Graeme Singh recently proved that a 2D one-switch fighting game was both possible and fun with his PC title Way of the Exploding Hand 2. Watching the video above, Japan's Platinum Games seem to have proven the same for 3D fighting games on mainstream games consoles. The game in question is their pending slash-em-up Bayonetta:

"Hi all. Bayonetta Director Hideki Kamiya here. At long last, here we go! Gameplay video of Very Easy Automatic Mode (AKA Mommy Mode)! Writing a ton of words would be a disservice, so instead, check out this video. Yep. This is the power of Automatic. Automatic can be used on Easy and Very Easy difficulties, and leaves the most complex controls up to the CPU. At the controls in this video is character designer Mari Shimazaki. All she is really doing in this video is pressing a single button, the Punch button. She may occasionally be pressing Kick, but only for the Torture Attack events.

With Automatic ON, the game will do the following things for you.

1) Attacks/Jump Attacks

Of course attacks go without saying, but automatic jumps are also included. Even if an enemy is in above Bayonetta, the game will jump you up and into a perfect position, then attack. Various combos are automatically triggered, allowing you to enjoy action rich in variety.

2) Dodging

This also takes place simply by pressing the Punch button. Of course, if you are caught flat-footed the game won’t forgive you; however, as long as you get the button press timing correct, you will automatically dodge. …Of course, as you can tell by watching the video, you will probably end up defeating the enemy before there is ever a need to dodge. (LOL)

3) Warp

I don’t really know what I should call this… Immediately after you’ve defeated an enemy, you will head towards a distant enemy and automatically jump off towards them. With this ability you can take down enemies from A to Z. To complement these, even when you are in Automatic mode, you can still move and dodge under your own control as normal, if you so choose. This means you don’t have to play one handed like in the movie. You can weave in your own movement, kicks, and dodges, enjoying a battle packed with originality. You can consider Automatic mode to be a helping hand from an incredibly skilled expert in the game.

By the way, you can turn Automatic mode on and off anywhere in the game, so you can try a few different play styles I think… If you want to turn it off and get some hands on practice, you can. If you are feeling like, “This is impossible!”Then just turn on Automatic, go back, and try again. Another thing to add, and this one is important. In the easiest mode of the game, Very Easy, we have included the ability to recover your vitality in a few short moments should you take damage. So just in case you happen to run out of health, try to get some space between you and your enemies. But even if you take damage, you won’t take that much, so I don’t think you need to worry about your vitality falling to zero. (LOL)

So even if you are a hardcore user or an absolute beginner, I hope you are all looking forward to getting your hands on a controller and seeing what it feels like to dive into the tempest of violence that is Automatic Bayonetta."

So! What's stopping SEGA and NAMCO and every other developer of quality fighting games from doing something similar? This is fantastic news! Accessibility switch users can get hooked up to an Xbox 360 in a variety of ways if they haven't already.

Quote taken from the Bayoneta blog. See the original video in high resolution here. All discovered thanks to Tera Kirk's excellent blog at GameCritics.com.

Labels: One Handed, One Switch Games, PS3, Xbox 360