Allen Salvador - Journal Entries

[AllenSalvador17]

Name of Game
Star Fox

Game Author
Shigeru Miyamoto

Game Studio
Argonaut Software (Nintendo as Publisher)

Original Platform & Control Mechanism
Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), "SNES Controller"


Control mechanism you used
I used a web browser format to experience Star Fox, I definitely would have preferred using the intended controller, or even any handheld one-- especially since the SNES and other controllers were beginning to evolve into a very similar shape that modern controllers have. Using the original would have benefited me because I would've gotten the experience intended by the developers at that time. The shape of the SNES controller, the buttons; Star Fox were tailored around these existing things.

Describe game play and mechanics
Star Fox is a simple game, with a very straightforward objective. It provides you with a list of controls at the beginning of the game... brake, roll, movement, movement boost, nova bomb, and blasters. And then you have the option of either doing the tutorial or pursuing the main "story". Both the tutorial and the story feature very similar aspects, in that; they both feature roaming enemies, your teammates bantering, obstacles, point rings, and then a final boss. The enemies would often exclusively roam, but sometimes they could also be enemy ships and I believe (if I saw correctly) they could also shoot projectiles. The obstacles provided a challenge of environment, as interacting with the set could damage your aircraft. And then the point rings amounted to your total score at the end of the round. What is most interesting about the gameplay however is the inclusion of existing character relationships. While they are missed in the overall noise of the gameplay, it's an interesting addition.

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design
I think the primary weakness of Star Fox is the lack of identifying features between the set and everything else that is inherently hostile. While the game features some incredible responsive movement, the game wholly lacks out on clear visuals to aid the player in high paced movement. While it could definitely be a generational disconnect via consumption of games, I do believe the art is simply confusing sometimes. I especially think that the interactions between Fox and his plane team get "lost in the sauce", in that, there is so much happening in the background and foreground, that the text essentially becomes more of a hindrance to the player than a beneficial one. Because, as I was getting to know the controls, I kept getting yelled at by my NPC teammates! A final point of weakness in Star Fox is the lack of existing guidelines especially in the perspective view. While the game is straight forward and narrow, I felt as though it would've helped if not only did the third-person view have a reticle, the environment could also have some sort of recommended path to follow.

What made it fun?
The main feature that made Star Fox fun was definitely the movement, and specifically for me, the barrel roll! Strangely, the setup was fun in finding the controls on PC and having to manually press my keyboard to see what does what. But after that, and even after the inverted controls issue, the movement still felt incredibly responsive and the visuals definitely added to the hectic (positive) nature of the game. What made barrel roll so fun for me, however, was the way I discovered its usefulness. I had initially thought that Barrel Roll was entirely useless so I basically tanked any environmental damage that required my ship to be sideways, but once I started holding the button for roll (Q) I finally understood why it not only benefited the movement but also the incredible meme behind it. Barrel Rolling was spectacular in that, it gave that extra layer of movement that I had originally thought Star Fox was missing, it provided me a very complicated feeling-- in that, it gave me an "Oh Yes! I'm an advanced player! " sort-of feeling. Every time I pressed Q to either sling through narrow spaces or dodge a ramming ship, I felt very "accommodated" by the barrel roll. I'm unsure if I was just really good at barrel roll, but I'm pretty sure that it gave I-frames? Regardless, it's what definitely made the game for me!

(Also, Nova Bomb was cool but I didn't mention it here because the flash was too much sometimes... )

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
Star Fox is influential because of its impact on how both consumers and companies view 3D games in the video/arcade game space. If I remember correctly, executives didn't believe that Star Fox and its 3D features could contend with the current lineup of existing games. But what made it a turning point in a lot of people's perspectives was its incredible emphasis, ironically, was the relationship between movement, 3D space, and the graphical clarity of everything combined. Not only was the game incredible to look at, but it was also historically very easy to learn, and hard to master! Like other successful games with this same aspect (ex. Missile Command), Star Fox was the same, the controls were provided upfront, and also very minimal! The game was straightforward, and while I believed it was confusing to look at, it clearly wasn't for the majority of people during its time. From articles I've read, and recounts from my father who actually played the game back in the day; they basically affirmed my theory that the saturation of graphics that we see today has made some or most people averse to comprehending how older games were viewed and consumed. Finally, in terms of its relation to the evolution of games and how it manifested the ingenuity of games to come, I do believe that the 3D environment and its graphical fidelity majorly benefited the industry and how they could create games with similar features.

