It still has some way to go before catching up with Kirby and the Forgotten Land, which is currently at 6.46 million units sold. Bayonetta 3 has sold 1.07 million since launching in October 2022, while Splatoon 3 is at 10.67 million in sales. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has sold 1.86 million and Pokemon Legends: Arceus has sold 14.83 million.

Mario titles have done very well, with Luigi’s Mansion 3 at 12.82 million, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury selling 11.38 million units, and Mario Party Superstars hitting 10.17 million sold. Mario Strikers: Battle League is the only exception, with 2.54 million sold thus far. Overall, Nintendo has sold a whopping 1,036.15 million Switch titles to date.

Splatoon 3 launched in September for the Nintendo Switch and continues to be a major success, with 10.13 million units sold. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is at 1.81 million units sold, while Nintendo Switch Sports has sold 8.61 million. Pokemon Legends: Arceus may not have hit the same heights as Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, but it’s still at an incredible 14.63 million units sold.

New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe has sold 14.75 million units since coming to the Switch, while Luigi’s Mansion 3 is at 12.44 million and Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury is at 10.82 million. Mario Party Superstars sold 9.38 million, while Mario Strikers: Battle League managed to hit 2.47 million units sold. Finally, Kirby and the Forgotten Land has sold a respectable 6.12 million units sold.

Some changes include a block activation window after the button is released and an additional animation for when Witch Time’s effect begins. The overall duration of Witch Time and its activation window have also been increased. Another nice change is that after blocking to activate Witch Time, players can continue the combo with dodge offset.

Changes have also been made to the Niflheim stages, making them less punishing. Chapter 2, Verse 5 has had its 120-second time limit increased to 150 seconds. In Chapter 3, Verse 4, you get three lives instead of two. Check out the full patch notes below for all the details.

Bayonetta 3 is available for Nintendo Switch – check out our review here. An adventure puzzle spin-off, Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon, releases March 17th.

Ver. 1.2.0 (Released January 10, 2023)

Combat Adjustments

• Adjusted Viola’s activation window for “Block” and activation conditions for Witch Time.
• Block activation window added after releasing Block (during the release animation).
• Added an additional animation when Witch Time takes effect, making its activation easier to realize.
• The allotted duration of Witch Time, and its activation window have been lengthened.
• Now, when block is activated when player is attacked, player will receive damage effect, but block will succeed and activate Witch Time.
• Now, combo can continue (with Dodge Offset) when player uses Block to activate Witch Time.
  If the Block input is used repeatedly, the granted Witch Time duration will decrease.
• Adjustments made to prevent Viola’s evasive input and Cheshire’s summoning input from activating Assault Slave while maintaining invincibility if they are used in rapid succession.
• Weapons “Simoon”, “Tartarus” and Viola’s Charge Attacks can now continue to hold charge, even if dodged or blocked.
• Wink Slave can now be activated from the combos “PKP*” and “PKK*” for the weapons “G-Pillar”, “Dead End Express” and “Cassiopeia”.

*P is Punch, and K is Kick

• When equipping the accessories “Infernal Communicator” and “Pulley’s Butterfly” to summon Devils and Butterflies, it is now possible to cancel the summoning motion by dodging or blocking.

Niflheim

The following Niflheim stage conditions were changed to lower the difficulty:

• Chapter 2 Verse 5（Casual to Expert) – 120 second time limit changed to 150 second time limit
• Chapter 3 Verse 4（Casual to Expert）- Two lives increased to three lives
• Chapter 5 Verse 2 (Casual to Expert) – 150 second time limit changed to 180 second time limit
• Chapter 6 Verse 8 (Casual to Expert) – Two lives increased to three lives
• Chapter 9 Verse 8 (Casual to Expert) – 60 second time limit changed to 80 second time limit
• Chapter 10 Verse 1 (Casual to Expert) – 140 second time limit changed to 160 second time limit
• Chapter 12 Verse 5 (Casual to Expert) – One life increased to two lives

Game Modes

• Conditions for obtaining the “Tricolored Keys” needed to unseal the “Old Picture Book” have been made easier.
• “Tricolored Keys” will be automatically available on the chapter select screen once it becomes possible to access the “Gates of Hell”.
• Even if the player already has access to the Gates of Hell, or has already obtained one or two keys, they will automatically obtain the remaining keys when going to the chapter select screen after applying the update.

