Platinum Games

The Return of the Ripper

HIGH A spectacular boss battle with a sai-wielding man made out of magnets.

LOW Finding out who the final boss is.

WTF I normally don't like heavy metal music, so why do I like this soundtrack so much?

A Vapid Beauty

HIGH The dance number after the credits roll.

LOW The "story" is a bloated, empty mess of half-realized nonsense.

WTF Why is Jeanne glowing there?

I'm trying to make a serious effort towards trimming down my backlog this year, so I decided to give Bayonetta one more shot. I've started and quit the game twice before, but it comes up in conversation so often and in such positive terms that I'd feel like I wasn't doing my critical due diligence unless I gave it a least one more try.

Goes to 11? More like 14.

HIGH Sasha. Also, Sasha.

LOW Not realizing there was an elevator behind the tentacle.

WTF The "red eyes" are never sufficiently explained.

If this Combat had a Taste, it would be Quite Delicious

HIGH: Exploding an enemy with their own projectile as it launches in glorious slow motion.

LOW: The unskippable first-person interactive cut-scenes bring the pacing to a halt.

WTF: Why is Sam's visor set at his mouth when he exposes his entire face to smoke?

From Blueprint to Bible and Back Again

HIGH Every time I backflipped off of a gorgie, slowed time in midair and blew the heads off of three others before touching the ground. This happened often.

LOW Restarting a stage and getting blown away by a starship-class laser before the chapter title had even faded from the screen.

WTF A tie between the dancing gorgies, and the fact that not one of them was doing the robot.

Shoot, Run, Take Cover and... Slide?

HIGH Taking down two giant robots at once with barely a scratch.

LOW Overheating the suit while surrounded by enemies.

WTF Why do weapon levels get reset when replaying stages?

Game Description: Directed by Shinji Mikami, the creator of the Resident Evil series, Vanquish is a sci-fi shooter that sees players take the role of Sam, a government agent kitted out with a futuristic battle suit. A versatile fighter with a huge arsenal of weaponry at his disposal, Sam also has an array of martial arts skills that he can use to take down his robot enemies.

Let's See who the Craziest is

HIGH De-fleshing Jude the Dude with his own guns, then blowing apart his naked skeleton for good measure.

LOW The distinct lack of unlockables. Platinum is the reincarnation of Clover Studios, after all.

WTF "It's like when you're surfing porn on the toilet for 12 hours—when you do get up, it ain't a pretty sight."

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Game Description: Sega's Madworld is an inventive third-person action game exclusively for Wii. Produced by Atsushi Inaba, MADWORLD has a unique black and white style depicting an incredibly sharp backdrop that straddles graphic novels and 3D worlds. As players battle opponents, they must master the use of various weapons and items found within their environment, such as chainsaws and street signs, while entertaining sports commentary adds to the third-person gameplay. With its irreverent humor and over-the-top violence, MADWORLD will deliver a unique core gaming experience currently missing on the Wii system.