The 2023 Backlog Challenge

[Reed Rothchild | 9,558]

@Philosoraptor Not a Pokemon guy, but I did just buy my kids the Diamond remake the other day.  Seemed like the best choice on Switch for first time players, based on all of the negative reviews for Sword/Shield and Violet/Scarlet.

You are affirming my choice 

[Philosoraptor | 468]

4 hours ago, Reed Rothchild said:

@Philosoraptor Not a Pokemon guy, but I did just buy my kids the Diamond remake the other day.  Seemed like the best choice on Switch for first time players, based on all of the negative reviews for Sword/Shield and Violet/Scarlet.

You are affirming my choice 

Yeah, stay away from Violet/Scarlet.

I personally don't like Diamond and Pearl much, so I might not be the best judge of Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. Regardless, they're polished and they're solid and faithful remakes. If your kids like Gen IV, they'll probably come away liking those games. I liked Sword and Shield more than Brilliant Diamond or Shining Pearl, but they do peter out story-wise towards the end and the post game is pretty minimal outside of the DLC. Both sets games are pretty much free of the issues I mentioned about Violet and Scarlet, and there's good fun to be had.

I enjoyed Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee more than both Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl and Sword/Shield, but that also comes with the caveat of Pikachu and Eevee being a remake of one of my favorite gens, Red/Blue. If they end up loving Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl, they might really like Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee as well.

My favorite "traditional," open-world Pokemon game on the Switch is Pokemon Legends Arceus. Traditional is in quotes because it's more like a mixture of Monster Hunter and Pokemon. It's as polished as I hoped Voilet and Scarlet would be and is an interesting reimagining of the series. It's also based on Hokkaido in the Muromachi period (1336-1573), which gives it a unique tone and setting. However, there are no multiplayer battles if your kids are super into that.

The other one I'd highly recommend is New Pokemon Snap, it's everything you'd hope a sequel would be and more. If they like taking photos with their phones or enjoyed the original, it might be another one to consider.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,558]

We do have New Snap.  It's the only Pokemon game in my house.  It was a bit slow and grindy for them so we haven't touched it ina year, but maybe some day.

[Philosoraptor | 468]

24 minutes ago, Reed Rothchild said:

We do have New Snap.  It's the only Pokemon game in my house.  It was a bit slow and grindy for them so we haven't touched it ina year, but maybe some day.

Yeah, that's why I didn't mention the Mystery Dungeon game. Maybe they'll grow into it, but if not, it'll be an easy one to trade or offload for something they're more interested in later. I think It'll also hold up well if they decide to revisit in in half a decade or more.

Edit: If pacing was an issue with New Pokemon Snap, I might recommend against Arceus as well. It's pacing is a lot closer to Monster Hunter than a standard Pokemon game.

Edited July 17, 2023 by Philosoraptor

[MagusSmurf | 577]

Beat Super Robot Wars. 4/10

As expected, real humble beginnings here. Nothing really glaringly unacceptable but not much is notably right either and the total package doesn't really make par. At only 13 stages the game's quite short for a Strategy RPG and doesn't outstay its welcome, which is a blessing.

[Floating Platforms | 728]

On 7/17/2023 at 3:19 AM, Sumez said:

Demon's Crest ditches the presumption of an overworld entirely, it's just a map where you go directly to each individual platformer location. You do have to fly around on it, and it's possible to miss the existence of some hot spots (especially since some only get unlocked later, and they won't look different), but it's an even smaller part of the game than it was in GQ1 and 2.

Demon's Crest has been great so far. I'm probably about 75% done based on the inventory screen. I'm really happy that they got rid of the pretense of the overworld and made it the fly & swoop map. I do miss having any real character interactions since the one town I've been to is just shops and a single guy who always says he's never seen me before. The rest of the game is making up for it. Right now, my only major wish is a better way to switch forms. L & R would have been great instead of having to pause and select all the time.

[Sumez | 2,969]

The atmosphere in demons crest is definitely like nothing else on the Snes! The game is a gem and I wish there was more like it. 

[Sumez | 2,969]

Man, Discworld 2 has been eating a lot more of my time than HLTB promised  Enjoying it a lot though.

I'm behind schedule, and at least most of the longest games are taken care of, but I still got stuff like SaGa Frontier, TITS3, and Everblue 2 looming.
I don't know if I'm up for the former two, they might have to go. SaGa Frontier was mostly added because a guy wanted to play it with me, but that's not gonna happen either way, so it's probably most likely to be scratched at this point...

