GSE 2013: “Bayonetta 2” Preview

Nintendo’s presence at gaming conventions this year has mainly been to tout software coming out in the very near future in order to give their struggling Wii U a boost, so when we saw Bayonetta 2 on the GameStop Expo…

Who’s that silver-haired girl?

Nintendo’s presence at gaming conventions this year has mainly been to tout software coming out in the very near future in order to give their struggling Wii U a boost, so when we saw Bayonetta 2 on the GameStop Expo show floor at Nintendo’s booth, you can bet it got its fair share of attention.  The demo Nintendo featured was the exact same one shown off at E3 but instead of watching an expert go through the game, we actually got some hands-on time with it.

Upon first starting, players are given the option to play the game on various modes of difficulty, which makes sense considering the main thing fans struggled with in the original game was in its pacing.  On top of the difficulty selection, players are also expected to pick to play the game in classic mode, or to make use of the game’s new touch screen controls.  For the sake of time, I went with the classic mode of play.

For those unfamiliar with the title, Bayonetta is all about hard, stylish action.  The game is an old-school 3D beat-em-up inspired by combo-building fighters that virtually makes every button combination you can think of lead to gruesome results.  Some of Bayonetta‘s more impressive moves, called climaxes, normally begin with chaining a combo followed by rapidly tapping a face button to unleash havoc.  One of the cooler ones involved Bayonetta kicking the hell out of a demon, eventually throwing him into a bloody and thorny buzzsaw.

The demo featured Bayonetta in a distinct new look.  Her signature long hair from the original game has been replaced with an extremely short cut, and her stilettos also have whips attached to them to add further insult to her intent to injure.  Despite the new look, it’s still the same Bayonetta that lies in suggestive poses while torturing her enemies left and right.

Most of the fights in the demo took place on a speeding jet as demons continued to re-spawn.  While holding our own, however, the fight was interrupted by another sultry-looking woman with silver hair who also held her own against the demons.  Eventually, it all led up to a string of boss fights which define old-school simply due to the fact that they all filled more than half of the TV screen.  To handle the fight, Bayonetta’s climax moves included spells big enough to deliver hell on these giant demons.  The powers are almost indescribable, but short of anything more professional to say — they’re badass.

The action ended when we find the silver-haired siren apparently helping Bayonetta pass out.

Who is that woman?  When does Bayonetta 2 come out?  Nobody knows, other than the fact that this game is due out sometime next year.  Until then, keep it on SmashPad for more on this and the rest of our coverage from Las Vegas at the GameStop Expo.