Poll: Bayonetta 2 nothing new

[KazeAizen]

Ok time for me to put my 2 cents in. *puts two pennies in jar*

So as most of you are aware Bayonetta 2 was announced as a Wii U exclusive title. This was announced way before E3 this year yet it feels like only after E3 did people take to the internet and begin forming mass cyber mobs that hope to pillage....I don't know, some kind of cyber villain that wronged them I guess. Stupid humor aside though that seems to exactly what happened. People raged on twitter, Facebook, and almost every single nerd related game site on the web. I even once saw a comment on youtube saying that no sequel at all would be preferable then to have it be on the Wii U. Is it just me or have people forgotten a few things about the industry itself? So I'm going to cover a few points, after which two things will happen. One, several logical people on this site will agree with me on some, point out a few flaws, and then we call it a day. Two, the people who are against this will troll me and call me an idiot fanboy or say that Bayonetta 2 deserves to be on more mature consoles or something like after which I will just politely ignore them and talk to anyone who wants to have a meaningful discussion about the issue. Ok? Ok.

So first point: Console exclusives.

We all know this by now. Exclusives sell consoles. That is how it has always been. From the SNES days and onward exclusives sold consoles. If you wanted your Sonic you bought Sega, if you wanted your Mario you bought Nintendo. People will jump to another console if it a series that they really love. For example Final Fantasy used to be on Nintendo consoles. Right around the Playstation era though they jumped to Sony exclusive titles and it just so happened that the game they jumped with is also considered one of the best RPGs of all time and one of the best games of all time. From then on if you could only afford one console and you loved Final Fantasy you went with whatever Playstation was made. Speaking from my own personal experience I own a PSP, 3Ds, and a DS for one reason only. Kingdom Hearts. I was a big fan of the original and 2 blew me away (after playing chain of memories on the GBA ). So when I heard the next installments were coming out not only on hand helds but hand helds I didn't own I didn't wine and complain. I just sucked it up. Saved up enough cash and bought them so I could continue playing the Kingdom Hearts games. Birth by Sleep is still the only game I play regularly on my PSP. So yes exclusives sell consoles and will continue to sell them. However around the Xbox, Gamecube, PS2 era something funny happened.

Second point: Multi platform ports.

While it is considered the norm today before the PS2, Gamecube, and Xbox era multi platform releases were virtually unheard of. Now one could buy say a PS2 and could get a game or series that had previously been exclusive to a certain platform or company. Here the PS2 dominated because to me it seemed they were the "middle console" Xbox games got ported to PS2, some Gamecube games got ported to PS2 but you rarely saw a game made for Gamecube or Xbox on each others consoles. So now I bet your asking what this has to do with Bayonetta 2 and the fan rage. Don't worry I'm getting there. The original Bayonetta was on both the 360 and PS3 meaning it had access to to 2/3 of the gaming market. (I know that's not true. PC gamers don't get your panties in a bunch. I'm excluding you because you are a whole other beast I can't comprehend). It had the makings of a cult classic. A fun game, with a new character, bursting with creativity, and sold a decent amount of units but nowhere near enough to make it a smash hit. That being said that put the series in an awkward position. It wasn't a guaranteed success so of course in this industry that already marks you for potential death. Neither Sony or Microsoft wanted to risk a loss and Sega didn't want to fund Platinum for a sequel for similar reasons. That's when Nintendo stepped in and things got ugly.

Third point: The fan base.

Fan bases are both simultaneously some of the nicest and some of the meanest people on the planet. A lot of us are good people deep down but then there are some that are just down right ugly when things don't go exactly the way they wanted them to go. While Nintendo did phenomenal with the Wii no one denies that they didn't really appeal to what are called "core" gamers. So most of them jumped ship and went to Microsoft or Sony and thus we have why people are so pissed off about this. They had been in the Sony/Microsoft camp for years and with Bayonetta being a multi platform release most who already intended on buying just an Xbox ONE or just a PS4 were intending on buying the game for that system. Now instead they are going to have to buy an additional console to the one they already planned on just to play Bayonetta 2. Thing is is that this isn't anything new. This has been done since beginning. Its also Nintendo showing that they are competing for your cash as well and betting on Bayonetta 2 to help them come out on top. Instead of saying "well played" and giving them your money you are crucifying them for making a previously multi console franchise and exclusive and also saving a great potential new IP from oblivion. Besides haven't we been asking Nintendo to put more mature games on their consoles for years now? Seems that when they finally do it we'd prefer to find another reason to ***** rather then congratulate them or thank them.

