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Devil May Cry 4

Published: Sat 23 Feb, 2008 | On:

Veins have been pulsing, trigger-fingers itching and fan-boys and have screaming (in anger) over Capcom’s next installment in the Devil May Cry series. Despite its shift to the cross-platform status, Devil May Cry 4 is a great game through and through. It retains its classic elements that made it so popular since the original game on PS2, with fast and stylish over the top action, light-hearted characters with a dark sense of humour, fat metal beats and a gameplay system that demands you to harden up or ‘abandon all hope’. But, like I always say, no game is perfect.

Devil May Cry 4 is very much the MGS2 of the Devil May Cry series. It introduces a brand new character named Nero, a member of the Order of the Sword, who you’ll have control over for the majority of the game, as your given an objective view of Dante, the franchises main hero. The basic plot is that Nero is in a middle of a religious service when Dante jumps through the roof and assassinates the head priest, and Nero immediately gives chase after Dante’s retreat. This switch in a main character is hardly a problem if you were a fan of Dante’s mannerisms, because Nero is so similar aesthetically and character-wise that you won’t even care. The plot holds some really strong moments for the most part and left me feeling soft inside, but the overall goal that your trying to achieve sometimes seems blurry and most of the time you don’t even know what your working towards .The pacing is a little off too, while not hugely, its still noticeable.

DMC4 in terms of gameplay, acts as a boy’s initiation into manhood. The combat is furious, hard, and if you don’t have the reflexes of a caffeinated chimpanzee, you might begin to wish you had pre-ordered the video game edition of Bratz instead. Combat runs how it always has in the series, except Nero and Dante play very differently from one another. Nero only has one style, a sword with a full-blown turbo engine and a double barreled revolver. But what makes DMC4 stand out from the rest is the inclusion of Nero’s Devil Bringer. In short, this deformed limb can be summed up as ‘The Ass Kicker’. With it you can grab enemies (and even bosses) and beat them senseless with it until they forget who their mother is, an attempt by the developer to make the game more accessible to newcomers. It can also be used to hop from one place to another. However, Dante’s combat style is just like we remember from former offerings, with one notable difference. You can now switch styles on the fly, giving you access to a crazy amount of combos if strung together properly, adding a lot more depth to the system. The puzzles as always remain fun and original, with perhaps…a few too many dices.

Along with unforgiving enemies comes an unforgiving upgrade system. Though still sadistically evil like in the last game, has been improved upon. Before there was only one currency, called red orbs, all of which you would loose if you died, and that hasn’t changed. Now red orbs apply only for items, if you want to upgrade your weapons and styles you’ll have to use proud souls, which are points that you receive at the end of a mission, and the amount you get depends on your performance. How well you do is ranked old school fashion and can be anything between D and SSS. D means your having a really crappy day and that Bratz game isn’t starting to look so bad now, while SSS means that I’m shouting you a ripping good cup of joe at the Brownie later, Huzzah!

Despite this awesome gameplay, once thing still remains, occasional camera issues. Inherited from Devil May Cry 3, the camera can disorient you when it switches angles, forcing you to also change the direction you move the analog stick. The problem is that it completely changes the perspective of the game, and often you’ll find yourself accidentally shifting between camera angles because of the required change in direction. Like the game’s pacing, its not a huge dilemma, but still annoying.

While the core gameplay is relatively challenging. A forgiving tutorial mode on the first level eases newcomers into the game, as to not drive them away completely. Hardcore fans will still be pleased with the difficulty levels available, but the opening level will still remind them of their first day of kinder-garden.

With all this cool gameplay and combat, you really have to compliment it with a great soundtrack that makes you want to…kill stuff. Fortunately the developer was decent enough to include an entire tracklist of techno and pop music……that’s what would have happened if this game was made by Namco’s Ridge Racer team, but thankfully this is Capcom, and they love their metal! The hardcore recording that we’ve all known to love returns, and as always, it fits the bill. Aiding that sense of adrenaline pumping demon dismembering. And as usual the voice acting is top-notch, some of the best in the industry.

Visually, DMC4 is quite a feat to look at. Character models look spectacular with exquisite detail, and the Gothic art direction is always expected in a Devil May Cry title. However, this is where the game holds some of its more obvious faults. Shadows are poorly rendered, and often shake or move strangely. The lighting effects are great, but a little too great. There were times in the outdoor environments (particularly the forest) where I experienced an extreme case of uber bloom. The high definition range lighting was so high that you literally can’t see the floor properly because of the reflections, somewhat problematic in combat.

Unfortunately, my complaints don’t stop there. The PS3 version requires an installation of 5GB before you can play the game. This takes about twenty minutes to complete. Its not a big issue, buts it certainly something we didn’t ask for. At least your treated to a history of the series while you wait.

The game also has a serious hitch with back-tracking. Once you get halfway through the game, you go back two spaces and do not collect $200. You’ll find yourself playing through the same environments again as Dante, fighting the same bosses; doing the same levels…giving the cocky metrosexual the short end of the stick. Its like watching the sixth sense once, then doing it again the next day when your drunk expecting it to be different. Sure you’ll see things in a new way, but the founding content will still be the same. The only upside to this is…you get to play as Dante, who keeps these levels somewhat fresh with his unique gameplay mechanics and sarcasm, but its still no excuse for artificially extending the games length.

Gratefully, Devil May Cry 4 is not a short experience. The story will take you anywhere between 16-18 hours to complete. Various difficulty modes keep you coming back for more (if your brave enough). A new survival mode is included, as well as online leaderboards which will keep some hooked for hours.

Don’t let the little things scare you off from this game. Sure it has a few technical problems, minor camera issues and if you can get past the tedious level design then you’ve got nothing to loose (except for $130). A pretty decent and memorable story, along with great visuals, compelling sound and a combat system that will leave you feeling slightly less masculine, are all great reasons to pick up this title. If you’ve played the series before, then definitely add this to your ‘must get before I do anything else list’, if you haven’t, then still pick it up anyway, just know that it will kick you hard in the gluteus.