This reminds me of when my wife walked in on my playing MadWorld :-) Great read !

Hahaha, I love this.

I had the exact same reaction to Bayonetta.

... While I was playing it.

Wow.. it's exactly like when my dad walks in during Dr Who

Yup. Sounds about right to me. But I'm taking the girlfriend's perspective on this one. Bayonetta is... well, just read this. Reason #4 applies to Bayonetta, and explains why I hate it so much:

http://www.cracked.com/article_18571_5-reasons-its-still-not-cool-to-admit-youre-gamer.html

This is why I haven't touched Bayonetta.

I don't understand the awkward dialogue.  All of the game mechanics seem perfectly fine to me.  Your girlfriend's weird, bro.

Yay Bayonetta! I really like that game... but the learning curve can be a little steep... I mean figuring out how to chain combos as well as deciding what items to buy/equip. Hang in there. It gets crazy.

Gregg, although I don't completely agree with everything Wong wrote, that's a rather depressingly insightful read at certain points.

The best part about that discussion is that I can't fault the girlfriend's point of view in the slightest.

Come on, Bobby.  "That looks like porn"?

Have either of you actually seen porn before?  There's like, bodies.  Meshing together.  And kisses.  'n stuff.

Good old America. Violence goes unnoticed but sensuality and sexuality are awkward. 

@Bradlyer

Missing the point, dumbass.  The game is exploitation and nothing more.  Sure the combat mechanics are sound, but theres more to a game than that.  The game is a masturbatory representation of women meant to tickle one of the designers' fetishes.

to quote the cracked article linked above: "Sex is part of life, so it should naturally be part of our movies and TV shows and games. But these are the digital equivalent of inflatable sex dolls. It's embarrassing and insulting, not because I'm a staunch feminist, but because I don't like the assumption it's making about me (that I'm an emotionally stunted, sexually frustrated teenage male). It's like even award-winning video games have the sensibility of made-for-Cinemax B movies"

Kinda strong language, but let met get this straight.

Because the game doesn't meet your personal compass of morality's standards, the game is a simple throw-away sex doll?  You need to get a sense of humor.  Regardless of whether or not this is the developer's wet dream put into motion (Which is, by the way, well within his rights; the best art in the world is selfish), I played this game with a detached sense of interest.  I laughed when stuff got over-the-top, because yes, it's for dramatic flair and a buzzmaker.  But I played the game because it was fun to play.

The game sold fairly well, by the way.  If I'm a sixteen year old for ignoring tits (something the offended simply seem to be unable to do, and which of us is "immature" in that case?) and playing Bayonetta because it's fun, so be it.  I wouldn't stand on a chair and scream your insecurities about a game you obviously weren't even marketed for.  That's pretty weak.

Saying it's exploitation and nothing more is like saying True Blood is vampire/werewolf sex and nothing more.  That's a red flag saying "I have no idea what I'm talking about" because you obviously do not.  If you played Bayonetta, you'd know there was more to it than ...the titillation.

I'm not arguing the fact that the game has good combat mechanics. Or that it was smartly designed. Hell, it may have the best storyline in the world! But all of the promotion and trailers and, basically, everything hyping the game itself is focused on the "sexy heroine", which is something that doesn't fly with me.

I know friends that have played it, and the game gets merit for being a GOOD GAME. But, the fact is, that when people were hyping the game (even the creators), they pushed the sexy model, not the fact that the gameplay was so awesome, or the storyline was cool, or anything else. And that's disappointing. Without the boobs, are you going to argue that the game wouldn't be just as awesome? I'm willing to bet it would be.

And that's the bottom line. I'm offended by the way they played up the game, and that's why I refuse to even touch it. Simple as that.

Okay, I'm not trying to be a total jerk here, Adam. You're a funny guy. But really? That's a pretty stereotypical take on how women react to games, regardless of how crazy Bayonetta is or if that's how she really would react. And Bryan is right, it's not porn in the slightest. That's a huge exaggeration. Not to mention, I'm sick of the portrayal of women never wanting sex and the man does. I for one would much rather have sex with my boyfriend than read a book. Unless I'm throwing up or in pain, pretty much. I'm so sick of stupid female stereotypes. We're not idiots nor are we ignorant. So yeah, WHAT IS THIS?!

Bayonetta played up the female ideal to absurd degrees in the same way Devil May Cry Played up the male idea to absurd degrees. It was meant to be tongue in cheek and that was clearly stated as the purpose of it by the game's creator. In my opinion the people who call it sexist are actually being sexist themselves. Still clinging onto the idea that feminism is about maintaining some sort of purity in the potrayal of women rather then letting female characters be as varied and flexible as main characters like they are supposed to be! Bayonetta as a character was strong, self sufficient, and self aware and the games creators had fun with her concept rather then crafting her to a focus group. I think that's as ideal as you can get for a feminist potrayal. Also I really didn't find the original topic that funny. So some people don't get games. It's not really that interesting of a concept. Are you implying that she doesn't get it because she's a woman? If so then that is sexist. I recall some women who have written articles about how they understood and respected bayonetta as a game.

@Jeffrey Thank you! I know plenty of guys who don't get what I'm playing. Also, feminism means we have the right to be as sexy as we want to be!