Bayonetta Bewitches PSN Today

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Bayonetta Bewitches PSN Today

It’s been a good month for Platinum Games and SEGA titles. Just a few weeks ago saw the release of Anarchy Reigns on PS3; later today will mark the digital release of one of the finest action games ever created. Bayonetta is coming to PSN!

If you have yet to try this iconic action game from the mind of director Hideki Kamiya, your time has come as Bayonetta is debuting at $19.99. Of course, Bayonetta truly shines when you see it in action. So here’s a trip back to the year 2010, when a certain Launch Trailer was just arriving…

Bayonetta is the story of the last remaining member of an ancient clan called the Umbra Witches, a group that has kept the balance between light, dark, and chaos for hundreds of years. Bayonetta awakens after 500 years of sleep to find herself in a world she no longer recognizes, with no clues to her past or how she got where she is.

Her awakening sparks a chain of events that soon reaches cataclysmic proportions. And with a 500 year-old war setting the background of the game and the lines of good and evil blurring fast, Bayonetta needs to discover the secrets of her past and work towards securing her future.

bayo_screen1

At the core of the game is an amazingly deep combat system, and Bayonetta comes well equipped for battle: wielding four pistols (collectively known as Scarborough Fair) and utilising her infamous fighting style – the ‘bullet arts’ – she’s one big, bad witch you don’t want to make angry.

If you haven’t played Bayonetta and you like action games, I implore you: don’t miss this one. Of course, since I work at SEGA my opinion may be a bit biased, so I’ll leave it to the tried and true fans in the comments to back me up on this.

bayo_screen2

Hit me up with any questions you have in the comments, and I’ll do my best (as always) to respond to as many as possible. Thanks as always, loyal PlayStation.Blog readers – we hope you’ll enjoy your trip back to Vigrid!

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124 Comments

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  • Besides my vote for Valkyria Chronicles PSN version.

    Is there a chance that you might put more stand alone re-releases like Toe Jam and Earl on PSN? If there was ever a way possible to port TJ&E 3 to PSN, I’d be there day 0.

  • no problem to owning both copies, I re-purchased it for PS3 because I “switched” systems, and I LOVE the game, i heard it MIGHT re-release on Wii U the first game, will buy it a 3rd time if that happens.

  • @Sonicfan11589
    “I hope u guys do something really special for Virtua Fighter’s 20th anniversary this year”

    You know not what you ask for. Be more specific, else they’ll bring Virtua Quest to PSN… D:

  • I personally love Bayonetta. It’s for sure one of the finest action games this generation has to offer. Bayonetta brought a new age for female protagonists by being so damn sexy, funny, pretty with pistols, smart and kicking ass while using her big heels. I bought 2 physical version of Bayonetta when it came out and I relly expect this digital re-release to be as successful as the game’s reatil release back in 2010. I’m one of many who were longing very very much for a sequel of this awesome game, and I must say that I was really sad and happy at the same time when I heard that Bayonetta 2 (after so many teasing and joking) was being released as an -exclusive- title for the WiiU. I mean, c’mon, the console had nothing to do with the original title and now it gets an exclusive sequel? I have no doubt Bayonetta 2 will be a huge success, and I wish for it, but you guys need to have some consideration to all who made this success happens (PS3 and Xbox 360 owners). Thanks =)

    • Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Moonglare. I know there’s been a bit of frustration from some people with the Bayonetta 2 announcement, but I appreciate that people say that because they really care about the franchise, and because they love the series.

  • Valkyria 3 please. that is all

  • I actually didn’t realize that pun i made for ecco-related comment…lol

  • @52 I actually did in an earlier post, VF collection, VF6 announcement, and/or portable VF game.

  • Yes I really enjoyed Sonic Generations, platinumed that game. Tough one too for some of the trophies. and yes i know Bayonetta made several references to other Sega as well as Capcom franchises, I have a feeling with the sequel on nintendo Wii U, u guys might make references to NIntendo franchises, that’s my guess.

    • The team at PlatinumGames are really clever when it comes to references and other subtle nods. (Or in some cases, not-so-subtle.) I also can’t wait to see what they do in the future.

  • @54 – Yes, yes yes. I would buy it at a high price! Please bring it over, SEGA!