[twiztor | 854]

On 7/17/2023 at 5:15 PM, Philosoraptor said:

I enjoyed Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee more than both Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl and Sword/Shield, but that also comes with the caveat of Pikachu and Eevee being a remake of one of my favorite gens, Red/Blue.

same. i loved Red/Blue when they came out, and thought Let's Go was a lot of fun. I've been longing for a Let's Go Gold/Silver ("Let's Go-ld"?) sequel, but it's been like 5 years since the initial release, so it's looking less and less likely.

[Floating Platforms | 728]

Demon's Crest is done through the SNES app on the Switch NSO

I went for the best ending and 100% completion. I found most of the items and things on my own, but did use a guide for two parts - the last health upgrade that's tied to a minigame I didn't find or assume would have one, and for one of the talismans.  I also used a suspend point at the start of the final, true boss so that I didn't have to constantly farm money to buy more potions for another try, and I looked up hints on strategy - something I would never do for my Game Boy challenge, but I have less of a problem for a personal backlog game when I feel like I'm beating my head against the wall.  Learning you could charge your shot was a difference maker. NSO needs to attach manuals to these games (text based ones at the very least).  Those last bosses were tough and very annoying with constant projectiles and homing attacks that made it very hard to get in good position for even a single shot back at them. It took me 3 nights to beat the last 2.

Again, I don't really remember specifics about the original Gargoyle's Quest, but this game is certainly a lot better than 2. I miss the idea of going from town to town and having the residents tell me the story and send me on the adventure. Here you have a single town with a single person that says one thing regardless of how much progress you make. Instead you get improved navigation through the mode 7 map and some roman numerals to tell you generally where to head first. Each area has branching paths and multiple bosses and potential secrets. Now you can always hover forever, so it felt like the level design wasn't as strong as it was mostly linear or clearly intended for one of the special abilities you get later like water or flying upwards. Some of the abilities are completely useless - I never had to use the tornado platforms or the wall goop thing. But the music is fun, the characters look awesome. The bosses are really cool with variations in technique and, again, ramping difficulty. It was a lot of fun to explore everything and felt satisfying to make progress and finally take down that last guy.

[Sumez | 2,969]

The True Last Boss in demons crest means business for sure! 

[Webhead123 | 684]

The extent of the branching paths in Demon's Crest really took me by surprise. All these years I had assumed it was a pretty straightforward platformer only to discover that there was so much more to it than first appears. Great game.

[Floating Platforms | 728]

23 hours ago, Sumez said:

The True Last Boss in demons crest means business for sure! 

yeah, I do not feel bad about looking up strategies and creating a save state right before the battle began at all.

21 hours ago, Webhead123 said:

The extent of the branching paths in Demon's Crest really took me by surprise. All these years I had assumed it was a pretty straightforward platformer only to discover that there was so much more to it than first appears. Great game.

For sure, the first time I found a secret exit that led to a boss, I was surprised that the levels were so deep and long. It also clued me into the idea that other things might be interactive in other levels. Each section was short enough that it never felt like a chore searching for secrets, either.  Maybe Capcom will bring back the series in some form someday.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,558]

Yakuza Kiwami - 40.1% completion

Fun stuff.  Some rough, PS2-ish edges.  And some of the boss fights were a trainwreck.  And I fought Majima like 42 times, which got a little long in the tooth.  But overall a good time.

1. Elden Ring (10/10)
2. Hades (9.5/10)
3. Deathloop (9/10)
4. Baba Is You (9/10)
5. Gradius V (8.5/10)
6. Super Mario 3D World/Bowser's Fury (with the kids) (8.5/10)
7. God of War (8.5/10)
8. MGS: The Twin Snakes (8.5/10)
9. Resident Evil 2 (8.5/10)
10. Ori & the Will of the Wisps (8.5)
11. Ghost of Tsushima (8/10)
12. Sin & Punishment (8/10)
13. Nier Automata (8/10)
14. Dusk (8/10)
15. Into the Breach (8/10)
16. Deus Ex (7.5/10)
17. Hellblade (7.5/10)
18. Ace Attorney 2 (7.5/10)
19. Uncharted 4 (7.5/10)
20. Eternal Darkness (7.0/10)
21. Xenoblade (7.0/10)
22. Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold (7/10)
23. Yakuza Kiwami (7/10)
24. Resident Evil 3 (7/10)
25. Onimusha (7/10)
26. What Remains of Edith Finch (6.5/10)
27. Everblue 2 (6.5/10)
28. Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order (6.5/10)
29. Yoku's Island Express (6.5/10)
30. Pilotwings 64 (6.5/10)
31. Contra Shattered Soldier (6/10)
32. Strife (6/10)
33. A Short Hike (6/10)
34. Mischief Makers (6/10)
35. La Pucelle (5.5/10)
36. Buck Bumble (5.5/10)
37. Indigo Prophecy (5.5/10)
38. Yoshi's Story (4.5/10)
39. Winback (4/10)