How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))
★★★☆☆

[AllenSalvador17]

Name of Game
Metal Gear Solid

Game Author
Hideo Kojima

Game Studio
Published by Konami, developed by Konami subsidiary, Kojima Productions.

Original Platform & Control Mechanism
PlayStation 1, "Dual Analog "

Control mechanism you used
I utilized a PC emulator with a PS5 controller.

Describe game play and mechanics
Metal Gear Solid is a stealth game with action mechanics, featuring the iconic character, Solid Snake. In the game, you instantly start with the ability to utilize the full functionality of tools and existing player abilities. MGS has an emphasis on resource management, and stealthing to avoid the exertion of materials. The regarded materials being items such as bullets, rations (health potions), grenades, and others. The main play however was in avoiding the enemies, and Solid Snake can do this by existing within three modes that the player can actively toggle. A walk, crouch, and lay; the player can use these to navigate obstructions and avoid enemies. But if the situation calls for it, the player has access to weaponry like pistols and assault rifles, but can also stealthily take down enemies with an extra reward if done that way! Aside from the main combative abilities and resources, Solid Snake also can contact his allies via the codec, which will aid the player being giving them useful information.


Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design
Metal Gear Solid has several strengths, and they all gather to create the intense atmosphere and heavy story that they immediately start the player with. MGS is great at immersively introducing the world and its characters to the player, and each of them has incredibly quirky attributes. We meet Campbell who is a stern colonel, contrasted with Solid Snake who is a stereotypical flirt. Aside from the story and characters, MGS presents a game with a complex system of resources and management. We instantly jump into the beginning level and have to figure out how to traverse the landscape and avoid enemies. Although I didn't use the original controller, picking up the controls was very easy. Metal Gear Solid also had its bounty of weaknesses, to create an example; if MGS has a great story, it unfortunately had clunky controls (despite their initial ease). My main issue with MGS in the first two chapters that I played were the interactions, and constant camera changes that made basic play quite disorienting unless I knew what I was doing. The game made it very hard to access areas with very narrow points, and disorienting if the player had to switch to first-person mode. There would often be times I would think I could simply see through the item I was under, but then, the camera quickly switched to an awkward position incredibly close to the floor. Another main issue of main with MGS was the lack of tutorials and gradual gameplay (drip-feeding mechanics). I feel like in this particular scenario, a lot of games had this mindset of providing a manual for players to read to understand the controls, which allowed developers to fully create a map without regard to the drip-feeding tutorial approach that modern games do. While this is definitely a symptom of what the times were like when MGS was released, It unfortunately heavily affected me and how long it took before I could actually play the game.

What made it fun?
For me, the greatest fun I had in Metal Gear Solid was actually the stealth takedowns. They required a very specific and controlled set of movements, and if the player moved beyond the limitations of the takedown then the player would immediately be detected by enemy forces. And while at first, this sounds like a slog, I personally found it fun simply because of the silliness and animation that came out of doing stealth takedowns. But besides my personal favorite ability, Metal Gear Solid earnestly pulled me by the story and not so much the mechanics of the game. While they were definitely fun and interesting, I don't think I particularly vibed with the constant camera changes and aiming system that MGS had. But while those do sound like incredibly big problems, I actually didn't mind the jankiness of play, and I was more enveloped in the conversations that were occurring as you progressed the story. Metal Gear Solid has such a rich background of interesting and weird characters, that you can't help but look away from the fresh designs that they were creation then!

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
Metal Gear Solid holds a stake in the gaming world because of its intense ingenuity through and through. From the character and story that it presents, from the gameplay and mechanics that it provides, Metal Gear Solid was a game that did its best to be ambitious, but be good about the content that was developed from that ambition. MGS had a strong grasp on its stealth system, and I believe it was quite revolutionary at the time because not a lot of people focused on stealth gameplay. But beyond its gameplay, it was an incredible narrative that many people could follow! From light research across the internet, a lot of people appreciate the Metal Gear Solid storyline and how it holds a certain level of seriousness and "campiness" in the mix of it all. It's a game that can take itself seriously, but can also pass a joke if it wanted to. It's such a bizarre contrast compared to the gameplay, but it's all those things combined that make Metal Gear Solid a truly unique experience of that time.


