Do Bayonetta’s Assets Get In The Way?
We’re not breaking new ground here, people – attractive girls in video games simply help sell more copies. There are just enough people who enjoy watching the artful physics that are applied to the way these ladies move. Am I the only one who thinks that it can get a little awkward? I mean, the lovely ladies in the Dead Or Alive series are clearly unaware that sports bras exist. Alas, objectifying women in video games (as stated previously) is just a common practice that is hardly discouraged. Sex sells, no matter the medium. In any case, this is only the base of my point.
Recently, I played the Bayonetta demo on Davy’s (fellow nerdpundit) Playstation 3. In order, these were my initial thoughts on the game:
- Wow, Bayonetta’s clothes come off as you use magic.
- Is she really standing like that?
- Holy moley, the environments are gorgeous!
- This game is a ton of fun, the gameplay is awesome!
There’s a great game hidden under all those sexual overtones! Here we have a game that can compare to (if not excel beyond) games like the Devil May Cry series or the Ninja Gaiden series. Yet, it was nearly overlooked by me because of how off-putting it can be to have the main character moan when she summons a hair demon to devour her enemies. Now, don’t get me wrong, eye-candy is always welcome; I’d just like to see the following combination: a great game with a female lead and just as many sexual references as we’d see with a male lead. RPGs where you can pick the gender of your main character don’t count. Do you feel as though games like Bayonetta lose some quality appeal because of how the characters are depicted?
I’ve played and beaten Bayonetta for the Xbox360 (on Normal since it’s gets super tough towards the end). Even though there are some weird sexual tones in the game (the clothes coming off for final summons, a female boss who literally masturbates on camera with light…er, coming out of her nether regions), Bayonetta is a strong female lead in an excellent action game. Bayonetta was created by the guy who made Devil May Cry and he refined the formula to make a unique game with tons of personality. A few of the boss battles take up entire levels that’s how massive some of these fights can be. The motorcycle and rocket levels are great homages to Sega’s Space Harrier arcade games from over a decade ago. The use of sex in this game in no way detracts from it. The demo doesn’t do this game enough justice.
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Dan Reply:
January 25th, 2010 at 5:02 pm
Now that I played the demo, I am inclined to try out the full version of the game. A friend of mine says it best, that it seems to have been made by 12-year-olds with the amount of sexuality in it.
Figures the DMC mastermind would be behind this game, that’s awesome.
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From what I played of the demo it didn’t seem like a problem but after hearing what Tom said I think it could interfere with some people’s immersion. The game is fun though. If you have a problem with it, you could just not play it. I suppose they could’ve added an option to keep her clothes on while she attacks although that would mess with the game’s story a bit.
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