What Are You Currently Playing? 5.05: You Are (Not) A Gamer

[Foggle]

Well, I always use the Xbox controller for PC games that don't play well with the keyboard and mouse. I don't really have a bias against any kind of gamepad.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Started playing Bayonetta today. Made it to chapter 3. I'm not really feeling it. The character don't really do much for me, and then the gameplay, it's not bad. I probably gotta get used to the controls a little more, and then it's probably because I haven't unlocked much, but I can't put my finger on it (bland is not the word, nor simplistic), but the combat don't really do much for me (Deep down, maybe I am into the more simplistic stuff).

I've talked about this before, but from what I've played of Bayonetta, while its a very technically masterful game and probably "better" than Ninja Gaiden and Devil May Cry on level of being more accessible while being just as robust and deep (if not even more so) as those 2 game series, I don't find it quite as appealing as either of them. Its like its missing a little something; a sort of charm that games like Ninja Gaiden Black and DMC3 (and even NG2 and DMC4, for that matter) have to them that gives them that extra special flair.

To be fair, I haven't played Bayonetta properly yet. I played quite a bit of it in chunks and pieces back when my friend had the game (cumulatively, I've played at least 8-10 hours worth of the game, though not necessarily all in order). The combat is very good and feels smooth, the animations are nice (though still not quite as good as Ninja Gaiden's, IMO), and the game definitely looks pretty, but I noticed that while I enjoyed the game just fine while I was playing it, I never felt compelled to play more when I wasn't playing it. You might say that I have to play the game properly from the start and then I'll get sucked in, and maybe that's true, but you should also be aware that I was introduced to Devil May Cry 1 and 3 under the same circumstances, and I REALLY wanted to own those games when I played them, but never got around to them until they were released on the XBOX360 in the HD collection since I didn't own as PS2. Bayonetta has been around and cheap for a while, but I just haven't gotten around to buying it because while I do want to play it, I always seem to tend towards something else.

Don't get me wrong, though, I'm not denying that the game is great. I just feel like even when I finally do play the whole game, it won't really manage to top Ninja Gaiden Black or Devil May Cry 3 for me, which IMO are still the 2 best games in the hack n' slash genre. Like I said, though, I'm sure that Bayonetta is a better game to most people, but I'm just being honest about the way that I feel. I do still need to play the entire game in full from start to finish and then replay it on the higher difficulty settings, though, as I can't make much of a fair opinion on it in comparison to NG and DMC until then.

Though, for what its worth, I have to be honest and say that I even prefer DMC1 over Bayonetta. With DMC1, it has far more shallow combat, but I still felt compelled to keep playing the game and finish the whole thing. The game had great level design and while it was short, it contained barely any padding. With Bayonetta, I've seen a lot of people say that it has the best level design and environments in the genre, and I guess I can sort of understand that but if I were to be honest I actually found the level design and environments in the game to be a bit too gimmicky and distracting more than anything else. For example, that part where you fight on that sphere can can go all around it and upside down and whatnot just felt awkward to me rather than really changing the gameplay in an interesting way. Its a brief point, but the game is filled with various moments that feel like that to me.

As I said, though, I probably need to shut up and play the full game to make a fair opinion on it. I just wasn't as impressed as I expected to be given the hype behind this game. That said, I still firmly stand by the opinion that it is miles better than most other action games that have come out this generation, so I do still like what I've played of the game.

[Foggle]

I dunno, I actually found Bayonetta to be the most charming hack 'n slash I've ever played. That mostly comes from its level design and boss battles; it feels like a real adventure to me, and that's one of the things I love most in video games.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Eh, Well the adventure elements in the game just didn't do it for me. Like I said, they felt gimmicky more than compelling. I also didn't care for Bayonetta as a character. She was kind of a dull lead, IMO, despite them trying to make her come off as tongue-in-cheek, sort of like a female version of Dante.

I think that in terms of just having a lot of actual charm to it, DMC3 takes the crown for me. Dante is just a fun character and while his back-story and aspects of his character kind of have a generic anime vibe to him, he manages to still just entertain me the whole way through either with his over-the-top action scenes or his hilariously cheesy sense of humor.

