BADCP - Unapoligetically Biased

There's just really something to be said about Bayonetta 2's seamless transitions between gameplay styles. The game takes all of its tributes and arranges them into one cohesive experience. The game goes from punching and kicking, to platforming, to flying, and even shapeshifting. it does this all seamlessly and naturally. The transitions in gameplay are the transitions in the story being told. For example, if a tower crumbles and Bayonetta falls into water, the next gameplay section is in her eel form. If the story demands that she hurry to her next location, she will either turn into her panther form or hoof it on Diometrus. Parts where Bayonetta is in intense struggle (i.e. wrestling a giant sword, evading collisions, or other life-threatening close calls) go seamlessly into frantic button-mashing sequences. Bayonetta 2 even has 2-Player cooperative battling over Nintendo Network, but nobody would (or could) know; this is yet another aspect of the game big media glossed over.

	The Tried-And-True Lame Approach
	Fast-forward to 2014. The first Bayonetta wasn't considered a "commercial success" by marketing mover and shaker suits who rule over the industry with brainwashing and manipulation. To those who actually play video games, Bayonetta was a runaway success. The game resembled that rare type of woman who is irresistably sexy, yet possesses a personality of gold. Underneath a seemingly shallow, offensive exterior was a game that successfully combined some of video game history's best gameplay elements. Despite controvesy, the game is a success simply because failure has met most developers in their efforts to combine gameplay styles. If it were not successful, a sequel would have never gotten the green light. Lame, dime-a-dozen reviews usually acknowledge this.
	Of course, they do it in such a manner that nothing good they say about the game overshadows the obligatory feminist pieces they also put into the review. Anyone can hate Bayonetta 2 for its hyper-sexualized nature, or how it's saturated with gore, but not for its gameplay. Bayonetta 2 doesn't just control well; it's got enough variety for even the most entitled of assholes out there (and the Internet proves there are a lot). Me? I don't care. I could play the punch/kick/sword/gun parts all day everyday. It's not a big deal for me. I can just set goals for myself and go for high scores and high rankings. That is how I have fun with video games. The hippest of hipsters, though, require a game to change forms to "stay interesting" (and apparently to cure ADD). To combat this, Bayonetta 2 borrows from some of the most iconic video games of all-time, including Devil May Cry, Spikeout, Virtua Fighter, Super Mario Bros., Metroid, Sonic The Hedgehog, and even Afterburner!
	I didn't really see the respects Bayonetta's developers pay to their past works and inspirations until I played Bayonetta 2. They were in the first game, but to me, they didn't seem as potent. In Bayonetta 2, though, they're clear as day. Homages are paid to a plethora of titles that have made positive contributions to video games throughout history; Spikeout and/or brawlers of any sort with the punch/kick action, Devil May Cry with the obvious angels/demons-backed wall-running swordplay/gunplay, Alex Kidd in dialogue, Space Harrier in the flying parts, Sonic The Hedgehog with ring-collecting (and Sega's investment), and even retro Sega boxing games during a close-up boss fight! There's are also giant robot parts, but the only thing I can think of with Sega's name on it is ChromeHounds. Golden Axe was also probably one of the game's inspirations during the huge axe parts. One could even say that the flying dragon boss was inspired by masterpiece Strider 2.
	Bayonetta 2 even pays tribute to modern classics like God of War and Okami. Quick-time events during cinematic sequences and epic, colossal boss battles really feel like a nod to Sony's God of War series, and that's not a bad thing (considering how well it work for that series). As for Okami influences, yeah, it's been driven into the ground that Hideki Kamiya worked for Capcom and all this other shit that we've all heard recycled a billion times by the big media sites and the billions of piss-ant sites that want to emulate them. Rarely is it ever described just how Bayonetta 2 draws influence from Okami. Bayonetta can shapeshift, and one of the things she turns into is a panther. Much like Amaterasu from Okami; flowers bloom and wither behind her instantly as she runs in this panther form, with almost the exact same lateral and stride. *Not many games succeed at it, but Bayonetta 2* is the quissential action adventure game, and it's as solid as reinforced concrete.**
	There's just really something to be said about Bayonetta 2's seamless transitions between gameplay styles. The game takes all of its tributes and arranges them into one cohesive experience. The game goes from punching and kicking, to platforming, to flying, and even shapeshifting. it does this all seamlessly and naturally. The transitions in gameplay are the transitions in the story being told. For example, if a tower crumbles and Bayonetta falls into water, the next gameplay section is in her eel form. If the story demands that she hurry to her next location, she will either turn into her panther form or hoof it on Diometrus. Parts where Bayonetta is in intense struggle (i.e. wrestling a giant sword, evading collisions, or other life-threatening close calls) go seamlessly into frantic button-mashing sequences. Bayonetta 2 even has 2-Player cooperative battling over Nintendo Network, but nobody would (or could) know; this is yet another aspect of the game big media glossed over.
	Yes, Bayonetta 2 has cooperative play, and it's not just a 2-Player version of the game's 1-Player stages. While inspired by parts of the main stages in the game, and populated by familiar enemies and bosses, they are different in approach. Bayonetta 2's creators effectively shut-down big media criticisms of cooperative free-roaming criticisms by confining its 2-Player cooperative play neatly into separate arenas of various shapes and sizes. There is no 2-Player platforming or cutscene coordination, making it impossible for big media to say in any way that the game doesn't accommodate cooperative play (be by camera angles, level design, or anything else). Bayonetta 2's cooperative play is lag-free over Nintendo Network, so both players can compete for the higher score with the greatest of ease. However, due to heavy inspiration from titles before its technology was used in video games, Bayonetta 2's touchscreen support is not available in 2-Player cooperative play.
	Of course, this is yet another important aspect of Bayonetta 2 that has either barely been addressed at all, or completely ignored. Though Bayonetta 2 keeps its traditional game fans by standing firmly in the traditional roots that inspire it, it simultaneously embraces new technology to attract the new generation of fans. That new generation of fans embraces touchscreens, and Bayonetta 2's amazing touchscreen controls attract them. Bayonetta 2 uses the Wii U GamePad touchscreen as a sort of Auto Mode for beginner players that makes (as seen in some Capcom games). It simplifies P and K to one attack while keeping combos and full-range freedom of movement; all with the stylus. You'll play it at first and graduate on to the Pro Controller to perform more intricate combos and techniques. All in all, the shadow feminists and other critics have cast over Bayonetta 2 insinuate that the game is a mere sex simulator, completely ignoring the strong foundation it was built on.

