Devil May Cry 4 - 9/10
Way back in 2001 when we were just unwrapping our brand spanking new PS2s, no title caught us off guard and blew everybody away in a meltdown of rip roaring gothic gun and sword based action like Capcoms maverick new franchise, Devil May Cry, it was sublime, hardcore, pure rock n roll, demon slaying bonanza full of Inferno's most feared demons, sleazy neon lit nightclubs from hell, hot gothic girls and gameplay so stylish, you were even given a comment/ranking for showing off, it encouraged the gamer to be cool, it made action games worthwhile again and it bought a whole new meaning to gaming and the genre of action/adventure. Devil May Cry 4 has made its next gen debut on PS3 and Xbox 360, but can it reinvent the genre once more? Can it tower above the heights that the original DMC reached? Well, its up against some tough competition in this day an age, and even now, the series still packs a hellish punch of fury and if the breath taking intro sequence doesnt tell you otherwise, than nothing will.
The rebellious gun slinging goth rocker type teen is back, im talking about Dante, you know the guy, son of Sparda? Silver hair? The blood red crimson trench coat? The metal buckled straps on his boots? The demonic brat who has a penchant for style, surfing on a demon while eaten away at a slice of pizza? Or shooting a satanic puppet from behind his head while smashing that nearby jukebox for some heavy metal death rock? The youthful demon hunter who takes all the evil jobs at his sleazy bar? I think you know the guy now, possibly one of the coolest, sleekest video game characters ever crafted. If you thought he was a snazzy mover and show off before, then you havent seen nothing yet.
Nero - The evil mature, confident twin demon half of Dante, Nero is the over confident cool counterpart of Dante, and the proud wielder of the Blue Rose revolver
Kyrie - The typical soft spoken innocent sinister, soon-to-be-rescued girl of the game, Kyrie is a beautiful singer and is like a sister to Dante.
Dante - The games lead character, satans son, the ladies man Dante, this guy is all about Rock'n roll and style, with his coiffed silver hairstyle he is the type of cosplayer dude that would win many hearts in Tokyo.
Trish - The blonde trashy moody leather clad goth babe, Trish, from the original DMC who shows off a scary resemblance to Dante's mother.
Lady - Yet another dark spunky hot sleazy flirtatious type, complete with the spikey biker chick hairstyle, sultry attire adormed with big whorish knee high cowgirl boots. She was quite fond of shooting Dante in the face and running him over on her Motorcycle in DMC3, has she changed?
Agnus - The monocle eyed grim Chief Alchemist who plays an important role of the Holy Knights and the kidnapping of Kyrie.
Credo - The spoon faced, pointy chin, forked bearded General of the Holy Knights, can he be trusted?
Gloria - Voluptious, busty, stylish acrobatic exotic warrioress, good or evil? Either way, her ice cold eyes, thick lips, snow white hair, oversized shirt potatoes, dark skin and white flamboyant outfit will more than widen the demonic eye, if looks could kill.
So what makes DMC4 such a top quality action extravaganza? Well, there is a number or reasons really, but the one that really stands out is the depth and style of the combat. Earlier on you're given 3 choices of weaponry, your Rebellion sword, your Ebony & Ivory guns and that powerful blue flamed glove * which can be used to latch onto points and can swing you across large areas, this demonic arm also allows you to literally grab/pick up demons and chuck them around like confetti or slam them hard onto the turf* These three weapons can result in some awesome combo juggles if used correctly, for example, you can smash the enemies skyward with your arm of fury, pepper them with a hail of bullets while they're still airborne, then slash them apart with your sword swipes, it all moves so fast and so stylishly, so although the combo chains can get very samey and reused countless times, they're always gorgeous to watch in motion.
Some of weapons and powers you're gifted with a jaw stiffingly good, one of the stand-out weapons *Gunslinger style* would be the Pandora gun which is pretty much a briefcase which can be formed into a bowgun and can even fire rockets, Pandora can do so much more as well, it can be used as like a boomarang that wastes enemies than comes homing back to you, it can be used as a laser canon and whilst airborne it transforms into a battleship, blasting enemies with its homing rockets. It is like a toybox from hell, and you will never tire of it, if this deathbox doesnt pleasure you alone, then the other styles most surely will. Gunslinger style also allows our heroic hellboy to wield a beautiful Blue Rose revolver and a *Coyote* sawed off shotgun which also has its stylish traits such as firestorm which has Nero doing a 360 spin, upside down whilst airborne literally raining bullets down at his foes, the colour and pizzaz this move offers alone is like an out of control fireworks display.
Then we have the Devil Arms, this will have any style mad gamer grinning from ear to ear, the Beuwolf gun is back from previous DMC games and it works a treat, its incredibly powerful but its only downfall would be how slow it is to charge, it can be quite annoying at times trying when you're just about to get that shot off and you're sliced by nearby fiends. Then their is Lucifer, a style which is pretty much fully relient on floating blades which can manipulate your enemies pattern, this style is one of my faves but it is very difficult to master, for the less action junkies, gunslinger is the way to go, which will make you feel like Clint Eastwood in Hell.
