Abandoning past exclusivity, Devil May Cry 4 appears on both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. The game is somewhat akin to Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams, in the way that it looks to change the series. The main character is now a young man named Nero, who looks strikingly similar to Dante. While attending a cult religion mass, the devil hunter Dante crashes the party by assassinating the congregation’s leader, know as his Holiness. Being a member of the Order of Knights meant to protect the cult, Nero sets out to hunt down Dante. However, things aren’t all as they seem.
While there is no need to have played the previous Devil May Cry games, as you’re introduced to a whole new set of characters, long time fans of the series are likely to get the most out of a fun but minorly patchy story. Still, no previous experience is required to enjoy characters that are perfect for the roles that they play. Capcom seem to have perfected the cheese and style required to make an action story great, as both Dante and Nero make for awesome entertainment. While there are a few minor holes in the story, it’s completely self-contained and doesn’t blatantly leave too much for a potential sequel.
And this is just the second level.
You’ll play the majority of Devil May Cry 4 as Nero, though you’ll take control of Dante as well. This is hardly a spoiler, as you’ve got Dante’s move list in the game manual. Mechanically, Nero moves very similarly to the way that Dante did in the first three titles, but has quite the different move set. In particular, Nero has more attacks in the air, as opposed to Dante’s prerogative for juggling and subtlety. Also, Nero has the ‘Devil Bringer’, which will grab opponents and perform a ‘Buster’. This is a good way of finishing off combos. There really is a stark difference between the two characters. Nero only has the one gun and doesn’t earn any more weapons or different styles. One difference with Dante, is that you can now switch between all styles and weapons on the fly, which easily beats going into a menu.
The structure of the game and the combat is still rather similar to the previous three titles. That is, you play through twenty missions with one overriding objective, while defeating the vast hordes of enemies with as much ‘style’ as you can muster. There are a bunch of puzzles thrown into the mix as well, some which are new, while others boil down to a key hunt. At the end of each mission, you’re given a rank based on your completion time, fighting style and the amount of orbs you collect. Orbs come in a variety of colours and bring a variety of benefits, including in-game currency and health upgrades. However, now you earn ‘Proud souls’ which will be your currency for buying new moves and abilities.
As far as action games go, Devil May Cry has been a frontrunner of the last generation. While not a lot has been drastically changed, Devil May Cry 4 is easily among the best action games available. The combat system for both characters is deep and the stylish rating and meter encourages you to continue your combos, while rewarding you appropriately for good moves. Nero has some sweet attacks and the Buster allows for some crazy stylish moves, especially in boss battles. There is a rare satisfaction attached to pulling off these moves. The boss battles themselves are numerous and epic, while the game’s puzzles aren’t too obtrusive and provide a suitable change of pace.
You got that right!
One thing about the Devil May Cry series, is that it has never been one for the masses. It’s about as far away from casual as you can get. However, there have been a few minor improvements that make Devil May Cry 4 more accessible than it’s predecessors. Little things like a mini-map that shows where you came in from take out a lot of the confusion that normally abounds. Furthermore, the game now employs a checkpoint system, rather than requiring you to replay the entire level if you die throughout the mission. This could possibly explain why the title has done quite well so far.
For those who like the Devil May Cry series but were put off by the brutal difficulty, you’ll be glad to know that in the ‘Human’ difficulty mode, it is possible to finish the game without too many hitches, though again, casuals won’t be encouraged to play through this title. The other default mode, ‘Devil Hunter’, doesn’t lie when it says it’s for experienced players. The difficulty gets quite brutal about a third of the way through and refuses to abate. It demands an extremely high level of skill and precision and it almost feels as if there should have been another difficulty level in between. Still, the fact you can access the ‘easy’ mode from the start will hopefully allow for that accessibility that the series has been so notorious for not having. And of course, for those nutters that manage to hack through, you’ve got a whole host of unlockable difficulties waiting to make the devil in you cry.
While a superb and stylish action game, there are a few aspects that bring Devil May Cry 4 down from absolute greatness. The brutal difficulty on later modes is not helped by the camera, which tries to flip between moveable and fixed. A lot of the difficulty comes from trying to manage to camera (particularly in closed spaces) or not being hit by off camera enemies. Furthermore, while not explicitly a fault of the game, the precision and skill level that the game demands can be very off-putting to new players, especially when trying to avoid attacks. At the same time though, the platforming elements are weak, though thankfully limited. That, and we’re a little disappointed that Nero’s movements are so similar to Dante’s. Finally, Devil May Cry 4 relies too much on the repetition and backtracking through previous areas as well as bosses. You’re basically playing through the game twice in one run through and most bosses are seen at least twice. It’s this aspect that holds the game back from being in the same league as something like Resident Evil 4.
Dante's not about to miss a party.
They say the clothes make the man, but in the case of Devil May Cry 4, the style and presentation make the game. The art style is second to none and Capcom have managed to produce a game that not only looks fantastic but runs at a strikingly smooth rate. Simply, the game is superlative, both from a style and a technical viewpoint. Apart from a few minor oddities, such as the ambitious lighting in the jungle, the visual presentation is nothing short of remarkable. The audio presentation is quite excellent as well. While the dialogue is hardly award worthy, it suits the game down to a tee and the voicing to back it up is full of character and embodies the game’s mood perfectly well. The music continues the series’ trends, which won’t suit everyone’s tastes and can get repetitive. However, they suit the game really well and the unique tunes (namely for bosses) are something special.
Simply put, Devil May Cry 4 is the best action game available on current consoles. While Ninja Gaiden Sigma was awesome, it was a three year old game, and frankly, nothing else manages to come remotely close. It’s a close to perfect blending of deep gameplay and stylistic action presentation, and it's one of the most satsifying games around when you get it 'right'. Unfortunately, even with a more accessible ‘easy’ mode, the difficulty and demand for skill will limit the amount of people that will get the most out of the game. Still, apart from a few minor issues, Devil May Cry 4 shows that the series is not far away from being among the premier gaming series on the market.
(, needless to say i did it ever since then.
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