Hands-On With Bayonetta - The PS3 Version

The PlayStation 3 version of PlatinumGames’ Bayonetta has become somewhat of a point of contention, given that the developer of the game has handed off development duties to Sega for that platform and that it reportedly… doesn’t look so good.

https://lastchance.cc/platinumgames-on-ps3-bayonetta-sega-did-it-5362530%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

Well, we decided to check the PS3 version of the non-stop climax action game for ourselves at TGS, just to see how evenly the two versions of the game were matched. Having played the Xbox 360 version a few times, we felt nervously qualified to determine the differences between the two.

Fortunately, we had an approximate 90 minute wait to play the PlayStation 3 version of the game today, plenty of time to watch the Bayonetta trailer and TV commercial loop a few dozen times. That trailer showed off a few new features and cinematic presentations—including a level set on a highway that sees Bayonetta engaging in gunfire battles on the top of vehicles and some motorcycle driving action.

But when we did get our hands on a DualShock to play Bayonetta, it felt largely the same as the Xbox 360 demos we’d played. That may be due to the familiar setting—it was the same demo PlatinumGames and Sega had brought to E3. But it was also due to the fact that the games were mostly the same, the mechanics firmly intact and the bright visual impact of the flamboyantly designed game nearly identical across both versions.

https://lastchance.cc/bayonetta-foreplay-at-e3-megatons-gigatons-5279487%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

That said, some of the visuals on the PS3 version did appear to be lagging behind the Xbox 360 version, with muddier textures and a more uneven frame rate bogging down the presentation. Determining those differences was a bit of a struggle, though, as we attempted to verify earlier reports of the game suffering in the graphics department. Both versions were not presented side-by-side, so it was hard to tell how much more attractive one version looked than the other.

Basically, the decision on which version of the game to buy will come down to select factors. Do you have an Xbox 360? Probably best to get that version. Do you prefer the DualShock controller? Perhaps the PS3 version is better suited to your taste. Do you really like Bayonetta? Well, either version will likely satisfy.

We’ll wait to the game has been stamped upon both DVDs and Blu-ray discs and shipped to retail before judging definitively, but, as of right now, it appears one version—the PlayStation 3 version, developed by Sega and not by PlatinumGames—has a longer list of faults than the other. Whether those faults matter to you, single console owner, remains to be seen.

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