In conclusion this really has been blown out of proportion. A combination of last gens casual focus and spending 2 gens in multi platform releases created the perfect storm for Nintendo to be hailed as villains rather then heros. We should all be thankful that a new IP didn't die because 3 other companies didn't want to deal with it. Will Bayonetta be milked to death? Maybe. Still I think that for me personally I would like to see a fresh new franchise get milked to death rather then see the same old ones over and over again. Yes I'm looking at you CoD and every Nintendo franchise born in the 80s.

 

[Maximum Bert]

Happy its exclusive no why would an exclusive make me happy? happy that Bayonetta 2 is a thing hell yeah gameplay wise the original Bayonetta is the best action game I have played they took the original template they crafted in Devil May Cry and upped it again it was just silky smooth and amazingly responsive that just oozed style, now the characters and humour well they sorta largely fell flat on their face in my eyes same with the story but it didnt matter because the rest was done so well.

Not gonna lie Bayonetta 2 is my second most looked forward to game next gen so far after the unnamed X title which is also on the WiiU (happily). I havent bothered getting a wiiU yet because there is bugger all I want to play on it but I think those two titles will mean I do eventually invest.

I dont see Bayonetta being milked to death though I just dont think its popular enough to warrant repeated milking as it were but its definitely a title that could make those so called core gamers to look at the WiiU in a new light which is what I guess they are going for I really cant see Nintendo expecting it to sell mega numbers especially with the current state of their console.

Oh and mildly off topic but from the small bits I have seen it looks awesome.

 

[Andy Shandy]

Hey, somebody's publishing a sequel to one of my favourite games this gen. They can make it exclusive all they want.

My only slight problem that I can foresee is the change from the Xbox 360 pad (one of my favourite controllers ever) to the Wii U Gamepad/Pro Controller.

 

[ShinyCharizard]

I don't care what system it's on. I fucking love Bayonetta and I'll be buying a Wii U just to play it. No other hack and slash game comes even close to being as good as Bayonetta.

 

[Tony2077]

i love the first one but i don't see any reason to get a wii u right now

 

[Dr. Cakey]

No, it's not "good". Console exclusives are bad for consumers, for obvious reasons. It being on the Wii U is "worse", because it's on a different platform from a different manufacturer than the previous game. The people who owned PS3s are probably going to buy PS4s, but who knows if they're going to buy a Wii U (well, statistically speaking, I guess they probably aren't).

However.

As has been noted ten billion times previously, Nintendo is the publisher of this game. They are the publisher because no one else wanted to fund Bayonetta 2. Including Sega, who've published pretty much all of Platinum's previous games. In other words, it was on the Wii U or not at all. The answer to that choice seems pretty obvious.

And it's seemed obvious to Bayonetta fans, too. Somebody posted on this forum that they'd rather Bayonetta 2 not exist than have it be on the Wii U. A person actually said this.

 

[AzrealMaximillion]

The Bayonetta 2 situation is looking more to be a repeat of the "Capcom-5" deal that the Gamecube had with Capcom. And Shinji Mikami is once again involved. Nintendo has some sort of multi game deal with Platinum Games with Bayonetta 2 and Wonderful 101 being exclusives. This is clearly in the hopes of gaining some 3rd party titles that will sell "WiiUnits". (That's what I'm calling them now.)

We've seen this before. We saw it fail for Nintendo and Capcom when none of the games sold well enough to satisfy either company. We saw this again recently with Platinum Games and SEGA's multi game deal. Same results.

Now its Nintendo and Platinum Games.

I expect the Wonderful 101 to sell well in Japan, but not so well anywhere else. Its niche and doesn't have a strong marketing presence. I also expect Bayonetta 2 to have mediocre sales due to the WiiU's identity issues being the console that has deal with being in the Wii's casual marketing shadow.

I wonder if we'll see this kind of exclusivity deal stop happening this often. It doesn't seem to work.

 

[MrHide-Patten]

Eh indifferent, bought the first, played all the way through fathomed I just didn't like action games as much as I'd like to (by virtue of being shit at them). So when I heard of the sequel I was slightly disappointed to find it was on the console I had no intentions of getting, because whilst I did have fun in the beggining with the Wii, it quickly grew stale and moldy.

Actually Bayonetta 2 is perfect for the Wii-U then.

 

[Shadow-Phoenix]

Glad it's on the Wii U and saved because Nintendo saving the Franchise itself sways into my line of sight for a solid purchase.

Sadly though the hardcorest of the hardcore wish the 2nd game to not exist and well they are denied that wish with the reality that it is saved so good on Ninty and zero fucks given for the fans that stew in their own stubbornness of wanting the game to never exist.

Also I see consoles having their own exclusives as valid business since everything else in this material world has something exclusive and like the OP I don't ***** and whine to have everything on one singular platform (how bloody dull that world would be), I save up, bide my time and then purchase. Besides PC's themselves have their own exclusives so saying consoles can't have their own is like saying you should have everything and no one should have nothing.

