Is this franchise really that good? (recommendation help I guess)

[SelectiveGamer]

Yes I'm making another one of these. This time for this franchise.

 

I'll be completely and brutally honest... the only reason I ended up looking into this franchise in the first place is because of the controversy with the third game ? good job heLIAR taylor

 

So... I do like action games honestly and obviously if you've seen some of the games that I play/played. But... the GameFAQs difficulty listing of 'Tough' is a MAJOR turn-off for me unfortunately. I don't like playing games that are extremely hard and difficult that might make me incredibly angry. I guess there's always Easy difficulty settings? I'll play games however the hell I want to and no one is going to tell me differently or convince me to do anything differently anymore. Also the games seem kind of 'fanservice-y' for my taste and that is kind of a turn-off too honestly in a way. But maybe it's not as bad as I seem to be thinking it is?

 

I don't have the money for three games right now obviously... but I'm just trying to get varying opinions on this for something for me to consider if I ever do have the money for extra games.

[Mr_Stkrdknmiblz]

If you like the Devil May Cry games or Metal Gear Rising I’d say go for it.  If not, then I’d say avoid.  The game requires good reactions, especially on the harder difficulties.

 

As for overall difficulty, it’s harder than something like Ys, but easier than DMC.

 

As for Fanservice?  Eeh?  Part of Bayonetta’s charm is her total Domme energy.  

Edited November 19, 2022 by Mr_Stkrdknmiblz

[the1andonly654]

As for the difficulty, you can cheese your way through most of the first game with a certain weapon but even without doing that, it's not that bad. Definitely not extremely difficult. 

 

Also, the way they handled higher difficulties is something that should be an example to every action game developer out there. Once you get a hang of the game, higher difficulties will seem more like a natural evolution to keep you challenged, rather than a brutal difficulty spike for no reason. It makes the game more fun and keeps it fresh. 

 

I haven't played 2 or 3, but the original game is amazing and as already said - if you're into games like DMC, you should definitely try Bayonetta. 

[Tsundokuist]

Personally, I think Bayonetta 2 is the best action game ever made. 

Bayonetta 2 plays like a dream, it feels so good to play infact that I have tried to start playing God of War (2018) 3 or 4 times now and despite God of War having much better graphics, all around better production values and (IMO) a better setting, every single time I have without fail got through a few battles and then thought “**** this garbage, I’m just going to play Bayonetta 2 again”.

 

Or to put it another way… I have owned a Nintendo Switch since launch, 50% of the games I have purchased for/played on said Switch are Bayonetta games. I have 100%’d both Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey, yet according to my Switch my most played game is Bayonetta 2 (despite the fact I originally played it on Wii U).

[Hellish-Abyss]

I'd say the franchise is good enough as Nintendo bought all distribution rights and deprived us PS players from any future games past the first one.

 

Yeah, you can play the game on "Very Easy" if you want, but for the plat you gonna need to beat it on the hardest difficulty which is "Infinite Climax."

 

I agree with they said above, if you like DMC or MGR this is your game. Like any game developed by Platinum Games, it is full of action and you gonna need to have quick reflexes to be able to beat it on harder difficulties. You will have to play on lesser difficulties to unlock the harder ones, so don't you worry about it, you'll be trained enough when you reach there. The good part is that you don't need to beat a certain friend to finish the game, 'cuz boy... he is nuts.

 

As for fan-service, I see none of it. Bayonetta wasn't made to be your typical well-behaved girl. She isn't forcing anything either, she is just like that.

[Ashande]

I really like the Bayonetta series, personally; bought Bayonetta 1 multiple times across multiple platforms, and except for the PS3 version, have 100%ed it on each one (only missing that one because my PS3 died, and by the time I replaced it, I no longer had the disc.) Bayonetta 2 is definitely in the running for one of the best “stylish action” games ever made (it takes stiff competition from Devil May Cry 5, though) and what I’ve played of 3 so far is great. I think they’re amazing games, and heartily recommend them to most people.

 

That being said, scrolling through your PSN profile, I’m not sure that you’ll vibe with it. If you’re not used to or a fan of this sort of game (God of War pre-2018, Devil May Cry, Dante’s Inferno, Metal Gear Rising), it can be a bit difficult to get a handle for it at first, even on lower difficulties. Bayonetta does tend to be fairly generous with healing items and checkpoints, so if you set it to a lower difficulty it’s quite doable, but you may find yourself just settling into a pattern of “rush past non-mandatory enemies, facetank your way through the unavoidable fights, rinse and repeat”… which will get you to the ending, but it may not be a particularly memorable or enjoyable experience, and isn’t really engaging with the game the way it wants you to.