    Also, count me in on wanting SEGA to bring over the Hatsune Miku titles too. I want them. :(

  • Hopefully more people will get around to playing Bayonetta and Vanquish. Platinum Games always gets gameplay right! I hope that Bayonetta 2 will come out to the PS3 or PS4 eventually :)

    • I really enjoyed Vanquish as well. One of the qualities both Vanquish and Bayonetta share is an amazingly deep combat system – learning new tricks and strategies after beating the game added a lot to the replay value.

  • @34 reply

    YES that’s one of my favorites too but i didn’t mention it because it might be a spoiler. anyways any chance the soundtrack will be on iTunes?

    • Hopefully no spoilers in that one… as to an iTunes release, I haven’t heard anything, but I’ll ask around.

  • pretty sure this will be a ps+ offering sometime later this year FOR SURE!!

  • Oh! why don’t release it on the Wii U, huh? your new home is waiting for you.

  • + Aaron Webber on January 29th, 2013 at 11:09 am said:

    Bayonetta PS3 has a Metacritic of 87 – and half these reviews are before the patch, too.
    I get the desire to have all versions being 1:1 the same, but I don’t think that the “black eye” comment is really justified, do you?

    Posting this again because my first comment didn’t go through due to having links in it.

    Skyrim on ps3 has a metacritic of 92…

    google: Platinum Games calls Bayonetta on PS3 its “biggest failure” It’s an article on eurogamer.

    From that article:
    “The biggest failure for Platinum so far, the one that really sticks in my mind, is that [Bayonetta] port,” lamented Inaba. “At the time we didn’t really know how to develop on PS3 all that well, and whether we could have done it… is irrelevant: we made the decision that we couldn’t. But looking back on the result, and especially what ended up being released to users, I regard that as our biggest failure.”

    Yes i most definitely do think the “black eye” comment is justified. The candor from platinum games is appreciated though.

    • No worries on the first response not going through. We may not end up agreeing (and that may just be how it goes), but I’ll respond once more to try and explain my points. (This is all personal opinion.)

      1.) Skyrim PS3 is actually a great comparison, for two reasons: First, it was patched to address the issues, and second, even -with- the differences, reviewers felt like Skyrim was a good enough game to merit such scores regardless of any flaws. (And personally, having sunk 100+ hours into Skyrim, I’d agree!)

      The bottom line is that games like Bayonetta and Skyrim get high / perfect reviews for one simple reason: People feel that overall, they’re fantastic video games.

      2.) For Inaba-san’s comment, I’ve read the article and he’s referring to the initial launch. (Pre-Patch, which fixes a lot of things.) I think it’s to the credit of PG that he’s able to say such things – it’s a sign of just how much they desire to get something perfect, and that determination and drive is a great quality of PlatinumGames.

      So ultimately, I know we may not agree, but I hope this helps explain my viewpoints in a bit more detail. Thank you for your comment!

  • @ Aaron Webber

    Is Aliens: Colonial Marines getting digital release on PSN(PlayStationStore) ?

    Thanks

    • No news from me, but I’m not on the ACM team… keep an eye out in case there are any ACM blogs in the future – those will be the people to ask! :)

  • hey @12 how do you transfer VC2 from the PS3 to the Vita?? And Aaron thanks for supporting the PSN community, keep your great games coming….:)

  • You guys at Sega should hae had the faith to fund the sequel yourself. I feel ashamed to be a supporter of a franchise the IP holder has no faith in. Leaving its fans in the dust for a paycheck from another.

    For shame.

  • I know it is unrelated but any news on yakuza hd and yakuza 5??

    Also bayonetta great game, own this and the other platinum games on disc :)

    • No news from me, but if you enjoy the Yakuza series, the best thing you can do is to grab a copy of Yakuza 4 / Dead Souls if you haven’t already – every bit helps!

  • @dustyjack,

    Platinum thinking that Bayonetta PS3 being they biggest failure bodes pretty well for that developer. It seems to be it’s much like a perfectionist being asked to reveal their biggest flaw. It’s hard to pick just anything.

    Skyrim, is a much bigger port fail. It’s is the true black eye. Bayonetta is enjoyable, not perfect, but enjoyable.

  • Too bad I will never be able to play the sequel :(.

  • Oh and please Localize Valkyria Chronicles 3!!!!!!!

    • No news on VCIII, but we appreciate all the Valkyria fans out there. if you know anyone who hasn’t picked up a copy of the original or VCII, you can help the series by spreading the word!

