Direct from the show floor at the MCM Expo we got exclusive news on a Bayonetta demo, head inside for details and hands on impressions…

During our time at the MCM Expo today some of the DailyJoypad.co.uk team managed to get some hands on time with SEGA’s forthcoming action title for PS3 and Xbox 360. Anyone that has played Devil May Cry will be in familiar territory here, after all, the game is being directed by Hideki Kamiya, the creator of Devil May Cry and the Viewtiful Joe series. The main difference with Bayonetta however is style! The first Devil May Cry game was certainly very cool, but more recently it has lost a lot of that cool factor. Bayonetta has put the cool back into the third-person action fighting genre once again.

Set in a fictional European city, the game puts you in the thigh-high boots of Bayonetta, who can wield more weapons than a small invading army and perform spectacular magical attacks. The game features five difficulty settings, with the easiest just using one button. As the difficulty level is raised then so does the button and combo use. This makes for a game that is both accessible for the casual gamer and a real challenge for the hardcore. Which in my opinion is something many games should do more often.

Visually the game is jaw-dropping gorgeous, with the on-screen action fast, stunning, and plentiful. Even the mini-boss battles are huge epic action sequences without a single Quick Time button press to be seen. The action is left totally in your hands with you in control of every move and combo at all times. It certainly adds to the sense of satisfaction when dispatching the huge bosses. On the normal difficulty level attacking is left to just a few buttons, with the triggers used to dodge. It may sound basic but it feels fluid and easy to pick up and play, but obviously will take a while to master and do things with true style.

One very cool move that never seems to get tiring is the ability to shoot enemies in all directions. This is done simply by spinning the left stick and holding an attack button. The camera zooms into the action for a very cinematic view as Bayonetta fires her pistols in any direction you choose. She also has guns on her boots that she uses during combos which is amazing to see in action, and again never gets tiring to see. During one particularly mean boss battle Bayonetta sheds her clothing which spirals into the air in what looks like a black twisting organic mass. It then forms a huge dragon like beast that chomps down onto the boss ripping it apart. We just stood looking on, each of us giving a very satisfying nod of respect.

Each of us played the game and was left stunned by the experience. We may have approached Bayonetta thinking about Devil May Cry but we certainly didn’t walk away thinking that. I will be honest here and say that since the first time SEGA showed Bayonetta, I wasn’t very interested. I now take that back, which proves the old adage of never judge a book by its cover! It plays well, it’s accessible yet challenging, fast, furious, huge, and pure eye-candy. Bayonetta is now one of my most anticipated games of 2010. And in case you’re wondering, the game will hit stores in the UK in January 2010.

After playing Bayonetta and expressing our delights to the guys from SEGA, we got told a rather exclusive piece of news. A demo will be arriving on both Xbox Live and PSN this December, we will be sure to bring you a solid date the moment we get more. But make sure you leave space on your HDD’s because this is one action game that no gamer should miss out on!