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Retracing an outdated formula for next generation results.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 32 / 37
Date: February 06, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Firstly, let me say that this game is wonderful, as the title of my review would lead you to believe otherwise. I have followed the DMC series since it's initial release in October of 2001, through the horrendous disappointment that was DMC 2 in 2003, and the controller-shattering goodness that was DMC 3 in 2005, so, it's safe to say that I had HIGH expectations (as most did/do) for this sequel. For fans of the original and the prequel, nostalgia will abound, both in good and bad ways, but for some gamers requesting an NG or GoW experience, well, you're not going to find that here. Instead, you're going to find gorgeous graphical presentations on BOTH systems, well done but sometimes cheesy voice acting, some back-tracking (think classic DMC and you'll get it), and completely offensive (as compared to defensive) gameplay filled with enough challenge to satisfy fan boys and newcomers alike.

My biggest complaint about Devil May Cry 4 is also my biggest praise: Old School. For whatever reason, the developers decided that recycling levels and bosses would be a great idea, and, in theory, it is, because you are using two different characters who play, suprisingly enough, rather differently during a majority of the confrontations . My first thought was that Nero is the "Richter Belmont" stand-in for the "Alucard" Dante, and I wasn't too far off. The possibilities of heavy-hitting, nasty looking combos out of Nero are almost endless, thanks to the inclusion of the whip-like Devil Bringer, whereas Dante, with the ability to switch weapons AND styles on the fly leaves ample opportunity for, we'll call it, ecclectic devil destruction. Seriously, the combat in this game is fast, fluid, and aggressive, and may take some getting used to for newcomers to the series. Don't think that I'm equating it to a Dynasty Warriors experience, but more like NG sans the defensive tactics.

The sound in the game, while not top quality or reinvented, fits the experience perfectly. Techno-Rock + Goth-Classical Music certainly add to the experience, considering the locales, which I'll get to later. If you're wanting a brief summary of the music for this game, just listen to any other DMC soundtrack and you'll be right at home. Also, the voice acting in this game is fabulous, in part due to the recruitment of Johnny Young Bosch as Nero, who, after Trigun, Bleach, and Wolf's Rain, to name a few, has had more than enough time to master the honing of paper characters into vocalized existence. Dante is played by the same voice actor that played him in DMC 3, so not much has changed in that dept. My only complaint comes in the form of the translation from Japanese to English, as some of the phrases uttered by the characters come off as silly, childish, or simply confusing. Outside of this, being a fan, I couldn't ask for anything more.

Graphically speaking, this game is pretty. It may not be Uncharted pretty or Mass Effect pretty, but, for a beat-em up game, they are more than enough to satiate the pixel gods. Character-wise, the game is polished and flowing, with hardly any aliasing, clipping, or tearing involved. Location-wise, the game shines, as each location, although there are few, evokes a distinct feeling once entered and explored. What I'm trying to say is that each locale has it's own vibe, that, if you let it, will suck you in, that is, until the back-tracking begins (again, remember old school DMC). My biggest complaint about the graphical presentation of this game comes in the form of shadowing. In some stages of the game, it resembles the blocky, almost super-deformed style of the original DMC, whereas, in others, the shadows are cast almost haphazardly, not appearing in their natural position at all. All in all, however, the graphics are truly a beautiful aspect of the game that do not hinder the enjoyment level of this game in many ways.

Overall, this game is a must buy for any action-adventure fan. Notice that I did not bash the game for the 20 minute install time (PS3 Only) or the fact that, in essence, this game is DMC 1 Redux. If you loved, missed, ranted, or raved about the old style of DMC, well, then you're in for a suprise, as Devil May Cry 4 delivers on all fronts with a retraced but enhanced formula that, while good and bad, has influenced games like God of War and Ninja Gaiden since the series' original inception in 2001. In the immortal words of some guy I'll never meet:

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Gameplay, Style, and Graphics are all fantastic

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 15 / 20
Date: February 16, 2008
Author: Amazon User

The latest in Capcom's Devil May Cry series, DMC4 introduces some new elements but keeps a lot of the styles and conventions that made Devil May Cry popular in the first place.

