DMC 4 proves great, not legendary

by Vivas Kaul, Staff Writer

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Devil May Cry has had a long and bumpy ride in its short franchise history. The series was created by Capcom, the famous game studio responsible for the Resident Evil game series. When the series first premiered in 2001 for the PS2 it was hailed as an instant classic. It was seen as a game that “made Resident Evil look like the slow zombie.” However, after a meteoric performance for the first installment, the sequel (DMC2) and prequel (DMC3) both received harsh criticisms from both critics as well as the gaming public. DMC2 was berated for its lack of compelling story coupled to absolutely atrocious gameplay. Shortly thereafter DMC3 received mixed reviews for its incredible increase in difficulty.

Now two years after the previous game, the gaming community finally gets to see the next chapter in the compelling saga of Dante, the self-employed demon hunter and owner and operator of Devil May Cry, in the first next-gen installment, Devil May Cry 4.

Like the previous games in the series, DMC4 follows the story of the demon hunter Dante. Dante is the son of the legendary demon knight Sparda, who switched allegiances in an attempt to atone for his past deeds and save humanity from the onslaught of the demon hordes from hell. Following in dear old dad’s footsteps is Dante, who, armed with his dual Berettas Ebony and Ivory (named for their colors), his father’s sword, demonic powers and a whole slew of other tricks, is a walking one-man army.

Perhaps one of the reasons that DMC as a series has had such a strange developmental story lies in the risks that Capcom takes with the franchise. However, unlike its predecessors, DMC4 seems to benefit in terms of its story and gameplay thanks to such inventive ideas.

For example, many players would expect to take control of Dante right off the bat as he heads into the city of Fortuna in order to assassinate the local leader, Sanctus. The narrative takes a turn though when we are introduced to Nero instead. In fact, it is Nero around whom the main portion of the game revolves. Nero is a member of a group of knightly demon hunters called the Order of the Sword. This brotherhood has sworn to protect the city of Fortuna from demons at all cost.

It also turns out that his romantic interest, Kyrie, is the sister of his long time comrade in arms, Credo. Nero believes Dante to be some kind of terrorist and, under orders from Credo, pursues Dante in an attempt to apprehend him. Unbeknownst to him, however, there are forces at work which will force these two sarcastic adversaries on a path to a common end that could mean the fate of both Fortuna and the world at large.

After an amazing opening sequence in which Dante bursts through a skylight and nails Sanctus in the head, a tutorial fight sequence ensues in which the player takes control of Nero. Using Nero in combat is vastly different than using Dante. Fans of DMC3 will remember that Dante possessed a range of styles which featured moves unique to that style set. Those same sets make their return in DMC4. The best part is that the player no longer has to pause the game in order to switch styles, as each is mapped to a different direction on the D-pad, providing for fast style changes on the fly.

Nero, by contrast, possesses his demonic arm, the Devil Bringer. What originally seemed like a risky idea turns into one of DMC4’s most enduring gameplay mechanics. The Devil Bringer is great for grabbing enemies and performing amazing combos on and off the ground.

Like its predecessors, DMC4 features a mission-based level system. Each mission takes place in a different closed area with its own map. Each mission packs its own set of enemies, puzzles and even bosses. Enemy groups thrown at the player in the later levels are larger than the first sets, yet thanks to a very clean and crisp combo-ing system, are easy to take down. Combo-ing is also important for how each mission is graded. At the end of each mission the player is given a score that determines his rank for that mission and how many proud souls he obtains. Souls can be used to upgrade equipment while collected orbs can be used to buy items.

Each of the environments is also very lush and vibrant. Textures are carefully modeled and landscapes range from city streets, creepy castles and lush green forests with no slowdown, and almost no load times between screens. Load times are further decreased on the PS3 version of the game, which requires its users to install files to the hard drive prior to playing. While this is somewhat annoying (and lasts for 20 freaking minutes), the payoff is ultimately worth the time.

Within each of these environments are scores of different enemies and bosses that are massive in scale. Fighting the bosses also becomes more strategic than before, as preserving your combo meter’s ranking is crucial to getting that S rank for a mission.

Moreover, the game features a slew of unlockable artwork, two additional characters and unlockable difficulty levels that range from expert to absolutely <explitive deleted> ridiculous. Many veterans of the series will also be happy to know that the initial difficulty levels are no where near as hard as DMC3. These are, of course, provided in addition to the long list of Xbox Achievements and Playstation Accomplishments.

All in all DMC4 is largely a return to the series’ roots. The game is arguably one of the current best hack and slash next-gen titles. However, despite these improvements, DMC4 seems to have something holding it back.

Perhaps it was the desire to return to the game’s beginnings coupled to Capcom’s previous failures with the franchise that made them approach this installment with a healthy dose of caution. It is this slight, albeit brief, hesitation that makes DMC4 a great game as opposed to an amazing game. Despite these minor problems, though, fans of the series will find plenty here to occupy their time, and DMC4 is a must-have both for diehard veterans as well as players who have been wanting to get involved for the first time. If you get the chance, don’t pass on this game.