Bayonetta

Bayonetta was released in Japan in October 2009 and North America and Europe in January 2010 on both the PS3 and XBox 360. Developed by Platinum Games under director Hideki Kamiya and published by Sega, it's an all-out action game.

The Japanese box art for Bayonetta.

You take on the role of Bayonetta, a witch with some serious fighting skills and a zesty personality. When I first started playing this game I was genuinely surprised at how frantic the gameplay is. You are immediately thrown into a tutorial battle with lots of angelic enemies and the action is incredibly high-paced.

It took me a few minutes to get to grips with things but I instantly noticed how fun this game was. Bayonetta's high-heels are also pistols. So she is weilding four guns at once. Brilliant madness.

The battle system is easy to get to grips with but as more weapons become available it quickly becomes obvious that it's very rich, with hundreds of combos at your disposal.

As I said - epic boss battles.

Bayonetta is not a game to be taken seriously when it comes to the story and characters. The cast are wacky, the dialogue is at times rather funny, tongue-in-cheek and sweary. This isn't a kids game! It's also very gory and has moments which are truly over the top, but I think that's part of the charm here. Some of the stages which embrace older games and different genres really put a smile on my face, too. One of the stand out points for me though is just how epic the boss battles are. The sheer scale of many enemies and the smooth animations are very impressive.

When you put these elements together, what you are left with is a really fun experience accompanied by an upbeat and excellent soundtrack. However, it's not an easy game. There are secrets scattered throughout which offer a great challenge and you only unlock hard mode after completing the game on the already tricky normal setting.

My copy of Bayonetta on PS3.

Bayonetta 2 is set for release on Wii U despite Nintendo owners not having an opportunity to play the first game. It also means I won't have an opportunity to play the sequel! Bugger.

Either way, you can most likely find a copy of this game for your PS3 or XBox 360 at a reasonable price. I bought my copy of the game on a whim and it was a great decision.

Gary