Other Changes

• Adjustments have been made to the Golem Treasure Chests found in stages.
• Time limits have been increased, and difficulty has been lowered.
• Golem Chest fragmenting animation can now be fast-forwarded with the B-button.
• Adjustments have been made to reduce situations with poor camera visibility.
• Adjusted game balance.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug in Verse 5 of Chapter 7 that prevented progress when certain actions were performed while controlling Cheshire.
• Fixed a problem with the accessory “Hymn of Durga” in which its effect was not being applied to some attacks.
• Fixed an issue where using Alruna’s “Bondage Whip (P or K* long press)” skill in certain situations would cause the enemies to to die instantly.
• Fixed an issue where the weapons using “Crow Within” (J* long press)” with “Scarborough Fair” and “Love is Blue” would cause player to move forward significantly under certain conditions.
• Fixed an issue where Bayonetta’s animations would not play correctly when switching weapons immediately after using the “Crow Within (J* long press)” with the weapons “Scarborough Fair” and “Love is Blue”.
• Fixed a bug that caused “Black Pearl Rain (Rotate L stick + S*)” for Infernal Demon “Kraken” to trigger “Wink Slave” with abnormally high attack power.
• Fixed a bug that caused “Devil Rodin” to be stuck for a time when using “After Burner Kick (↑K* in midair)” continuously, immediately after rising up with a prior “After Burner Kick (J・K*)”.
• Fixed a bug in which Viola’s Assault Slave was able to summon Infernal Demons in “Infernal Demon-prohibited areas”.
• Fixed an error in the hand symbol seen in Cutie J’s transformation sequence viewable in Side Chapter.
  Fixed other issues to make the game more enjoyable to play.

*P is Punch, K is Kick, S is Shoot, and J is Jump.

It was driven by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which secured the top spot for the month. Hardly surprising, given that it crossed $1 billion in revenue within ten days of launching. Despite a mixed critical reception, Gotham Knights ranked in second place and debuted as the 14th best-selling game of the year-to-date. Interestingly, October’s top 20 best-sellers were new titles, including NHL 23 in fifth place, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope in the sixth, Bayonetta 3 in ninth, and Star Ocean: The Divine Force in 14th.

Even Dragon Ball: The Breakers secured a spot in 16th place, with Take Two’s PGA Tour 2K23 in 17th. For more details, check out the top 20 best-selling video games for October 2022, based on dollar sales, below.

https://twitter.com/MatPiscatella/status/1592140858429960193

https://twitter.com/MatPiscatella/status/1592140887538421761

https://twitter.com/MatPiscatella/status/1592140977405562889

The biggest new seller is Star Ocean: The Divine Force, which has sold a total of over 44,000 units upon its debut, with the game’s PS4 version coming in at No. 3 (over 27,000 units sold) and the PS5 version slotting in at No. 7 (over 17,000 units). Compared to its predecessors, however, it’s launch numbers are significantly low. The last mainline entry in the series, Integrity and Faithlessness, sold over 170,000 units at launch. The Divine Force is, in fact, the lowest launch for a mainline Star Ocean game in Japan to date.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was another big launch last week, and has sold over 42,000 units in total, with over 24,000 units sold on the PS4 (No. 4 in the charts) and over 17,000 on the PS5 (No. 6). Other than last year’s Vanguard, this is the lowest Japanese launch for a Call of Duty game to date. 2019’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare sold over 117,000 units at launch.

Another big release, Bayonetta 3, comes in at No. 2, with over 41,000 units sold upon release. When Bayonetta 2 launched for the Wii U in 2014, it sold over 38,000 units in Japan at launch. Meanwhile, PlatinumGames and Nintendo’s previous Nintendo Switch exclusive, 2019’s Astral Chain, sold over 32,000 units at launch.

On the hardware side of things, there have been some interesting developments. The PS5 has at long last managed to outsell the Nintendo Switch, even though the gap between the two is extremely narrow. Both systems sold over 38,000 units over the course of the week.

You can check out the full hardware and physical software sales charts for the week ending October 30 below.

