Which Bayonetta game was better in your opinon

[Sage of the Mist]

So a while back I was watching someone stream Bayonetta 2 and they had quite a few problem with it, and to my surprise t i shared many of these same complaints. However there were also things

I disagreed with them about and through 2 did better than the original.  My objective in making this is to figure out what the general consensus of people who have played both games is. As for me

personally. I believe that Bayo 1 did combat and story better but was less accessible to newcomers to the genre as well as being much less forgiving ( Insta death QTEs anyone?). On the other side

I found the bayo 2 was, on the surface one gigantic piece of dazzling eye candy with charming music. However the story seemed  to have a poor sense of progression, mixed tone, and the characters

felt a bit more shallow and jokey. Furthermore the combat, much like the games stunning visuals is even more flashy and exaggerated than ever before, yet I felt this lingering feeling of emptiness  and

lack of depth in the combat system that the first game had done so well.

I am very curious to hear everyone's input but first some rules:

• Please be respectful to everyone
• Try to be reasonable and cool headed
• DO NOT under any circumstances needlessly bash  other opinions and/or one or the other game. This is not a bashing/hate thread.

Have at it

[Light Strategist]

I actually transitioned to Bayonetta from Devil May Cry so I expected some of the same general fluidity in combat, but the first game feels kinda stiff to me. I liked that the sequel kept the original's fighting style optionally via unlockables so that's cool, though I do prefer the updated fighting style. Actually, I think that it's kinda clever who they subtley changed it. It's like she's practicing it as she goes through which is something some sequels don't do particularly well. As for the story, I genuinely don't remember most of the first game's content because I've just stopped going onto it, and even then the parts I DO remember are touched upon again in the sequel so the memories are likely more from that. The same can really be said about the music too since I can't off hand remember a single track from the first game but won't hesitate to play Tomorrow is Mine or Moon River if the mood strikes me. (Although, perhaps I shouldn't be leaving my thoughts since I struggled to remember Moon River...)

[Dark Holy Elf]

Both are good, but overall I definitely preferred the first game.

I barely remember any of the enemy designs (gameplaywise) of Bayo 2. They blur together. Whereas, even after my first playthrough of Bayo 1 I could instantly tell you how to fight Graces and Glories, or Joys, or Fearless and Fairness, among others. Bayo 1 has a well-thought out enemy design which is only matched by the original Devil May Cry among games I've played. That counts for a lot for me.

Bayo 2 has some elements I prefer, like fewer gimmick sequences (I particularly disliked the space harrier section of Bayo 1) and QTE deaths, but it's very much a game that went in one ear and out the other gameplaywise by comparison. Boss fights are a bit more comparable, aside from Bayo 2 having a dud of a final boss.

Narratively I don't have a strong opinion; both plots are pretty dumb. However, the first game definitely has a better cast - even the second game relies on it pretty strongly, whereas the new characters it introduced fell flat to me. In the first game, Bayonetta herself is very appealing and memorable, Jeanne's an effective foil/opponent, Balder is suitably creepy, Luka/Rodin/Enzo provide good comic relief. Whereas I didn't really care for either Loki or Bayo2's main villain who is unmemorable enough that I've forgotten his name.

Bayo2's better visually; the Masked Lumen fights in particular stand out as glorious setpieces.

Music I could flip a coin over, but I ended up voting for 1 because you forced me to choose.

[BrightBow]

Bayo 2, no contest. The first game has all those nonsensical trial and error QTEs that lead to instant death everywhere. It's not a game that I ever felt like replaying.

[Sage of the Mist]

 

20 minutes ago, Dark Holy Elf said:

Both are good, but overall I definitely preferred the first game.

I barely remember any of the enemy designs (gameplaywise) of Bayo 2. They blur together. Whereas, even after my first playthrough of Bayo 1 I could instantly tell you how to fight Graces and Glories, or Joys, or Fearless and Fairness, among others. Bayo 1 has a well-thought out enemy design which is only matched by the original Devil May Cry among games I've played. That counts for a lot for me.

Bayo 2 has some elements I prefer, like fewer gimmick sequences (I particularly disliked the space harrier section of Bayo 1) and QTE deaths, but it's very much a game that went in one ear and out the other gameplaywise by comparison. Boss fights are a bit more comparable, aside from Bayo 2 having a dud of a final boss.

Narratively I don't have a strong opinion; both plots are pretty dumb. However, the first game definitely has a better cast - even the second game relies on it pretty strongly, whereas the new characters it introduced fell flat to me. In the first game, Bayonetta herself is very appealing and memorable, Jeanne's an effective foil/opponent, Balder is suitably creepy, Luka/Rodin/Enzo provide good comic relief. Whereas I didn't really care for either Loki or Bayo2's main villain who is unmemorable enough that I've forgotten his name.

Bayo2's better visually; the Masked Lumen fights in particular stand out as glorious setpieces.

Music I could flip a coin over, but I ended up voting for 1 because you forced me to choose.

HAs PTSD flash backs from a Jeanne NTIC pure plat run

While I agree that Masked lumen is a very cool boss, it leans very close "Spectacle for the sake of spectacle" for me personally , I find it rather hard to see him in the second half of the first fight, he blends in with the orange and white backround and I feel that a few of his attacks are not telegraphed properly case and point,  the dash attack which comes out instantly and can come from off screen, which is  a big no no for games of this genre. Then again I try to pure plat every chapter so maybe I just find him extra annnoying beacuse of that damned attack.

 

[Zapp Branniglenn]

Wish I could contribute to this discussion as I've seen it passionately debated from the outside before. Alas I've only played the first. I've owned 2 since the day it came out on Wii U but have yet to try it out. Furthermore, I feel like I've barely scratched the surface of Bayonetta's systems despite full playthroughs on Xbox 360 and Wii U. 

[Chopper...]

The second one is a masterpiece, to me, in terms of gameplay, visuals, and I also liked the story more.

And being able to fight alongside two certain characters was both heartbreaking and so incredible, I loved it.

[Etrurian emperor]

I have mixed feelings on the matter. 

On the whole Bayonetta 2 is the more polished experience and I enjoyed it more. It removed a lot what didn't work in Bayo 1 like the quick time events and overly long mini games,  and unlike the first installment I never got the feeling that the budget was starting to run out at the end. I also preferred the kid sidekick more. The bratty, swearing Loki was an excellent match for the equally cocky and much more imposing Bayonetta so they always had a good dynamic going. 

But Bayonetta 2 also lacked the sheer spectacle of the first game. The bosses in 2 were either humanoid or big but significantly smaller than the titans from the first game. Bayonetta 2 just didn't have these gigantic, screen dominating bosses like the cardinal virtues, and when you encounter the virtues again they are significantly nerfed versions of their old boss fights. Things as epic like fighting a titan in a tornado, beating him bloody and impaling him with a baby statue that pisses gasoline that you then blow up don't have an equivalent in the second game, no matter how awesome the duels with the masked Lumen are. 

[Zera]

My two cents...
1. Your poll is highly flawed. There's no "tie" option and 3/4 categories are not gameplay related, and therefore make up only half the experience.
2. Bayonetta 2 fixed the most egregious problems in Bayonetta 1. Slightly better telegraphing, less BS QTEs, less backtracking from secret battles, and the top difficulty doesn't remove the beloved Witch Time, among other things.
3. Both Bayonetta's are still overrated as action games. Button mashing QTES--terrible. The crafting system--pointless. Upgrades and Umbran Crows--why? There's a lot of action, but a lot of fluff as well.