TBD:

1. Shenmue (crap)
2. Paper Mario (decent)
3. Knights of the old Republic II
4. House of Fata Morgana (too early to tell)

Not started

1. Control
2. Nioh
3. Dark Souls II
4. Last of Us Part II
5. Danganronpa
6. Doom Eternal
7. Trails in the Sky
8. Ion Fury
9. Shadowgate
10. Prey

[Floating Platforms | 728]

Man...I'm finally ready to pick up Kiwami again to continue that platinum trophy quest. I finished up darts and spent a long time playing mahjong incorrectly last night. I now know that you either need 4 sets of 3 + 1 pair, or 7 pairs. There is no mixing/matching multiple pairs with sets. Should go better next time.

[greenthunder | 115]

Something finally possessed me to go back and finally grind some more for the final boss of the new neutral route of Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux. After some tweaks and a couple more failed attempts, I finally managed to defeat the boss after an agonizing 90 minute fight. I probably could have grinded more, especially since one of my damage dealers kept missing hits and I gave myself a thin margin of error by only having 3 demons that were consistently usable, but oh well. Clearing SJR marks the first of many 3DS SMT games down for me. I've also been reminded I should probably go back and clear the 5th stratum bosses in EOIV/EO1U/EO2U/EOV, because I'd like to see the credits roll in those too.

I've also hit the 33rd chapter of Project X Zone. So far, I think the game is alright and I don't think I'm probably gonna budge from that once I finish it. My biggest issue is chapters drag on for too long, which makes the fact the game is pretty repetitive even worse. All unit chapters have been consistently hitting 2 hours now and even basic enemies' HP are starting to inch out of the one round/one shottable by AOE range. Additionally, nearly every chapter has a similar story structure (characters get teleported to a new world, they ponder, enemies attack) and chapter goal (kill all enemies), so it all kinda blends into a mishmash of comboing enemies to death. I think if the story was more condensed or there were more split party chapters, I'd be less annoyed. I do think I will enjoy Project X Zone 2 more simply because it has characters I like/am familiar with, vs Project X Zone 1 I'm only familiar with characters by general game knowledge or seeing them in other crossover games.

 

[Sumez | 2,969]

Discworld II: Missing Presumed...!? - Beaten 18/7

I have never read a Discworld book. But like most nerds(?), I'm familiar with the series across plenty of coverage and cultural osmosis. I have watched several movie and cartoon adaptations, and even watched plays of stories performed. I admire Terry Pratchett's person, and I have seen plenty of interviews and seen essays of his works. I just really never got around to the books, I guess there's too many of them for it to really feel like a feasible project to start.
But I'm familiar with places, characters and themes from the books on a rather casual level.

This game is not an actual adaptation of any of the books, but rather picks elements from various other stories that I'm vaguely familiar with, and probably a bunch of others than I don't know anything about. It's probably for the better, since having to carry a more complex overarching story would probably be in conflict with the game's straightforward point n click adventure structure of three* individual acts, each just sending our main character Rincewind out to gather a number of weirdly specific items in order to solve the next goal on his list, ultimately and hopefully concluding on getting Death back to work.
It serves less as a vessel for the satirical storytelling the series is known for, and presumedly more as a way to explore familiar locations for someone who is already a fan of the series.

The tone of the game conforms to the typical situational comedy of the point n click genre that LucasArts games such as Monkey Island especially had managed to codify at that point in time. That seems almost like a natural consequence of the style of game where the main character describes items to the player when they click on them - they almost have to break the fourth wall, and the game really like to use that fourth wall breaking as a gag so often that it becomes tiring.

Actually that's the biggest issue with the game's attempt at humor, it just repeats the same jokes over and over, and most of them aren't particularly funny.
A lot of them are elevated by the fact that they got Eric Idle (returning from the previous game) doing Rincewind's voice, his ability to deliver pretty much any sarcastic remark in a way that makes it funny no matter how it was written is what carries most of the game. As a result, they also decided to throw in more than a few Monty Python references (I'd be surprised if the books didn't also do this at least once**), which ultimately culminates in one rather lengthy scene which keeps knocking you over the head with reminders that "hey this is a Python reference!!!", which as far as I can tell is also the only "joke" in that scene.