  • Valkyria Chronicles 2 in Vita store, please, so we don’t have to transfer it over from the PS3 via USB. Valkyria Chronicles 1 in PSN store, please. Everyone please buy VC2 so Sega will bring over #3 to the US. Oh yeah, and Bayonetta the character is fugly.

  • + megamixer on January 29th, 2013 at 11:26 am said:

    Protip: Nearly all multi-platform games on PS3 are to some degree “inferior” to their 360 counterparts. Few even get patches to fix any aspect of them. The whining over Bayonetta PS3 is wildly overblown to the extent that I doubt many people even know what they’re crying over.

    Complete nonsense and laughable that Aaron praises you for it. The last 2 to 3 years you’re just as likely to see better versions of multiplats on the ps3. Either way the differences are usually negligible. That’s not the case with Bayonetta even after it was patched.
    From eurogamer: “Throughout the game the gap in performance is colossal, and pretty much unprecedented,” wrote Richard Leadbetter in Digital Foundry’s Bayonetta face-off in 2009.

    Horrific ports like this and skyrim, which i own btw because reviewers never revealed any problems with it, do a ton of damage to public perception of the ps3. To see sony reward that with a psn release is annoying to say the least.

  • What are the chances that we could get a Vanquish sequel or a PS Vita version? One of the most underrated games ever!

  • Is really a shame that PS owners will never be able to play the sequel…..

  • I already have platinum on this platinum game…ahhh wink wink. xDD

  • Hey Aaron, you’re great man!
    Never saw any other admin answering that many questions!
    It’s good to see that you’re helping us :D
    thanks a lot!

  • @65 plug your ps vita usb plug into the ps3 and go to content manager on the ps vita select which format your gonna take off the ps3 and BOOM! transfer in process….simple and sweet!

    looking forward to the digital release of Bayonetta..fingers crossed we get the sequel at some point..

  • Nice! Love me some PG games! I beat, sold then rebought Bayonetta, have to have it in my collection. It has the best fighting system in the genre, no one has came close to it yet, pure genius!

  • I own Yakuza, Yakuza 2, Yakuza 3 (two copies), Yakuza 4 (two copies) and Yakuza: Dead Souls (two copies)… why two copies? Because I wanted to do everything I could to support them and let Sega know I wanted more of these games.. yet no Yakuza 5 this year… :_: it hurts man… oh well. I wish we didn’t get any videogame info from Japan because the amount of games I’ve missed out on over the years is just painful! I even tried to learn Japanese so maybe I could import some but it was just too hard to learn.. Ughh.. Sega you tease..

  • Dear Sega, any chance we see more Sega Vintage classics on PSN? Examples:

    Sonic 3 and Knuckles
    Golden Axe 2 and 3
    Streets of Rage 1 and 3
    Shining Force 1 and 2
    Shining in the Darkness
    Phantasy Star II and IV

    A few of them are on the other gaming service, but aren’t on PSN. Bring them over, please!

    Also, some Saturn and Dreamcast titles would be very welcome.

    Virtua Fighter 3TB (DC)
    Skies of Arcadia (DC)
    Dragon Force (Saturn)

    If I’m not mistaken they’re all first-party Sega titles.

    Thanks.

    • For the Vintage Classics – Those are all first-party SEGA titles. I haven’t heard anything on them being released, but I’ll pass on the note to our digital team to let them know there’s interest!

      You’re a Skies of Arcadia fan, too? Good stuff. :)

  • i will rebuy valkyria and DMC4 if they release the digital version WITH TROPHY PATCH, dammit, from the day MGS4 release trophy patch i alway hope those two game will have them as well someday

    • Most days I wish I could create a big red “ADD TROPHIES” button to push for Valkyria Chronicles. I haven’t heard any word on them being added, but we have noted (for some time) the many requests from people to find some way to incorporate them.

  • really good game, but the ps3 version still has terrible screen tearing. i heard if your tv has a 120hz or higher it will fix it, i was going to try it on the ps 3d display, but i returned it because of defective screen and left speaker, so idk.

  • Haven’t played it… yet. Happy to see this one!

    BTW, I don’t like to beg, but please, please, PLEASE make a Valkyria Chronicles collection, with both VC2 and VC3!! (or at least, a downloadable PS3 version) The first Valkyria Chronicles is one of the best game EVER!

    • Glad you enjoyed both Bayonetta and Valkyria Chronicles!

      I don’t have any word on a collection, but it’s great to always see such a fantastic reception to those games, even years later.

  • Sorry this is a little off topic… but when will Asura’s Wrath be on PSN?

