61 Frames Per Second

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• Face-Off: Bayonetta and the Merits of Exploitation, Part 2

  John: Explain to me how Barbarella is more innocent than Bayonetta. Pete: The innocence of that movie comes from it being forty years old, so, whatever the authorial intent, it will always be perceptibly innocent. But beyond that, I think the innocence mostly comes from Jane Fonda's performance. There's just a sort of goofy sweetness to the sex, it’s more playful than smirkingly gynecological. Barbarella makes me feel like Jane Fonda is the subject, a "relateable" character, for whatever that's worth. Bayonetta feels like I'm molesting a Barbie Doll. (We then consulted this original trailer for Barbarella) John: I see a pretty strong corollary here, just in the first forty seconds. "Did I tell you what I would like?" *flash to the vixen* "I think I know." I think you're splitting some serious hairs. Pete: I disagree. I think the corollary is facile. I'm smiling just watching this. I think there's an earnest quality to Barbarella—which is an artifact from a pre-knee-jerk-irony world—that is absent in Bayonetta. Subtleties are important. Read More... Posted Oct 09 2008, 07:34 PM by John Constantine with | with 7 comment(s) Filed under: john constantine, peter smith, bayonetta, face off

• Face-Off: Bayonetta and the Merits of Exploitation, Part 1

  61 Frames Per Second was born long before it went live in May of 2008, though it existed in a far more nebulous form than the blog you’re reading now. It actually began in the fall of 2005, when Peter Smith and I began working together here at Hooksexup and we engaged in daily spirited debates over the intricacies of design and the virtues of numerous games. It’s sometimes horrifying to go through instant messenger histories and find page upon page of arguments over whether or not Ocarina of Time or Symphony of the Night are enduring works of quality. Pete is both a staunch pragmatist and a stern aesthete, demanding to the point that he plays only select games at this point. While I fancy myself an aesthete as well, I am also an unabashed enthusiast, often times to a fault; I adore trash nearly as much as I enjoy art. Much like the rest of the internet today, we found ourselves coming to blows over Hideki Kamiya’s new exercise in action and sexploitation, Bayonetta. John: You need to watch this trailer. Pete: Is this the chick who has a gun foot? John: It so is. It is going to be hilarious and rad and absurd. It is the videogame equivalent of those Paul Kenyon’s Baroness pulps from the ‘70s. Pete: Whoops, my eyes fell out and rolled around. Jesus, dude. Just watching this makes me feel like I'm wasting my life every time i even think about videogames. You don't find this even slightly depressing? John: I find it hilarious. Pete: Such a thin line. John: I think it looks ridiculously fun. I also don’t think it’s being earnest. Pete: It would be less depressing if it were earnest. Sometimes i just find it wearying when people phone in some lousy bullshit under the auspices of camp. Where's the heart, John? Can't we do better? Read More... Posted Oct 09 2008, 07:28 PM by John Constantine with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: john constantine, peter smith, bayonetta, face off