How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))
★★★★☆

[AllenSalvador17]

Name of Game
Sonic Adventure

Game Author
Takashi Iizuka, Yuji Naka

Game Studio
Sonic Team USA, (Sega, Publisher)

Original Platform & Control Mechanism
The Dreamcast, "Sega Dreamcast Controller"

Control mechanism you used
I used a PC emulator with a PS5 controller.

Describe game play and mechanics
Sonic Adventures is a parkour, platforming, and story game. There is a variety of main characters that you can select and choose from, and every single different character available has different abilities. In my case, I mainly played Sonic and Tails! Tails, (my favorite) had a sweeping attack, a jump, an ability that allowed him to turn into a ball and dash, and a flying ability that made the levels in Sonic Adventures very easy to get through! Then we have Sonic, the main character, who features the classic dash moves, a homing-in jump attack, and a circling ability. Combined with the character abilities the players also encounter not only obstacle courses but enemies and bosses. Intertwining the bosses and enemies into the game is its story, it seems there is a heavy emphasis on the characters and their relationships. In fact, the only way to unlock characters is to progress the following chapters to unlock more and more characters!

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design
Sonic Adventures' main weakness is the design of the story and how it's communicated. You're introduced to a quite flashy video featuring a CGI city, simulated water, and monsters of fantastical nature, but then it is jump-cut to Sonic. That is not at all related to the entirety of the game, and when we enter the first level it's still just as confusing. I don't know Sonic's motivations nor do I know his place in the world, and I feel as if it's very unexplained as to why all these hedgehogs are there in the first place. Coupling this issue of what seems like a disjointed story are the disjointed character introductions. I noticed a strange cutscene where after I had unlocked Tail's and went back to the main menu, the scene of how Tail's was introduced featured completely different dialogue. Another major thing was the lack of direction both in story and gameplay, and how, because of the lack of an objectives list and existing guidelines; it made the game very hostile to play. But as in all Sonic games, the movement and the building of momentum have continuously been good, especially in Sonic Adventures. Unfortunately, I didn't like playing Sonic, but I'm glad to have had options to choose from and if I had played enough I really would've loved to see Amy Rose!

What made it fun?
Sonic Adventure's main pull was the characters and how many there were. It really gave a sense of choice and personality, but specifically for the player! Even though I did say the characters and how they were introduced felt disjointed, I do like the idea of characters having a different perspective of how they met Sonic! Unfortunately, it wasn't presented like that, but regardless, Sonic Adventure had a really good sense of options and I'm so glad I ended up tails. The main feature that I liked the most about Tail's was definitely his flying ability and how versatile he was in the maps. I didn't like Sonic's dash and how he heavily relied on the build-up of momentum, it wasn't too friendly, especially since I was playing on a PS5 controller (and I assume it was preferred if you had a working DPAD). Tail's really made the game easier to play, and his combat wasn't too bad at all! I also liked wandering around the maps, and I did have fun traversing the map because not only did they hold up visually, it was really pleasing to watch... essentially the QTEs play out whenever you interacted with a Springboard or a Speed Pad!

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
Sonic Adventure, especially on the Dreamcast, has a very striking and beautiful aesthetic. It utilizes the 3D environment really well and brings out the best of the Sonic franchise at the time. Sonic Adventures also just seems to have a lot of variety and is very clearly ambitious. Not only are there a plethora of characters, but each map and boss associated with those maps felt unique and different, and the sections of gameplay where it would suddenly switch from a parkour jumping area to an intense boss fight, featuring an airplane-- it was very clearly a labor of love. Sonic Adventure really brought the pull of 3D to the industry, and while it did receive a lot of flack for its Gamecube release and after, it did show the industry what a fully realized game in 3D could look and feel like! Sonic Adventures was clearly a technical marvel and a stylistic one at that!


How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))
★★☆☆☆

[AllenSalvador17]

Name of Game
Halo: The Master Chief Collection, (Specific Game-mode, Halo: Reach).

Game Author(/s)
Marcus Lehto (Art Director), Luke Smith (Lead Artist), Tyson Green (Senior Designer)

Game Studio
Bungie LLC, (Microsoft Game Studios, Publisher)

Original Platform & Control Mechanism
XBOX 360, "XBOX Controller".

