Devil May Cry 4 (PC) review"The Devil May Cry series hasn't exactly been consistent. While the original game was a unique and ultra-stylish masterpiece, the second outing was a universally reviled mess. The third game had the gameplay back on track, but was deemed too tricky by all but the most hardcore of action fans. It turns out that the fourth time's the charm, because Devil May Cry 4 is as good as the self-proclaimed "hard stylish action" franchise has ever been. " |
The Devil May Cry series hasn't exactly been consistent. While the original game was a unique and ultra-stylish masterpiece, the second outing was a universally reviled mess. The third game had the gameplay back on track, but was deemed too tricky by all but the most hardcore of action fans. It turns out that the fourth time's the charm, because Devil May Cry 4 is as good as the self-proclaimed "hard stylish action" franchise has ever been.
DMC4 boots Dante out of the starring role, replacing him with a half-demon named Nero who sports near-identical looks and a bad attitude. Dante isn--t absent, mind you, as he starts the game off with a bang when he pays a visit to the religious group, The Order of the Sword, and puts a bullet in their leader--s head. As a member of the group, Nero is none too pleased with this turn of events and sets off in pursuit of Dante, fighting legions of uncooperative demons in the process. In typical DMC fashion, the story is the video game equivalent of a Summer popcorn movie. It--s over-the-top, revels in its absurdity and, thanks to some slick cut-scenes, is spectacularly fun to follow.
While the engrossing storyline certainly doesn't hurt, Devil May Cry will always be about the gameplay. This is the series that pioneered the stylish action genre and advanced it to where it is today, so it--s no surprise that this fourth installment ups the ante even more. Nero battles his demonic foes with a gun and a sword duo, just as Dante did, and these two weapons alone provide you with a wealth of combos and techniques to employ. Change is a good thing, though, and that's where Nero's arm, the Devil Bringer, comes in. In addition to slashing and shooting, you can now grab a foe and toss them into the ground, or pull them over to your location (even in the air) and launch a barrage of attacks. Since your enemies are always within reach (quite literally), there--s never a moment of downtime in combat, keeping the tension at a constant high. The battle system also brings with it a series of subtleties, like the ability to rev up your sword to strengthen your attack and a bevy of upgradeable abilities and techniques, so needless to say, violence has seldom been this deep.
Community review by Daisuke02 (July 11, 2008)
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