Software sales (followed by lifetime sales):

1. [NSW] Splatoon 3 – 51,547 (3,235,701)
2. [NSW] Bayonetta 3 – 41,285 (New)
3. [PS4] Star Ocean: The Divine Force – 27,001 (New)
4. [PS4] Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – 24,371 (New)
5. [NSW] Ace Angler: Fishing Spirits – 23,297 (New)
6. [PS5] Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – 17,710 (New)
7. [PS5] Star Ocean: The Divine Force – 17,177 (New)
8. [NSW] Aquarium. Limited Edition – 13,199 (New)
9. [NSW] Persona 5 Royal – 12,040 (58,038)
10. [NSW] Needy Streamer Overload – 11,693 (New)

Hardware sales (followed by last week’s sales):

• Nintendo Switch – 38,634 (54,637)
• PS5 – 38,866 (28,661)
• Xbox Series X/S – 3,674(4,158)

Combat in Bayonetta 3 takes all the best things from the first two games, and polishes them to a sheen, while also addressing the flaws that people feel each of those two titles’ combat systems had. What this means, then, is the reliance on sudden QTEs (ala Bayonetta 1) and the oevrreliance on Umbran Climax (this was in 2) is gone here. You still have the same basic kick, punch, and gunshot attacks, and you still have Bayonetta’s stylish dodge, timing which perfectly still triggers the Witch Time state that slows all other enemies down and lets you let loose at them with a series of glorious attacks.

Bayonetta’s combat caught the imagination of people like it did for one very simple reason – it is just the right amount of prescriptive, allowing players to chain together moves and unleash some pretty stunning moves on screen in the process. Bayonetta 3 delivers on this concept spectacularly – it feels like no matter what combination of inputs you try, the game will reward you with something, and it almost seems to gently nudge you from starting out button mashing (if you’re a newcomer) to slowly starting to string together proper combos, by encouraging you to try to everything you can, and then rewarding you with some truly great looking moves when you happen upon one of the many combos that will become an ongoing part of your repertoire from there on out.

"Bayonetta 3 is a game that revels in a frankly absurd and ridiculous amount of excess, imbibing the kind of deranged and insane spectacle that, for example, modern God of War games do not, moving from one comprehension defying fight and set piece to the next, until very soon, it all really blurs into a glorious background cacophony of visual noise, all while you focus on what this series is best at – the combat."

This emphasis on the core fundamentals of the combat doesn’t mean that Bayonetta 3 doesn’t have any spins of its own on the series’ now well established and iterated upon core formula, mind you. The Demon Masquerade is this game’s big new addition to combat, allowing you to fuse with a demon and then letting you wreak havoc on everything in some pretty out there finishing moves; Demon Slave is a variation of this technique that allows you to summon and control a whole other demon and have it fight enemies for you. These techniques are both tied to the Magic Meter (which now fills in combat constantly) and add a whole other dimension to combat, for multiple reasons. Primarily, this is because these techniques require you to constantly maintain them, which means you have to balance their massive damage with making sure you’re not letting these demons dissipate from the field, but also because each demon has its own form, its own strength, its own weaknesses, and its own suitability to different kinds of combat scenario, and leveraging the right demon in the right battle can lead to some incredibly satisfying results. 

These demons aren’t the only change, either – also changing in this game is the weapon system, which now bestows a totally unique move set to Bayonetta each time you equip a new weapon (rather than relying on you equipping different weapons to her different limbs). This functionally means each new weapon is a whole new move set unto itself – and, once again, each weapon has its own properties, that make it well suited to some combat scenarios, and poor at others. Being able to mix and match your traditional combat with the demon summoning and the whole weapon system leads to a frankly dizzying array of options, each with the same amount of depth and versatility that you expect from the series. Finishing the campaign still only feels like you’re scratching hing the surface of everything this game’s combat has to offer – and, indeed, in true Bayonetta fashion, the true depths of what this game can allow you as the player to do will not be plumbed until you go back to its various combat encounters and really let loose.