 

[Charli]

I'm more pissed off about what Kingdom Hearts did. Bayonetta had no choice. Nintendo threw it a bone from where I'm standing.

Kingdom hearts put their stupid 'mid-sequel/prequel' stories on ALL DIFFERENT HANDHELDS. For no other reason than a money grab.

Very unfair. And yes the stories will MOST LIKELY (if the 2nd installment creates the pattern) be very very integral to understanding what is going on in Kingdom Hearts 3. Awesome.

 

[Arslan Aladeen]

I was upset about it at first, as I had no intention of buying a Wii U right away. I don't dislike Mario/Zelda/Metroid franchises, in fact I love them, but my joy of seeing them has diminished over time.

But I have come to recognize that without Nintendo, the game would likely not come to exist at all, and I do plan on buying a Wii U once Bayonetta 2 comes out along with a bunch of others at discount.

So, I guess I'm saying I learned to deal with it.

 

[OtherSideofSky]

I'm just glad it exists. I don't own a WiiU, but I will buy one the day Bayonetta 2 comes out.

 

[RicoADF]

*SNIP*

In general I don't like console exclusives, and this is coming from someone with all current consoles, 3 PC's and more games than you can poke a stick at so it's not a lack of money reason. Simple fact is they require that we the consumer may have to buy more than 1 console to get all the games we want (which is what Sony, Microsoft etc want), the issue is that means each person is using 2-3x more resources (2-3 machines) than we need to. At a time when natural resource levels are becoming an issue we should be streamlining our systems to not need to waste them like this.

Having said that, I will tip my hat to Nintendo for the reasons you pointed out. They came along and took a gamble on a game which other publishers wouldn't touch and then supported it correctly allowing it to develop to it's full potential. Their also, as you said, showing that they do indeed want to make more 'mature' games which players like myself can enjoy and I have no issues in them wanting to reap any rewards from this as they took the risk.

I however, still prefer games be multiplatform rather than exclusive, it's better for the publisher, the consumer and everyone in general.

 

[major_chaos]

Personally I'm indifferent. I had some fun with Bayonetta, but not enough that I'm super broken up about not being able to play the sequel. My only question at this point is how is it going to be playable on that godawful monstrosity of a controller? I'm assuming most people will just use the pro controller, because this is the exact kind of game that has no use for the pad.

 

[matrix3509]

Its just the typical Nintendo hate boner that a certain demographic of gamers have stroked and maintained for almost a decade now. They ***** because the WiiU "has no games" then ***** when the WiiU gets games. There is no need give these people attention.

And there REALLY needs to be an end to the bitching about exclusives in general. As long as console manufacturers depend on exclusives to sell systems, they will continue to push for exclusives especially in this coming generation where the only difference between the PS4 and Xbone are the games.

 

[Something Amyss]

I'm largely indifferent. It sucks for people who have to shift from multiplat to exclusive, I guess, but whatever.

 

[ShinyCharizard]

Personally I'm indifferent. I had some fun with Bayonetta, but not enough that I'm super broken up about not being able to play the sequel. My only question at this point is how is it going to be playable on that godawful monstrosity of a controller? I'm assuming most people will just use the pro controller, because this is the exact kind of game that has no use for the pad.

The Gamepad is actually a pretty damn good controller. I reckon it is more comfortable than both the Xbox 360 and PS3 pad.

 

[Bellvedere]

I'm definitely happy that it was picked up (I have a WiiU) though in general I dislike both missing out on exciting titles AND the redundancy of multiple consoles. It's definitely worse when it's exclusive to something you have no other reason to own. I understand why it's a thing considering the gameplay between all platforms is relatively similar as is the functionality between consoles so exclusive games is really one of the better if not the best selling features. At least the first Bayonetta was reasonably concluded and not a cliffhanger ending or something.

I'm surprised there has been no mention of that campaign to get people to buy everything pre-owned so the disgruntled fans can still play the game but neither Nintendo nor Platinum will see any profit due to their betrayal. I don't have any problem or disrespect for people who choose to do that anyway, but it's kinda funny to hear of folks doing out of spite.

Hey, somebody's publishing a sequel to one of my favourite games this gen. They can make it exclusive all they want.

My only slight problem that I can foresee is the change from the Xbox 360 pad (one of my favourite controllers ever) to the Wii U Gamepad/Pro Controller.

I was actually pleasantly surprised to find that the Gamepad wasn't a massive pain to use. I expected it to be horrible. The Pro-Controller is even better since it's nearly exactly the same as the 360 controller in terms of both shape and button layout. The only difference is the right analogue stick and the a/b/x/y buttons are switched.