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The X Button - Bullet Witch

But what about her unrealistic body, her gratuitous sashaying, the lollipop-licking? The hypersexualization of Bayonetta is intentionally unrealistic -- just as unrealistic as the superhuman aplomb of the Devil May Cry boys. Dante, for example, is a pleasure to play because of his unrealism, and Bayonetta is too. Both reject subtlety in favor of unrestrained, sometimes theatrically-excessive style in their own ways.

That emphasis on style over character substance isn't every player's taste, but it's not inherently unfair to women in this case. Kamiya's thematic choice for Bayonetta is an undercurrent that unifies the entire game, thus giving her sexuality context -- and context is the most important consideration in judging whether an element is appropriate or not.

As gamers, we don't always pick up a controller and immediately expect that the character on screen will be a representation of ourselves -- if we did, then it's possible that the overblown macho male characters we see in games with impossible strength and unbelievable musculature would offend male gamers. We must not assume that female players are so fragile that they view a stylized female body as a personal affront.

To prohibit a character like Bayonetta, and rush to cover her up in disapproval, is a rejection of her particular brand of femininity. Why do that? Because she makes men uncomfortable? If men feel uncomfortable with Bayonetta, maybe that means she succeeds.

As a woman, I haven't often been satisfied by female character options that effectively boil down to "the same thing as a man, just with breasts and a ponytail." Thanks to its innovative approach to the idea of female power, Bayonetta is the first action game heroine that's made me directly conscious of how cool it is to be a girl.

I already know that women can do all the same things men can. This time, I get to see a woman do plenty of things men can't. And I love it.

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Some embarrassing arguments point to her role as an empowering step forward for women in video games, and yet she's just as vapidly written and cliché-infected as any comparable male action-game hero.

Equality!

A little warning about Bayonetta.

If you have a ps3 and just a ps3, you definitely should hold back on it, least until it's $50 or $40 because that technically flaws on the ps3; the grainy textures, the slow downs in between combat, the loads times DEAR GOD THE LOAD TIMES makes $60 a little to steep for all the trouble you have to go through to enjoy the hampered core experiences.

It's definitely a great game. IMO, what devil may cry was trying to be be never made it, but if you just own a ps3 it's best to either hold that money till the game gets cheaper or better yet save for God of War 3

Glory of Heracles: Can't say I'm familiar with the original game either. I'll look into it but unless I get a DS, this won't garner much of my interest.

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Yes, Bandai released a Lupin III game for the PlayStation 2 here many years ago, but that was back when Lupin III was airing on Adult Swim and the U.S. anime industry had more than two productive publishers. Those days are over. Over. Do you hear me? Over!

The fact that it bombed didn't stop some random company from releasing one of the Ippo games here. Besides, porting a DS game is less expensive than a PS2 game, because you don't have to deal with Sony's wonky programming. Or, for that matter, massive competition on the retail shelf from the new Final Fantasy/MGS game(s) which more people are willing to pay $50 to own than your game. Besides, as you yourself pointed out with Layton, there's clearly more of a market for this type of title on the DS than there was for the PS2. And you forgot that a new Lupin OVA's coming out which happens to be a prequel, and is a perfect time to re-introduce the franchise here. BTW, Namdai, Atlus, and NIS now have Twitter feeds where you can request they bring it over here.

Wow, I am surprised at your Bayonetta review. I work at a video game store, and so far no one has liked the game. I haven't played it myself, so I have no real opinion on it. But yeah, the various complaints coming in include a lacking story and the fact that a lot of people are beating it in about 8 hours. The people who don't outright slander it are saying it would have made an ok game if it lasted longer. Again, not my personal opinion, but I wanted to throw in the other side of the coin on this one for people who are on the fence for buying it. If you're really not sure about this game, you may want to wait till it's not $60 anymore.

Wow, Todd. You must really truely hate SEGA. I didn't realize it early on but everytime you review a new Sega title, you just bash it for no reason at all. What's your problem? don't like the fact that they're the only publisher trying something new.

Bayonetta might not make it as an icon in the game industry, but her debut's a magnificent achievement. It offers variety far beyond what most action games even hint at, and, most importantly of all, it never lets up. Bayonetta knows precisely what it wants to be: a noisy, reckless, richly challenging shock to the senses. And it pulls it off in style.

Wow, Todd. You must really truely hate SEGA. I didn't realize it early on but everytime you review a new Sega title, you just bash it for no reason at all. What's your problem? don't like the fact that they're the only publisher trying something new.

Wow, Todd. You must really truely hate SEGA. I didn't realize it early on but everytime you review a new Sega title, you just bash it for no reason at all. What's your problem? don't like the fact that they're the only publisher trying something new.

Uh, wasn't FFX also almost completely linear? It's been years since I last played it, but I don't remember there being such a big reaction to that.