There have been 3 previous Devil May Cry games, the first being one of
the greatest action games of all time, the second being one of the most
disappointing sequels of all time, and the third being one of the
hardest action games of all time. Everybody gasps when I tell them I
have never played one before, and all look at me in horror. Well, after
hearing almost nothing but good things about the fourth in the series,
I decided to give it a try. Is it a disappointment like the second one
was, or does it join the first and the third? I seriously have no idea.
All I know is that Devil May Cry 4 is amazing, and is the best game to
be released this year.
This is the definition of a polished game. The studio has poured their
souls into this game, and it really shows. The game on the easiest
difficulty will take you 8 - 10 hours, but there are 6 difficulties to
go through, and you keep all your skills as you progress. There are a
ton of secret missions that will take your unbroken attention and
skill. Once you complete the game, you unlock some new art in the art
gallery, and the history of DMC. The extras are plenty, but aren't to
the extent of a limited edition. After each mission, you get graded on
your time, your style, and your attention to detail. There are
leaderboards worldwide, and gives you more ambition to play. On top of
that, the game is just flat out fun, and you'll want to play it through
over and over again. The framerate never drops from a solid 60 the
whole game,which is a real treat. Ps3 owners hardly ever get that, and
it's really appreciated when it does happen. There are no glitches to
be found in the game, minus a few instances of clipping. There's a lot
of stuff in this game, and it is worth the price of admission.
I'm not the only newcomer to the series, so it's really great that
while continuing the story of the series, DMC 4 is easy to follow as a
seperate game on its own.
The story revolves around the coastal town of Fortuna, a town inhabited
by followers of Dante's father, Sparda. A gathering is right away
amushed by Dante, who assassinates the leader of the Order. Nero
confronts Dante, and the two get into a battle, that Nero obviously
loses from the start. The Order sends Nero out on a quest to capture
Dante, and bring him to justice. Along the way, Nero battles demons,
meets some intriguing characters, who aren't as they seem, and his
girlfriend gets kidnapped. Nero's thoughts on who to trust, and who not
to trust are shaken throughout the game, making for some very thought
provoking moments that are unforgettable.
The only way that the story is told is through cutscenes. These are
very frequent, and are a real treat. Every cutscene is choreographed
greatly, and there is some very witty dialogue. Both Nero and Dante are
against authority, and they show it through their heavy sarcasm, and
ability to take harsh situations lightly. They love to insult each
other, as well as the demons around them, making you absolutely love
every single line thrown out by these guys. I don't know if this is in
the other games of the series, but it is rampant in Devil May Cry 4.
What gets me, though, is although the cutscenes look great, they could
easily been incorporated into gameplay. I'm not saying they had to be
in game fights, but some kind of quick time event needed to happen. It
unfortunately didn't but I can get over it. Maybe I'd cramp the game's
style.
The story's characters are all very well developed, and you fall in
love with them. Every character has their own tone and feel, and it
just makes the game feel so organic. Every person in the game is well
explained, and everything just feels right when you are watching the
story unfold.
This is a stunning game. The facial animations are fantastic, as well
as full body animations, both in game, and in cutscenes. Every texture
is well realized, the water effects are good, and everything runs at a
brisk 60 frames. This is a game to look at if you want to show off your
system to a friend. The artistic style is great, the demons are all
very unique, and the environments are all very good. The only real
issue is the shadows. for 270 degrees, every shadow looks sharp and
fantastic. For the other 90 degrees, every shadow is very pixelated.
This wouldn't be such an issue, if one sixth of the game wasn't spent
in the jungle. After playing something like Uncharted: Drake's Fortune,
I can't really look past this with ease. Another issue with the
shadows, is that at one part of the game, a puzzle requires you to go
in the opposite direction of your shadow, forcing you to look at the
hideousness. This probably won't bother many, but I really won't forget
it. Other than that, the game is a real feast for the eyes.
The environments you'll see include the town, dark mines, evil labs,
lush jungle, and "hell"? Each one is different from the other and it
keeps things fresh.
The soundtrack is full of these really cool electric metal songs. It's
really unique, and makes you feel like such a stud when you're in
battle. Not one song (minus the end credits) is bad, and actually,
every song is worth getting on your mp3. The dialogue is very clever
and funny, and is also very well delivered. The only questionable voice
is the one for Agnus, but that's probably because I hate his guts. The
sound is very unique, and is just as uber stylized as the cutscenes.
