The Wonderful 101 - Wii U

It's safe to say that the lure of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate and The Wonderful 101 were enough to twist my arm and persuade me to buy a Wii U. Monster Hunter was - as expected - incredible and still remains
in my top games of the year, so could The Wonderful 101 possibly live up to my lofty expectations, too? The answer is mixed and while the game is truly wonderful (sorry, I couldn't resist) in places, some niggles with the game's controls sour the experience slightly, but more of that later.
    The story follows the Wonderful 100 - you are the 101st member - a gallant band of masked superheroes who are in the midst of a titanic struggle against the alien GEATHJERK army - a mob who are intent on destroying the world. It's all a bit cliched, but as a framework to hang the blistering action on, it works perfectly and there's a huge dollop of humour thrown in to keep the story light-hearted and fresh.
    The twist with The Wonderful 101 is that you don't control a single member of this mighty force - you actually control all of them simultaneously. You also have the ability to fuse your heroes together to create mighty weapons of mass destruction, including a brilliant blue sword, a giant gun and an apartment-sized fist, with which to smash the robotic extraterrestrial menace.
    Platinum Games were widely applauded for the implementation of deep and satisfying combat systems in games such as Bayonetta and Vanquish and that rich tradition continues here. However, you will need to spend a bit of time experimenting here to get under the game's skin and draw the most from the experience.

    The action is relentless - rarely does the game pause for breath - with the player buffeted between one eye-popping boss battle to the next even bigger showdown. Learning which formations to unleash on these daunting foes is half the battle and finding their weak point and exploiting it with style and panache is a great feeling. Mind bending combinations can be pulled off and the game allows players to mix and match multiple fighting styles simultaneously to cause complete carnage. These commands are issued either with the Wii U's right stick or by drawing a variety of shapes on the touch pad. It takes a while to get used to this, but perseverance pays off, even if the command input sometimes doesn't quite register properly in the heat
of battle.
    Other issues arise when the action switches from the TV to the pad's screen when your bustling mob are indoors. Everything gets far too cramped and controlling the camera can be more difficult than it really needs to be. That said, it's an ambitious project and one that at least attempts to use the Wii U's gamepad for something other than an extra inventory screen.
    To reward experimentation and effectiveness while battering the alien forces into submission, medals as dished out on the completion of levels, giving the game plenty of replayability for those who simply need to Hoover up all those shiny platinum medals. Collecting achievements in the shape of bottle caps also gives the player plenty to think about while saving the planet.
    Visually, The Wonderful 101 is an absolute triumph, with its magical isometric vantage point giving a fresh perspective on the action, while the stunning tilt-shift effect, bright colours and clean lines simply add to the game's splendid visual appeal. The characters, too, are a delight, with the bunch beautifully detailed and bursting with charm and character. They gleefully slap down GEATHJERK forces with aplomb and enthusiastically scamper across the screen with vim and vigour, accompanied at all times by a stirring soundtrack.
    So while The Wonderful 101 occasionally misses a beat, it's a unique and refreshing all-action experience which rewards the player handsomely. There's really nothing quite like it on the market and is yet another corker of a game on Nintendo's home console.

Bayonetta - 360/PS3

The battle between Heaven and Hell is hardly a new plot device in videogames, but never has it been conveyed quite like this.

Bayonetta, a sassy leather-clad witch with super-human powers, is on a one-woman mission to reveal the truth about her past in a game that bears more than a passing resemblance to the Devil May Cry series. The story is somewhat absurd and at times is almost impossible to comprehend, but that doesn’t stop Bayonetta from being a flashy and highly polished rollercoaster ride.

From the guns on her ankles to the panther-like way she nimbly outflanks her opponents, Bayonetta is one of the most striking videogame characters of recent times. Her ice cool demeanor in the face of some truly jaw-dropping foes marks her out as the most recognisable female protagonists this side of Lara Croft.
Although the game is a largely linear experience, it’s the fluid combat which sets Bayonetta apart from other hack and slash titles. Button mashing is effective, but getting the most out of Bayonetta requires careful study of the game’s rich and deep combo system.

Bayonetta’s every move is beautifully choreoagraphed and as you would expect from a game featuring a sultry vamp who conjures giant stilettos from thin air to pummel her foes and summons demons from her jet-black hair, every aspect of Bayonetta is deliciously over the top.

From running up the walls of a towering structure and leaping through dimensional portals, to messing with the flow of time and battling gargantuan celestial beings, Bayonetta oozes quality throughout the 12 hours you’ll spend in her company on the first play through.

Combat is further refined by the addition of Witch Time, activated when Bayonetta successfully dodges an enemy attack at the last possible moment. Slow motion kicks in giving the bespectacled protagonist precious time to unleash a devastating series of strikes. It helps, of course, that the control system is beautifully implemented. Each press of a button gracefully moves Bayonetta into action, making the game a joy to watch and play.

While it's easy to heap praise on Bayonetta, it's not the perfect game some would have you believe. While the heavenly hosts you face in battle are impressive, many of the same creatures pop up throughout the game. This lessens the impact and leads to some monotonous trawls, as Bayonetta smacks down the same enemies time and time again. The game's visuals are eye-popping, but occasional slowdown and screen tearing spoil the effects, while the cut scenes tend to drag in places.

Checkpoints are well placed, but you can only save to the hard drive after every level, something which caused me a bit of grief in latter stages.

There's nothing game-breaking here, but there's just enough to blot the copy book. Still, the good outweighs the bad by a considerable margin and even after completing the main quest there are still plenty of unlockables stashed away to entice you back.

Bayonetta is simply a brilliant title. Play it for an hour and she'll have her hooks in you. Time flies by as you zone into the action, becoming one with the controller as your thumbs effortlessly press in button combos to unleash deadly attacks. A magnificent title that falls just short of being an all-time great.

MadWorld - Wii

Coming hot on the heels of the wonderfully entertaining shooter House of the Dead: Overkill, Sega have more gory, over the top fun in store for Wii owners in the shape of MadWorld.

Created by Platinum Games - made up of members of the now defunct Clover Studios, who brought us the beautiful PS2 and Wii title Okami - MadWorld is an arena-style brawler, with the emphasis firmly on racking up huge scores by delivering brutal and stylish combos.

The first thing to grab your attention is the striking art direction. Taking obvious inspiration from Frank Miller's Sin City with a dash of old school 2000AD comics, MadWorld's mostly monochrome palate is a triumph. It might look flat and lifeless in static screenshots, but when the game is in full-flow, it looks incredible.

Rather than limit the player to punches, kicks and throws, MadWorld revels in letting the player utilise the environment to wreak havoc and inflict maximum damage - enemies can be thrown head first into burning bins or down toilets, street signs can be ripped up and used as weapons, bodies can be chopped in half with your chainsaw, while spiked walls can be utilised for particularly nasty finishing moves.

The gruesome action is accompanied by an excellent hip hop heavy soundtrack, while Greg Proops and Futurama's John DiMaggio provide the entertaining and expletive-laden commentary.

While the core gameplay and high production values shine through, MadWorld unfortunately does have its problems. The central gameplay tends to get repetitive fairly quickly and it's definitely best to experience the brutal action in small doses.

Boss battles can infuriate due to their regenerating health bars, while the MadWorld experience is over in a rather abrupt 5-6 hours. Another fly in the ointment is the lack of 480p support. For a game which relies on its stylised visuals to pack a punch, it is somewhat baffling why Sega and Platinum Games left this feature out.

However, for its fun combat and wonderful visual style, MadWorld deserves to be praised. It's an above average title that is sure to become a cult classic.

Images courtesy of Sega