Some gamers today will tell you that games are easier than their older
counterparts, that the translation into the third dimension sacrificed
difficulty for new gameplay possibilities. I have written this review
to tell you that is incorrect, and one of the best examples is this
game, which will challenge you throughout.
The gameplay experienced here is pure action, nothing less. You take
the roll of Dante, a half demon devil hunter who kicks ass first and
takes names later. You’ll spend a lot of time in combat, slashing
enemies with your sword of choice and spraying them with bullets from
the barrel of your gun. You can also pull off special moves by choosing
a style that corresponds to how you play the game. Want to do stealthy,
dodgy moves? It’s in here. Want to try just slashing away at
everything? They have that too. However, this doesn’t make the enemies
any easier in terms of difficulty. In fact, the difficulty here is so
unforgiving that even on easy mode you’ll experience controller
smashing difficulties. Even for the elite gamers, this game will take
an entire rental period to beat on easy, so renting this game is only
for those who wish to prove their status as a gamer. This painful
difficulty can be alleviated by Devil Trigger mode, an alternate form
to Dante that can only be unleashed through use of magic orbs,
regenerated by fighting. However, it does drain too fast for comfort.
There are also some rudimentary puzzles in this game, but unlike the
parent series, Resident Evil, who tried to give the puzzles as much a
spotlight as the horror, this game knows that it’s action before
puzzles.
The graphics in this game are just beautiful. The environments and
enemies are all based off gothic designs to fit in with the whole devil
theme. However, the Resident Evil still hasn’t been drained out
completely, with the annoying camera angles remaining at some points,
most notably at the beginning of Temen Ni Gru. But if the graphics
alone amaze, just wait until you see this game in action. Every
cutscene will be a graphical prowess of what the characters can pull
off, even when it’s somber and serious. Some examples are Dante
knocking over a pool table and striking all the balls in mid air by
hitting the cue ball and later using a motorcycle as a weapon to strike
down demons as he re-enters Temen Ni Gru.
But the music here sounds like a bad mix with the graphics, but works
surprisingly well. The soundtrack is actually dark metal, which works
well with the action-paced gameplay of the game. Each time you hear the
soundtrack kick in, your heart will rush as you fight your enemies,
especially when using the guitar weapon, which lets Dante pull off a
great guitar solo.
So, in short, for those who find current generation games lacking in
difficulty, try buying this game or renting it a couple of times.
You’ll come to see that some games actually have a hefty challenge, one
that will last you quite some time.
*originally posted July 26, 2006
