LightningHelix
Smash Cadet
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2016
- Messages
- 57
Alright to start off here is my stance on the bayonetta drama.
1) No, she should not be banned.
2) Yes, she should be nerfed, but I don't know the best way to go about that.
3) She is beatable, absolutely.
4) She is the best character currently in the game, until patches arrive or discovered tech/strategy is discovered to consistently deal with her.
Having said that, here is my main point. I'm going to try to clarify in words what I think the problem people are having about Bayonetta. This sounds like a Bayonetta rant, but it is more trying to reach an understanding as to why people may find playing against her unenjoyable.
Nintendo made a huge blunder with this character. The reason why is because her design is based off taking away the most important and fun aspect of the game Interactivity.
In game design, one of the most important aspects is too have a lot of interactivity. Players exchanging information, making decisions based off of what the other player chose to do, etc.
This is the key in Smash 4. It is a game where small exchanges happen back and forth. Reads are made, baits are made, punishes, etc. Until stocks are lost. It is the main strength of this game. It is the thing that differentiates this game from Melee (Interaction is important there too, but not as pivotal as it is in Smash 4.)
Bayonetta takes away interactivity, here are the ways how.
1) Witch time: when you go to interact with your opponent, instead you are welcomed with a slow-mo film about your death. You wait 3 seconds to see your character die. And you can do nothing about it. I know the argument about baiting counters by charging smash attacks or grabbing, the problem is you can't attempt to read anything else without risk of losing your stock. Normal counters aren't really an issue unless you are already at fairly high percent. So taking risks and trying to make reads is more or less not worth the effort against her.
2) Her combo game. If you get hit with literally anything you get to watch a 6-10 second cutscene of you character getting bodied. You can do nothing. You can try to smash DI, but if the bayonetta player has you dead on or reads your DI, your are losing a stock or at least going 0-50%.
3) Her general playstyle. She is a bait and punish character. She has an answer to your approaches, no matter what they are. Even if she goofs up several times and you get a couple of punishes in, all it takes is one hit from her and suddenly the game is even. Approaching is too risky. You have to play bait and punish yourself. At which point it is in no ones interest to even make an attack or even play the damn game. The optimum way to play against bayonetta is too have a freaking starring contest with her. Interactivity gone.
This is why she doesn't feel like a smash character. She defies the interactivity of the game. Is she beatable? Sure. But the main problem that this lack of interactivity will cause is one nobody seems to talk about yet. It comes down to the low and mid level players. Those players are the bread and butter of the Smash community. Elitists love to call these players scrubs or noobs or whatever, but without them (they comprise 99.9% of the playerbase.) then smash 4 would be nothing more than a niche game a couple of basement dwellers might play on a weekend. Those players are going to feel like they can't play the game at all anymore, since their ability to interact is pretty much nil.
In fact, it is the lower mid level player base that decided that brawl was lame and very flawed due to unbalance (...and tripping.) and it became a niche game that is about to completely disappear in obscurity. Even then, many die hards still play and nobody cares about it. Brawl didn't die due to lack of interactivity, but I'm just stating that the main playerbase is low-mid level competitors and they have alot more influence as a whole than top level players.
1) No, she should not be banned.
2) Yes, she should be nerfed, but I don't know the best way to go about that.
3) She is beatable, absolutely.
4) She is the best character currently in the game, until patches arrive or discovered tech/strategy is discovered to consistently deal with her.
Having said that, here is my main point. I'm going to try to clarify in words what I think the problem people are having about Bayonetta. This sounds like a Bayonetta rant, but it is more trying to reach an understanding as to why people may find playing against her unenjoyable.
Nintendo made a huge blunder with this character. The reason why is because her design is based off taking away the most important and fun aspect of the game Interactivity.
In game design, one of the most important aspects is too have a lot of interactivity. Players exchanging information, making decisions based off of what the other player chose to do, etc.
This is the key in Smash 4. It is a game where small exchanges happen back and forth. Reads are made, baits are made, punishes, etc. Until stocks are lost. It is the main strength of this game. It is the thing that differentiates this game from Melee (Interaction is important there too, but not as pivotal as it is in Smash 4.)
Bayonetta takes away interactivity, here are the ways how.
1) Witch time: when you go to interact with your opponent, instead you are welcomed with a slow-mo film about your death. You wait 3 seconds to see your character die. And you can do nothing about it. I know the argument about baiting counters by charging smash attacks or grabbing, the problem is you can't attempt to read anything else without risk of losing your stock. Normal counters aren't really an issue unless you are already at fairly high percent. So taking risks and trying to make reads is more or less not worth the effort against her.
2) Her combo game. If you get hit with literally anything you get to watch a 6-10 second cutscene of you character getting bodied. You can do nothing. You can try to smash DI, but if the bayonetta player has you dead on or reads your DI, your are losing a stock or at least going 0-50%.
3) Her general playstyle. She is a bait and punish character. She has an answer to your approaches, no matter what they are. Even if she goofs up several times and you get a couple of punishes in, all it takes is one hit from her and suddenly the game is even. Approaching is too risky. You have to play bait and punish yourself. At which point it is in no ones interest to even make an attack or even play the damn game. The optimum way to play against bayonetta is too have a freaking starring contest with her. Interactivity gone.
This is why she doesn't feel like a smash character. She defies the interactivity of the game. Is she beatable? Sure. But the main problem that this lack of interactivity will cause is one nobody seems to talk about yet. It comes down to the low and mid level players. Those players are the bread and butter of the Smash community. Elitists love to call these players scrubs or noobs or whatever, but without them (they comprise 99.9% of the playerbase.) then smash 4 would be nothing more than a niche game a couple of basement dwellers might play on a weekend. Those players are going to feel like they can't play the game at all anymore, since their ability to interact is pretty much nil.
In fact, it is the lower mid level player base that decided that brawl was lame and very flawed due to unbalance (...and tripping.) and it became a niche game that is about to completely disappear in obscurity. Even then, many die hards still play and nobody cares about it. Brawl didn't die due to lack of interactivity, but I'm just stating that the main playerbase is low-mid level competitors and they have alot more influence as a whole than top level players.
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