Deal with the Devil
We have played Devil May Cry 4. We will now dispense with our excited impressions. Please to be readings them.
Published: May 1, 2007
Hopefully by now all the but the most retarded of fanboys have calmed the eff down about Devil May Cry 4 becoming a multi-platform game. In truth, it's not really a huge deal, and now more people are going to be able to enjoy the game, but regardless of what platforms it's going to, the one Capcom is showing off is the PlayStation 3, and a few weeks ago, we got a chance to dig into an updated version of the demo shown of at the Tokyo Game Show last year.
Since TGS, not a whole lot has changed to be honest, but then we weren't able to offer Arms-on impressions of that build of the game (and thus can't really do the ol' compare/contrast, though that hardly matters at this point). The few changes that were added are the return of the Frost enemies from the first game (who can now teleport toward Nero, the game's new hero, leaving a damaging trail of ice in their wake as well as cocoon themselves in blocks of ice to regain health), and of course an updated brawl with the massive flame monster known as Bariel.
But that's probably getting a little ahead of things. We should probably start at the beginning. In a now-infamous twist, the fourth game in Capcom's stylish action series will not have Dante, the sarcastic hotshot half-demon that was the frontman for the first three games. Instead, a young man named Nero is at the fore, aided not by innate demonic powers, but a Devil Arm, a ethereal arm that can reach out to grab enemies, slamming them into the ground, pulling them toward Nero or swinging them around before chucking them a hundred feet away. Most enemies in the game have a Devil Arm-specific attack, which helps mix things up, but nearly every moving thing that can be shot can be reeled in with the Arm as well, which makes for some absolutely killer juggles when coupled with the game's classic combo system.
It's probably worth mentioning that folks that played the last three games will likely have little trouble getting re-acquainted with the combat. You can still lock onto enemies and then use the left analog stick to dash at them with a sword strike or lift them into the air for maximum juggle potential. All of the same controls for Dante are more or less mapped to Nero, but there's the addition of the Devil Arm's attacks with the other shoulder button now.
What this means is a series of fluid ranged and melee attacks can be mixed up; it's easy to lock onto an enemy and unload on them with Nero's lone double-barreled revolver (as opposed to Dante's twin semi-auto pistols) as you close the distance, give them a few slashes with a sword then upper-cut them with it, rising along for the ride, then a few more slashes, use the Devil Arm to slam them into the ground then pull them back up and deliver a few more slashes before finally dusting 'em.
All of the previous game's rolls and dodges work just as well here too, but Nero's agility isn't limited to just rolling around. The Devil Arm allows him to reach out and grab specific far-off points, leaping massive distances in seconds. We got to test this out as we leapt from rooftop to rooftop, bypassing the throngs of waiting baddies chilling below. It also helped us leap from one dock to another in the game's absolutely stunning seaport level. Though it might sound like a bolted-on extra move, when combined with the already familiar combat, the Devil Arm actually feels like a natural evolution of things. It's going to be hard to go back to "plain" ol' Dante -- who has been confirmed to be playable in the game, we found out, likely as an unlockable extra, and now his various styles from Devil May Cry 3 can be toggled instantly with the d-pad on the SIXAXIS.
Since TGS, not a whole lot has changed to be honest, but then we weren't able to offer Arms-on impressions of that build of the game (and thus can't really do the ol' compare/contrast, though that hardly matters at this point). The few changes that were added are the return of the Frost enemies from the first game (who can now teleport toward Nero, the game's new hero, leaving a damaging trail of ice in their wake as well as cocoon themselves in blocks of ice to regain health), and of course an updated brawl with the massive flame monster known as Bariel.
But that's probably getting a little ahead of things. We should probably start at the beginning. In a now-infamous twist, the fourth game in Capcom's stylish action series will not have Dante, the sarcastic hotshot half-demon that was the frontman for the first three games. Instead, a young man named Nero is at the fore, aided not by innate demonic powers, but a Devil Arm, a ethereal arm that can reach out to grab enemies, slamming them into the ground, pulling them toward Nero or swinging them around before chucking them a hundred feet away. Most enemies in the game have a Devil Arm-specific attack, which helps mix things up, but nearly every moving thing that can be shot can be reeled in with the Arm as well, which makes for some absolutely killer juggles when coupled with the game's classic combo system.
It's probably worth mentioning that folks that played the last three games will likely have little trouble getting re-acquainted with the combat. You can still lock onto enemies and then use the left analog stick to dash at them with a sword strike or lift them into the air for maximum juggle potential. All of the same controls for Dante are more or less mapped to Nero, but there's the addition of the Devil Arm's attacks with the other shoulder button now.
What this means is a series of fluid ranged and melee attacks can be mixed up; it's easy to lock onto an enemy and unload on them with Nero's lone double-barreled revolver (as opposed to Dante's twin semi-auto pistols) as you close the distance, give them a few slashes with a sword then upper-cut them with it, rising along for the ride, then a few more slashes, use the Devil Arm to slam them into the ground then pull them back up and deliver a few more slashes before finally dusting 'em.
All of the previous game's rolls and dodges work just as well here too, but Nero's agility isn't limited to just rolling around. The Devil Arm allows him to reach out and grab specific far-off points, leaping massive distances in seconds. We got to test this out as we leapt from rooftop to rooftop, bypassing the throngs of waiting baddies chilling below. It also helped us leap from one dock to another in the game's absolutely stunning seaport level. Though it might sound like a bolted-on extra move, when combined with the already familiar combat, the Devil Arm actually feels like a natural evolution of things. It's going to be hard to go back to "plain" ol' Dante -- who has been confirmed to be playable in the game, we found out, likely as an unlockable extra, and now his various styles from Devil May Cry 3 can be toggled instantly with the d-pad on the SIXAXIS.
