Bayonetta 2's Perfect Scores Prove that Big Budget Current-Gen Games are all Talk

"Bayonetta 2 has been getting high scores across the board with both Desctructoid and Gamespot giving the game a perfect 10. Now keep in mind that Gamespot hasn’t given 10 for the past 4 years and are usually the stingy type. Even big budget games such as GTA V only scored a 9 on its site. "

[Paprika]

The power of good gameplay!

[Gazondaily]

Indeed. No matter how much cash you pump into your games, if you don't make gameplay your primary focus, you're going to fail.

This gen has been a startling reminder of gameplay > visuals etc

[Mikelarry]

Well said both of you. I hope these publishers take heed of this and apply it to their games budget, all these 500 mill budget on AAA games is getting way out of hand especially when they don't deliver

[bouzebbal]

in our days media decides everything unfortunately.
i think bayonetta gameplay sucks and i really do.. no matter how hard you try there are always people to criticize.
Lots of games with great gameplay get downgraded, and others with boring gameplay getting top scores, like Bayonetta in my case.
This is a very subjective topic..

[Gazondaily]

@Abzdine

"in our days media decides everything unfortunately. "

I agree here actually. We need to accept the views of all people. We should be free to criticise too but if others disagree, we need to respect their opinion. If its ill-founded though, then we can pick it apart (part of critique really).

[bouzebbal]

Except that in the real world most of the time $$$ are involved, which makes the opinion even harder to criticize cause you are dealing with 2 things at once: lack of honesty and a different opinion.

[ABizzel1]

@Parprika & Septic

I think the genre is also a big factor. Simply put is a hack n slash doesn't have great gameplay it's going to struggle regardless of everything else, because the basic combat that you have to perform for 6 or more hours just isn't satisfying.

Bayonetta mastered that.

In something like a FPS gameplay can't be the only thing to carry it, because there's been some many and at this point the gameplay of most FPS are good so they need something more and unique to carry them from average to great.

The bar for each genre is set completely different. Although I completely agree with both of you, that gameplay should be the first and most important aspect of any game, because if it isn't fun to play, then you've already lost some of the fight against reviews, and potential sales.

Gameplay > Experience (story, setting, pacing, framerate) > Graphics (art style, tech, resolution, etc...)

[frezhblunts]

It makes me laugh how people react on here. Bayonetta 2 deserves this and I was scared because people hate the wii u for no reason and figured a good game wouldn't get recognition. I can't believe someone wrote this game has boring gameplay must BE A JOKE! The wii u gamepad is great and the wii u has a lot of fun games. As long as it keeps passing the xbox one it is going to stay the rest of the gen so I am sorry haters :D

[mikeslemonade]

^you guys completely missed the bar.

This game is on a hadicaped rating scale. WiiU game standards are not as high. A 10 on a last gen hardware is about a 9 on current gen standards.

Stop touting and beating your chest. The fact is the game's potential is limited by last gen hardware. Don't kid yourself, all of you would have loved it if Platinum games made it for the current gen hardware. Instead the game still looks and moves like B1.

[Locknuts]

@ Mikeslemonade

It needs to run at 30fps to move like a 4Bone game.

[Magicite]

Its kinda sad that WiiU exclusives are getting highest scores, yet they dont move hardware units (or move very little), therefore resulting in lower software sales.

[user5669510]

and et fanboys will tell you different its one of the excuses they say pc sucks even though its putting out better gfx on low budget games. wiiu is putting out great fun games but they downplay it because it makes shows their flaws. wiiU have no game, when you show them, then its about the gfx. then you tell them but pc have the best gfx then they say its about the games lol. average exclusive with good but not the best gfx will alway win in their eye. we know how they are.

finally the wiiU is getting recognition because every time i see a article it seem like people are trying to get people to not buy one. i even went to gamestop and they was trying to get someone to buy a ps4 or xbone when he clearly wanted a wiiU because of nintendo exclusives.

[frezhblunts]

Everyone is against wii U for some reason. When I show my college buddies they love it we sit there playing mario kart 8 and hyrule warriors so far. I am sorry but some games lost it where the gfx would be beautiful but the game would be short and doesn't have that gameplay to the max. Yeah everytime I go to gamestop to get a wii u game they make a face but when I get a ps4 game its like I am in VIP.

[Muzikguy]

Yes. I always think it's funny when a company is flashing around big numbers. That doesn't mean anything to me. Hundreds of millions of dollars go into some of these games and there soooooooo short! Somewhere the money isn't being handled properly if you ask me

[MrSwankSinatra]

Can't wait to play this game, though I must say if this game is getting almost nearly perfect scores then imagine how good scalebound will be.

[christocolus]

The game is great. Will be getting my nephew a wiiu and a copy of bayonetta2 just in time for christmas. I'm also very happy about the high scores it shows that platinum still has the magic touch(viewtiful joe, wonderful 101, dmc, bayonetta, okami, vanquish, mgs rising etc).I never doubtedkamiya and his team..not one bit and now im now even more excited for scalebound.Can't wait to play both games.

