When Devils Cry...

By Thomas Machuca

I've been busy the last two weeks. Any free time I had in between wrestling crocodilian reptiloids and illegally base jumping for charity in the city, I was playing DMC4. 

In contrast to the very physical and adrenaline pulsing former activities, the new Capcom game was a real rush.

It's an action-packed game with a cinematic quality that Capcom is renowned for, and I remember playing the original Devil May Cry on my PS2 long before Corey the party boy's brain started leaked out of his munted nose, and I remember enjoying my experience.

The second game DMC2 I can remember being disappointed - and then DMC3? Well, I was satisfied.

In the far flung future, I can safely say that I will remember having enjoyed DMC4, just like the original because it's a very involving and enjoyable next generation actioner.

The gameplay is basically the same as the previous titles -  (an action/platformer with puzzles combining stylish hack and slash with guns) except that this time around you play as a new character with some totally new moves.

There are a total of 20 missions in story mode and there are even more secret missions hidden throughout various levels which is a nice little bonus. 

While the secret missions are short they are all quite different, such as collecting all the orbs within a given time limit or performing a certain move five times in a row. Completing secret missions can reward you with valuable items to use later.

Graphically, DMC4 is superb; it is one of those games that really showcases the console's ability at this current point in its lifetime. The level of detail on the 3D models and the sheer complexity makes everything seem so vivid.

The levels look stunning with beautifully atmospheric lighting one of the stand out graphical elements and the character models are digital works of art.

The cut scenes are likewise fantastic; the intro movie is stunning - stunning visually and emotionally. The PS3 version which I based this review on runs better than the Xbox 360 version, but it is hardly noticeable except for loading times and that is only because the PS3 version drops almost 5Gb of data onto your hard drive.

That being said, when you first insert your disc into your PS3 you will have to wait around 20 minutes before you can start your adventure while the PS3 copies over the files. PC gamers will be right at home!

The positive side to this, besides the reduced load times later on when playing, is that you are shown pictures that narrate the story so far in the DMC universe, which is a good refresher for fans of the series but also sets the scene for newcomers.

Fans of the series may not be pleased to find out that Dante is no longer the main character in the game; instead you play as the young knight Nero. 

Without spoiling the absorbing story, Nero witnesses his leader’s slaughter at the hands of Dante. Fates unravel, an evil conspiracy unfolds and heroes clash. 

Actually, you will be pleased to hear that you do still get to play as Dante but more will be revealed later in this review.

Running around in the gameworld dispatching ghastly foes is a lot of fun because the game controls well, but also has some freakishly cool weapons.

Most notably would be Nero’s primary moves using his arm, the Devil Bringer, which allows him to throw a mean right hook and also to grab his enemies and pummel them into the ground with a ferocity not seen since the Iranian revolution of 1979.

It’s also neat how different enemies are attacked differently. For example, if an enemy has a tail you will grab it and use it to pound him into the ground and finally swing him off towards his Satan spawn brethren. 

Other enemies you will just brutally rip in half.

There are some truly jaw-dropping Devil Bringer moves that can be used against bosses that cause mass amounts of damage. Indeed, the Devil Bringer is a very slick addition to a very enjoyable game.

Besides his devilish arm, Nero is equipped with the Red Queen and the Blue Rose, colour coded for your convenience… not really, but it does sound cool!

The Red Queen is a mechanical sword with a powerful fuel injection system, and the propellant sprayed onto the blade allows it to unleash attacks of greater power. 

In typical Japanese gothic-mecha style, this awesome feature of the sword is integrated into gameplay dynamics as the Exceed Gauge. 

You are able to charge up your sword to a maximum of three levels and the only downside with this is that you don’t really need it. 

I found myself not using it as much as it was quicker for me to normally kill my enemies instead of constantly sitting on the sidelines charging my sword up before I took a swing at an enemy. Still, revving your sword up like a Harley and then letting it tear through enemies with flames almost made the devil in me cry (sorry, but it had to be said).

Nero wouldn’t be a DMC hero without a gun and the Blue Rose is his gun of choice. 

It is a unique, specifically constructed revolver with two barrels, allowing two shots to be fired nearly simultaneously. You are able to upgrade the Blue Rose so that you are able to charge each shot so as to cause more damage.

