I've always been a huge Bayonetta fan - in fact, I'd probably say Bayonetta 2 is probably on my top 10 games of all time list somewhere. I've always loved how these games exude style while providing lightning fast and fluid action.
Having said that, I was worried about Bayo 3 for a number of reasons - the long dev cycle (apprently due to the original pitch for the game being open world), the focus on the slow, lumbering beast summons, and Platinum's not stellar track record over the past few years.
Now having beaten it, I'm stuck with two major feelings on it. 1) It's definitely the worst in the trilogy, and 2) Having said that, I was pleasantly surprised by how ambitious it felt and I did enjoy the new mechanics even if the game never quite came together the same way the other two did.
The beast summoning isn't nearly as annoying as I'd feared, largely due to the ability to continue fighting while summon attacks are queued. The new mobility options that come with each new weapon are fantastic and easily the best new feature.
I do wish that there were smaller fights - the beast summoning being so core to the game means most of the fights are in huge arenas with tankier enemies. The performance isn't as bad as some people claim to be (I think people forget Bayo 2 on Wii U had framerate issues too) but it does noticeably chug at times. I liked Viola a lot in theory but the timing for counters was definitely too tiny at release (apparently they've fixed this, one of these days I'll try it out of curiosity).
Also, just to get this out of the way - yes, the plot is bad. The ending sucks. I'm just going to be honest and say the story has never been the reason I've played these games so I mostly just ignored it.
Overall, a solid character-action game that I do think lives up to the Bayonetta pedigree even if it never hits the highs of Bayo 1 or 2.
Having said that, I was worried about Bayo 3 for a number of reasons - the long dev cycle (apprently due to the original pitch for the game being open world), the focus on the slow, lumbering beast summons, and Platinum's not stellar track record over the past few years.
Now having beaten it, I'm stuck with two major feelings on it. 1) It's definitely the worst in the trilogy, and 2) Having said that, I was pleasantly surprised by how ambitious it felt and I did enjoy the new mechanics even if the game never quite came together the same way the other two did.
The beast summoning isn't nearly as annoying as I'd feared, largely due to the ability to continue fighting while summon attacks are queued. The new mobility options that come with each new weapon are fantastic and easily the best new feature.
I do wish that there were smaller fights - the beast summoning being so core to the game means most of the fights are in huge arenas with tankier enemies. The performance isn't as bad as some people claim to be (I think people forget Bayo 2 on Wii U had framerate issues too) but it does noticeably chug at times. I liked Viola a lot in theory but the timing for counters was definitely too tiny at release (apparently they've fixed this, one of these days I'll try it out of curiosity).
Also, just to get this out of the way - yes, the plot is bad. The ending sucks. I'm just going to be honest and say the story has never been the reason I've played these games so I mostly just ignored it.
Overall, a solid character-action game that I do think lives up to the Bayonetta pedigree even if it never hits the highs of Bayo 1 or 2.