Tears of Joy
Devil May Cry 4 is finally here, and boy was it worth the wait.
Published: March 16, 2008
Hey, here's a fun game: count how many Devil May Cry 4 reviews start with some kind of commentary about how PlayStation owners cried bitter tears when one of their core 3rd party franchises became multiplatform. Now, uh, add another, I guess, because we just mentioned it too. Crap. The storied course of DMC4 from exclusive darling to two console action epic honestly isn't important to anyone beyond console warriors (and snide little jerk critics who try to seem above all that by poking fun at the ridiculousness of it all while keeping the references going), but what is important is that the game rocks. No, seriously, it's awesome.
This probably won't come as a surprise to anyone who played the first game, then wept through the second and raged during the third (all before being calmed by the easier difficulty and tweaks of the Special Edition re-release). Despite being a little uneven in terms of execution, the over-the-top nature of the series has always been one of its strongest suits and from the moment we watched a platinum blond dude with demon arm slam a fire demon 10 times his size into the ground face-first, we knew good things were coming.
Well, it's here now, finally, and yes, Devil May Cry 4 is a return to form for the series -- as impressive as the first game in terms of cinematics, boss designs and overall pacing, while being tweaked juuuust enough that while difficult, the game isn't so infuriatingly difficult that you'll throw the controller down an walk away. At the risk of sounding like a blasphemer, it's a little like Ninja Gaiden (or maybe more appropriately God Hand) in that the game can be tough, but not entirely unfair, though DMC4 is all too eager to drop the difficulty automatically if you happen to die enough times (not without penalizing your final end-level grade, mind you).
What this means is that the player is able to enjoy the game for the most part without getting needlessly hung up in some areas. Yes, some of the puzzle design can be a little obtuse here and there, and some boss battles are initially a little confusing, but sussing out what's needed isn't going to stop most gamers for long. It also means the game's core attraction, the so-called "stylish action," has a chance to really shine -- particularly because the character you'll play as through the majority of the game, Nero, plays so differently from series hero Dante.
Yes, they share basic moves in that they can jump, slash with a sword and fire a weapon, but beyond that the two are actually quite different. Nero's demon arm can be upgraded to the point where it actually becomes a tool for juggling enemies and keeping himself aloft, while Dante's ability to switch between four styles with the d-pad gives him an insanely deep number of moves. It actually creates a slightly jarring moment when the game finally decided to switch up main characters (and stupidly sends you back through the levels in reverse), but I frankly enjoyed the variety that came with learning two different characters, and I honestly can't tell you which one I like more. I like 'em both, though for different reasons.
The main draw, of course, is that both characters have some part of them that is fueled by demon blood, and that equates to absolutely insane acrobatics. Whenever Dante and Nero do end up clashing, the results are often on par with the most elaborate fight scenes from some huge anime clash. They're thrown dozens of feet, impaled, sliced, shot at and kicked in the face to hilarious effect, but that's exactly why the game is so fun; half the appeal is seeing how enemies are dismissed with some kind of smart-assed remark and a fancy display of ridiculous power (seriously, we're talking about a game where you earn a suitcase called Pandora that can transform into a giant floating tank that attacks with what can only be described as a missile orgy).
This probably won't come as a surprise to anyone who played the first game, then wept through the second and raged during the third (all before being calmed by the easier difficulty and tweaks of the Special Edition re-release). Despite being a little uneven in terms of execution, the over-the-top nature of the series has always been one of its strongest suits and from the moment we watched a platinum blond dude with demon arm slam a fire demon 10 times his size into the ground face-first, we knew good things were coming.
Well, it's here now, finally, and yes, Devil May Cry 4 is a return to form for the series -- as impressive as the first game in terms of cinematics, boss designs and overall pacing, while being tweaked juuuust enough that while difficult, the game isn't so infuriatingly difficult that you'll throw the controller down an walk away. At the risk of sounding like a blasphemer, it's a little like Ninja Gaiden (or maybe more appropriately God Hand) in that the game can be tough, but not entirely unfair, though DMC4 is all too eager to drop the difficulty automatically if you happen to die enough times (not without penalizing your final end-level grade, mind you).
What this means is that the player is able to enjoy the game for the most part without getting needlessly hung up in some areas. Yes, some of the puzzle design can be a little obtuse here and there, and some boss battles are initially a little confusing, but sussing out what's needed isn't going to stop most gamers for long. It also means the game's core attraction, the so-called "stylish action," has a chance to really shine -- particularly because the character you'll play as through the majority of the game, Nero, plays so differently from series hero Dante.
Yes, they share basic moves in that they can jump, slash with a sword and fire a weapon, but beyond that the two are actually quite different. Nero's demon arm can be upgraded to the point where it actually becomes a tool for juggling enemies and keeping himself aloft, while Dante's ability to switch between four styles with the d-pad gives him an insanely deep number of moves. It actually creates a slightly jarring moment when the game finally decided to switch up main characters (and stupidly sends you back through the levels in reverse), but I frankly enjoyed the variety that came with learning two different characters, and I honestly can't tell you which one I like more. I like 'em both, though for different reasons.
The main draw, of course, is that both characters have some part of them that is fueled by demon blood, and that equates to absolutely insane acrobatics. Whenever Dante and Nero do end up clashing, the results are often on par with the most elaborate fight scenes from some huge anime clash. They're thrown dozens of feet, impaled, sliced, shot at and kicked in the face to hilarious effect, but that's exactly why the game is so fun; half the appeal is seeing how enemies are dismissed with some kind of smart-assed remark and a fancy display of ridiculous power (seriously, we're talking about a game where you earn a suitcase called Pandora that can transform into a giant floating tank that attacks with what can only be described as a missile orgy).
