Cool hair

[Esrever]

Wow, the first Uncharted sure gets terrible in its last half hour, doesn't it? Please tell me they kept that garbage out of the second game.

[Opa-Opa]

She does look pretty hot though. And by she I mean Harley Quinn, Bayoneta and Poison Ivy.

I'm a bit off about the models from Batman too, but they are so well done (even in their uglyness) that I just ignore any repulse I could have about it. Something closer to the movies would've been awesome. I think they tried something between comics and movies, but they ended up with that crazy Jim Lee Batman-is-very-strong-and-hasn't-shaved-for-a-while look.

I must say, the muted colors have nothing to do with being the Unreal Engine. It's just an aesthetic choice that's been made by far too many game developers these days, which really sucks. Mirror's Edge was made with the Unreal Engine 3. Talk about saturated colors!

[Green Gibbon!]

So, apparently Kamiya is a big fan of old Sega games.

There are stages based on Hang-On and Space Harrier, complete with BGM.

And yes, it's as awesome as it sounds.

[G.Silver]

I want more details about those levels!

Did anyone else get in on the limited preview demo Sega sent out the other day? I just got around to playing it, it really is pretty cool. It IS hard to say exactly what feels so right about it--honestly, I felt pretty mashy about it, and when "Torture Attack" options suddenly pop up on my screen, I really have no idea what I did that initiated them. Sometimes the screen is so cluttered with enemies that it's a bit hard to see what I'm doing, but Bayonetta still feels like the most graceful 3D character I've ever controlled, it really is a different feeling sort of game. I really didn't expect to be so taken with it, but as soon as the demo ended I still wanted more.

[Esrever]

I got that, too! I haven't downloaded it yet. But I shall!

[Green Gibbon!]

I never played the demo, but in the game proper, you don't get the torture attacks right away. Like all the cool stuff, it's introduced bit by bit as you progress, so it kind of eases you into it. It's hard not to button mash at first, but the more you play, the less effective that becomes and eventually you learn to do it the right way.

I finished it last night, but right before I did, I bought a special (expensive) accessory that lets you repel and counterattack, and it changes the whole dynamic. I went back and replayed some of the earlier stages just to use it.


At the end of the day, I think I have very few substantial complaints. The screen does get cluttered sometimes and it's difficult to distinguish the enemies to react to them (which is an essential mechanic, dodging and, later on, counterattacking). And, of course, the camera's a little bit fruity. The story gets difficult to follow and the bosses, as awesome as they are, are actually pretty easy (I had more trouble with some of the later peon enemies than any of the bosses).

Also, apparently there's no way to unlock Jeanne, though there are obvious elements that show she's a playable character. Which means she'll be downloadable content later on, so, y'know, more money.


But yeah, I enjoyed every minute.

[Shadow Hog]

Anyway, since I hijacked this topic once to bring Batman up, I might as well hijack it again!

I wonder where it's going to take this time. Given the trailer (which isn't on Gametrailers as of this writing, like the site tries to link you), it looks like it takes place over all of Gotham this time. Which is rather neat, all things considered.

[Opa-Opa]

Aaaand Mark Hamill is back!

This is so cool. The new Star Wars game is NOT the one with Luke Skywalker's voice.

[gr4yJ4Y]

Does anyone know if there's a pre-order bonus for Bayonetta in North America? I was considering pre-ordering it if there was one. If not, I'm probably just gonna pick it up later.

[Zeta]

Being stuck in one building is the reason I didn't buy Arkham Asylum.

Earthquake effects make me think "No Man's Land" is the plot of Arkham Asylum 2. Earthquake hits Gotham, releasing all the badguys in Arkham, taking out the power, transport, and law enforcement, and basically leaving it up to the Bat family to restore order to the city single-handedly.

[Brazillian Cara]

"One building"? The place was a freaking island!
While it will probably be a good game too, I wonder if this sequel won't be too much like its predecessor.

[G.Silver]

"One building"? The place was a freaking island!

Further clarification, it's a freaking island with several buildings on it.

I don't know about other media but in the animated series, Arkham was just out of town on a spooky-looking hill. I imagine other Arkhams might have been on islands, but I can't help but think this one is on an island so they didn't have to border it with invisible walls.

[j-man]

I third all that. Nothing should put you off AA. It is sheer Batman videogaming finery. It's got everything you want.

So I played Bayonetta last night. Just, fucking, WOW. Game Of The Fucking Century. This is what the Sega Saturn dreamed of at night. And then wanked off to, presumably. I'm fairly sure I was fighting God at one point, which is completely ridiculous and something we've probably all wanted to do. I dunno about you, but I'm sick of demons and grindcore music and cocky arseholes in trenchcoats. This is DMC for people who like Sonic games, and I fucking love it, right down to the mid-nineties cheese J-pop soundtrack. I literally squealed when I saw that you collect gold rings.

You can keep your solid metal gears and your uncharted toos, I've finally found a reason to get with the PS360 crowd.

[The Turtle Guy]

Being stuck in one building is the reason I didn't buy Arkham Asylum.

Yeah, that's the same reason I hated Die Hard.





Oh wait, Die Hard was the best action movie of all time. Never mind.

[Zeta]

Sorry, but I don't think hanging around in one building beating up hordes of generic shirtless bald men while the actual supervillains and recognizable enemies sit offscreen taunting Batman and doing jack shit is totally what Batman is all about. Bruce Willis? Yes, he can do that all day. Just don't expect me to find it interesting.

[j-man]

Sorry, but I don't think hanging around in one building beating up hordes of generic shirtless bald men while the actual supervillains and recognizable enemies sit offscreen taunting Batman and doing jack shit is totally what Batman is all about. Bruce Willis? Yes, he can do that all day. Just don't expect me to find it interesting.

Seriously, play the game. You've got Zsasz, Bane, Killer Croc, Poison Ivy, obviously the Joker and Harley... about two hours in I got to the Scarecrow section and the game instantly became anything but generic. And there are several buildings. And you actually get to mooch about in the shadows and detect things like, y'know, a detective. It's great.

[Opa-Opa]

Plus, the voice acting of the actual supervillain is pretty cool and already worth the play.

[Zeta]

Played Bayonetta, loved it, especially the eldritch angel art. I wish I could find complete screencaps from the game's gallery online. It's a hell of a lot more published than Devil May Cry, and oddly feels very much like Devil May Cry + Sonic Adventure.