Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Bayonetta 3 replaces its lead voice actress with a Mass Effect veteran

By Cristina Alexander October 5, 2022

PlatinumGames has confirmed that veteran Mass Effect voice actress Jennifer Hale is the English voice actress behind the Umbra Witch in Bayonetta 3, replacing series staple Hellena Taylor.

According to a report from Game Informer, Taylor hinted to fans on Twitter last year that she would not be reprising her roleas Bayonetta in the upcoming sequel, but couldn’t elaborate on the reason when asked as she was bound by a confidentiality agreement. Game director Yusuke Miyata said PlatinumGames held auditions to replace Taylor as the voice behind the titular character, and eventually offered the role to Hale.

Related Videos

“Various overlapping circumstances made it difficult for Hellena Taylor to reprise her role,” Miyata said. “We held auditions to cast the new voice of Bayonetta, and offered the role to Jennifer Hale, whom we felt was a good match for the character. I understand the concerns some fans have about the voice change at this point in the series, but Jennifer’s performance was way beyond what we could have imagined. I’m confident that her portrayal of Bayonetta will exceed fans’ expectations.”

Hale is the most prolific video game voice actor, earning the title from Guinness World Records in 2015. She’s most notable for voicing Commander Shepard in the original Mass Effect trilogy, but also voiced Samus in Metroid Prime, Naomi Hunter in Metal Gear Solid, Rosalind Lutese in BioShock Infinite, Bastila Shan in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and more recently, Rivet in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Based on her nearly 30 years of experience in the games industry, Hale sounds like the fitting choice to voice Bayonetta.

Bayonetta 3 releases October 27 on the Nintendo Switch.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Tech News

Gaming

Wordle Today (#642): Wordle answer and hints for March 23

Someone playing Wordle on a smartphone.

Finding today's Wordle hard? Can't solve it? We're here to help! We have the answer to Wordle (#642) on March 23, as well as some helpful hints to help you figure out the answer yourself right here. We've placed the answer right at the bottom of the page, so we don't ruin the surprise before you've had a chance to work through the clues. So let's dive in, starting with a recap of yesterday's answer.
Yesterday's Wordle answer
Let's start by first reminding ourselves of yesterday's Wordle answer for those new to the game or who don't play it daily, which was "duvet." So we can say that the Wordle answer today definitely isn't that. Now, with that in mind, perhaps take another stab at it using one of these Wordle starting words and circle back if you have no luck. We'll be here waiting.
Hints for today's Wordle
Still can't figure it out? We have today's Wordle answer right here, below. But first, one more thing: Let's take a look at three hints that could help you find the solution, without giving it away, so there's no need to feel guilty about keeping your streak alive -- you put in some work, after all! Or just keep scrolling for the answer.

Today’s Wordle starts with the letter S.
Today’s Wordle uses two vowels in a row.
Today's Wordle relates to seriousness.

Computing

This Alienware gaming laptop with 32GB RAM, RTX 3080 Ti is $1,050 off

God of War running on the Alienware x17 R2 laptop.

If you love the portability of gaming laptops, but get frustrated by how they usually have less power than their desktop counterparts, the Alien x17 line is the answer. Of course they're not cheap. Thankfully, Dell is having a limited time deal on the Alienware x17 R2. Right now you can get it for $3,000 after a $1,050 discount. It won't be around forever, so grab one soon.

Why you should buy the Alienware x17 R2 gaming laptop
Our laptop buying guide says gaming laptops should be built to keep up with the requirements of today's video games. The Alienware x17 R2 takes things further, as it's also prepared to run titles that are still on their way with its 12th-generation Intel Core i9 processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti graphics card. It's even got 32GB of RAM, exactly how much our guide on how much RAM you need recommends if you're planning to run multiple apps in the background while you're playing. With the Alienware x17 R2, not only will you be able to select the highest settings of the best PC games, but you also won't have to worry about making upgrades for years to come.

Gaming

Pick up these Nintendo games you can only get on Wii U and 3DS

xenoblade and pokemon picross headline eshop update chronicles x nintendo wii u

The Nintendo Switch has one of the greatest first-party lineups of any Nintendo console. In addition to several outstanding original games, a lot of awesome Wii U games like Super Mario 3D World, Pikmin 3, and Mario Kart 8 finally got all the love they deserved when they were ported to the Switch. Even some 3DS games like Miitopia have made their way to Nintendo Switch. Still, that isn't all-encompassing, so when the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U eShops are discontinued on March 27, we will lose access to some amazing first-party Nintendo games that aren't available elsewhere.
From black sheep in their respective series to new IP that tests out some novel ideas, four Wii U and four 3DS games that are still platform exclusives stuck out the most to us. If you're specifically looking for Nintendo-published games to pick up before the 3DS and Wii U eShops stop allowing the purchase of new games, consider picking up one of these titles.
Xenoblade Chronicles X

Considering the rest of the Xenoblade Chronicles series is on Nintendo Switch, it's very surprising that Xenoblade Chronicles X has not made the jump over yet. This RPG stands as the black sheep of the series, with a more gritty style and tone, mech suits, and a plot about humans who crash land on an alien planet after escaping Earth, which might be why it didn't come over before the trilogy was completed. Xenoblade Chronicles X is a great game in its own right, though, and also makes ample use of the Wii U GamePad for its detailed map and menus. As such, it's a worthwhile Wii U pickup for those who like to play games uniquely tailored to the system and enjoy seeing what the oddball entries in game franchises have to offer.
Star Fox Zero