That said, I think the tone fits the Discworld setting extremely well, though the attempt at constantly inserting gags where none are needed kinda betrays the restraint shown in the original Discworld stories (or at least the ones I'm aware of) where the themes and stories are usually played completely straight even if the setup is wacky.

In terms of the game design itself, it's exactly what you'd expect from a mid 90s adventure game in an era where all the early kinks have been ironed out, and LucasArts have demonstrated how to perfect the genre. Don't expect a Monkey Island 2 or Day of the Tentacle, but in terms of puzzle design, I'd say Discworld II is almost up there.
The game is full of weird situations and objects with no apparent use, and an inventory stuffed with items most of which you probably can't imagine the purpose of at the point when you acquire them. But the moment you come across the correct application for each, they suddenly make a lot of sense - which is exactly how an adventure game should work. If you see a locked door, you shouldn't go around looking for a key, you should search your inventory until you find a much more arbitrary workaround that is only logical in this specific context. The game opens up quite early on, and throws in a ton more locations on top of what you already encountered by its second chapter. This means there's always a ton of potential puzzles and loose ends active at once, giving you a lot of things to ponder as you try to solve your way forward.
Furthermore, Rincewind is very good at supplying helpful hints as you examine items or blindly try using them where they don't find, without ever giving anything away. This is a core element of a good adventure game that I think a lot of the ones that get lambasted for "moon logic" are usually missing.

I played this on PlayStation, not just because the PC version seems to be next to impossible to track down, but also because the original game was always a PS1 classic to me. Both were designed originally for PC, but it's just the version I came across at the time. It's also the one I wanted to play for my backlog, but for some reason that game seems surprisingly rare nowadays, and somewhat expensive. Truth be told, I actually had no idea this sequel even existed*** until I started looking for the other game. It turned out people like this game just as much, so I secured myself a copy while I could, and it has frankly only made me even more interested in playing the first one.

The original PC version however runs at a higher resolution, and you can tell the artwork was definately made with this in mind. While the backgrounds survived the 320x240 conversion on PlayStation quite nicely, the characters which are drawn in more of a basic line-art style, are rather crudely downscaled and lose a lot more detail than they should. It's still perfectly playable, but I felt that I was losing out on a bit of the game's identity by not even being able to tell what some distant characters looked like. What's more annoying is the short load time between each area, as well as the loading of data happening while walking around as well, which even blocks your cursor from moving every time a new animation or line of dialogue has to load in.
For anyone else looking to play this game, I'd *strongly* advise getting the PC version instead, as that seems to be a vastly smoother and better looking experience. Unfortunately there are no modern releases of the game, not on GOG or Steam or any such thing, which I'm assuming is due to licensing limbo. But if you are a fan of classic graphical adventure games such as this, I think it's a game that would be sad to miss out on. Or if you're a Discworld fan, obviously.

*) There are actually four acts and an epilogue, but those last two are literally just one puzzle each and barely count
**) Looked it up, and yes, one of the Discworld books has a reference to the famous dead parrot sketch
***) There's a third sequel, Discworld Noir, which is apparently quite different in tone. I picked that game up decades ago for peanuts, so it's on my list of potential bonus games this year
 

[Brickman | 4,000]

Mario Vs DK for the GBA is done. Completed the normal game and the plus levels. I could try and Star all levels but I think I’ll end it here. 

I really didn’t know what to expect from this game I had just heard it was a good game if you like puzzle games.

I have to say that I really loved this game. It’s a really fun puzzle platform with inspiration from the old Donkey Kong games on the Famicom.

Nothing to really fault, definitely worth playing for puzzle fans.

[Sumez | 2,969]

Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition - Beaten 24/7

I don't think any other game on my 2023 backlog features as frequently in people's "favourite game of all time" statements as Devil May Cry 3 does. I first played it when it came out, was unable to beat the very first boss, and put it back on the shelf... But at this point in time, it has easily been elevated to an all-time influential classic. Although the first Devil May Cry definitely birthed the common approach to the modern 3D beat'em up-inspired "character action" game, the third game is by many regarded as the one true game to define the series.