Control mechanism you used
I used the official formatted PC port available on Steam.

Describe game play and mechanics
In the Game-Mode, Halo: Reach, I essentially played through a "campaign". The mode was heavily story driven, minutes dedicated to cut scenes, and seemed to follow the 3 story act. You play as a character named, "Agent Six" and you go through a mission lead by a group of hardened soldiers. In Halo: Reach you can sprint, shoot, crouch, move via WASD, and chuck a grenade. The play of the game is to listen to your commander as you walk through very carefully crafted sets that guide you through the campaign. It's important to note that both the environment and story telling lend a hand in guiding you through the chapters.

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design
There are no particular weakness that are portrayed in Halo: Reach! This game is one of the first that have actually felt "good" and "designed well" and I assume it's because I played a copy that was modified for the PC. I think, like all story games, especially ones of the military-derived, Halo: Reach uses a lot of specific lingo and vocabulary inherent to the military. While it's immersive, for someone like me-- who has never touched a game like Halo: Reach OR COD, I was frankly confused. Additionally, the campaign felt more like a tour than an actual story that I was experiencing but maybe it was ultimately because I did not particularly jive with the concepts that the game was throwing at me. Regardless of my personal tastes, I think the strongest design point of Halo: Reach is the accessibility and narrative story telling. The game is very aesthetic, it is visually pleasing to look at, and the voice acting is determined and easy to listen to. I deeply enjoyed switching between guns as I entered in hastened warfare between nameless alien enemies and my team; picking up there weapons, and figuring out that the aliens weapons were cooler.

What made it fun?
The most fun part of Halo: Reach for me was definitely the shooting and then the narrative experience. I majorly enjoyed the shooting because the moment I got into my first skirmish, I was immediately overjoyed by the fact that I could switch weapons, and it opened up an entirely new world for me! I enjoyed the weapons dropped by aliens and there different fire modes, and frankly, the far better aesthetic that they had compared to the hard surface military ones that the human soldier's had. Secondly, the narrative experience of the campaign was also enjoyable despite the fact that I don't particularly jive with the military concepts for Halo: Reach and other like-minded games. Regardless I thought it was interesting to see the soliders interact with the environment, tell citizens to "go back inside" it felt really immersive, and Halo Reach definitely has a good grasp on immersive storytelling.

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
I think the there are two things that make Halo: Reach stand out. First is it's immense focus in the environment and how tied the game's story telling is to the environment. Because of there emphasis on in-game cutscenes, and NPC events within the game, it really sets the tone of Halo: Reach and really puts the player in a space where they "feel" like they are with the soldiers in the game. Secondly is the music, which greatly benefits the setting and whatever scene is playing in the game. I think Halo: Reach has a phenomenal set, and coupled with it's particular music definitely adds a grandiose layer of immersion to the game.

How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))
★★★★☆

[AllenSalvador17]

Name of Soundtrack
Minecraft, The Soundtrack.

Soundtrack Author
Daniel Rosenfield

Game Studio
Mojang Studios, (Microsoft, Publisher)

Why is it your favorite?
Minecraft's music has grown alongside me; I've played the game since its launch, and I've heard Daniel's "Minecraft" on repeat for years and years. But not once in this passage of time have I ever gotten tired of it. In fact, listening to Minecraft's ambient soundtrack has fundamentally shaped the type of music I listen to. I don't know if Minecraft's music is a feat of compositional wonder, but it's definitely something that I feel greatly towards. It's a staple of my childhood, and each track oozes a memory that has repeated in the background countless times while I played on servers. I think what makes Minecraft's music so effective IS the repetition, and the common musical patterns and notations that are present within Daniel Rosenfield's composition. I can identify the calming electronic make, and the chord of piano notes-- these are motif's that notify Minecraft's atmosphere and tone.Minecraft's soundtrack is so effective because each piece provided is somehow related and similar-- but also distinct and memorable. Minecraft makes notes to play each specific song to a particular event and if I recall the events are... "cave, outside, day time, night time, etc". The placement of each track is thoughtfully placed, and they appear often enough for us to remember, but not frequent enough to become annoyed by it.