Congrats to nintendo and platinum..great job.

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

I'm hoping Scale-Bound does well, for Platinum's sake, even though I never intend to own an XBone.

[mydyingparadiselost]

It's a shame many of the bigger publishers and developers have become so stale and marketing minded. While the big guys are busy figuring out how to squeeze more money out of customers with DLC and micro transactions indie devs and some other respectable devs/publishers have continued to give use games that focus on tight gameplay, complete packages and fun design. I hope more companies will do this in the future but honestly I fear for the future of many big budget games.
Oh well, at least a game like Bayo can come along every once in a while and make me love my hobby all over again :D

[DanzoSAMA]

I need Wii U soon as possible.

[MasterCornholio]

Its a platinum game so it will have good gameplay.

I loved Bayonetta and Vanquish.

P.S On a side note I bought Minecraft for my PS4 and its much better than many AAA games that I've played. Even indies can produce better games than many AAA developers.

P.S.S Wii U costs 300€ from amazon which is a pretty good price for the little system. Bundle it with Zelda and I'm in.

I will post a pic of my purchase when I make it. It would be a great secondary console to accompany my PS4.

[mydyingparadiselost]

And for anyone looking for a deal (as long as they can take advantage of it) the refurbished WiiU models are only $200 with a year warranty. Everyone I've read about that got one has said the systems look and perform like brand new.

[MasterCornholio]

Used would be good as well. However I'm more worried about the touchscreen than anything else. The console itself will work just fine though.

[TimeSkipLuffy]

High scores doesn't matter if the game does not sell enough to make income. Bayonetta was one of the coolest game ever! :D It's sad that Sony/MS let it slip away T___T

[PCBOX]

Its platinium games. Most of the games they made very original and already usualy got the high scores. I cant wait for Scalebound gonna be perfect! !!

[HappyWithOneBubble]

Wii U do have more games with higher review scores. When the new Zelda come I know it will get 9's and 10's. That's when I will get a Wii U.

[generic-user-name]

The Wii U is 8th gen like the PS4 and X1 and Bayonetta 2 is a AAA exclusive for the Wii U so this game is a big budget current gen game.

Not all talk.

[Spotie]

Not only that, but the scores for one game don't prove anything by themselves.

[mushroomwig]

'Even big budget games such as GTA V only scored a 9 on its site'

Only, really? It's statements like this that make the entire scoring system worthless.

[deafdani]

"Worst game ever. 9/10."

[chrissx]

Time to get a wiiu

[Jdoki]

WiiU is definitely gathering a good collection of games. I picked one up when Mario Kart 8 released, and have been very happy with it.

Bayonetta 2 is on my 'to-buy' list as soon as I'm done with Shadow of Mordor on PC

[izumo_lee]

Look Bayonetta 2 is probably a great game cause the first was great, arguably the best action game ever made.

The thing that irks me about these perfect scores is that Bayonetta is getting a free pass when it comes to its sexual subject matter while other games like Neptunia, Senran Kagura or Dragon's Crown gets negative points for its sexual subject matter.

A lot of these niche Japanese games that has very Japanese sexual subject matter often gets ridiculed by western game journalist. So what is the difference between Bayonetta compared to these other games.

Not questioning the game itself, just questioning why game journalist have such contradicting opinions.

[TheWackyMan]

Because they aren't journalists, they're opinionated bloggers. Polygon has a review up that pushes HARD with the "sexual content" and it's just annoying really.

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

It's all in the presentation, imo.
Yes, Bayonetta is very open with how sexy she is, but she also shows that she's a confident and powerful woman at the same time.
She's got personality, and is not just a sex symbol.

[Scar-]

Will it just shows reviewers are full of s****. There are just too many inconsistencies you can't keep moving the goal post just because you like a game if it has flaws score it accordingly and almost no big name review sites do this. As bad as destiny was I am kinda of glad it sold so well because these overly opinionated/corrupt morons need to know they don't matter.

[kwandar]

Nah - Polygon hit them on the sexual subject matter. I personally think hitting any game on that (unless it negatively impacts gameplay) is a crock.

[alti]

Suspicious how the worst selling consoles get the best reviews, and the best selling ones score the least.

This has been consistent since last gen and it's just fishy.

Maybe their "marketing" just works better than making good games?

[deafdani]

Sense. You're not making any of it.

[marloc_x]

Maybe their "marketing" just works better than making good games?

Hit the nail on the head alti.

[Nevers0ft]

Considering the sheer number of high scores the game has been awarded, that would be one hell of a conspiracy. Maybe (just maybe) Bayonetta 2 is an excellent game?

[Realplaya]

The reason for the perfect scores it's getting is Platinum plus Nintendo equals excellence. I think the W101 allowed them to get their feet wet with the Wii U and Bayonetta shows practice makes perfect.

[Aceman18]

The scores maybe great and all, but people better support this game if they want more like it. The reality is though we all know that the game probably won't even get close to a million in sales.

