Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 54 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 197 Ratings

  • Summary: Bayonetta is a stylish and cinematic action game directed by creator Hideki Kamiya. A member of an ancient witch clan and possessing powers beyond the comprehension of mere mortals, Bayonetta faces-off against countless ethereal enemies, many reaching epic proportions, in a game of 100% pure, unadulterated all-out action. Outlandish finishing moves are performed with balletic grace as Bayonetta flows from one fight to another. With over-the-top action taking place in stages that are a veritable theme park of exciting attractions, Bayonetta pushes the limits of the action genre, bringing to life its fast-paced, dynamic climax combat. [Sega] Collapse
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 49 out of 54
  2. Negative: 0 out of 54
  1. It’s an almost flawless exhibition of gaming greatness, which can effortlessly make even the most ham-fisted of gamers feel like they’ve got elite skills. Bayonetta is already an early contender for GOTY for 2010.
  2. It's such a fantastic game to start off the New Year with, and while I haven't been fully in love with Platinum Games previous efforts, they really knocked this one out of the park for me.
  3. Bravo, PlatinumGames. You've made a game and created a heroine that gives Dante a reason to cry.
  4. While the Xbox 360's Bayonetta runs smoothly at (mostly) 60 frames per second, Sony's version constantly chugs with slowdown and load times. Even if you're in the middle of a fight, the game will pause for a couple of seconds playing catch-up. For those of you who own Sony's machine, this isn't the end of the world, but it's a shame Sega couldn't get the game to perform the same on both platforms. The Xbox 360 is the obvious choice.

See all 54 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 42 out of 59
  2. Negative: 6 out of 59
  1. SavannahH.
    10
    i really enjoyed playing through this and i am soo happy i finished it. i love the variety of moves and enemies so it never gets boring. when i heard it was by the same makers of Devil May Cry i believed they would not be able to top Devil May Cry. I have it on the PS3 and the Loading times were not as annoying as everyone said they were but it does make me a little upset that they got lazy when converting it to the PS3. the bosses were crazy but awesome and i would recommend this for anyone. i will defiantly play this game again and try and get all the trophies. Expand
  2. i thought this game was pretty good. i kinda new what i would be getting out of it before i even started to play. i was right for the most part it is a hack and slash game with a girl as the main character who is ment to tease the gamer with constant scences where she goes compleatly naked with only a black strip covering her body parts im not really into that but i know some people will love this. this game is really easy to just start playing but to master all the techniques there are takes some skill and the fight sequences always look beutiful. that being said the story is also pretty good with great graphics and some pretty good voice acting to back it up, there is also a bit of comedy thrown in at some points so the game does not get stale. although the story is great there isnt much replay value to this game than just playing through it again which is unfourtunate but it is still worth a try and is a decent length so it is worth picking up especially since it is only 20$ now Expand
  3. I did enjoy this game overall, ie. I don't regret playing it. But, for me, it has to be the most over-rated game of the current generation.

    I
    t is quirky and has some very good levels and sequences, particularly towards the end of the game (I loved the Afterburner-style 'shoot 'em-up' level), so in this regard I at least respect the game, and I can understand why people love it. But I just found it, on the whole, rather tedious.

    Firstly, there's the music: I swear that the same song gets played over and over and over and over...to the point where it gets stuck in my head, and haunts me to this day. Music is a useful tool in games for immersing the player and indicating progress and development, both story-wise and gameplay-wise. Having teh same music on repeat makes you feel like you're stuck in some pseudo-disco time vortex that not even Bayonetta's command of space-time can help you escape from.

    Secondly, there are the supporting characters, all of whom are either boring, weird, annoying or a combination of all three. I couldn't work out where they really fitted in, or why they were there. They just seemed like unnecessary extras. The worst of them was the 'New Yoik' Italian-American stereotype who, at the end of each level, you can hear exclaim 'Oh whadda day!' as a sort of ornament/trophy spins on the screen. You have to hear it yourself, because I can't find the words to explain how weird it sounds, and I certainly can't offer any explanations as to what it all means.

    And thirdly - extending from my previous gripe about the characters - there is no story. Well, there is, but I sure as Hell can't tell you what it is. Sometimes, no story is not a problem, if the game is purely gameplay-driven. But Bayonetta clearly thinks story is important given the amount or cutscenes there are. As another user-reviewer has said, they shouldn't have bothered.

    Strip all these away and all you are left with is your standard Hideki Kamiya hack 'n' slash and, save for few exceptional sequences and levels, very repetitive gameplay. Maybe I'm a philistine when it comes to Kamiya's work, but I when stripped down to her bare essentials (pun very much intended) Bayonetta isn't anything special. It's just Devil May Cry with an injection of estrogen.
    Expand
  4. KyleR
    3
    I am very upset i just bought this game! The load times are inexcusable, the camera is a joke. Everytime i see a cutscene it gives me a headache, the story and voice acting makes me ill. If you make the mistake of grabbing an item in a fight prepare for a 5 sec load time just to show you a zoomed in pic of the item. Out of frustration i mash the start button hoping to speed up the load, but that just adds another 5 sec load time. I'm not in the habit of returning games but this one is going back even if they give me five bucks for it. Could be i have just been playing decent games lately and im being harsh but its just horrible... not sure why people would claim that this is something special. It's not! Expand

See all 59 User Reviews