And all of this is – somehow – not even considering Viola (the new character this game introduces, who lacks Bayonetta’s insane versatility, but has a really well fleshed out combat style centred on her Samurai Sword) or Jeanne (whom you take control of in some inspired 2D segments). The amount of gameplay variety Bayonetta 3 offers is mind boggling, given that it is the kind of game that it is. And all of it is wrapped up in some of the most deranged, over the top, absurd spectacle that I remember in a very long time, spectacle that is so outrageously audacious that it borders on being sheer lunacy (pun very much intended). I started this review by describing the New York City opening – and I cannot stress this enough, that is just the beginning. The game somehow goes bigger and crazier from there. You’ll notice that this video review itself doesn’t actually include many areas beyond the first handful, and that is because the insanity of those is best experienced by yourself. The constant “seriously, they topped that?” That this game constantly pulls may be its biggest asset, and is very much not something that should be spoiled.

"As effusive with praise for the game as I have been so far, it does make two very major stumbles that I think mar it more than I wish they did. The elephant in the room here is the game’s technical proficiency, which is… not the best."

As effusive with praise for the game as I have been so far, it does make two very major stumbles that I think mar it more than I wish they did. The elephant in the room here is the game’s technical proficiency, which is… not the best.

Look, the Nintendo Switch is nearly six years old at this point, and even when it launched, it wasn’t really a powerhouse. In and of itself, this is not a problem, and games designed around the Switch can and do still surprise (Monster Hunter Rise was just last year, and Kirby and the Forgotten Land was a gorgeous outing just a few months ago). But it’s a system the limitations of which must be kept in mind and worked around when you’re developing a game, and Bayonetta 3…. Doesn’t do that, really. Of all the many, many games I have played on the Switch, this is the first one that feels utterly beyond the console’s capabilities. The Switch does put forth a valiant effort to keep up, but we’re talking about resolution dips to sub-HD levels (in handheld mode, it often goes even lower), and a frame rate that does have random dips and spikes (which can be especially bothersome in a game like this). On the whole, both these problems are mercifully constrained – well, not the resolution as much, but the resolution is also something you stop caring about after the first ten minutes or so. The framerate is a bigger problem with actual implications for how the game plays. Thankfully, frame rate issues crop up infrequently – but they still occur far more frequently than it should. Very honestly, Bayonetta 2 felt like a better looking and performing game in 2014 than Bayonetta 3 does now, in 2022. And while on one hand it is admirable that Platinum did not let their ambitions be restrained by the Switch hardware, on the other, why on earth did they not develop or design around said hardware? That’s supposed to be the whole point and appeal of an exclusive game, it fully leverages the strengths of its host hardware, and works around its weaknesses. Bayonetta 3 is definitely one of the most technically impressive games on the Switch – but it shows the seams and runs into the limits of the hardware, visibly, far too often. It is officially time for new hardware, Nintendo.

Technical issues aside, the other big failing of the game is the story. Bayonetta 3 has an incredible opening, and it ups the stakes and teases a villain bigger and better than anything in the series yet, and then it just… doesn’t do anything with any of that? Not only that, but the resolution it volunteers for its titular character feels not the best, and I feel like in the long run, that conclusion is what will be held against the game the most. For whatever it’s worth, no one really cares about the story in Bayonetta (including the game itself), and the story is incredibly de-emphasized in this game, as with most other games in the genre, but… on some level, the ending feels like an unforced error, and a fumble that the series has shown us multiple times it is capable of avoiding (but somehow fails to this time around).

"While it fumbles with the story, and frequently butts heads with its host system’s technical limitations, Bayonetta 3 is masterfully accomplished at all the things that matter, and all the things it needs to be great at. You’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t check it out, warts and all."

The story is probably something most players will be able to overlook, but the technical shortcomings of the Nintendo Switch, and the visible and tangible effect they have on the game itself, were harder for me to ignore. The Switch is my favorite system, and wherever and whenever possible, I choose to play a game on there – but this title marked one of the rare times I found myself wishing I could be playing it on something else, because as much as I like the Switch, it doesn’t feel like it was the right canvas for Platinum’s ambition. As mentioned, again, this is not as big of an issue as it could be, and most of the game maintains a steady framerate (and truly sells that aforementioned spectacle convincingly), but this is absolutely not the ideal way to play this game. I can only hope that a future Nintendo system will allow this game to really shine.

Issues and all, however, Bayonetta 3 is a spectacular game. If you’re a fan of the genre, this is a must play. If you’re a fan of the series, this is a must play. If you’re a fan of the kind of insane spectacle that the old God of War games had, but gave up with their modern entries, this is a must play. If you care at all about combat in video games, this is a must play. While it fumbles with the story, and frequently butts heads with its host system’s technical limitations, Bayonetta 3 is masterfully accomplished at all the things that matter, and all the things it needs to be great at. You’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t check it out, warts and all.

