MGS4 can be beaten buy running out and shooting everything you see...but its not really supposed to be played that way.

@Khuutra

Any action game these days is based on a chain of button presses. Bayonetta has its gimmick, the witch time, and you spend the whole game doing that. Pretty tiresome if you ask me...sure you could choose not to do it, but why would you? you'll get owned. Even if you do a normal dodge, most of your attacks outside of witch time are really weak against most enemies.

I'm not saying all the other action games are different, definitely not Darksiders which is part of this discussion, but at least in Darksiders you have plenty more to do besides combat.

@disolitude

well, if you can do that in MGS4 and get away with it, you're welcome to do it. It was designed that way specifically to allow variety and suit different tastes. Previous MGS games are not like that, though.

Also, in MGS4 there are sections of the games where the player will be encouraged to change tactics to succeed or have a really hard time otherwise.

You're, uh

Youo're not actually describing good combat in Bayonetta. You're describing scrub-play. Button mashing will not get you vry far in this game if it's all you do. You're already doing more than button mashing just by using Witch Time, but it's not the game's gimmick and it's not theo nly way to win. I acually prefer using the Counters you get from a particular accessory, because they're much more useful on later bosses and particularly against your rival.

And your attacks aren't weak outside of Witch Time. They're the exact same strength. Youo jsut have to learn how to make them hit.

Bayonetta is not a button masher any more than God Hand is, though God help me for making that comparison. If you play it like ab utton masher, you're playing like a scrub. That's all there is.

The first chapter or two, yeah, you can get through mindlessly button mashing but I find it hard to believe you can get to Chapter IX mindlessly button mashing (unless you're on easy or very easy of course).

Also, just something to think about, what game doesn't have you doing the same thing or small group of things over and over again?

Bayonetta does a few things well-- witch time, making combat feel awesome with little effort, and making everything on a grand scale.  It knows it's awesome at those things so it does everything it can do to repeat those things rather than spreading itself thin.

I haven't played Darksiders but I've read/watched reviews and I've talked to friends that have, and Darksiders does a lot more than Bayonetta, but it doesn't do anything nearly as well.

Would you rather have a large bag of varied decent thing or a small bag of extremely good things?

Neither answer is right, it's just opinion.

I could understand this is the era of the silent protaganist.  When the protaganist was YOU.

How is this an issue though when they are full fledged stories in which every character including the main character has their own personality?

@Khuutra hey, If I can succeed at, say Prince of Persia/ Assassin's Creed, just buy countering my opponent, it's not my fault, it's the game design that is like that. In Bayonetta I dodge and activate witch time then follow with mindless combos, that's all I do! It doesn't take too much skill really, so that's button-mashing to me (shrugs)

opinion it is. did anybody say otherwise?

The way you're writing your posts doesn't make it out to be. 

What you're describing isn't button-mashing, it's one of the least efficient ways to play, and it won't avail you in later chapters.

Let me know how you do in Tower to Truth