 

So far as the fanservice angle, no one is going to deny that Bayonetta and Co. are very deliberately designed to be sexy and flirtatious, but aside from the occasional glamour shot or boob jiggle, it’s not as fanservicey as it initially might appear to be. I’d say most of the Tales games in your profile have worse moments, other than the basic character design, but your mileage may vary.

[BrandedBerserk]

Yes but unfortunately the best one ain't on Playstation. 

[Pumpkin Head Cthulhu]

If you like the Spectacle Fighters that others have mentioned (DMC, MGR Revengeance) then you would enjoy the series. I have only played the first game so far. I do have part 2 on the Switch just have not had the chance to play it.

[Taliesin_2943]

Not particularly great unless your into games that rip off devil may cry and inspire tissue sales and not for your nose

[ZenaxPure]

I absolutely love Bayo 1 but not entirely sure I'd recommend it if the difficulty thing is off putting to you. Not because the game is hard, just that, the best part of the game is the core combat so if you're not wanting to get really deep into that I am not sure there is much fun to be gotten from the game. There is nothing on your trophy profile I'd really compare it to since I think everything on there that falls into the action category is an action RPG.

 

Bayo is just pure action. Level based and extremely linear, you just travel forward going from battle to battle with the occasional "puzzle" (and I use the term loosely given it's some of the simplest stuff ever) to break up the action. The story has fun moments but it's mostly forgettable, I have the game on almost every platform it's been released on but I've never watched the cutscenes outside of my very first playthrough. No real side content or anything either, you beat the game and then just go up to the next difficulty (which has a modified rule set) and beat that. That's kinda it.

[Zephrese]

As others have already said, if you enjoy Devil May Cry (especially), God of War, Metal Gear Rising, etc., then you'll more than likely enjoy Bayonetta to some extent as well.

 

The first Bayonetta is definitely the hardest of the three, and not necessarily for the right reasons (mostly gimmick sections added for padding's sake).

However - while it took me a second playthrough -, I ended up falling it love with it anyways despite its flaws.

 

Bayonetta 2 is the easiest of the three games, but it's also the most fun, controls the best, and is the most well designed out of all of them as far as I'm concerned.

Bayonetta 3 is a good middle ground between the other two in terms of difficulty, but it's a bit bloated and Viola isn't that fun to play as imo (otherwise it's still a fantastic game).

 

As for the fanservice bit... who cares? lmao They're a blast to play, so don't let something so trivial deter you from at least giving them a shot.

I'll also echo Ashande's sentiment that Bayonetta 2 specifically is up there with DMC5 (and DMC3) as one of the best stylish action/hack and slash games ever made.

Edited November 20, 2022 by Zephrese

[Cal]

I say all three of the Bayonetta games are worth your time and money, the game play is fun some boss fights might be a bit tricky at first but you will learn the patterns of attacks quickly. The only weak spots that the games have in my opinion are the stories, all three of them are somewhat predictable with what happens in them they are pretty forgettable but to be honest you're not playing Bayonetta for the story.

Edited November 20, 2022 by Cal

[da-Noob123]

People keep comparing this to the old school God of Wars which I am big fan of and it's itch I haven't been able to scratch. However, I only ever beat them on the Hard difficulty never Very Hard. Can someone compare GoW's Very Hard to Infinite Climax?

[BestUsername----]

33 minutes ago, da-Noob123 said:

People keep comparing this to the old school God of Wars which I am big fan of and it's itch I haven't been able to scratch. However, I only ever beat them on the Hard difficulty never Very Hard. Can someone compare GoW's Very Hard to Infinite Climax?

Infinite Climax can either be very easy or frustrating depending how much time you decide to invest in the game. There is an item you can acquire that puts you in constant "ultimate" form allowing you to cheese and blow through every encounter and boss fight. You can't use it during the challenges but the challenges themselves can be played on the easiest difficulty.

 

The 6/10 difficulty on the trophy guide is strange to me, it's more of a 4/10 and that's coming from someone wo isn't that adept at these kind of games (DMC, Ninja Gaiden, etc.).

[SelectiveGamer]

First of all... thank you for all of the responses and I greatly appreciate it.