It's actually not too different from DMC1 - probably moreso than the second game, which most people today choose to ignore completely. It still retains the artifacts of being conceived as a Resident Evil spinoff, with its eerily silent item puzzles and semi-fixed camera angles, massively aiding the gloomy overall mood of the game. The bigger difference is the addition of different "styles" (classes of sort) you can play as, as well as many more unluckable weapons and moves to help you switch up your combos. The combo system at the core of the game reflects this, this time being more lenient on timing, expecting you instead to alternate your moves as frequently as possible for the game to rank you as "SSStylish". Repeat the same move twice, and the effect on your combo meter will quickly show diminishing returns.

Although I enjoy optional scoring systems in games, there's a distinction where the core gameplay of a game becomes too much about the scoring, and less about actual survival and progression, and Devil May Cry 3 really rides the line on this definition. Fortunately, merely making progress, and surviving various encounters and engaging boss fights, is perfectly entertaining on its own - but I think if you ask anyone what makes the game so great, it's essentially about the free-flowing combo-based combat system, which rewards you for looking cool while you maintain an ongoing string of beatdown of as many beasts as possible simultenously.
You can play it safe, escape to a corner, and take pot shots at enemies, but it will be slow and painful. The game is definitely the most fun while aiming to remain stylish throughout your demon dispatching. Aside from the tedious music that repeatedly plays over every single encounter in the game, it never really gets boring.

But DMC3 is also very much a PS2 era game, following the formula often seen at the time. There's a very heavy reliance on earning a resource currency ("red orbs") in order to upgrade your moveset, which makes improvements to your repetoire slowly dripfed throughout the game, nevermind the tools that are unlocked simply by playing through the story missions, some only coming in as late as 80% through the game. Although it makes sense to not showever the player with options while they are still getting their bearings, the fact that the game takes so long to really show its true form and potential is a bit of a strike against it, and it's generally agreed upon that playing the game from a fresh file is the worst way to experience it. Once you have played it through once, every previously beaten mission is selectable, as well as the next difficulty being unlocked, playable with every weapon and ability already unlocked - so hang on to that save file!

Structure wise, it's a little funny, because the game is dead set on maintaining a mission structure, with each mission being a distinct "stage". However you can often go back to previous areas in the later missions, often with paths reaching all the way back to the beginning of the game, meaning that even with the game's mostly straightforward, linear nature, you can still end up getting lost if you missed the pointers on where to go. The entire game takes place in and around a massive demonic tower that shot up in the middle of whatever city Dante lives in. Theoretically, it is interesting that every area connects the way it does, but the way it does so is mostly completely illogical anyway.
Towards the end of the game, it goes pretty hard into taking you back across locations you have already been. And usually I actually like the idea of wrapping around like this, giving the player a better impression of the physical space of the locale being explored (Ico does this incredibly well) - but with the arbitrary and nonsensical way areas connect in DMC3, this just becomes confusing instead, and feels like the game being padded out. There is even a Mega Man-style boss refight stage right before the end, but fortunately you don't have to fight every boss to proceed through it.

The bosses end up being a highlight of the game, though. Although they aren't all particularly great, even the ones that aren't are still super memorable, and almost every mission has one. And the boss fights that do feel really involving, are incredibly entertaining, and challenging without ever feeling super difficult.
I mean sure, I said that 18 years ago I couldn't even beat the first one. But aside from the fact that it's a pretty crappy fight, and I was probably just pretty bad at this sort of games at the time, there is fortunately also a lot more helpful resources on the game now. An essential element that will take you quite far in this game is knowing that simply jumping will avoid a majority of attacks used by any enemy in the game. Not only do they mostly only aim at floor level, a jump will always leave you completely unable to take damage for the first few frames. Enemies don't really attack very frequently either, and the primary reason you'll take a hit is because you are too busy lashing out combo attacks to pay attention to what is going on.

Devil May Cry 3 shares a lot of finesse with some of the best designed beat'em ups out there. When is the player invulnerable, when are they open to attacks, which moves are dedicated, and which can be cancelled into an evasive meneuver at a moment's notice. All of it plays into a really nice flow that demands quite a lot of practice with the game to get an intuitive feeling for.
Truth be told, I don't think I managed to get to that point from just a single playthrough on the Normal difficulty. This is a game that begs returning to, and although I really want to, I worry that I'm never gonna get to that point. I am however now even more eager to play (and replay) the subsequent titles, DMC4 and 5.
Too bad they aren't on my 2023 backlog  I actually added DMC3 in preparation for Bayonetta, as it is my assumption that those games assume some sort of existing attunement to the genre, but at least I'm now pretty hyped to move on and finally getting into that series - Yet another game I bought on release and never got anywhere in.

