Welcome to the Black List, our regular retrospective on the week that was.

On Monday, Pete survived a close encounter with a frill necked lizard in order to appear on our latest podcast.

On Tuesday, we reported on the growing controversy surrounding the new viral video for Modern Warfare 2.

On Wednesday, we covered the announcement of Chime, the new rhythm puzzle game from philanthropic publisher OneBigGame.

On Thursday, the latest apocalyptic trailer for Darksiders reminded us that it’s time for us to get our affairs in order.

On Friday, we narrowly avoided being crushed by a giant stiletto to bring you the latest vision of Bayonetta,

Thanks for reading.

Erin Marcon

Editor

Recent editions of The Black List

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A new gameplay trailer has emerged of Bayonetta, the upcoming action exploitation title from SEGA and Platinum Games. The video demonstrates the title character’s basic move set, which involves all four limbs and both melee and ballistic weapons. As another foe falls before her onslaught, Bayonetta moans with pleasure. Is she the sassy embodiment of feminine power or just another example of digital pornography? I fear the latter, given players can reduce the amount of clothing she wears by pulling off elaborate attacks. Having said that, I’ll be introducing a similar system here on the blog just as soon as my webcam arrives.

If there is a reason to look forward to Bayonetta, it is that it recalls the feverish ‘anything goes’ creativity that made Japanese developers the envy of the gaming industry in the 1990s. Why shouldn’t our heroin strap guns to the heels of her boots? Why shouldn’t she be able to stomp on enemies using a gargantuan stiletto crafted from her own supernatural hair? Who should she fight? How about a giant head? It’s almost as if Platinum conducted a brainstorming session and decided to employ every single idea that emerged from it, no matter how preposterous.

Bayonetta is due for release on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in January 2010.

“It’s so hard to find nice shoes in my size.”

THQ and Vigil Games have released a new promotional video for forthcoming apocalyptic action game, Darksiders. The game casts players in the role of War, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse referenced in God’s controversial bestseller, The Bible. It seems the end of the world has commenced ahead of schedule, throwing Christmas shopping plans into disarray. Can War, aided by his spectacular steed Ruin, defeat the villainous Destroyer and restore order to a traumatised world?

If the exaggerated art style in Darksiders looks somewhat familiar, you won’t be surprised to hear that comic book creator Joe Madureira served as creative director on the project. One of the most imitated creators in American comics, Madureira has struggled to achieve the same level of success in the video games industry. Thus far, he has contributed to two original titles, Dragonkind and Dungeon Runners. The former was cancelled prior to release, while the second, an MMO, lasted only 18 months.

With its histrionic storyline, frenetic set-pieces and customisable move-set, this is a game that may appeal to fans of God of War and Devil May Cry. Darksiders is due for release on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on Thursday 7 January 2010.

“No God damn it. If I wanted a shoeshine, I’d ask for it!”

AutoCAD gets more complicated every year.

Philanthropic publisher OneBigGame has announced Chime, a new downloadable game from independent developer Zoe Mode. As reported by gamesindustry.biz, OneBigGame will donate profits from the game to charities such as Save the Children and the Starlight Children’s Foundation.

Chime is a rhythm puzzle game in which players must alter the game’s soundtrack by manipulating blocks. Zoe Mode have ample experience in the rhythm genre, with titles such as SingStar: Rocks and Dancing With The Stars in their back catalogue. Chime will be available for download in the Australian summer, with PC and XBLA announced as the target platforms.

OneBigGame has also revealed that it is working with a range of partners on future projects. Studios such as Revolution Software (Beneath a Steel Sky) and NanaOnSha (Vib-Ribbon) have joined Zoe Mode in donating their work to the charity. Fifteen titles are in development, each exclusive to OneBigGame for a period of 4-12 months. We’ll bring you more on these titles as they’re announced.

Learn more at OneBigGame.