The story this time revolves around Nero, a member of The Order of the Sword, a group of holy knights that protects the world against demons. Nero sees Dante, the hero of the previous games, kill the holy leader of their order in the middle of a crowded sermon. After fighting Dante - the story's introductory battle, which ends in Dante leaving with a smart remark - Nero must protect the city from the incursion of demons that have overrun it. The mystery of the occurrences and the truth behind Dante's purpose runs deeper as the story progresses.

As mentioned, the main character is Nero, not Dante. However, for the most part, Nero is similar to Dante and Vergil - a white haired pretty-boy in a long coat with a sword and a gun. Nero has three main weapons - his sword, the Red Queen, his dual-barrel revolver, the Blue Rose, and his glowing demonic arm, the Devil Bringer. Each has its own purposes and abilities. The Red Queen is used for most of the game's combat. Besides combo attacks and the like, it can also be "revved up" like an engine (the sword's hilt resembles a motorcycle's handle) to increase its damage. The Blue Rose isn't as damaging as either of the other two weapons, but can be used to wear down enemies - particularly bosses - from a distance. The Devil Bringer is used for throws, but also functions as a grappling hook for use in certain areas and against large enemies. Fans of Dante need not fear, as he is playable as well in parts of the game, using the weapons and styles he possessed in previous games.

DMC4 has a lot of callbacks to old games - moreso than the others do, anyways. The presence of the female leads from DMC 1 and 3 ties connections to those games (the other ones simply acted like they weren't there, similar to Bond Girls) and the introduction of the almost hilariously sexualized Gloria adds a new face to the series. Despite the difference in character styles, Nero and Dante play fairly similar apart from a few differences. This makes Nero familiar to fans of Dante, and Dante familiar to people who have played only this game and played Nero. Finally, the difficulty options are classified as "Normal" and "Devil Hunter", the latter being for people who have played the previous games and are used to the difficulty level established by it.

The graphics are phenomenal in this game, especially in the cutscenes - this actually leads to some parts where the in-game fighting seems drastically overshadowed by the cutscene fighting. As a whole, the game is very nice to look at, with plenty of cool effects to add to the stylish combat system that DMC loves. The sound is pretty good, with a rock-and-roll soundtrack during fight scenes, but it's nothing particularly exceptional. On another technical note, while the installation on the PS3 version does take 20 minutes at the beginning, I noticed almost no loading time during the rest of the game - the entire thing was smooth and seamless.

The gameplay, style, and graphics in this game are all fantastic. Capcom definitely knows what people want from a DMC game, and 4 delivers. The only mitigating factor is, even with the "normal" difficulty level, DMC4 can still get insanely hard at times (outside of combat as well as in it). But, as a whole, DMC4 is a solid package with a lot to love, and if you're willing to invest the time and effort it's worth it.

9/10

Phenomenal

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 19
Date: February 07, 2008
Author: Amazon User

DMc is classic, old-school, combo-lovin' fun. The Human difficulty and Automatic combo options create an accessability that is open to gamers of all skill levels. The item collection, powerup options, and high score leaderboards make for some serious replayability. My favorite game ever is Castlevania: SoTN. The entire time I was playing DMC4, it seemed sort of like a spiritual successor. Castle Fortuna is almost as fun to hack and slash through as Dracula's castle in Castlevania. A must-buy for action/adventure fans.

best game since dmc3

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 8
Date: February 10, 2008
Author: Amazon User

this is one fun packing game. if you liked dmc3, you will love this. i could not stop playing. just a few minor cons though: a) too little collectible weapons, i wish this game would have more weapons to collect b) not enough gameplay with dante, just a few missions with him. c) it's in 720p not 1080p, but the graphics look pretty good so it doesn't really matter. other than that, it's a super cool game. love the cutscenes, love the new character "nero". get it now if you love hack and slash action/adventure.

More from an excellent series

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: February 27, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This game has always been visually stunning and continues this trend with the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 versions.

The one thing that's nicer about the PS3 version is that you can install the game for quicker load times. Otherwise, they're visually identical (as far as I can tell).

The gameplay has had some new features added that increase the diversity of the battles - that is, you can now grapple enemies and certain points on the map. This adds to the intensity of combos you can execute. The enemies are still as freaky as ever and the action goes pretty quick.