How would you rate this soundtrack?
★★★★★

[AllenSalvador17]

Name of Game
Super Meat Boy

Game Author(/s)
Edmund McMillen, Tommy Refenes

Game Studio
Team Meat (XBOX Game Studios)

Original Platform & Control Mechanism
XBOX 360, "XBOX Controller".

Control mechanism you used
I used the official formatted PC port available on Steam.

Describe game play and mechanics
Super Meat Boy is an arcade-like platforming game, featuring a block of meat as the main character! Meat Boy has his partner taken away from him and his objective/goal is to get back his partner! But in the way of his goal is a kidnapping debonair who keeps stealing Meat Boy's partner at the completion of ever level. To save Meat Boy's partner he has to endure an array of levels with different obstacles and paths. To maneuver the obstacles the player is given left and right movement, a jump, a sprint, and a wall latch. The player has to combine these abilities to maneuver the ever progressing level design as it becomes increasingly harder to save Meat Boy's partner!

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design
Meat Boy is a very fun and straight forward arcade-like, the art design is minimalist but still manages to be brimming with personality. Meat Boy is presents itself as comical, and is very much a testament to the time it was made (in terms of pop culture references within the game). I don't personally believe that Meat Boy has any identifying weaknesses, it's very straightforward in what it presents, and while its not AAA game-- Super Meat Boy is simply a game that exists! It exists to server as a fun platformer and it does exactly that! However, if I were to be biased, I do despise rage-bait games-- I don't think they are healthy for the soul and I do think that the level design in Meat Boy COULD be kinder to it's players, but maybe it's just because I'm bad at the game?

What made it fun?
Super Meat Boy is essentially the quote, "easy to learn, hard to master". For the PC the controls culminated to left, right, shift, and space bar. With four controls I was quickly able to get a hang of the game's core mechanic and begin quickly progressing the levels. With my growing knowledge of the games mechanics I was able to fully experience the rage that had passed through me as I encountered a particularly difficult pathway. It ended up being like... "Ugh, I can't get past this even though I KNOW how to ".

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
Super Meat Boy came out during the boom of indie games in the 2010's and had changed the perspective on existing platformers of the 2010s. SBM was incredibly influential in that, it wasn't TOO difficult, but was difficult in a way that was rewarding. There was constant success that was stimulated in the game, but there was also constant loss to stimulate knowledge and growth. Super Meat Boy had an excellent combination of both these factors that made it extremely popular amongst the masses. Additionally it pushed the author Edmund McMillen into a spotlight that allowed him to create "The Binding of Isaac".

How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))
★★★★☆

[AllenSalvador17]

Name of Game
Honkai: Star Rail

Game Author
(not specified/known).

Game Studio
miHoYo (COGNOSPHERE, publisher)

Original Platform & Control Mechanism
Mobile and PC devices

Control mechanism you used
Mobile (Android)

Describe game play and mechanics
Honkai: Star Rail is a live service, story driven turn based game. In HSR you can pursue the main story which is heavy on dialogue and exposition AND you can engage with the world and initiate combat. Within the world there are multiple places and zones that allow you to explore in a third person mode, you can also exist within this world as either the main character or other available character's provided in the game. Each playable character has an ability called a "technique" that they can use to there benefit which allows them to gain an advantage in combat. In combat the character's have three main abilities; basic attack, skill, and ultimate. The crux of HSR however is the emphasis on gambling; roughly every month a character that is limited in nature is advertised and released on a "banner". A banner features said limited character and then a selection of "normal" characters alongside them. Alongside the character is also there "light cone", a card that modifies the limited character's abilities to benefit them massively.

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design
Honkai: Star Rail is a narrative-driven game and prioritizes presentation and setting. The strongest design point of HSR is the art direction, and how cohesive it is amongst its competitors. It has bold colors, sleek UI, and is seamlessly compatible with both PC and Mobile; almost having NO disconnect in terms of game interaction when switching between the two. Honkai: Star Rail also has a strong and compelling story, further emboldened by great voice direction and the countless bounty of side quests that include the NPC cast. HSR is also one of the many games with a system that is easy and very responsive, I would consider HSR as a game that.. "easy to play, hard to master". The combat only has three buttons, but the uniqueness of characters, and the amount of tactical knowledge needed to maneuver combat makes the game very fun. However despite its positives, HSR is unfortunately a "gacha/gambling" game; I consider EVERY "gacha-based" game to be an inherent flaw as not only does it encourage manipulative business practices, but the game and its design are inherently warped by the gacha business model.