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	Copyright BAD'S COMMENTARY PAGE 2017. All games are the property of their respective owners.

	When SolSadGuy first told me about Bayonetta, I massively underestimated the power of the game's style, character, and grace. In fact, I had trivialized the game to such an extent that SolSadGuy gave me his copy "indefinitely". Who does that? Of course, he knew that it would find a safe home in my collection, and he doesn't care about material things nearly as much as I do, but the real reason he did it was because he understood that I needed to play this game in my lifetime.


Writer: BAD




The Story Thus Far
Bayonetta 2 reviews fall mostly into three categories; the lame, tired "gameplay/control/sound/replay" approach, guilty by "Nintendoom" association, and the obligatory, ultra-feminist approach. Each approach has a different goal and agenda, yet is just as worthless as the other. All three approaches ignore the game as an art form and/or a well-oiled technical marvel of efficiency. Some even gloss completely over the inspired gameplay. Even the "favorable" reviews of the game never really defend it from its rabid hypocritics. Most reviews stop short of telling Bayonetta 2's hypocritics to shut their big fucking mouths, to stop talking shit for attention, or that they don't know shit. Hypocrites and entitled assholes from all over the globe have joined forces.
This article will still acknowledge that magical grace, style, and charm that continues to make Bayonetta 2 as special as its predecessor. So much love was put into the game, in fact, that even a dedicated article to it might never end. Not only is Bayonetta truly a spectacle to behold, but the game she headlines is every bit as detailed as every aspect of her is. However, more focus will be paid to the politics this game has been a victim of. It's amazing how a single video game can elicit such controversy from so many sides. Of course, each of these sides have their own agendas, and these agendas do not benefit the developer and artists who made it. Most of reviews and/or coverage of Bayonetta 2 is uneducated and severely lacking. There's a lot more to this game than meets the eye. It's deeper than what even the veteran game player can imagine...