You should know that if you do not try to play with combos and styles of fighting, this game may seem repetitious. The combos are part of what add to the game - otherwise, you're just hacking and slashing. Some of the boss fights require you to be creative in order to not take damage. Kudos to Capcom for making sure we use our heads when playing.

I do not think it's necessary for you to have played through the previous Devil May Cry games to enjoy this one. And if you use the PS3 version and install it, they give you the back-story to catch you up. Great game!

DMC3 with next gen graphics

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: February 28, 2008
Author: Amazon User

The title says it all which is good and bad. The combat system is essentially the same as DMC 3 but tweaked, ok the whole game is essentially
the same as DMC 3 except for graphics which do not disappoint. Really that is a double edged sword, DMC vets like myself may be a little disappointed by the same old style but newcomers may love it. Honestly I skipped or did not pay attention to the story line on any of the games because its just so corny but the gameplay made up for that. This time around though the graphics are the only thing that has really changed- the bosses are kinda weak in that a 2 year old can figure out how to finish them off, gameplay is
REALLY WEAK considering it has not been changed so what does that leave you with? I know some people will disagree but really think has it changed at all from the standard hack and slash gameplay? Then comes dante which really feels like an afterthought, they just threw him in to make the die hard fans happy but kinda feels weak compared to nero. Honestly I am very disappointed with this game considering how awesome the original DMC was then how DMC 3 upped that so much(I pretend DMC 2 doesnt exist at all it was blasphemy to the DMC name) then comes this which feels dull and uninspired. All I have to say is rent it first(its totally worth the rent) if you can look past these things or are new to the series you probably will have a blast. Now im not saying this game sucks or anything like that just it really feels like capcom has ONLY upped the graphics and thats it.

Great way to start the year

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: February 08, 2008
Author: Amazon User

[...]One of the best games out since Uncharted last year. Everything is good from the story to the action. The combo system is very deep but it can be handled by "noobs" also due to the automatic combo system that is implemented. For the con, there are some parts of the game which feel hard as heck and sometimes feel like you can't get through them. Other than that I really can't find another fault with this game.

An excellent addition to my library and I recommend this to all PS3 owners.

_____________________

Carbonfrost Systems
www.carbonfrost.com
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A button masher's dream come true!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: June 23, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Okay, so we rented this game, and I was a bit leery. I haven't played any of the previous DMC's so I don't know the back story or how much fun they were... but this game was a trip! I am a button masher, I admit it, if things are coming at me with swords, or guns or whatever, my instinct says "Mash all of the buttons and hope something happens!" the good thing about this game is that it works! I was flying all over the place an destroying the bad guys.

So why not a 5 star game? Well the story was a bit convoluted, and the critters I was demolishing with my sword and demon arm were fairly repetitive... but it was a blast. The graphics were very good. The music was heavy metal-ish which didn't bother me because it felt like it went with the game.

Is this a must buy? Not really, but I would at least rent it for a fun time.

Note to parents - There is some language in here I would cringe if my 6 year old heard... and there are some cut scenes that appear to have a lot of sexual innuendo (one actually looked like a lesbian scene) and boobies do bounce on the overly large breasted women in this game. You have been warned.

Pros/Cons

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 12
Date: February 19, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Pros:
- Beautiful, next gen graphics
- Same old addictive combat system
- Gorgeous cut scenes
- Accessible difficulty
- A few neat boss battles

Cons:
- Nothing really new in terms of gameplay
- Short
- Easy
- Backtracking/Boss repeats

More of the same

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: July 12, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I just finished DMC4 and can't say I loved it. The graphics are great, but that is tarnished with so many screens being displayed with a fixed camera. The controls are solid and intuitive with all of the various combos being simple to pull off. Also, the difficulty settings are great. You can go masochisitc like DMC2 or you can make it a one button masher and play all the way through.

The main issues with DMC4 are story and reptitiveness. You've played these games and they have changed very little, regardless of the character you are controlling. When I booted up DMC on PS2 for the first time, I was blown away. The second stage after the tutorial starts out and there is immediate sense of Deja Vu, not awe and excitement. I also have a problem with the story. Unlike Drakes Fortune or Heavenly Sword, the story didn't compel me to finish, and since the game played identical to previous installments in the series, I only finished just to justify the money I spent on it. Not a good reason to play through a game.

DMC4 has some positives, just not enough to make it worth more than a rental.

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