As I let slip before, you get to play as everyone’s favourite devil slayer, Dante. It is a shame that you only play as Dante for about 30% of the entire game though. 

I’m not saying that Nero isn’t an awesome character to play – because he is – it’s just that I’m attached to Dante from the previous titles so I would have liked to play as him more.

For those unaccustomed to Dante, this bloke has a lot of variety. 

Firstly, he has the four styles of fighting which he had from DMC3, but now you are able to instantly switch between these styles while playing instead of having to choose which style you wanted to play at the start of the mission like it was previously done. 

And you even get a fifth style eventually, which allows for some awesome combos with highly stylish points.

Then there are Dante’s weapons which can now be instantly switched between on the fly. He has less weapons than the previous games, although still more than enough to ensure the fun never stops. 

His trusty sword Rebellion and his lovely girls Ebony and Ivory (dual pistols) are back. But now he also has some new melee weapons (one of which turns him into a flamingo dancer?) and some wicked guns, one of which needs mentioning, Pandora. 

The Pandora is a demonic weapon capable of 666 calamitous forms. Poorly, the designers at Capcom only made it transform into four – an explosive bow which can transform into a rocket launcher which can transform into a laser canon, and if you’re in mid flight transforms into a machine gun. 

And of course, both characters can unleash the devil within themselves to pull off even more insane moves. This mode is entered when the 'devil trigger' is hit and you have your devil trigger gauge somewhat full. While in this state you can cause serious damage to enemies all the while gaining more health yourself. Your devil trigger gauge slowly depletes when in use, so you must use it wisely before it runs out.

Before you start the game the first time you can choose from two difficulties - Human and Devil Hunter. There are a total of six difficulty levels and to unlock them all you must finish the game five times.

Once a mission is completed you are presented with your score - one of seven rankings from D through to SSS. This ranking is also used when playing the game and shows you how well your style is when in combat. 

Your final ranking is made up of three parts – time taken, style points and orbs collected. Depending on your rank you gain a number of proud souls which can be used to purchase abilities.

A nice feature is that you can’t make a mistake when purchasing abilities as you are always given the facility to cash in all your purchased abilities for full price and choose a new set to suit your needs.

Just like previous titles you collect orbs. Different colour orbs have different effects. The main coloured orbs are your green and red orbs: green orbs replenish your health and red orbs you collect to purchase items that can be used within the game.

Once you finish the game you unlock a host of extras.  One is the new difficulty level – Son of Sparda. Another completion extra is Bloody Palace – a survival mode where style is key. Also from the mission menu you can select:

Story Theatre – you can view unlocked in-game cut scenes

Total Ranking – this shows your mission clear rankings for each mode

Gallery – where you can view bonus illustrations

Library – you can view reference material

Network – this allows you to view your ranking for each mission versus the rest of the world's players who have logged on. Most of the top scores are held by Japanese players. You can also view your ranking versus your friends and view your accomplishments and your friend’s accomplishments.

The music is top-notch with great sounding effects and good voice acting. I enjoyed the music throughout the game and felt that it suited the games mood well. 

The only annoyance which I could see people complaining about is the choice of heavy electro-metal music during combat but like I said, I felt that it suited the game well.

Looking at Devil May Cry 4 from a distance, it's easy to praise. This game is very good and the only thing that I can shake my fist at is the repetition. 

This repetition comes in the form of the levels and bosses that you come across. Everything is all fine when playing through Nero’s half of the game but Dante’s half is pretty much just backtracking through all the locales AND bosses that Nero encountered all the way back to the beginning of the game. 

It’s such a shame that this was done, but at least all of these locations were stunning (to say the least) so I’ll let this flaw slide.

I feel this review has gone on long enough, and if by now you haven’t figured out that I believe you should go out and get this game, then there’s no point in me going on anyway. 

If you really didn’t like any of the other DMC games or you just don’t like this particular genre then Devil May Cry 4 might not be for you. But to everyone else: you really have to give this game a shot. The fast-paced action and epic story make this one well worth investigating. 

It's top notch videogaming.

Game: Devil May Cry 4
System: PS3
Players: 1
Online: Sort of
Developer: Capcom
Distributor: Activision

Rating: 85%

(Ratings Key/Explanation)