QJ.NET reviews Devil May Cry 4

Capcom‘s Devil may Cry 4 (PC, Xbox 360, PS3) is among the year’s most anticipated game releases and now that it’s out, we gave the game a thorough rundown. As you may guess, a lot of confidence on the series rests on this next-gen installment. The question now is whether or not Dante and Nero can deliver the goods. Our full review awaits after the jump.

There’s no doubt that the entire gaming scene owes Capcom a debt of gratitude for jolting new life into the stagnating hack and slash action genre back in 2001 with the introduction of the first Devil May Cry. The game took advantage of the new technology at the time and brought style, originality, and character to a form of gaming rich in history and tradition dating back to the old arcade days.

Devil May Cry eventually gave birth to a plethora of clones and two sequels that didn’t quite live up to its stature. Devil May Cry 2 was a big disappointment for many, with a lot of people whining about how tasteless it was compared to its predecessor. Devil May Cry 3 went back to the basics and added lots of cool stuff, bringing the series back on the right track. However, its unforgiving difficulty drove away members of the more casual crowd.

Enter the seventh generation of game consoles. Much has changed, but Capcom’s resolve to deliver a truly worthy Devil May Cry sequel remains the same. In the process, the series made a controversial move to go cross-platform, targeting a bigger audience than before with Devil May Cry 4 for the Sony  PS3 and the Microsoft Xbox 360. Does this one capture the elusive second bolt of lightning in a bottle, or is the series officially in decline territory? Read on and find out.

In with the old and new

Devil May Cry 4, as you may already know, introduces a new protagonist named Nero from the town of Fortuna. Nero and the townspeople belong to a religious organization called The Order of the Sword, which worships Dante’s father Sparda as a god. Sparda is a demon who betrayed his kind to save humanity 2,000 years ago, earning him mythic status among mortals and the ire of demons.

During a ceremony of the Order, Dante gatecrashes into Fortuna and takes out the religious leaders in his usual stylish fashion. Nero bears witness to the carnage and later sets out on a plot to kill Dante. What ensues is an elaborate storyline with lots of thrilling twists that make up a slightly more mature plot than its predecessors.

Though the spotlight is clearly on Nero in Devil May Cry 4, Dante is also playable in the latter parts of the story. Old characters Trish and Lady also make minor cameos to please series veterans. The cohesive storytelling is only questionable when you consider the voice acting. The entire script is a love it or hate it affair which can swing both ways depending on your taste and age group.

One thing we do appreciate is the contrasting personality setup of Nero and Dante. Where Dante has always been the insane extrovert with a mouthful of wisecracks, Nero is a bit more serious and discreet. This should balance things out for both the fun-loving and emo players out there.

One-liners, which have been a subject of much debate through the years, resonate throughout the quest. Again, how you’ll take them is entirely up to your kind of humor.

Juggling never gets old

It’s a foregone conclusion that the main draw of the Devil May Cry franchise has always been its deep fighting game-based mechanics that allow players to use swords and guns to perform eye-popping combos. Devil May Cry 4 makes no attempt to fix what isn’t broken and instead enriches the system with the inclusion of a whole new dimension. In addition to Nero’s sword Red Queen and his revolver Blue Rose, the new hero has a possessed arm called the Devil Bringer which opens up a slew of new possibilities.

The Devil Bringer is an extending spectral limb which can be used to pull enemies towards Nero, throw them across rooms, swing to places not reachable by jumping, and most importantly to extend air combos. The Devil Bringer is particularly fun when you get your combo timing down, allowing you to chain attacks for ultra high-hitting results.

While Dante fanboys may diss Nero for not having the same explosive arsenal of fighting styles that their hero has, Nero is far from being a slouch. The Blue Rose is a double-barrelled pistol that can be charged for an extra kick, while the Red Queen has a motor which allows you to do the cool new “Instant Rev” maneuver that delivers maximum punishment when timed correctly.

The impassiveness of the combo system when handling Nero is one of the deepest, if not the deepest experience of the sort in action games to date. It’s friendly enough to get casual gamers by foes with button mashing, but it’s challenging enough to keep veterans playing for the sake of perfection. The Instant Rev really sets the bar for excellence – trying to pull it off each and every time is incredibly addictive and requires lots of skill. The last time this blogger got that kind of fixation on a move was with Onimusha‘s Issen counter.

Dante fans won’t have to worry about young Nero stealing the thunder from Sparda’s younger son. If anything, Dante is better than ever. Sure, he doesn’t have the Devil Bringer, but his four styles of fighting make up an arsenal that’s unmatched in the Devil May Cry Universe. Trickster, Gunslinger, Sword Master, and Royal Guard are still intact, and switching is almost seamless, so feel free to make demon heads roll Dante-style one more time.

Upgrading weapons, purchasing items, and learning skills is done by trading orbs collected from monsters you killed. True to the Devil May Cry series style, this keeps replay value up by giving players a reason to farm orbs rather than avoid confrontations altogether.

Controls are as tight as ever both in the PS3 and Xbox 360 controllers. The same feeling of precision is omnipresent, making the fighting and platforming elements sharp. Overall, there’s no doubt that the combat depth of Devil May Cry 4 driven by excellent handles accounts for much of what makes the game great.

New weapons like the Dante’s backpack Lucifer add more flavor to the carnage. The Lucifer is a nasty little toy that spews out glowing blades to hapless foes, while the ultra-cool Pandora briefcase transforms itself into tools of mutilation that’s pretty useful when tackling enemies in the Human difficulty.

Do it with style

The visual design in Devil May Cry 4 lives up to expectations for the most part. We won’t say it’s got the best graphics in the industry today, but we’ll tell you that it’s easily an above average offering. The special effects are fantastic, the environments are nicely rendered, and the character models are impeccably smooth. Movements are fluid, and motion on character joints has been given attention. Barring some lighting issues, all is well with Devil May Cry 4’s visual presence.

There are, however, a few things that could have used better polishing. Occasional slowdowns have been observed, and the camera can go amiss when fast combat happens onscreen. While you do have control over it, having to adjust every now and then can be a chore.

If you’ve been keeping up with the pre-launch trailers of Devil May Cry 4, you may have noticed that the gothic-themed locations look breathtakingly expansive. You might be disappointed to know, however, that a lot of what you’ve seen are merely lovely backgrounds that you can’t explore. As a matter of fact, the whole trek through the game is almost completely linear.

Another gameplay issue is the abundance of backtracking in Devil May Cry 4. When you get to play as Dante, you’ll find yourself going over places and enemies that Nero already passed through. The most insane part of all this has to be the fact that you’ll be facing bosses in the game three times. Yes, three – which is probably a first in action gaming.

The final judgement

We felt that Devil May Cry 4 was a bit of a crucial installment for the series given how Devil May Cry 2 and Devil May Cry 3 were received. Capcom had something to prove with this next-gen offering, and we believe they delivered big time. Sure, this one’s not exactly a quantum leap from its older brothers, but it’s an exhilarating experience nevertheless.

When you analyze key areas like presentation, replayability, depth, and impassiveness, Devil May Cry 4 qualifies as one of the very best next-generation offerings to date. We definitely recommend a purchase regardless of whether you’ve played past iterations or not because it’s just that damn fun.

Buy: [ Devil May Cry 4 (360) ]
Buy: [ Devil May Cry 4 (PS3) ]
Buy: [ Devil May Cry 4 (PC) ]