Bayonetta 2 on Switch analysed - just like the first game, it's still locked to 720p, but the performance uplift is highly worthwhile. Subscribe to our YouTube channel. Bayonetta™ 2 Wield wild weapons and execute deadly moves—like the powerful Umbran Climax—to take out angels and demons in this breathtaking action game. You can even team up with friends in 2-player online or local wireless co-op fights (additional accessories required; sold separately.).

It's hard to believe that Bayonetta, of all characters, is more affiliated with Nintendo than with any other brand. Mlb dugout heroes download. Given the M-rated nature of her games and the fact that she started out on the 360 and PS3, it's hard to believe the overtly sexual, demonic angel slayer has found her home with the more family-friendly mascots of Nintendo. But, here we are, nearly four years after Nintendo helped fund Bayonetta 2 and a few months after Reggie Fils Aime came to The Game Awards and showed off an announcement trailer for Bayonetta 3, and announced that Bayonetta 1 + 2 would be coming to the Switch. It's kind of like how Disney is now allowed to market and even make films about Deadpool; it's a bit to take in.

Anyway, regardless of where she's from, Bayonetta makes her current-gen debut with her two previous ventures. In a world where hack-and-slash games have become a dying breed (save for Dynasty Warriors and the hundreds of franchises that wear its skin), it's great to see a combo-based action game come out. As someone who grew up playing games like God of War, Devil May Cry, and Ninja Gaiden, I've missed these types of character-driven action games, and Bayonetta 1 + 2 are still some of the best around. If you have a Switch, it's a no-brainer whether you should get it or not, though returning fans will be left wanting more.

First the bad news: Bayonetta for Switch is nothing more than just ports of both titles. There's little in the way of any sort of graphical updates; both titles are still 720p, and there's little in terms of new features. You can use amiibos to help get certain Nintendo-themed costumes at a faster rate, and the co-op mode now supports offline play (two Switches required, no split-screen), but don't expect anything like a boss rush mode or any form of new content. It also should be noted that Bayonetta plays the same in both docked and portable modes. Given these game were released years ago, you'd think Platinum Games would at least give returning fans a bone, but sadly, that's not the case.

That said, the framerates for both titles have seen improvements. Bayonetta 2, in particular, now runs at a near perfect 60 FPS, whereas before it had trouble holding its framerate on the Wii U. Seeing how chaotic the action can be, it does make sense to sacrifice graphics and resolution for better framerates. Even at 720p, Bayonetta's twisted and crazy world still looks great, thanks to fantastic art design, great use of color, and some of the most creative creature design in the industry. It goes to prove that art will always trump pure horsepower.

Playing Bayonetta 1 + 2 is still a joy, even after all these years. You'll get a good thumb workout since you'll be alternating the various combos to get high scores and better rankings. Bayonetta starts of with small skirmishes before going into overdrive with bigger enemies, bosses the size of of a city, and even throwing said bosses in with regular foes. Along with her trusty handguns, Bayonetta also has her witch-time, allowing her to slow down time to get a few hits (after she's dodged at the right time). She can also use enemy weapons for a short time and upgrade her list of attacks with the halos that drop from the enemies she kills. Bayonetta's combat is deep, simple, and just a whole lot of fun.

That said, the original Bayonetta is showing its age. Its visuals have a worn-out, dragged look and feel to them, and the game's pacing isn't as tight as that of its sequel. The action set pieces are still top-notch, but as the game goes on, you feel like chapters should have ended 10 or so minutes earlier, especially in the third act. That being said, Bayonetta 2 fixes all this and lasts a solid 9 hours, while the original will last you about 11 or so.

Bayonetta's plot follows the footsteps of other Nintendo games, as it's mostly there to connect the action. The first has an amnesia-stricken Bayonetta fighting to save the world from demonic angels, which leads her to find out who she is, while the sequel has her trying to save her friend Jeanne before her soul is lost forever. You'll meet a cast of colorful characters, from the Joe Pesci-inspired Enzo to the cool and collected Rodan, but don't expect that much depth or cohesiveness from the original's plot; the sequel does a much better job of trying to make you care about Bayonetta and the world she inhabits.

Bayonetta may appear to be nothing more than just a sex object, but there's more to her. She's confident, tough, and uses her sexuality to mock her opponents and catch them off guard. She's kind of like the video game version of Catwoman: never afraid to show off and unashamed of it. In an age where female characters are constantly strict, somber, and always showing a no-nonsense sensibility, it's nice to have a female character that can actually have fun and not take things so serious.

