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Viewtiful Joe's Kamiya would 'like to finish' series, won't henshin-a-go-go back to Okami

by Randy Nelson { Dec 7th 2009 at 10:00PM }

Hideki Kamiya, creator of the forthcoming Bayonetta, would be up for making a sequel to his stylish side-scroller Viewtiful Joe if given the opportunity, according to a report by Game Informer. Not so much for Okami, though, which he'd wanted to revisit until he learned Capcom was making Okamiden for DS. "I heard the announcement that someone else would be making a sequel," he told the magazine. "Now I'm just not interested in it anymore."

Kamiya, who left Capcom along with Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami and other key staffers to form the now-defunct Clover Studio, doesn't retain the rights to any of the IPs he created at either company -- but nevertheless feels that the story of Viewtiful Joe "is incomplete," adding "I'd like to finish it someday."

While that's probably a long shot, Kamiya has already proven he's a man full of amazing ideas, which we'll hopefully see many more of after Bayonetta -- a game he could very well make a sequel to -- is released in the US on January 5.

Bayonetta demo brings climax action to XBLM

by Richard Mitchell { Dec 3rd 2009 at 3:15PM }

Here's a friendly little reminder for all the climax action fans out there: The previously announced Bayonetta demo has arrived on Xbox Live Marketplace. We've been able to spend some time with the demo, and it's probably safe to say that Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden players out there have something to look forward to. But you don't have to take out word for it, because you can try it yourself. Amazing world we live in, isn't it?

Shortcut: Download the Bayonetta demo [Via Xbox.com]

UK Bayonetta pre-order bonuses revealed

by Richard Mitchell { Dec 1st 2009 at 4:00PM }

We're not sure why publishers decided that purchasing a game should be more difficult, but the recent trend of retailer exclusive pre-order goodies seems to be here to stay. Case in point: the various pre-order bonuses for Bayonetta in the UK. Those who pre-order at Play.com will receive the Bayonetta Climax Edition, pictured above on the left. Meanwhile, HMV pre-orders get a "Manga's Leading Ladies" DVD, which features "full episodes, trailers and exclusive clips" of something. Perhaps the coolest bonus, though, belongs to game.co.uk, which offers a replica of one of Bayonetta's guns, Scarborough Fair.

All three are being offered for £39.99, so the only decision you really have to make is which bonus you like the best. Well, that and whether or not you ever want to invite a pretty girl into your home.

Bayonetta's dancing is really 'sexy'

by JC Fletcher { Nov 24th 2009 at 11:00PM }

Did you think the footage of Bayonetta summoning intricate torture devices was disturbing? Wait until you see this context-free prototype dancing footage, featuring everyone's favorite giant witch cutting a motion-captured rug (after the break). We don't know if it's the fact that the animations have yet to be finalized in this sequence, or if it's the idea of Bayonetta taking a break from her brutal revenge quest to get down, or if it's simply Bayonetta's flagrantly inhuman body proportions, but yikes.

What kind of touch-ups did Platinum do after this prototype stage? " ... on Kamiya-san's orders," animator Uchi says, "we accentuated the movements of her waist and butt to make it over-the-top in the sexiness department." You'd have to accentuate the hell out of those movements to go from that to "sexy."

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Bayonetta demo available in North America and Europe Dec. 3

by JC Fletcher { Nov 23rd 2009 at 11:30AM }

Finally, a chance to play Bayonetta for those of us who never got around to setting up Japanese PSN accounts or Sega Passes. Sega announced that the demo for Platinum Games' torturiffic action game will be available on Xbox Live and PSN, in North America and Europe, on December 3.

With this demo, you'll be able to gauge the limits of your Bayonetta fandom. Maybe you'll like it enough to buy it. Maybe you'll like it enough to buy the PAL limited edition. Or enough to import the PAL limited edition (for North American gamers). Or maybe you'll freak out about Bayonetta and feel compelled to import the Australian limited edition. This is why demos are so important: you can make sure you actually like the game before you bring yet another fancy plastic foot-pistol into your home.

