User Review : Devil May Cry 4

DMC4 Review

Let me start by adding a few provisos. I have never played a DMC game before, and then this review should strictly be for new comers to the series. I love God of War and didn’t think much of Ninja Gaiden (IMO). I have completed DMC4 on devil hunter mode, automatic on the PS3. I won’t go into the story so as not to spoil it for anyone, because it is quite cool. This is my first review ever – so please don’t hesitate to critique.

The other morning I woke up, got changed and found a $20 note in the pocket of my jeans that I had long forgotten about. Are you feeling lucky punk? I certainly did when I first downloaded the DMC4 demo and instantly knew that this game was special. You see – I never expected much from this game. Maybe this is why DMC4 has become a gem in my library of PS3 games.

After practicing countless hours on the demo, and still never becoming as good as the kids in the you tube videos, I became overjoyed at the “automatic” option that capcom had given us newbie’s in the full version. Once turning on this option the combo’s, revs and exceed techniques were flowing much easier. DMC4’s combat system rocks, delivering fast pace action and one that certainly gets the blood pumping with exhilaration. It’s not just the combat, but rather a fusion of Capcom’s excellent animation techniques and character design that makes it possible to do things that I have never seen in a video game. God of War gave us ways to dice up colossal bosses with quick time events and now DMC4 gives us the option to do so in real time.

The main protagonist for the majority of the game is Nero. Nero’s primary weapon of destruction is his devil bringer which can pull apart demons in a number of different ways depending on their type and class. The devil bringer can also be used to grab enemies from just about every position on screen possible and also grapple from special points. Nero also has the Red Queen – a gas powered sword that responds to revving like a Harley Davidson along with his trusty pistol – the blue rose. The benefits of the blue rose are not fully realised until it is upgraded to its maximum level. The rose does pack a punch contrary to what many people believe.

The game has a harvesting system of red orbs which you can use to buy items such as health bars and magic. You also accumulate “proudsouls” depending on the rank assigned at the end of each level. These can be used or refunded to upgrade/downgrade moves and abilities.

Just over half way through the game, you take over as Dante. Many fans of the series will be relieved that the game’s proprietor has finally made an appearance. The initial switch between Dante and Nero is disconcerting as the two character’s have very different fighting styles. Dante’s moves are probably more complicated than Nero’s. It took me a while to consistently get S and A ranks with Dante. Once you do suss out Dante, he pretty much becomes a God. Finding out about his new abilities, moves and guns is half the fun – so I’ll let you find out for yourself ;)

Visually the game has moments where it is absolutely stunning – and so it should in this generation of gaming. The vistas are amazing and at one point in a jungle level I was uncannily reminded of the Resident Evil 5 trailer in Haiti. The only visible disappointment was the shadowing. Like in Heavenly Sword the shadows in environments are complete poop and are jagged all over the place. The game runs at a crisp 60 frames per second, only dropping slightly in a few places. The only time I had major slowdown was one fight with Dante in the jungle, where the action became extremely heavy.

The only major gripes with the game are as follows: Yes, for some unknown reason Capcom have recycled a lot of the levels for almost one third of the game, and for this reason alone keep this game from being reviewed at the higher nines. The camera really wasn’t a detriment to the game play as some say, but I still believe that in this day of age a cinematic camera should be used. Walking into one room and then walking into the same room that you were in only a while can become irksome after the tenth time.

All in all this game is very fun. This is a key factor for me when it comes to grading a game. Fun is good. I found my self becoming addicted to the combat and destroying demons that were always larger than Nero or Dante. Never had I felt so bad ass in a video game rescuing a damsel in distress. The stunning combat and animation system simply extinguish any major faults I have with this game. The story and characters are typical of Japanese gaming – larger than life, and which was something I have missed from my gaming in the last year or so. The appearance of online leaderboards gives serious players the chance to compare their ranking performance with the best in the world along with this and the ability to replay missions and secret missions adds some crazy replay value. Newcomers – don’t be scared to give this game a go – it isn’t that hard.