I know I've been complimenting this game on the other four categories,
but the game play is what makes me love this game. The game is damn
near perfect when it comes to this. You play as Nero, and as Dante, but
I'll get to playing as Nero first.
Nero has a lack of weapons in his arsenal,but he still brings it. He
has a sword, a pistol with unlimited ammo, and a possessed right arm,
which he uses to grab enemies, toss them around, and rip them to
shreds. You'll come up with a lot of creative combos. My favorite while
playing with Nero was tossing enemies up in the air with my sword,
jumping up to them, hitting them to the ground, grabbing them up to me
with my arm(devil bringer), and tossing them to the ground again using
my devil bringer. Of course, the variety of enemies causes you to come
up with new combos that you'll need to use.
As Dante, who you get to play as halfway through the game, everything
is changed. You no longer have the devil bringer, but you do have some
really cool stuff. You have 4 different styles to use. There's
trickster, which allows you to dodge attacks faster than normal,
Royalgarde, which lets you block almost anything, Swordmaster, and
Gunslinger. Everybody has their favorite style, as mine was trickster.
However, you'll need to change your style frequently to adjust to the
enemies. Dante has his large sword, Rebellion, his twin pistols, Ebony
and Ivory, Coyote, his shotgun, and the coolest thing in the history of
the world. But I won't spoil that.
Dante also has 3 different weapons. Rebellion, of course, but he also
has 2 others that are very helpful for certain situations. Switching
weapons is made possible on the fly, due to the L2 and R2 buttons. Due
to the sensitivity of the buttons, this is a breeze to pull off, and it
becomes essential.
What's really cool about DMC 4 is the lack of realism, while
maintaining the fun. When you shoot at an enemy in the air, they will
remain in the air as long as you continue to shoot. Same goes for you,
if you are in the air, and you shoot, you will stay in the air. It adds
to the uniqueness of the game, and again, its something that's really
appreciated. Some people may not like it, but I certainly loved it.
You can pull the right trigger to lock on to enemies, and the game's
controls are very responsive, keeping everything dynamic. Locking on is
essential for combat, and you'll use it frequently.
There are a ton of combos you can purchase throughout the game, and you
can refund them for other ones, if they don't work out. I've played for
just over 15 hours, and I've barely scratched the surface. You can
upgrade everything you have, and it's incentive to get you to be
stylish in your play.
There are a few puzzles, but they are just lumps in the gameplay dominated by the swordswinging, and gun shooting.
There is never a dull fight in DMC 4. Due to the number of combos
available, every single fight will be interesting and fun. The boss
fights are proof of this. There are about 6 bosses throughout the game,
and you fight each on at least twice. However, they never get old. It
sound repetitive, but it just isn't, because of how much fun it is and
the style that each fight brings.
The combat is just flat out fun. It is the best aspect of the game. The
animations are all fluent, and each enemy has a way of being taken
down. The fun is figuring that out, then executing on your plan. The
combos that you can pull off, will sometimes have your jaw hit the
floor, because it was just so cool and satisfying.
The latter difficulties are actually very hard. The last one, actually
being on par with Ninja Gaiden in terms of difficulty. Meaning, when
you complete the game, you feel like you have accomplished something.
You really need to think about what you are doing.
The only real issue about the gameplay is the camera. It can be at the
worst of places at times, taking you out of the action for a second
while you adjust it. The other issue about that, is when you go into a
room, the fixed camera changes, and sometimes you'll be running in the
opposite direction. This sometimes has you running into a room, then
running out just as fast. It gets annoying, but you'll get the hang of
it.
Even though I've never played any other Devil May Cry games, I
absolutely love Devil May Cry 4. The game is polished to a shine, it's
very pretty and unique to look at, the gameplay is fast and furious,
the story is fantastic and classy, and there are a ton of extras enough
to bring you back for 3 or 4 outings. If you are a fan of fun games,
look no further than Devil May Cry 4. It is one of the best action
games I've ever played, and it belongs in your console. Everything
about this game, will have you feeling like a total stud while playing.
