemies.

DMCV it's so damn good, i wonder if Bayonetta 3 can even come close in combat, i really hope so.
 
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Porcile

Porcile

Member
Ulysses 31 said:
How does Wonderful 101 stack up against Bayonetta 2?
Click to expand...

Bayonetta 2 is clearly a better game and pretty much polished to near perfection, in some ways nearly too much. Wonderful 101 is incredible but with some seriously weird design choices and overall it's just not as polished or spectacular as Bayonetta 2. Still both games were 100% a good enough reason to buy a Wii U and they worth it on Switch too. Enjoy.
 
Bo_Hazem

Bo_Hazem

Banned
Hudo said:
Judgment is not on a Nintendo system afaik. But it's weird that you would come into a thread about a Nintendo exclusive game (so far at least) when you don't want to bother with Nintendo systems, tbh.
Click to expand...

I'm still hurt from Yakuza going turn-based. Pardon my ignorance, just wanted to say something about "beat em up" genre in general. I love this genre a lot, but it's getting shafted by devs lately.
 
Hudo

Hudo

Member
Bo_Hazem said:
I'm still hurt from Yakuza going turn-based. Pardon my ignorance, just wanted to say something about "beat em up" genre in general. I love this genre a lot, but it's getting shafted by devs lately.
Click to expand...
I understand. Just out of curiosity, how did you like Streets of Rage 4?
 
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