I'm just about all the way through my first playthrough. I have to say I'm just a tad disappointed after the reviews. I seem to have fonder memories of the first compared to this. I'll have to go back and play it, but it seems like the campaign was longer and the locations/enemies more diverse and unque. Some of the locations for Bayo 2 were kinda recycled from the first. Not only that, but I can't get the hang of the combat system the way I did Bayo 1's. Witch Time seems different to me this time around, as the cues of when to dodge seem a lot more subtle and harder to figure out than in the first game. I guess that's good for a challenge, but the combat in Bayonetta depends on the player mastering witch time or else it loses a lot of its fun. And I haven't been able to truly "get" it yet in Bayo 2. Still a great game nonetheless, but I do think I may prefer the first.

Cues have been enhanced visually and audibly, there's less subtlety overall. The major difference is with a heavier focus on audio cues, enemies will attack from further offscreen now whereas before you could cheap your way through things like Father Rodin by camera manipulation. Makes battles more action packed and hectic.

Well all I know is I was a master at Bayo 1's witch time and I can't quite get the hang of it yet in this one. It seems to be the demons where I have issues, which weren't in the first game.

It may just be a case of entrenched mechanics. I went back to DMC4 to get excited for the release since I didn't have 360 and didn't want to play bayo on ps3. Still can't Dodge Offset to literally save my life. Takes a little while.

Watch for the red/yellow gleam before a strike. Also try to memorise animation patterns and audio cues.

Beyond words I am. I played through the forst one on Wii U even though I owned it on PS3. It was wonderful. Then I moved onto the secod one and it is so much more gorgeous. It just seems like a huge step up in quality across the board graphically. The colors, all moving animated objects and the backgrounds just pop! It is everything a sequel shoukd be. A step up in graphics and action, but rooted in its predecessor in terms of consistency in what is expected in the series.

Yes, best hack and slash game ever created. You may not have seen very many threads created, but there was a TON of best hack and slash game threads out when this game dropped with a lot of people voting Bayo 2.

I'm having a blast playing. Never played the original and I just jumped right into 2... haven't had as much time to play as I'd like but I had a lengthy play session today and my in laws are visiting and watched me play -- so funny with all of the cussing, violence, and sexual stuff -- they're super conservative but really easy going

Triple Climax? It was all golds, plats, and pure plats. Some of the core-combat segments were my pure plats and here and there I got hit a few times before buying Bat Within (or I missed a battle somewhere or other).

They set-up the first three modes of the game as easier as their are no bullshit QTE in Bayo2, nor are there stupid hordes of mobs that are utterly unfair together. The lack of bullshit QTEs and extended non-core minigames makes Bayo2 considerably easier to get plats and pure plats. But when you take it to Infinite, the game utterly requires you to master Witch Time and Weaves otherwise you'll die and fail quickly as you get punished and staggered from everything.

But of course I also played Bayo1 extensively on the 360.

I finally started it last night. Moved through the first 2 chapters. Its awesome as expected. I couldnt help but laugh at the fanservice hints. To think some people make it a bastion of discord. That is what happens when one is too busy beeing stuck up on social debates instead of accepting a fun game for what it is. Simple minded fun.
Bayonetta is also a great representation of women. She is cool to the max and its not because of the funny camera angles at times.