This game was reviewed on Nintendo Switch.

Meanwhile, in third place is Bayonetta 3, PlatinumGames and Nintendo’s long-awaited action sequel. As per Dring, its physical launch sales in the UK are “marginally” better than what Bayonetta 2 managed when it launched for the Wii U in 2014- though, again, its sales are likely to be much higher when digital sales are taken into account. 

Meanwhile, Gotham Knights and Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, both of which debuted high in the charts last week, have slipped to No. 5 and No. 7 respectively, while FIFA 23 drops down to No. 3. The likes of Horizon Forbidden West, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Splatoon 3 continue to figure in the top 10 as well. 

You can check out the full top 10 for the week ending October 29 below. 

Bayonetta 3 is looking like exactly the sort of escalation that series fans would have been hoping for, with not only a new playable character in witch-in-training Viola, but also a multitude of different multiversal versions of Bayonetta herself coming into the fray. On the gameplay front, the game promises more of the slick, stylish action the series has always been known for, while also bringing to the table new features, like being able to summon and control demons in battles.

Bayonetta 3 is out now, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.

In a new series of tweets, Taylor has elaborated that the initial offer she got from PlatinumGames amounted to $10,000 total to voice Bayonetta. Upon negotiating with Hideki Kamiya, the studio returned to Taylor with an offer totalling up to $15,000.

Taylor declined the second offer, following which PlatinumGames returned to Taylor with a new offer after 11 months—$4,000 for a single session, which appears to be for a cameo appearance.

Taylor’s tweets line up with Schrier’s reports quite well, and the 11 month period during which PlatinumGames was silent was likely because the studio opted to go with another voice actor for the role.

In her tweets, Taylor also keeps mentioning that Bayonetta is a $450 million franchise. This number is highly suspect, since Bayonetta is quite a niche franchise, and its sales figures hardly indicate that it has been as successful as Taylor is implying.

Bayonetta 3 features Jennifer Hale as the new voice of protagonist Bayonetta, and is coming to Nintendo Switch on October 28.

As I posted on part three of my video thread. I explained that their first offer was too low. That offer was 10,000 dollars total. Remember, this is 450 million dollar franchise, (not counting merchandise.) I then wrote in Japanese to Hideki Kamiya, asking for what I was

— Hellena Taylor (@hellenataylor) October 24, 2022

So, I declined to voice the game. I then heard nothing from them for 11 months. They then offered me a flat fee to voice some lines for 4,000 dollars. Any other lies, such as 4,000 for 5 sessions are total fabrications.

— Hellena Taylor (@hellenataylor) October 24, 2022

I was paid a shockingly low total of £3000 total for the first game. A little more for the second. I wanted to voice her. I have drummed up interest in this game ever since I started on Twitter in 2011.

— Hellena Taylor (@hellenataylor) October 24, 2022

Meanwhile, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, which was in second place last week, has fallen down to fourth place, with Bayonetta 3 climbing to No. 2 ahead of its imminent release. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, which are also launching shortly, have climbed up to No. 3 as well. Meanwhile, another upcoming Switch exclusive, Dragon Quest Treasures, takes the No. 5 spot.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is sitting in sixth place, while fellow Square Enix RPG Star Ocean: The Divine Force occupies two places in the top 10, with the PS5 and PS4 versions coming in at No. 7 and No. 10 respectively. Meanwhile, Resident Evil 4’s PS5 version comes in at No. 8.

You can check out the full top 10 below. All votes were cast by Famitsu readers between September 29 and October 5.

1. [PS5] Final Fantasy 16 – 678 votes
2. [NSW] Bayonetta 3 – 615 votes
3. [NSW] Pokemon Scarlet and Violet – 567 votes
4. [NSW] The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – 562 votes
5. [NSW] Dragon Quest Treasures – 466 votes
6. [PS5] Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth – 318 votes
7. [PS5] Star Ocean: The Divine Force – 228 votes
8. [PS5] Resident Evil 4 – 201 votes
9. [NSW] Ushiro – 196 votes
10. [PS4] Star Ocean: The Divine Force – 170 votes

[Via Nintendo Everything]