Gallery: Bayonetta

Bayonetta's magical torture fetish explained

by JC Fletcher { Nov 19th 2009 at 6:45PM }

Bayonetta has the magical ability -- and macabre desire -- to conjure torture devices for use against her enemies. But why does the hair-clothed, gun-toed heroine of Platinum Games' action game do this? Is she just a horrible person?

In a new developer diary (after the break), Director Hideki "Viewtiful" Kamiya explains that Bayonetta and her fellow witches have suffered through torture themselves, and so she fights not only for survival, but for revenge. Her sadism is a direct result of her own experience previous to the game's events. Plus, as Kamiya says, "It is important players enjoy seeing enemies sadistically destroyed." Do try to enjoy the torture. Otherwise you'll be doing the cruelest attack of all: hurting Kamiya's feelings.

Congratulations to Jonathan on being the first to comment. You've been emailed a free Battlefield: Bad Company 2 beta code. Click here, for more information on this giveaway. Official rules apply.

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Video: Bayonetta gets creative with death

by Richard Mitchell { Nov 18th 2009 at 4:00PM }

Apparently it's not good enough to simply dispatch enemies these days. No, in these modern times, one must also torture them before they die. At least, that would appear to be the stance of Platinum Games' Bayonetta. The latest video released for the game explains the magic system. In short, landing successive blows on enemies without being struck fills the magic bar, allowing Bayonetta to unleash some particularly nasty finishing moves. For example she can summon a guillotine, stomp a foe's head right onto the chopping block and then drop the blade with a snap of her fingers.

Or, if you're not really a traditionalist, you can opt for the giant, spiked wheel of death. Your choice. See the video after the break.

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Sega considering Bayonetta PS3 patch to address long load times

by Griffin McElroy { Nov 18th 2009 at 11:45AM }

We've all seen reports about the PS3 version of Bayonetta's visual inferiority to the 360 iteration of the game, but according to a few forum posters on Platinum Games' site, the title is plagued by a bigger problem on Sony's home console: Lengthy load times. According to one forum post, it takes 25 seconds to load a level, 10 seconds to load a cutscene, five seconds to open the menu and three seconds to pick up an item. In the context of the game, that last one makes sense -- we imagine hair-clothes don't offer the flexibility required to collect an object from the ground.

Fortunately, a Sega representative responded to one such complaint, saying "a patch to correct this issue is under consideration," later adding that there's no time frame as to when a decision about the update would take place. In the interest of universal cross-platform equality, we're sincerely hoping the answer is "before January 5."

[Via 1UP]

Sega Europe announces Bayonetta special edition

by JC Fletcher { Nov 10th 2009 at 9:30AM }

Sega of Europe revealed a new offering for PAL gamers who are way into Bayonetta, but not so way into Bayonetta that they're already buying the crazy five-disc soundtrack from Japan. The Bayonetta special edition, announced for release in the UK, Spain, France, and Australia, includes a single soundtrack disc, along with a hardcover art book. It'll be released alongside the regular edition of the game on January 8.

Sega of America has yet to announce a special edition of Bayonetta, but we won't be shocked when the company does decide to pick up the extra money generated by such a release.

So you want to play the Bayonetta demo early, do you?

by Xav de Matos { Nov 6th 2009 at 11:00PM }

Sega just announced that 40,000 lucky Xbox 360 owners will get extremely early access to a demo for the upcoming action game Bayonetta. To be considered for the prize, gamers must register for a free Sega Pass -- essentially the publisher's newsletter -- and enter for a chance to be selected on the official Bayonetta demo site.

Registration for the "contest" will be open from Monday, November 9 to Friday, November 13. Winners will be notified on Monday, November 16. Those not selected will then be referred to as "the group least likely to win a 'boot-gun thing' firing contest" ... or PlayStation 3 players. Should you not get selected, you might want to take advantage of making a Japanese account.

