Say goodbye to the Bayonetta sequel we didn’t need

Posted by on May 3, 2012 in Games

According to this unsourced rumor, a Bayonetta sequel that was never announced was cancelled. Which can mean anything from someone throwing away a piece of concept art to an entire project scrapped and internal schedule reworked.

My initial reaction is the expected, “Aww, now I won’t get to play Bayonetta 2!” But it occurs to me that I’m pretty sure I don’t want Bayonetta 2. Some games are fine as self-contained entities, with no further elaboration needed, and no real need for improvements. Remember when God of War, Devil May Cry, and Mortal Kombat were fresh? That’s the same thrill I got discovering Bayonetta that I eventually lost with those other games as they trundled down their path of sequels and remakes and reboots. If any game deserves to transcend the usual franchise treatment, it’s Bayonetta. What’s wrong with a really good one-off from time to time?

Of course, time was I would have said the same thing about Bioshock. Then along came Bioshock 2 and now I’m giddy with anticipation for Bioshock Infinite.

  • Xenocid08

    I have a hard time imagining where Bayonetta could even go right now. She basically defeated a god at the end of the first game. Any game that has a huge ending like that, has really put themselves in a corner I think. It’s expected that everything live up to that.

    The canceling of the sequel if it was true, probably a good idea.

  • Anon

    I agree, though I’d very much like a PC port given it’s one of the very few 360 exclusives(Bayonetta doesn’t deserve people seeing her PS3 appearance) I really want to play.

    Also I hope Platinum aren’t troubled, they’re definitely the premier Japanese developer atm. Hopefully they have another project lined up for whoever might’ve been working on it. Would be sad if Sega’s troubles are adversely affecting them.

  • SleepySid

    Agreed. Some games are better without sequels. As for Bioshock 2 that was a disapointment for me after the first one and has made me lose quite a bit of interest in Bioshock infinite.

  • http://www.facebook.com/sinkytown Roy Jones

    I totally agree!

    Viewtiful Joe, Okami, God Hand, Bayonetta, Vanquish, Shadows of the Damned, Anarchy Reigns. Keep ‘em coming!
    I’d ban sequels for a year if it kept games as fresh as those from Platinum.

  • Link

    I would like to see those tits again

  • Irslutz

    I really like the director of Bayonetta (DMC, viewtiful joe) so if the sequel getting canceled holds him back I would not be happy.

  • Tjeu

     I agree that the odds of a sequel being as satisfying as Bayonetta’s last level (and credit roll) are not good. Still, there is room in her universe for a sequel where she frees herself from her contract with Inferno, and for a prequel where she ends up on the bottom of a lake.

    So, goodbye Bayonetta sequel we don’t need. I’ll miss you anyway.

  • Wham!

    I’m still waiting for a proper sequel to Devil May Cry 3. 4 was a step back and the reboot…doesn’t look encouraging. I guess 3′s problem was God Hand syndrome: a great game that reviewers inexplicably hated, and I do mean HATED. Busting out the under 5 scores usually reserved by professional reviewers for Wii shovelware.

    Bayonetta kinda just felt like another God of War. Mash the buttons, go through the QTEs, and watch the gorgeous set pieces do gorgeous things. Fine if that’s what you want, but considering the director I was expecting a revival of DMC.

  • Asdf

    Xenocid, she killed the God of the Paradiso World but that still leaves the God of the “Inferno” and maybe even “Chaos” worlds.  Maybe she wants to end her demon contract and die peacefully, so she fights the demons of the inferno and eventually works her way up to fighting the demon queen she used to kill jubileus. Maybe she’ll learn Sage Magic and Paradiso summons to do this?