    • This one, I don’t know – sorry! (I’m a SEGA guy, not a Sony guy.) You might want to try asking the PS staff on one of the general PS store update blogs, or the devs / publisher!

  • Aaron is a pretty cool rep for Sega, i applaud the replies he’s giving to everyone! even gave me one, haha. dont comment on this one! xD

  • After some thought I do have a question about this release since I intend on picking up a digital copy at some point. Will the PSN version come with the patch prepackaged into the game? Or will people have to download the patch after downloading, installing & booting the game up? I’d hope it isn’t the latter option… :x

    • I do believe it’s all pre-packaged in there. I’ll confirm with our PD team right now – it’s a little late so may be tomorrow morning before I have the answer, but by then other commenters should be able to confirm too!

  • So.. So… the comment from when Bioshock 2 was put on PSN just flew right over your guys head huh?

    So, I could either ONE buy a digital copy of the game, with no case, no book, no disc, of a game which is even still mostly messed up and bad port for 20 bucks.

    OR I could walk down to gamestop, and buy it used for like 8 bucks, or 10 dollars NEW? and have a physical copy?

    Do you guys BOTHER to think for even a MOMENT about the pricing before you attempt to make yourselves look like morons? You it’s like Jim Sterling said the biggest people stopping games from going completely digital and being accepted is the companies themselves by being morons and unreasonable with their pricing.

    • I think everyone is in different situations. Not everyone is in walking distance of a Gamestop – in some cases, spending $5-10 on gas and an hour to get there and back already takes people over the $19.99 price tag. As an example, I used to live in a small part of Missouri, and it was about 45 minutes of driving time just for me to get to the closest Gamestop and back.

      Further though, it’s a digital copy, so you get the advantage of having it permanently bound to your account. If your disc scratches, breaks, is eaten by Cthulhu, etc – you’ll have to go buy a new one, which won’t happen to a digital copy. I haven’t had many issues with discs doing that in my PS3, but there are some people out there who prefer having that peace of mind and knowing they can re-download it any time.

      As an aside (and this may vary depending on your local store), Bayonetta on PS3 is actually $14.99 used or $19.99 new on the Gamestop website: http://www.gamestop.com/ps3/games/bayonetta/71453

      So, those points in mind, hopefully there’s not too much concern regarding the price!

  • Thanks for the reply, Aaron. I forgot to mention I’ve also managed to platinum Bayonetta. Non-stop climax was such a challenge without witch time.

    As for Yakuza, as I said, I buy them first day, pre-order and everything, because I love the series. The one obstacle I’ve found with introducing people to 4 and Dead Souls is that they say they want to play 1 & 2 first and then ask me if those are on PS3. The HD Collection would be the perfect solution to that, even if you released as separate PSN downloads, I think it’d be worth it and a great way to get people into the series. I mean, look at how well Okami HD is doing for Capcom…

    I love that they contain those video summaries of the earlier games and I have tried to explain that to people, but most of the not (yet) fans I know say they would much rather start from the beginning and play them in order.

    Either way, I’ll keep supporting the series and doing my best to hype it for my friends and fans of my music, but really, I can’t imagine that you guys wouldn’t want to keep the franchise going in the West. It’s not a million-seller, obviously, but it does have enough of a cult following here that I hope it’s profitable for you.

    • No worries, thanks also for your reply back! Congrats on the Platinum Bayonetta Trophy.

      Like you mentioned, Yakuza 3 and 4 both have videos showcasing what happened in the previous games. It’s a really great way for people to catch up on all the key points that they may have missed by jumping into the series with 4 or Dead Souls. (Although, given how different 4 is from Dead Souls, I’d personally recommend starting with 3/4 and then jumping into Dead Souls.) But point taken that some gamers out there want the full experience – I can see where they’re coming from.

      Ultimately, thanks for supporting the series – fans like you are what keep games like Yakuza alive, and we really appreciate it.

  • save 5 bucks and just go to gamestop and pick up a used copy for 14.99

    • There are advantages on both sides – I’m personally a stickler for getting my games new (I don’t know why, but the term “used” has always kind of turned me off). But in both cases, whether you’re getting a disc copy or a digital copy, we hope you’ll enjoy it!

  • Correct me if im wrong but this game had more problems than just load times on PS3….. save ya money PS Nation

  • I too would love to see VC digital, I would be more than willing to rebuy and visit Gallia and see Isara again. I know it’s a pipe dream, I still hold faint hope that one day I can play VCIII in english

    • Isaaaraaa!