[T-Pac | 7,572]

On 7/25/2023 at 3:26 AM, Brickman said:

Mario Vs DK for the GBA is done. Completed the normal game and the plus levels. I could try and Star all levels but I think I’ll end it here. 

I really didn’t know what to expect from this game I had just heard it was a good game if you like puzzle games.

I have to say that I really loved this game. It’s a really fun puzzle platform with inspiration from the old Donkey Kong games on the Famicom.

Nothing to really fault, definitely worth playing for puzzle fans.

I had Mario vs. Donkey Kong [GBA] as a kid! Unfortunately I wasn't into puzzle games as much back then, but I remember it being a lot of fun anyway.

Sounds like a title worth revisiting one of these days.

[T-Pac]

[Sumez | 2,969]

Nearing completion of Bayonetta and (spoilers) not enjoying it nearly as much as DMC3.
Seriously considering scratching Bayonetta 2 from my list in favor of DMC4, but I guess that would be cheating

[Brickman | 4,000]

1 hour ago, Sumez said:

Nearing completion of Bayonetta and (spoilers) not enjoying it nearly as much as DMC3.
Seriously considering scratching Bayonetta 2 from my list in favor of DMC4, but I guess that would be cheating

While Bayonetta is in the top of my favourite modern series I have to admit that it is rough around the edges in some places (I still love it though). Their budget was pretty small compared to other studios and if it wasn't for the fans and Nintendo it would never have seen a second entry, so it is hard to compare against DMC which would have had a massive team behind it.

The second one vastly improves things and is my favourite in the series. I think you should give it a go.

[Sumez | 2,969]

@Brickman

Well, I'll talk about it in my writeup, but "rough around the edges" isn't really a factor playing in. Quite the opposite!! - compared to DMC3, Bayonetta feels infinitely more smooth and well polished!
I never feel that I'm fighting the controls or the camera in the way I occasionally did in DMC3. It feels like a modern game, and being on the X360 compared to the PS2 obviously plays a role, but the production values in the game is generally really high I think. It's quite a massive distinction considering only 4 years between the games.

Of course DMC4 came out between them, so that would be a more fair comparison, but this is just based on playing those two games back-to-back.

It's more a question of Bayonetta pretty much letting me mash any button I want to and still make it look like I'm stylishly in control of what I'm doing. I don't feel like I'm interacting with an action video game as much as I'm just partially involved in a massive spectacle unfolding in front of me.

I know that's massively underselling the actual depth of the Bayonetta compared to really digging into it and learning all the little facets of it, going for PurePlatinum, and so on. But based on newbie scrub play like my own, DMC3 just gave me a more involving experience.

Edited July 31, 2023 by Sumez

[Brickman | 4,000]

18 minutes ago, Sumez said:

@Brickman

Well, I'll talk about it in my writeup, but "rough around the edges" isn't really a factor playing in. Quite the opposite!! - compared to DMC3, Bayonetta feels infinitely more smooth and well polished!
I never feel that I'm fighting the controls or the camera in the way I occasionally did in DMC3. It feels like a modern game, and being on the X360 compared to the PS2 obviously plays a role, but the production values in the game is generally really high I think. It's quite a massive distinction considering only 4 years between the games.

Of course DMC4 came out between them, so that would be a more fair comparison, but this is just based on playing those two games back-to-back.

It's more a question of Bayonetta pretty much letting me mash any button I want to and still make it look like I'm stylishly in control of what I'm doing. I don't feel like I'm interacting with an action video game as much as I'm just partially involved in a massive spectacle unfolding in front of me.

I know that's massively underselling the actual depth of the Bayonetta compared to really digging into it and learning all the little facets of it, going for PurePlatinum, and so on. But based on newbie scrub play like my own, DMC3 just gave me a more involving experience.

Ahhh yes this is a common thing with Bayonetta vs DMC. Bayonetta is more accessible in the sense that you can mostly button mash your way through the game whereas DMC I found to have a higher learning curve (I’ve only played DMC and a little of DMC 2). 

As you noted, going for pure platinum is where the game really challenges you. 

This feature won’t change between the three games. However I believe you can adjust the difficulty levels mid game. So it might be worth giving that a go and see if it bumps up the challenge.

 

[Reed Rothchild | 9,558]

I've played DMC1, 3, and 4, and Bayo 1 and 2, but the playthroughs were so far apart it's hard for me to judge.  I just know I liked all of the above.

I might do Bayo 3 and DMC5 next year.