Also, I'm not a fan of Bayonetta's boss fights. I have stated before that I don't care for long bosses, and Bayonetta is the type of game that has some pretty long boss fights. In that regard I prefer the boss fights in DMC3 and Ninja Gaiden Black. That especially goes for NGB because that's the exact type of bosses that I love, ones that you can dispatch quickly (as in well under a minute) IF you know what to do and the most efficient weapons and attacks to fight them with. In fact a big reason for why NGB is my favorite hack n' slash game is because of the enemies in general. They have enemy AI that absolutely demand you to be really smart in balancing out both your offense and your defense. That's where I'm in the minority, though. Most people understandably prefer games like DMC and Bayonetta to Ninja Gaiden because they prefer the more offensive approach of those games, but that's what makes NG distinct for me, in that its a more defensive game than either of them. You really have to be effectively combining blocks, dodges, and counters in addition to your regular offensive combo attacks. In that regard its not nearly as combo heavy as either DMC or Bayonetta but that's not the focus of the game. Its more about efficiency and tactile play, and in that regard I have to say that no other hack n' slash game that I have played is close to being as dynamic as NGB is in terms of how it handles combat between you and the enemy AI.

At any rate, as for Bayonetta, I'm not saying that I don't like the game. I have genuinely enjoyed most of what I have played of it, and I even said that its technically a "better" game than the DMC and NG games. I just "prefer" the overall gameplay from those games based on what I've played of them and Bayonetta, if that makes any sense at all.

[Rynnec]

The only problems I had with Bayonetta were the QTE's,  and the fact that if you mess up it's game over.

[Foggle]

The Jeanne fights in Bayo are some of the best moments in gaming for me. And I also found the other boss fights to be excellent.

Eh, Well the adventure elements in the game just didn't do it for me. Like I said, they felt gimmicky more than compelling.

I don't mean adventure "elements", I mean that the game's progression and environmental variety feels like this grand epic journey, similar to Half-Life 2 or Resident Evil 4.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

The Jeanne fights in Bayo are some of the best moments in gaming for me. And I also found the other boss fights to be excellent.

The Jeanne boss fight was an exception for me, but I didn't find most of the other boss fights to be that enjoyable, personally. different strokes , I suppose.

I don't mean adventure "elements", I mean that the game's progression and environmental variety feels like this grand epic journey, similar to Half-Life 2 or Resident Evil 4.

Perhaps I'll get that same vibe out of it once I play the game in full from beginning to end, myself, but I was saying that I didn't feel like I got much out of the environments. At times a lot of the gimmicks could feel distracting to me rather than pleasant to look at, though that wasn't a common instance.

At any rate as it stands I like what I've played of the game, just not as much as I expected to. Perhaps I went into it with unfairly high expectations when I tried it. But, I already said I'd give it a fair shake from beginning to end one day, and I will, so that's all there really is to it as far as my opinion on the game is concerned, until I reach that particular point in time.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Man, I forgot how hard Ristar got. 4-2 and the boss demolished me.

[Kiddington]

Alright guys, decision time. Which one do I finish up next; Kid Icarus Uprising, or New Super Mario Bros. 2?

YOU DECIDE!!!! 

[Spark Of Spirit]

Uprising.

It's got more meat to it.

[Daxdiv]

I also vote for Uprising.

[gunswordfist]

That's alright, it wasn't my cup of tea, either. If you can get into it and the crazy combat it is undoubtedly excellent, but I'm not the biggest action gamer in the world so I don't tend to get into third person action games nearly as much.

Have you ever played Viewtiful Joe? That might be more up your alley as it was mine since there are less moves to keep track of but more styles of enemies to deal with and obstacles to scale.

Funny how you called it what DMC 2-4 should have been before it even came out.

[gunswordfist]

The only problems I had with Bayonetta were the QTE's,  and the fact that if you mess up it's game over.

So, does her summons actually turn on her and kill her? Those QTEs are so easy that it's hilarious and I never messed them up. I actually don't mind them as much as I hate QTEs. They feel like old school arcade smash the buttons fast moments and iirc, there's no 'press y and then be in a few seconds' sequences. It's more harmless then say, spray painting in Jet Set Radio.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I beat Ristar for the first time. What a great game.

That final boss is vicious.

[Rynnec]

The only problems I had with Bayonetta were the QTE's,  and the fact that if you mess up it's game over.

So, does her summons actually turn on her and kill her? Those QTEs are so easy that it's hilarious and I never messed them up. I actually don't mind them as much as I hate QTEs. They feel like old school arcade smash the buttons fast moments and iirc, there's no 'press y and then be in a few seconds' sequences. It's more harmless then say, spray painting in Jet Set Radio.

I was actually referring to the "press a button to not die" QTE's that pop-up in certain mini-cutscenes. The summons and finishers are great.