      Now I think I’m going to go home and fire up VC1 again. The Isara figurine on my desk agrees that this is a good idea.

      Thanks for supporting the VC series, Aznxchunky!

  • The Queen is BACK!!!!

    with the rumoured Ringedge 4 by Sega Arcade.

    i cannot wait for Virtua Fighter 6 for the 20th Anniversary :)

    also can we get some of your old games on PSN Like:

    Virtua Fighter 4 Final Tuned, Jet Set Radio Future, Panzer Dragoon Orta, Phantom Dust, Gunvalkyrie,

    Shinobi/Kunoichi, Shenmue HD Collection,

    Valkyria Chronicles, Skies of Arcadia, Phantasy Star, Shining, Streets of Rage,

    awesome stuff Sega!

    • Whew, you’re a hardcore SEGA fan! You named off a lot of my favorite series / games there.

      For a while I thought I was the only one who enjoyed Panzer Dragoon Orta. :)

  • People are so rude commenting on these forums, it might help them next time by actually reading some of the comments before they spew hate on something they are not fully informed on!

    • Ah, no worries! People are passionate, but I appreciate that regardless of their opinions, they’re dedicated enough to come by and leave a comment or two.

  • Thatnks, SEGA! Now, of all the Dreamcast remkaes being digitally released, Skies of Arcadia is WAY overdue! Especially a remake of the GameCube remake! If anything, this game should be made for the Vita s well as for the PS3. One can’t be a Sky Pirate with the freedom to go whereever we want!

  • Bayonetta is infamous in the PS3 community for being they type of game that in the past would of played & ran beautifully on PS3, and would most likely been exclusive – so you can imagine the slap in the face Ps3 users around the time of release felt when it was revealed how poorly it ran compared to the xbox version – who’s main fanbase didn’t even like these type of Japanese games anyway. (sooht-shoot-shoot-yay-Halo!)

    The last minute patch was nothing more than damage control, when fan-backlash threatened to sour the overall image of the title. The simple fact is that Platinum Games never thought the PS3 version was worth as much effort as the 360 edition, perhaps because at that time PS3 was still significantly behind xbox in sales.

    I got nothing against Arron and Yakuza is my favoruite action-arg this gen, but i gotta call them out on this one – All these guys want is your money from a game that was never originally made to run its best on your console – these guys are just tying to maximize sales from an old game u can now find for less than half the price on ebay.

    • No worries, no offense taken. The Xbox crowd might not like being generalized like that, but we’re on the PS blog here, so I think you’re safe. :)

      So, noting all of your points, would you have preferred for the game to have simply not released at all? Even if you knew in advance it would be about a 90 Metacritic?

      In short, if something was super-mega-awesome but not super-mega-extremely-awesome, would you purposely spite yourself and refuse to enjoy it at all?

      I understand the points you’re making, but it feels like a few people are ignoring the fact that at its core, PlatinumGames delivered an absolutely phenomenal game, regardless of platform. This is my opinion, at least – but I respect yours too! :)

  • *action-rpg

  • Cool;) + People who say that multi-platform games on PS3 are inferior than the Xbox 360 versions have just been BRAINWASHED by the hating internet :-/

    • I should clarify too – I don’t think that’s the case. :) I appreciated the earlier comment about people hating on things without fully knowing why, though – it happens too often, sometimes!

  • @jimmyfoxhound

    I know what you mean. I have multiple versions of Phantasy Star II, Phantasy Star II, Toe Jam and Earl, and Skies of Arcadia. I just can’t get rid of the Gamecube as long as I can still play SOA on it.

    I’d really really really like the chance to get Skies on a new platform.

    • I still have my copy of Legends for Gamecube, and bust it out at least once every two years or so.

      That, and PSO. But let’s not get started on PSO… :)

  • I should also add that there are a lot of PS3 owners (myself included) who since this fiasco happened have refused to support or purchase any game made by Platinum Games since this happened.

    Payback can be a b1*ch when the ppl most likely to buy your games are boycotting you because of your money chasing disrespect three years earlier.

    …this is also one of the reasons why i think MGS Rising will flop :)

    • Not to rain on the boycott parade, but… MGS Rising is not being published by SEGA.

      It’s fine to hate on us, but please make sure that it’s directed the right way – Konami are nice folks, no need to dislike them!

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