Bayonetta 1 + 2 are still great games. The original may be showing its age, but it's still a wild ride, and its sequel is still fantastic. While it would've been better to have some new features, there's still enough content here to keep you coming back for more for a good while. From tons of unlockable costumes, characters, and weapons to constantly trying to beat your high score, you'll be coming back for seconds and even tenths. If you love action games, you owe it to yourself to buy this collection. They're fast, sexy, and just a whole lot of fun. And isn't that all we can ask from Nintendo?

We've already looked at Bayonetta 2 on Nintendo Switch and came to the conclusion that while the mild visual upgrades over the Wii U original were welcome, it was performance that impressed us most, with a much closer lock to 60 frames per second gameplay. With that in mind, it'll come as little surprise to see much the same situation with the first game, but the difference this time is that the original Bayonetta is also available on PC and Xbox 360 (we'd best not mention the PS3 version) so how well does the Switch version compare to all of its rivals?To begin with, just as we saw with Bayonetta 2's Switch port, the original also operates at 1280x720, bringing it into line with the existing console versions. On the surface, this is disappointing bearing in mind the extra power of Nintendo's latest hardware, but as we'll discover later, there are benefits. And that's not to say some improvements haven't been made to general image quality. For example, Switch's texturing is slightly improved over Wii U. It's a difference so subtle, it may well come down to a difference in hardware implementation, but other changes do seem to be more than that - for example, improved edge aliasing when models are presented against field of view, along with adjustments to the depth of field effect itself, environment shading and bloom lighting.Up against the PC version, the comparisons are intriguing - Platinum delivered improved shadow quality and higher resolution options, but texture quality is around the same suggesting that all existing editions of the game are indeed based on the Xbox 360 original. Differences with the Microsoft platform are again minimal: shadow implementation varies and the Switch version isn't quite as vibrant, but overall, there's little to separate the two.

More important to Switch owners is the comparison between docked and handheld mode. Native 720p resolution is retained when gaming on go, a full 1:1 pixel match for the mobile display, meaning it looks nice and sharp. To deliver smooth performance though, compromises are necessary.

Texture filtering quality, for instance, takes a significant hit, taking it below the quality levels set by the docked mode, Wii U and Xbox 360. Shadow resolution is also modified slightly between the two. Of course, on the small screen, these changes aren't a real problem and the game winds up looking beautiful as a portable title. UPDATE: A quick word on mobile performance - similar to Bayonetta 2, it's not as smooth as docked play, but still faster overall than the Wii U game.

On the move, it's great.So, mobile play aside, what is the Switch advantage? Well, perhaps unsurprisingly bearing in mind our Bayonetta 2 results, it's all about performance.

There are drops here and there in docked mode, but overall, Bayonetta on Switch comes very close to hitting its target 60fps, especially impressive in areas where Wii U simply doesn't get close. There's a better, more consistent experience to enjoy here.

It's faster than Xbox 360 too, with no tearing. Indeed, in our tests, Bayonetta on Switch is a close match for the original game running under backwards compatibility mode on Xbox One X.Compared to Wii U, Switch seems to have a better lock on scenes that are heavy on memory bandwidth.

Depth of field drops frames on Nintendo's old console, while Switch never misses a beat. The same is true in scenes with lots of particles and alpha effects. Forgotton anne movie. On Wii U, screen-filling effects work of this style absolutely tanks frame-rate, and while Switch can still drop frames, the impact is less severe and the system recovers more quickly. It's just smoother in heavy scenes, making for smoother gameplay just when you need it. And indeed, it's only in these most taxing of scenes that Xbox One X commands a performance advantage. That's not the end of the performance improvements though, as Switch also trounces the Wii U when it comes to loading times. There are numerous loading screens throughout the game and while they're entertaining enough, it's nice to get into the action faster.

A case in point is a 15 second load on the disc Wii U version taking just five seconds on Switch, with the game hosted on an SD card. Based on previous testing, you can expect that to be marginally faster if you have game hosted on internal memory.Overall, Bayonetta on Switch is solid version of a brilliant game let down only by its low docked resolution. The trade-off is clear, though: what you lose in terms of pixel-count, you gain in the form of a very smooth experience. Performance is much faster than all previous console releases, with only the brute force power of the PC version or the back-compat Xbox One X experience offering any advantage over the Switch experience.And of course, what those alternatives can't deliver is the ability to play a genuine console classic in a truly portable, miniature form-factor - and that's part of what makes this Bayonetta/Bayonetta 2 double-pack so compelling. While there's nothing genuinely new delivered by these ports, the magic of the Switch itself adds a new, compelling layer to this superb Platinum experience.