Game of the Month - October 2014 - Bayonetta 2

With November dominated by the likes of Call Of Duty and Assassin's Creed, it falls to October to give us some lesser known--or at least less commercially colossal--gaming gems. Sure enough, this October was thick with new releases, including the likes of Lords of the Fallen, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, and the excellent NBA 2K15. The Xbox One in particular, seemingly shy of worthwhile exclusives, was gifted not one, not two, but three great games.

Forza Horizon 2 continued the series' run of shiny 60fps visuals married to a compelling collection of meticulously modelled cars and tracks; Disney Fantasia: Music Evolved reminded us that yes, there are some great uses for Kinect outside of system voice commands; and Sunset Overdrive surprised everyone by being so gosh darn fun.

But October also saw the release of a game that will long be remembered as an absolute classic, the kind of the game that's worth splurging on a new system for. Platinum Games' Bayonetta 2 took everything that was great about its predecessor, gave it a colourful lick of paint, and then upped the crazy to wonderful new heights. Few games are as madcap from the outset as Bayonetta 2. Within moments of hitting start you're hurtling towards the earth atop a crumbling slab of building fighting glittering golden angels, and then minutes later you're on a jet fighter firing guns from your feet and laying bloody waste to horse-riding jousters with wings.

The action rarely lets up, each boss battle and set piece escalating towards a climax of epic proportions, all backed by a control system and feel that sets the benchmark for action-game combat. Finish Bayonetta 2 and you'll want to play through it again, increasing the difficulty to master each of every one of Bayonetta's gruesome, yet elegant combos, and to unlock some of the wonderful Nintendo easter eggs.

Bayonetta 2 is a game that must be experienced, and even if you have to beg, steal, or borrow to get a Wii U to play it on, trust me: it's more than worth it.