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When choosing a game of the year, it is very easy to fall prey to the most polished games with
the tightest controls, latest graphics, and superb quality. Many major gaming journalism outlets feel
they that they need to be able to choose a game of the year that was all around the best game that had
been released that year. Many times this choice of obvious. There is always a major game that is
unanimously enjoyed. Great examples of this are games like c
 
  , 
, and 



. But, many times there is another side to the game of the year
debate. There is someone͛s ͞game of the year͟, meaning the game they felt delivered on all fronts, but
then there is also someone͛s ͞personal game of the year͟ which is game that may not carry all the
qualities of some of the unanimous games of the year listed above, but was the game that resonated
the most personally with a gamer. This kind of game delivered an experience that may have been
inherently flawed in some way, whether it be technically or by design, but after the game was over and
the player had moved on, the game still continued to occupy their thoughts. This year my ͞game of the
year͟ is Red Dead Redemption, which was a game that delivered on all fronts, but unfortunately, I can͛t
say I really cared all that much about it after it was over. On the other hand, my personal game of the
year is B

. This was a game that delivered on its promise of being an over the top action game
featuring a strong female lead. It was a game that was unique and way out of left field, but despite my
lack of interest in its genre, I had a great time with and the epic ending left me drooling for more. To be
more specific, 

is my game of year because of its tight gameplay, excellent lead character, and
stunning production. These three main concepts are what pushed 

into the limelight this year
as my personal game of the year.

I͛m going to very honest; I was not initially interested in 

. Character action games such
as Devil May Cry or God of War are generally not my cup of tea, due to the normally poor story lines and
repetitive gameplay that devolves into button mashing at its finest by the end. But, 

was
different. As more and more started to become revealed about the game and more and more people
started to talk about it, I couldn͛t help, but not look away. It was finally when Jim Sterling of gaming
blog Destructoid wrote his preview, that I was sold. He stated very clearly that for those not fans of the
gameplay in character action games, 

is different. I believed him and started playing the game.
One of the first things that caught my eye about the game was the controls which are a master stroke of
game design. 

operates off a simple two button control scheme for light and heavy attacks
along with a jump button, a button for firing the guns attached to all four of Bayonetta͛s limbs and
finally a dodge button. Sound simple? Well that͛s the point. 

offered a clear no bullshit look at
action game design and it works. Many times when playing character action games, it is easy to feel that
you are not completely responsible for what is happening on the TV screen, as you press buttons in
random combinations and watch what happens. Amazingly, 

is never like this. I always felt like
I was in control of what was going on, and when I wanted to pull off a move, I could do it without
messing up. Many will say that oversimplification of controls will lead to a lack of depth, but


never does that. The game finds many unique ways to add more and more moves to
Bayonetta͛s arsenal and allowing for many ways to approach a battle. I never felt the midgame
doldrums that many character action games face as moves get repetitive and enemies get boring to
fight. 

upgrade system kept me in the action, teaching me new moves consistently along the
way. But, the genius in 

 gameplay comes from one key element: the dodge system. The
game makes enemy attacks blatantly obvious to the player; to allow them to use a special slow motion
mechanic called ͞witch time͟, where when a dodge is successfully landed at the last minute, the player
is thrust into slow motion allowing a few seconds for the player to hack away at enemies. This final
system puts the bow on 

gameplay giving it its own flavour and spice that is unique from
anything else. What truly sums up 

 excellent gameplay is the simple fact that it works well.
Really well. I never felt like I was dying for unexpected reasons beyond my control. Every time I failed, I
knew it was my fault and not the game͛s, which is a powerful thing.

Although 

gameplay is great, the true bread and butter of the game is the game͛s
enigmatic lead character Bayonetta. Bayonetta is a seven foot tall witch who has guns attached to both
her feet and legs as well a super long hair which she uses to cover herself. As Bayonetta fights, she uses
her hair as vessel to summon demons from the underworld to do her bidding for her, all while losing
some of her body coverage that is provided by her hair. On top of that, she is all ways strutting like
model when she walks and sucks lolly pops while speaking in a British accent. Sound like a mouthful?
Well it is. Bayonetta͛s overwhelming personality is a true high point for the game. 

