Bayonetta

There's an argument to be made for the extension of auteur theory to videogames. The artform has been in existence now for over three decades and certain designers have enough of a recognisable style to get their name above the credits (Sid Meir's name is prominently displayed on anything Civilisation-y, while Brütal Legend has "A Tim Schafer Game" on the box). The same could apply to Hideki Kamiya and Bayonetta except that anyone who's played one of the Devil May Cry games will recognise his work immediately, since it's the exact same game.

Instead of Dante the kick-ass, part-demon demon-killer, we have Bayonetta the kick-ass, demon-witch angel-killer. Both are impossibly tall and athletic, both carry out extreme combat moves on hordes of enemies using incredible, beautifully-animated combos; both exist in a world where Heaven and Hell are fighting for control; and both have a terrible secret in their past that they're trying to discover. In fact, the biggest difference is that Dante didn't nude up except for strategic-but-tantalising wisps of long, demonic hair when he was carrying out his fatality moves.

That being said, the game looks fantastic, the story is involving and the combat is a delight, although it could have done with more to break up the endless kill-monsters-then-fight-boss levels, as with the incredibly enjoyable high-speed-motorcycle level. The thinking behind the, er, titular character is hard to fathom, though: are we meant to identify with her kick-assery, or leer at her shapely figure? There are also some Japanese-to-English translation issues that make the dialogue even more hilariously overblown than it need be, but even soBayonetta is a decent new entry in the Devil May... sorry, this entirely new franchise.

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