So, ever since I played the Bayonetta 2 demo there has been something in the back of my mind. At first I didn't know what it was but it was like having the name of a song on the tip of your tongue but it just won't come out, but this morning it dawned on me. It was just how polar opposite Bayonetta 2 was in comparison to The Wonderful 101.

For what I am about to discuss you have to bare in mind I have beaten The Wonderful 101 while I have only beaten the demo of Bayonetta 2 (though like 12 to 15 times as I play multiple playthroughs when I start the demo). Everything that I will be talking about will be with very limited knowledge of actually playing Bayonetta 2 in its entirety, and more of the impression I get from videos and what I have played.

Anyways

It seems to me that The Wonderful 101 is a game based solely on the gameplay and is one of the finest examples of how the gamepad can enhance the gaming experience, while Bayonetta 2 is a cinematic spectacle which relies more on bare minimum controls that dole out a TON of damage.

Beyond that, the tone is way different between the two. Bayonetta 2 is very tongue in cheek and quick witted, but takes itself seriously as a game. When something bad happens, you feel the repercussions of said action and it matters to the characters in the game and the World around them. The Wonderful 101 however is the most outragious and unforgivingly off the wall look at old super hero cartoons there is. It will stop right in the middle of a serious moment to throw something completely unrelated yet hilarious in and all the sudden the Worlds problems seem to take second place to the often in group fighting.

Even on a graphical level, one is made with a cel shaded art style in mind and has characters that are super deformed (for those of you who watch anime you know what I mean), while the other goes for realistic effects and normal sized characters. Each doing very well to match the atmosphere of the game you are about to play, and you can tell a lot of thought was put into most characters, even if the roster exceeds 100.

In the end, I have to sit back in awe at how talented Platinum is as a dev. I have never played Viewtiful Joe, Okami, Bayonetta (yet), or anything else Platinum has created. These games show the range of the developer and how they can create two games in the same genre and give two completely different experiences, both of which are extremely welcome to me as a Wii U owner. I honestly hope Bayo 2 does exceptionally well in the US, and Nintendo sees demand for more games in collaboration with Platinum.

Edit: What did everyone here think? Which did they like better? Do you WANT both types of experiences?

Well... Bayonetta 1 was pretty off the wall too almost to the point of being silly and I am loving the Bayonetta 2 demo cause it really wants me to have more and more and I can't wait to buy it! But yes, mechanically, they are very different games and I do hope they do more games! I am pretty jealous of the x1 owners for getting Scalebound T_T

Bayonetta cuz w101 dont have grils

Of course Bayonetta is better. I still haven't completed W101.

Wonder Pink and Wonder Bayonetta are both girls and playable characters.

but w101 aint ratd m

What can I say, I can't wait to play it. I loved the W101, it took me a while to get into it, but around level 3 I was all in, staying up long after I should have been asleep for work. It became an obsession. Lol.

TW101 is a fantastic action game that's hidden underneath some really dumb design choices, namely the camera, the GamePad sections, and the high number of really stupid minigames that Kamiya loves to put into his games (Operation 005-C I'm looking directly at you). Those things being present in the game made me enjoy it much less than I would have if they weren't in.

The original Bayonetta is better at not being obscured by as many dumb design decisions, and to be honest I think Bayonetta is a better game at its core. My only gripe with the original was the missile sequence that made the camera spin with you when you performed a roll in midair, which was really disorienting. Beyond that, the original was a way better game than TW101 IMO.

I got The Wonderful 101 for cheap and played 1h30. I was completely disappointed (really) and had no desire to come back to this game. I found it very sloppy and inaccurate. Never touched it since.

On the other hand, I played the demo of Bayonetta 2 and immediately loved it. The combat system look great and very refined and the game is just gorgeous.

It can always be edited. But that was kind of the point of the discussion as well, to get other peoples opinion who have played both. Testing my assumptions, as well as giving out my initial impressions.