Joystiq E3 eyes-on: Bayonetta (Xbox 360/PS3)

Platinum Games has a very tiny room located in the back of Sega's closed door area. Within this tiny room is a mountain of gaming goodness, as the former Clover folks had two very solid titles to show off. The first game we got to check out is PS3 and Xbox 360 action adventure title, Bayonetta.


In Bayonetta, you hack and slash tons of baddies much in the same manner as Dante, the hero of the Devil May Cry series, but instead of playing as a pretty boy with white hair, you're charged with taking up the struggle of a witch dressed in black called Bayonetta. We couldn't pry much info about her from the Platinum Games folks, but we did gather from the demo they played in front of us that she is very voluptuous. That, and she kicks a whole bunch of ass.
The demo took place in an outdoor courtyard setting, with plenty of combat and Halo collecting. No, not the master of chiefs, the kind that angels have above their head. In defeating the many evil things populating this level, she gathers Halos, which then allow her to beef up her abilities. And, her abilities, are really where it's at.

"She pulled a guillotine out of the ether, placed a monster within it and ... Well, you know the rest."

Aside from normal melee attacks and firing her dual pistols, she can also summon things to help her dispatch enemies. She's able to conjure up gigantic fists and feet, mid-combo, to perform a powerful attack that sends those evil jerks reeling. Also, she has the very cool ability to summon specific instruments as fatalities. For example, during the play session, following a combo, she pulled a guillotine out of the ether, placed a monster within it and ... well, you know what happens then. We also witnessed a very cool iron maiden maneuver.

The demo then brought the title's heroine to a boss fight, which was a gigantic hulking beast that stood on two feet. Upon laying into it with pistols and melee attacks, a final death animation was triggered where a huge black dragon emerged and bit the colossus in the face. Good stuff, to say the least.

We should also mention the game's visuals. The frame rate was consistent and the title was incredibly fast, loading crisp textures and handling the multiple enemies on the screen with ease. All around, we found ourselves to be incredibly impressed with Platinum Games' Bayonetta.