What made it fun?
The combat is incredibly fun and unfortunately I am a great fan of HSR's aesthetics and the particular character's that are featured within the game. There are nearly 40 character's in the game now and as the game grows and continues to exist in the game-space, the game actively becomes more diverse. A particular point of interest for me are the character's roles and meeting the necessities of a specific character. I enjoy team building and reading the skills that character's have to create a team composition that majorly benefits the efficiency of combat.

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
Honkai: Star Rail released post covid, succeeding its predecessor Genshin Impact and emboldened the quickly growing virus of gacha games. What makes HSR as popular as it is now is definitely the polished visuals, easy to play gameplay, and frankly-- the intense FOMO that occur's whenever a limited character comes around every month. I fear that HSR and other games like it will forever manipulate the gaming landscape and encourage the increase of micro transactions and decreased quality of gameplay over time.

How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))
★★☆☆☆

[AllenSalvador17]

Name of Game
Bayonetta

Game Author
Hideki Kamiya

Game Studio
PlatinumGames (SEGA as Publisher)

Original Platform & Control Mechanism
Playstation 3 & XBOX 360, "Playstation 3 Controller & XBOX 360 Controller "

Control mechanism you used
I used the PC version of Bayonetta with a PS5 controller.

Describe game play and mechanics
Bayonetta is a hack-and-slash combo game featuring a witch who can manipulate time and wield an array of different weapons. The core of Bayonetta is its flashy combat system featuring its main component "Witch Time", witch time allows the player to slow time whenever they perform a dodge right before an enemy attack which allows them to get more hits in. They also have access to a variety of weapons that give them different move sets and a pair of special skills with associated cool-downs called "Wicked Weaves". The game also is linear and provides you with waves of enemies that appear sporadically.

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design
Bayonetta dazzles the 2000s with both its flashy combat and character design. It's both bizarre as it is fun and crazy. Bayonetta's main strength is its very customizable combat and its accessibility. You slowly unlock more weapons as you progress the story and its chapters (my personal favorite being Odette, a pair of ice skates). Interestingly sometimes Bayonetta's flashiness can make gameplay confusing, often the player is in high movement so a lot of her abilities could sometimes lose readability when playing. The story also suffered from a confusing and frankly "thrown-together" plot but I feel as though players never really considered the plot at all to be the main "points of Bayonetta". Additionally, the sexuality and presentation of the game is often a hot topic and is quite discussed by communities if it benefits the presentation of women in games.

What made it fun?
I personally liked the weapon variety in Bayonetta! There was a weapon called Odette that I liked very much simply because of the aesthetic and not so much the movie set. I adored the animations but the moves felt slower than the guns and even the whip that I actually liked-- but I really wanted to commit to the skater/brawler aesthetic so I pursued regardless. Eventually, as I got nearer to the middle to end sections of the game I got "good" on normal mode and was able to move beyond my dislike of Odette's slow moveset as I was becoming more familiar with the game. Overall, Bayonetta was just another great game that truly encompassed easy to play, hard to learn". Especially on the "Hard to Learn" part as they even included a training room area for the players to go back to.

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
Bayonetta has a lot of different reasons for its influence. Many people (including me) say that it has great combat and was a great addition to an existing genre of games (Hack and Slash, specifically alongside DmC). However, its main point was definitely its presentation of female characters and how verbose and flamboyant they were. Bayonetta and specifically Jeanne were women who were both dazzling and bizarre and had very confident attitudes which were apparently not the "norm" at the time according to some consumers back in the day. But specifically for me, Bayonetta was introduced to me in a much different way and form compared to presumably a lot of its consumers-- It was fronted more as a game akin to drag and its relations to LGBT+ culture, and that's how I could relate to the game. I used to think for a long time that Bayonetta was a game that heavily sexualized women-- and it does, but what minority communities did was reformat the context and arguably "reclaim" the perspective of how Bayonetta was portrayed. It created a particular divide in how people consumed Bayonetta as a media, and aided in the conversation of how women are portrayed in both games and media.

How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))
★★★★★