To start off, I'm going to link to my review of the first game, because much of what I said there still applies:

https://www.grouvee.com/user/hyrumsutton/reviews/1421267/

These are very similar games. In this sequel, the graphics are even better, the combat is pretty much the same, and the story is miles ahead; still weird and random, but at least follow-along-able. They also got rid of the quick-time events that plagued the original. The voice acting was really good for the most part, except for one major character who made me cringe every time he spoke (sorry Mark Daugherty).

It's hard to say if I liked this one so much more because it's actually that much better or just because I knew what to expect this time and had gotten used to the gameplay. I had a similar dynamic with Phantom Hourglass/Spirit Tracks, just in the opposite way. To be fair though, I rated Bayonetta 3.5 and I consider Bayonetta 2 a 4.5, with the final boss giving it that bump to 5, so it's really just 1 star better, not 2.

Rather than go over the same things as the first review, I wanted to touch briefly on the sexuality of Bayonetta, and I'm very interested in what other people have to say if you have differing or similar opinions. I don't normally play games with sexualized female characters. When I first turned on Bayonetta 1, I thought the over-sexualization was pretty weird, kinda funny, and I figured it was just fan service, which is annoying to me. However, over the course of the game, I actually fell in love with Bayonetta's character, and I feel like she's way too well-rounded and interesting to be written off as fan service. I considered that perhaps her sexuality was some sort of statement, that she was so strong and independent that she could own her sexuality for herself, without needing a man to prove anything to. However, after playing both games, talking to some people, reading some opinions, and learning about her character development and about sexuality in Japan, I've come to the sort-of-conclusion that it's all just supposed to be fun. It's not really fan service, but there's also no deeper meaning. It's just an over-the-top game with a sassy witch who likes being sexual, because it makes for funny and ridiculous art styles and a fun game. And that's what I think about that.

Again, I am curious about other opinions, so let me know what you think!

I love this game. It could be my favorite Wii U game but nah, Breath of the Wild is on the Wii U as well so yeah.

Bayonetta 2 is action galore and that is all that matters. Is the story an absolute mess? Yes, but that doesn't matter because that is not what the game is about. What Bayonetta 2 is about is style and spectacle and it absolutely demolishes in both departments. The cutscenes are to the point and are not in the way of the gameplay. I've already stated that the game is easy to pick up for newcomers yet also very deep. The enemies have weaknesses to weapons like using the long swords against small flying angels. I love the secrets and challenges outside of the linear path that I never knew existed after beating the game once to make me instantly go back and play this game for a second time. If the enemy is too far away from you, just fuggin shoot em with your gun legs. I love the progression this game adds. The better you get, the more items and techniques you can get to make yourself even better. This gameplay loop is what I adore about games like games like Borderlands. The will to improve.

A few nitpicks would be that one character was just trying way too hard to put on an accent. Some bosses where your boots are not on the ground are time consuming because your guns deal little damage to them when they're far.

I already want to get into hack n slash games now that I've played this. Can't wait to get DMC 5 on sale with the Steam Winter Sale coming around the corner. Definitely pick this one up.

FINAL RATING: 9.5/10

P.S. Where's Bayonetta 3? It's been 2 years since we got any information.

Just to clarify I played the nintendo switch version!

Even though it's not mandatory, I would play the original Bayonetta first before playing Bayonetta 2. Not only does it provide you with a backstory but it makes getting use to the gameplay a lot easier.

You could already tell Bayonetta 2 is a huge improvement over Bayonetta in the first couple of minutes. Not only do the cutscenes look sharper and more detailed, but even the gameplay seem more streamlined. The issues I had with the original Bayonetta like 'panther mode' is gone in Bayonetta 2, which was a really nice change! Everything is still pretty much in the Bayonetta style you know and love, but better! I love how they kept their music choices similar. Instead of "Fly me to the Moon" they chose another classic "Moon River" which also works surprisingly well with this game. The story this time around delves deeper into the lore and into Bayonetta's past, which is nice but for some reason I felt they lost some of Bayonetta's sassy personality in this game which I really liked from the first one. The corniness (is that even a word?) from the first game is still in the second, which again I found entertaining. Everything is still over the top, but I thought less so in this sequel.

The gameplay is a lot more forgiving in the sequel than the original Bayonetta. I'm not sure if this is due to the experience I got from the original or they just made the gameplay easier, but I found it to be "just right" this time around which I found way more enjoyable than the original. They took out the repetitive boss fights (thank goodness) and added some new features like the swimming snake mode, and finding broken treasure shards, both welcome additions to the game.

If you aren't into short games, this might not be for you since this took me even less time to complete this than the original, around 10+ hours compared to 20+ hours from the first game. But if you liked the original Bayonetta this is a definite pick me up game!

Bayonetta 2 is a huge improvement over its prequel. Since I did not enjoy the first one so much, I wasn't expecting much from this one, but I ended up being surprised!

I can't believe they managed to improve on the combat of the previous game! Battles are astonishing here! Easy to pull-off but tough to master combos, tight controls, great weapon variety, good soundtrack, balanced enemy difficulty, an actual good level design, no more boring puzzles, no more dull mini-games and VERY good boss fights! It feels like they fixed MOST of the technical problems they had and only maintained the best parts, while enhancing gameplay mechanics. Side content is also pretty decent, making it very replayable, unlike its predecessor. It's still not perfect, but it's the closest thing to DMC5 I've ever played.

But despite Bayonetta 2's upgrade, it's still far from being an incredible game. The worst thing is definitely its story! I love every single character design, but I can't relate to them in any way. Not only the voice acting is awful, but everything is VERY nonsensical, badly written and just told in a very rushed manner. I couldn't care less about the plot. I did try to enjoy most of it, but I just fell by the wayside. In fact, not only the story, but the entire game gets a massive drop in quality after chapter 13. It's like they just wanted to get it done with, already and it shows. And WHY do they keep oversexualizing EVERY woman in the game? ??

Bayonetta 2 is one hell of a fun time, albeit flawed. It's a good game to shut your mind from the story and just focus on the crazy hack and slash action and mechanics. While I'm still skeptical whether to recommend this or not, it's safe to say that if you decide to give it a shot, you'll at least feel like a goddamn badass sexy witch.

Can a game that is as close to a 10/10 as can be for 3D brawlers get any more 10/10?

Meet the sequel. Bayonetta 2 retains every single bit of what made Bayonetta fun without feeling like it shamelessly reused anything. Heck, even when it does reuse something it comes at a very classy and well-placed moment. Yes, you can fill the entire game with completely new angels, summons, and demon enemies to fight, but including the Auditio and the Umbran Clock Tower scene from the Bayonetta prologue as much more than a cameo reminds you of how you can reuse game content without it feeling too similar.

The gameplay is very similar to Bayonetta, but also allows Umbran Climaxes (Rage of the Gods, anyone?) to use that Magic Meter that was usually used only for Torture Attacks. The combos are plentiful and the weapons are just as creative.

Is there still an utterly messy story? You bet. Does it get in the way of hilarity and action abound? Not at all!

This game takes what made Bayonetta special and goes beyond it, even with the limited 2-player gameplay. A must have for Wii U libraries, if not the reason to actually go out and buy the console. 11/10.