Bayonetta launch continues Platinum's winning streak

by JC Fletcher { Nov 6th 2009 at 3:00PM }

Bayonetta had a strong debut in Japan this week -- on PS3. The PS3 version of Platinum Games' action title sold 135,242 copies in its first week, topping the Media Create sales chart. The Xbox version had a good launch for an Xbox 360 game in Japan, at 64,325 copies. It wasn't a Resident Evil 5-size launch on either console, though the Xbox 360 version came close, and it wasn't a Wii Sports Resort-level sensation, but it should be enough to be considered a successful launch.

This is Platinum Games's second launch in Japan, and it's the second to debut at the top of the charts. Infinite Space on DS took the winning position back in June, with a comparatively modest 38,394 copies. MadWorld, Platinum's other game, has yet to be released in Japan.

The number two and three spots on Media Create's chart are also occupied by new games: Four Warriors of Light: Final Fantasy Gaiden, the new Final Fantasy for DS made by Matrix Software, and Tekken 6.

Bayonetta might need a backpack for all those guns

by Ben Gilbert { Nov 4th 2009 at 2:15PM }

Knowing now that we won't be able to get our hands on a retail copy of Bayonetta on this side of the Pacific until January 5, it's hard not to be frustrated when the game's publisher releases more footage reminding us how much fun the combat is. It might be incredibly silly that she has guns on her feet, sure, but they're guns on her feet. It makes the thought of kicking an enemy all the more enticing!

It's also just plain nice to see a trailer for this game that focuses on how the gameplay works, rather than on its hyper-sexualized main character. Also: she fires a bazooka at a demon wearing a tuba. If that's your kind of thing.

Gallery: Bayonetta

PS3 Bayonetta pre-orders slightly cheaper at two retailers [update]

by JC Fletcher { Nov 2nd 2009 at 3:30PM }

A couple of retailers are selling the PS3 version of Bayonetta at a slight discount over the Xbox 360 version. GameStop is temporarily knocking five bucks off pre-orders for the PS3 version only, bringing the price down to $54.99. Both come with a set of eight posters. Amazon has discounted both versions, but the PS3 release's $54.99 price tag is a little bit more discounted than the Xbox 360 version's 56.99.

Siliconera speculates that these discounts are a response to the outcry over Bayonetta looking a bit blurrier in its Sega-ported PS3 incarnation than on Xbox 360. Since these are special offers, though, it's a response on retailers' parts, and not Sega's. If it's really the case that it's an extra push for the "inferior" version and not just a semi-random sale, it seems like it could do the trick. After all, the most attractive version of Bayonetta is likely to be the one that comes with a five dollar bill.

Update: The Xbox version is now $54.99 at GameStop as well.

Bayonetta's nonstop-climax action starts January 5

by JC Fletcher { Oct 29th 2009 at 12:59PM }

If you were just about to place an order for the Japanese PS3 version of Bayonetta, having just learned that it's in English, hold on! Sega has announced Western release dates for Platinum Games' foot-gunnin-action game, and they aren't terribly far off. Bayonetta will arrive in North America on January 5 and in Europe on January 8. Sorry, Darksiders!

In the meantime, you can check out some of the humiliating (and potentially NSFW) extra costumes that are available in the game. Amazingly, the default costume, which is composed entirely of magical human hair, is the most practical and restrained outfit of the lot.

Gallery: Bayonetta

Bayonetta's first dev diary explains protagonist's origins

by Ben Gilbert { Oct 28th 2009 at 4:41PM }

Platinum Games' Hideki Kamiya and Yusuke Hashimoto may not be taking the story super seriously in upcoming third-person action game Bayonetta, but that doesn't mean no effort was exerted in creating the title character's backstory.

As it turns out, she came from the future to kill someone's mother so that ... okay, yeah, we're just making that up. Everyone knows that you couldn't bring back all those fancy guns through time! Duh! It's really that her family was attacked when she was a baby and even though the attacker came after her, she lived and ... alright, it's not that either. Rather than trust ourselves to relay it, we'll just let the developers explain Bayonetta themselves in the video after the break.