[Ggame]

Perfect score without sales.. what's going next ?

[mamotte]

Exactly the opposite, AKA Destiny.

[gamer7804]

i hope SEGA realizes what they lost, i hope it sells great as well as scoring great.

It's a shame this didn't come out on xbox one or ps4, but i'll be looking forward to this for my wiiu.

[GenericNameHere]

That's exactly why they cancelled the game before Nintendo took over. They predicted that Bayo2 wouldn't sell enough copies, thus not make enough money.

[Harold_Finch]

I thought this WAS a big budget game? Exclusives usually are.

[Chrischi1988]

Wii U just proves again, how foolish all the fanboys acted to write off the Wii U, just because of less power. It has the biggest collection of games, that actually scored well in reviews. All this graphics hype is pure marketing. You want good graphics, no console is for you, get a PC. You want great games, original and fun, get a Wii U. You wajt to feel mature and superior to others for dumb reasons, get the other consoles. I respect that 3rd Party argument though. I wouldve got a PS4 for 3rd parties, if I didnt have my nice gaming PC. It just really isnt worth the investment for now. Have enough to gane on PC and Wii U for now. Maybe if the PS4 becomes cheaper.

[xavierbigdaddy1972]

Do not need a pc or a wiiu, but thx anyways.

[il-JumperMT]

So making game for perverts is the way to go. Don't even bother making real games. Bayonetta one was so boring that i only played it for 2 hours max.

[LetoAtreides82]

This is a niche game with an even smaller demographic than racing games. The first Bayonetta only managed to sell a little over a million copies on the PS3 and it didn't even manage to reach a million on the 360, and these two systems have huge install bases.

With the Wii U's much smaller install base I'd be surprised if this one reaches half a million. Sorry folks this game ain't saving the Wii U either.

[deafdani]

Racing games have small demographics, now?

Then how come Gran Turismo is easily Sony's biggest selling franchise, Forza Motorsport one of the most popular IPs on Microsoft consoles, and Mario Kart an absolute sales juggernaut that keeps itself in the top selling games lists even years after being released on any given Nintendo platform?

:/

That said, you're probably right. The first Bayonetta was a niche game, so it's possible the second won't be different in that regard, but we could be wrong. It's just that your comparison to racing games didn't feel correct, is all.

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

The system has an install base of 7m.
It has the potential to sell over 1m based off of that, and that's before including any of the various circumstances circling around the game. (How it sells better in the states, Opreation Platinum, etc)

[Concertoine]

Do you see how many wii u games that have sold 1 million? That don't have mario or zelda in the title? One, Wii Party U. Bayonetta 2 will not sell 1 million. Wii U owners rarely buy games that take risks, like TW101 for example. That game hasnt sold 250k in a year, thats pathetic. It won't sell that bad but Bayonetta 2 will have a hard time hitting 500k within a year. Hell the PS4's been out half as long and has already garnered more million sellers.

You just sound like you keep back peddling.

[wheresmymonkey]

That's just the WiiU all over though. It doesn't have raw power so it's games have to play well. and they do there's more 90%+ exclusive games on the WiiU than the PS4 and Xbone.

[jts1891]

...Who cares? I've seen the trailers for this game, and nothing about it interests me at all. And frankly, I couldn't care less about Gamespot's reviews. They've been a joke for years

[mamotte]

And you're here because...?

[Scar-]

Or it shows that reviews are IDK just mindless opinions with bias and agenda's. Seriously I am sure this is a good game but a perfect score GTFO it's rated higher than ANY dmc by gamespot if that doesn't scream BS what does. What pisses me off the most is the industry bitches and moans for new ideas and next gen features then has fanboy gush sessions over the same shit we have been playing for years, wait till the AC and COD reviews roll in.

[millzy102]

You do realise bayonetta was made by the people who made Dmc, and the extra years of experiencr at platinum games resorts in them making better games than they did. Ten years ago. Maybe that's the reason bayonetta scored better because it's the better game.

[Scar-]

I am well aware of Hideki Kamiya's work. My point was DMC was revolutionary for its time and while it was well received it didn't score a single perfect if I remember correctly. The industry ask for innovation and rewards repetition.

[Tzuno]

Glad that Nintendo nailed this. Bravo. Dont forget people Nintendo started all, and i thank that.

[TheJacksonRGN]

Wii U is current gen though, it just the least powerful of the three. Bayonetta 2 must have a big budget as well, obviously not Call of Duty or AC type budget but this game still cost a lot of money.

Also comparing reviews for two different games on the same site doesn't mean anything. Especially when two different people reviewed them.

Anyway I'm glad the game is doing great critically. I just hope it can do as great in terms of sales.

[XabiDaChosenOne]

Japanese game developing scene is back on the map!!

[trywizardo]

bayonetta is a big budget game , maybe not as big as other games but still its an AAA game that needs a lot of money to make ...
anyhow congrats WiiU users for this epic game , now WiiU have 2 game that i want project X and this -_-