Besides being unusually high-profile, the first half of 2010 has been unusually busy. As such, we’ve endeavored to write a series of brief newspaper-style reviews (without scores) to highlight the games that might have been forgotten – particularly by those who might just be joining this generation – in favor of this holiday season’s blockbusters.

Bayonetta is utterly ridiculous. Thankfully, though, Bayonetta is also utterly enjoyable, utterly insane and utterly superb. Moreover, it’s unashamedly an action game: it’s silly; unapologetically brash; and its combat is intelligently implemented, deep, and endlessly satisfying.

In fact, Bayonetta’s brilliance lies in its reluctance to dedicate itself entirely to fanatics or initiates of the genre. It’s easiest mode, for example, effectively allows for one-button combat, leaving the Umbran Witch herself to piloting duties. It might be natural to presume, then, that Bayonetta‘s designers would abscond from the deepest end of the pool. Believe me, they haven’t – they’ve simply sought to include a life raft for those still learning to swim.

And once you’ve caught a glimpse of its deeper waters, the aforementioned feature justifies itself. There’s a colossal amount to unlock, a colossal amount to learn and just as much to master. It’s in this mastery that you’ll find the game’s greatest reward, and, in particular, its greatest challenge. Bayonetta‘s insistence on a steadily escalating paradigm requires you to utilize that mastery. Foes presented as bosses early on – with scale and cinematic flair to match – are quickly demoted to the role of dogsbody. You’ll quickly learn that the name ‘Bayonetta’ is synonymous with escalation.

The chance to re-tackle these colossal creations, and win with relative ease, further revealed a demonstrable gap between my abilities of the ‘now’, as opposed to the lesser abilities of yester-chapters – to see such a substantial leap in my own combative prowess is what compelled me to keep playing beyond the game’s ‘normal’ difficulty. And amidst her giant-killing antics, Bayonetta never takes herself too seriously: the world is littered with Sega references (the game’s currency presents itself in the form of golden rings); her hair is her primary weapon of choice; and, well, the post-credits ‘presentation’ will speak for itself.

Bayonetta‘s soundtrack might compel you to tap your foot a few more times than you’d like to admit. What won’t compel you, however, is the game’s other presentational aspect: a series of static images married to an explanatory voice over or dialogue – they’re incredibly uninteresting and incredibly forgettable. Moreover, you’re likely to indulge in its presentational aspects purely for the sake of hilarity; to apply the lens of a literary critic, in this particular case, would be thoroughly futile.

Bayonetta is ridiculously ridiculous. It also happens to be ridiculously fun, ridiculously engaging and ridiculously addictive. If you’re willing to look past bizarre aesthetics and a less-than-cohesive, throw-away narrative, Bayonetta is, from a second-to-second perspective, this year’s most outrageously enjoyable action game. Buy Bayonetta.