Finally there is the Trickster category of styles, this is like an all you can eat buffet of stylish acts and skills. This array of of combat will most certainly have a trickling of warm saliva down your chin when you pull off some of these circus stunts, Air hikes, aerial dances, turbo running dashes as well as offerings from Royal Guard and Dark Slayer categories. Some of my faves from these styles would be the *Dreadnaught* skill which allows Nero to freeze himself into a shell temporarily preventing him from any enemy damage. You could almost write a scroll of DMC4's combos and styles, but you would be writing for hours, this is one indepth count of devil dancing abilities and all of them have their strengths and weaknesses. Make no mistake, surfing on enemies or using demons heads as stepping stones is the very least of the raving action on offer and you will know if you're showing off too much when comments like "Sick" or "Awesome" in flashy fonts start rushing onscreen to remind you how hardcore crazy you are. This stylish ranking system really does feel awarding to the player and it also encourages multiple play throughs so you can better your overall ranking.
Any fan of the DMC games will feel right at home with DMC4, not alot has changed in the scheme of things and from last gen to next gen move. The weapons are familiar as are the bright pulsating orbs you collect, red orbs allow you to buy styles/weapons, green orbs fill up your health bar, yellow orbs allow you continues after death and 4 blue orb fragments result in a life bar gauge advancement, Holy Waters does damage to all onscreen enemies whilst small, medium and large Vital Stars replendish your health. Not alot has changed in the items regard of the series, but that is hardly a bad thing, and these small details didnt require altering any way.
Some of the environments Dante and Nero hike through are stunningly detailed and lush to gaze at. Some areas feel like you have stepped on the set of a My Chemical Romance scene. Some missions range from lavish gothic cathedrals, sweeping castles amidst dunes of snow during a full moon night, sleazy neon lit european plaza streets, gothic gardens filled with breathtaking architecture, rippling water fountains and crimson roses, dockside depots that show off a beautiful sunset peering over the still ocean and forest valley areas full of dark pine twisty leafless trees and mahogany woods. I only wish there was loads more of the underworld missions, the pulsating walls and coils of intestines as you wade through the contents of somethings body, shows off some awesome effects, i feel they needed more of this kind of mission structure, but its not a big issue. Some of the interior environments would make a posh pale white, blood fanged dracula proud, immaculate gothic manors with valour-covered walls, rooms with ominous satanic statues, high curved ceilings, long curvy hallways decorated with chandeliers, flickering candles and delegate ornate windows. It almost feels like you have stepped foot inside a goths apartment. All environments stem with velvet textures and vivid moods resulting in visuals that reeks of sex and class.
SPOILER ALERT!
Enemy variety is as mad as usual, Capcoms previous titles have given us some crazy minions from possessed marrionet puppets, hoof legged goat warriors, giant lava/molt scorpions *Phantom from DMC* and shape shifting cats from hell. The menu is no different with DMC4, there is a slate full of nasties to murder in DMC4, demonic jesters with scythes for legs, white supernatural knights, armored reptilian lizard warriors, huge hornets blanketed in black mist, demonic scarecrows, flamed hell hounds, and frost ice demons just to name a few. Then there is the boss battles, noone does it better then DMC4 when it comes to classy battles with these behemoths from the underworld, some standouts include the battle with Buriel, a huge flamed minotaur, you brawl with this lava pony in a rural town area, just watching this beast gallop through houses will have you stunned, its huge blade, the fire flickering off its tail, overall, it is brilliant! The action only heats up more against the other boss battles, the fight with Echidna * an evil ivy/plant woman stuffed inside a rose petal is glorious, as she penetrates underground and hovers around trees like a giant snake. And dont get me started on Bael, a giant demonic frog which tries to swallow you whole with its tunnel sized mouth. This flabby leviathan is far from small either. The final boss is the big crowd pleaser though, this fight pretty much has Nero climbing a giant statue that is screen swallowing in size, its amazing for a game to pump out such moments like these, this final battle alone makes Ninja Gaiden Sigma's bosses look rather weak in comparison.
Visually, the game is one of the sexiest beasts seen on PS3, the locations you bolt through are beautifully constructed and stunningly authentic, bursting with detail, and the characters and monsters are highly realistic, some of the cut scenes even look like they match the brilliance of MGS4, a big achievement in itself. Its definitely one of the show pony's of 2008, this one is a real looker and will dazzle and wow you in more ways than one. Vocally the game is great as well, Kyries singing is quite beautiful and as you slaughter the demons that hell has spawned, the death rock tunes begin to play, and they really suit the mood of the game, audio fits in with the action superbly.
Overall, DMC4 is everything a true DMC fan expected, some of the slickest stylish fast paced rip roaring action you can have in a game, insane combos, inventive weaponry, nasty boss battles, fantastic characters all wrapped up in gorgeous visuals. Sure the game can get abit repetitive at times, but thankfully, variety in the combat breaks things up abit. The 20 minutes you are forced to wait during the games installation process can be a right pain, but after the 20 mins has passed, you simply wont care and that dreaded load screen will be a distant memory when you start causing havoc with your gifted arsenal. Dont expect anything entirely different, because truth be told, little to nothing has changed, but do expect DMC with faster stylish action and next gen visuals. Which is worth the price tag for all, new or old to the series.
Submitted by callan5
08/02/2008
23
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