 

However... in case you didn't actually check... I haven't play MGR or DMC before or ever. The only action games I've played that might be similar to these games and this franchise are the Tales of games, Nier Automata, and I guess maybe FFXV? Type-0 HD was more action oriented as well and I plan on eventually playing stuff like Crisis Core Reunion and FFXVI.

 

So with that in mind... is this franchise still potentially something I could possibly like and enjoy without having played DMC or MGR?

Edited November 20, 2022 by SelectiveGamer

[Mr_Stkrdknmiblz]

5 minutes ago, SelectiveGamer said:

First of all... thank you for all of the responses and I greatly appreciate it.

 

However... in case you didn't actually check... I haven't play MGR or DMC before or ever. The only action games I've played that might be similar to these games and this franchise are the Tales of games, Nier Automata, and I guess maybe FFXV? Type-0 HD was more action oriented as well and I plan on eventually playing stuff like Crisis Core Reunion and FFXVI.

 

So with that in mind... is this franchise still potentially something I could possibly like and enjoy without having played DMC or MGR?

Nier is probably the closest comparison but there’s a distinction between action rpg and a game like Bayonetta.  While combat feels similar, Bayo isn’t based around RPG stat growth, it’s more reactionary skill, crowd control and combo implementation to increase score.  You can’t level up your way through it essentially.  But it has various difficulty settings that you have to work through which train you for the next one above and the score ratings don’t really effect anything.

 

Bayonetta was the first of such games that I really enjoyed after not liking the original DmC and I went back and played that series after and really enjoyed it on a second look.

[SelectiveGamer]

This is why I wish there was a demo or something. But apparently there's only one on an Xbox platform... which I don't own

[the1andonly654]

7 hours ago, SelectiveGamer said:

First of all... thank you for all of the responses and I greatly appreciate it.

 

However... in case you didn't actually check... I haven't play MGR or DMC before or ever. The only action games I've played that might be similar to these games and this franchise are the Tales of games, Nier Automata, and I guess maybe FFXV? Type-0 HD was more action oriented as well and I plan on eventually playing stuff like Crisis Core Reunion and FFXVI.

 

So with that in mind... is this franchise still potentially something I could possibly like and enjoy without having played DMC or MGR?

Whether you'll enjoy it or not, that's something only you can answer after trying it. The slight fan service thing and the overall aesthetics can be a turn off. For me it's "dumb enough to be somewhat funny even if you're more than 13 years old", but that's very subjective. 

 

Watch some footage and decide. The closest thing from your list would be Nier Automata with the similar looking combat, but these are very different games with very different focuses and you could hate Bayonetta even if you loved Nier. It's literally a new genre to you, it seems, so it's just guessing here. Bayo is all about the combat, the mechanics, linear gameplay with literal kill rooms one after another, with some minor exploration. Level 1-1, 1-2 and so on, in a way. 

 

 

[Mr_Stkrdknmiblz]

2 hours ago, SelectiveGamer said:

This is why I wish there was a demo or something. But apparently there's only one on an Xbox platform... which I don't own

It’s on sale for $10 on psn at the moment and that’s a steal.  I mean you could watch a let’s play of it or something if your unsure I guess but it’s well worth that price.

[zizimonster]

Now that I've platinumed Bayonetta twice -- and will platinum the third stack in the near future, I couldn't recommend it enough.

 

The game has aged like a fine wine. Story may be forgettable, but it has crazy-looking cutscenes through and through. Nonetheless, the best part is its timeless combat system and ever-changing boss battles.

 

The platinum journey may be difficult if you don't make use of the in-game cheats. However, with them, you'll blast through the game in around 5 hours, even on the highest difficulty setting. The accessories you obtain from the in-game cheats can also triviliaze almost all of the challenge rooms.

 

My main gripe with the game is its button-mashing sequences, but fret not! you'll be able to ignore them on subsequent playthroughs when you've already grinded the in-game money.

 

The best thing you could do right now is buy the game and play it.

 

?

[SelectiveGamer]

Super late response at this point... but oh well I guess. I bought the first game a couple of months ago or so. On Switch. So I wouldn't be too bothered by the trophies on the PS4 version. The rest of the games are Switch only anyway so I didn't see the point in getting the first game for PS4 or whatever. I intend on playing the games on Easy. Just to be safe. My choice obviously.

 

I'll buy the rest at some point but I'm not in the best financial situation right now so it's not going to be anytime soon. Thanks for all of the help though. A mod can close this if they so desire to. Or leave it up for others who are thinking about getting these games I guess. Up to the mods obviously.