s
developer, Platinum Games, stated on many occasions that their intention with Bayonetta͛s character
was to create a strong female lead that was so overly full of sexual tension and innuendo that her good
looks and personality would be so overwhelming to a male or female player that she would transcend
the lustful desires of any player. And the honest truth is, it works. Even has Bayonetta becomes more
scantily clad during a heavy fight as her hair is being used to summon demons, I never really felt
attracted to her. Many other video game heroines try to reside in the realm of sanity so that players
may be able to relate to them and see them as similar to women in real life. Bayonetta is not like that.
Her over the top personality and demeanour puts her in class above sexy that could almost be called
angelic. If this is all sounding sort of confusing, that͛s because the feelings Platinum Games has made
gamers feel towards her are hard to describe and it is simply something that needs to be experienced.
This sort of emotional ambiguity is one of my absolute favourite parts of her character and is something
that would take a lot of work to replicate again in a different game. Many people cried foul at
Bayonetta͛s character design though. Multiple critics called her design sexist and a step back for the
industry. To some extent this is true. Video games do not have a great track record for portraying
women in a non-sexual, positive light and right now as games are on the tipping point of finally being
recognized as form of art, releasing a game like 

does seem out of place. But, I feel that her
character is handled with grace and decency. Despite feminists calling the game out on several
occasions, the game is actually very pro women. Instead of women being weak characters like they are
in most video games, Bayonetta gives gamers all strong female leads and the vast majority of the male
characters are the weak ones who suffer from Bayonetta͛sexploits. It is an excellent turn of the tables.
As I have said, describing my feelings for Bayonetta͛s character is impossible to do on paper, but the fact
that I need to even say that is a testament to how impressive of a character she is.
 Bayonetta herself is truly the best part of the game, but what seals the deal and makes it my
personal game of the year is everything surrounding her. Bayonetta has some of the most stunning and
unique presentation I have ever seen in a video game. The game has unbelievable level design to begin
with. Every chapter provides players with lush unique environments that have a sort of futuristic
European vibe the suits the game very well. Furthermore, the actual level design is superb with
something crazy and ridiculous happening just about every two minutes. If it isn͛t the part where you
are battling on a church that is falling towards the ground and at a breakneck speed, it͛s the part where
you are hopping across an asteroid belt towards a monster the size of a few New York city blocks. It very
easy to say that 

levels delivered on their promise of complete insanity. More so, the game͛s
excellent music also contributes to the amazing presentation. The game͛s take on Frank Sinatra͛s ͞Fly
Me To The Moon͟ was stuck in my head for weeks after playing the game and makes the regular rounds
on my iTunes playlists. Furthermore, the other assorted tracksthroughout the game, in particular the
main battle theme are superb and for many, I am sure are the best part of the game. 

truly
thrives on ͞oh shit!͟ and ͞did you just see that?͟ moments that deliver every time. From the giant boss
battles, to the karaoke dance number at the end of the game to the fight ending ͞climax͟ moments, the
game͛s most memorable things are the little things. For long-time fans of Sega͛s work, there is plethora
of Easter eggs and references to old Sega games that will make any older gamer smile. The finale of the
game really is the best for once in a video game. In the final moments of the game after defeating the
final boss, Bayonetta is out in deep space and her arch nemesis is millions of kilometers away near the
sun. It͛s at this moment that Bayonettawhips out a red lip stick tube, puts it on her lips and then sticks
the lip stick tube in her gun. She finally utters the final words of the game ͞don͛t fuck with a witch͟ and
then shoots the lip stick. The player then takes control of the ͞bullet͟ guiding it across the solar system
dodging planets before finally hitting the villain in the forehead and cutting to the credits. This was quite
possibly the best ending to anything. Ever. And it is an excellent example of the game͛s top notch
presentation that pushed it into the league of game of the year.

Is 

going to push video games forward? No. Is it a perfect game? Far from it. Yes its
true, 

is neither of these things. Some of the other big games of the year like 
  and
!
 "  can probably answer both of these questions with a resounding yes. But there͛s
one question that they can͛t say yes to: Did the game leave a lasting impact on me? But, for 


this is very true. I originally rented 

expecting a solid game that would be good weekend
romp. What I got was one of the best games I have ever played. Even after finishing the game during the
rental, I still bought myself a copy because I knew that 

was something special to me. I haven͛t
played the game since late January and I am still able to recall so many of the major events in the game.
This sort of resonance almost a year later is an impressive feat given how many other great games I have
played since and is the final reason why 

deserves my personal game of the year vote. Yes
games like !
   and 
  are amazing, but in all honesty, what they accomplish
best can be just as easily accomplished in movie. 

is a video game through and through. The
experience it provides simply cannot be accomplished through any other media and that is something
special.