I will do my utmost to resist making blatant jokes about…things. Originally I bought Bayonetta for the nudi…err…the fact that it is made by the same guy who did Devil May Cry..? Yea, I wouldn’t buy that line from a guy either when it comes to this game. One thing came to mind right before actually purchasing the game, and that thought was: it is sad that Hideki will probably be far more well known for this game than Devil May Cry.

Once I had some time alone, and those of you that just snickered at your monitors have just lost the game, I popped the disc in and booted up the game. Immediately I was greeted by an intriguing cut scene and a remake of a very very familiar song. The game had locked in my interest for the next several hours. Not just to check out how well the physics engine works on…well you get the idea. The whole game felt really familiar considering I’ve played Hideki’s DMC series in the past.

When it comes to anything relating to any sort of time manipulation in a video game, generally I get really disappointed for various reasons. In Bayonetta I liked the way they handled the concept and back story behind the ability, but honestly wished it was expanded upon even more. Using Witch Time is the key to many battles and for gaining high amounts of Halos, but I would have liked to see it used a bit more creatively in some puzzles throughout the game. Other than that small personal quibble with the game I honestly can’t say I didn’t enjoy every other aspect of it.

The rendition of Frank Sinatra’s Fly Me To The Moon used throughout the game could be considered a pure stroke of genius on the developer’s behalf. Not only was this new version catchy as hell, but really complimented the personality of the main character. Some of the alternate weapons you could unlock gives you a fairly decent mix and match sort of scenario to play in when it comes to deciding what sets of weapons you want to use to pound your enemies….with.

For fans of Hideki’s work, this is a pretty well rounded example of what the man delivers with each new installment thrust into the gaming market and as such a reasonable price tag attached. For anyone else? Still not a bad deal for an interesting game with a pretty good story. I’d recommend it as at least a rental to those unsure if it warrants the full price.

For a game that marketed itself on sex appeal. I wasn’t disappointed with overall quality of it. Hideki’s team took their formula for DMC and mixed it up a bit, tossed in an overly sexual female as the player character, topped it off with some story, and finally added in an awesome sound track. For those that have yet to experience the game, I want to reiterate one point I made earlier: fan service, this game is full of it from beginning to end…and then it has this dance sequence. Seriously, pretty much out of no where after the stripper dance during the credits, all the characters from throughout the game get together and decide to shake it with Bayonetta in a series of short clips.

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3

AMMIH Rating: 4/5

SMS (Sicky’s Motion Sickness) Rating: 2/5 (Lower is Better)