Devil May Cry 4

"A fight now and then does make life a little more interesting."

Devil May Cry has become one of Capcom's staple franchises and one of the Playstation's best sellers. Now we have a new game as well as a new hero to introduce to the franchise.

Let's break it down.

*Graphics*

To make it simple, the graphics are superb; a lot of hard work was put into the appearance of the game. The detail on the characters and backgrounds are some of the best graphics I've seen on a home platform game in some time. Still, there are a few nitpicks about them. For example, following the tone of the series, the graphics in a lot of places are quite dark. This isn't usually a problem until you want to hit something that blends into the shadowed background (the first bit that comes to mind are the chairs and benches which release red orbs when hit) making them all but invisible and hard to target. It's a minor issue though.

*Sound*

The voice over work is very good. It's amazing how an awesome game can bring out the best in a former Power Ranger (for those that don't know, Johnny Yong Bosh, who voices Nero, is formerly Adam, the Black Ranger in the "Power Rangers" shows.) The actors inflict the right tones and the right attitudes for their lines. A lot of reviews say that they find the music to be rather repetitious and maybe a little corny. It is odd that those who played Devil May Cry 3 failed to mention that the music in DMC 4 is done the same way as it was in Devil May Cry 3. The music is enough to stand out but not so as to make you want to turn it off. I think the audio is just fine though I admit that I have heard the opening theme song more then a few times by now.

*Gameplay*

If you are familiar with the previous games, it is merely a matter of learning the timing of your moves and soon you'll be earning those SSS level rankings. And for the newcomers, don't worry. The game offers a complete tutorial for Nero, who you control for the first several levels of the game before switching over to Dante. The transition from Nero to Dante may take some adjustment as Dante is sans Devil Bringer, the new addition to the series and Nero's trademark weapon. Aside from that, you should have no problems.

There was a rather large vocal opposition about the difficulty of Devil May Cry 3 so a lot of consideration of this fact was taken into designing Devil May Cry 4. The game offers two starting difficulty levels and a few more that you need to unlock but DMC 4 is still no walk in the park. You're going to have to practice. Besides, if a little difficulty in a game turns you off, you should probably stop playing video games and change your name to "Big Wienie."

*Story*

The story of the game gets a special mention because a lot of gaming reviews say that the story, or more specifically, the way the story is told, is very bad. I freely admit that the story could use a little more explanation. There are many questions to be asked that the story simply does not answer. These oversights may have been deliberate or merely overlooked but the omissions are rather frustrating though not enough to ruin the story in a major way. If you pay attention, you might garner enough information to put it all together but you'll still be left scratching your head about several things. For spoiler reasons, I will not go into detail. Suffice it to say, a little more polish was needed on the story. It's not bad, per say, just not completely fleshed out.

*Overall*

If you're a fan of the Devil May Cry series, you will not be disappointed with Devil May Cry 4. Games purists may gripe about the backtracking and the fact that you have to face the same bosses more then once but just smile and tell yourself that you're on an island and there are only so many places to visit before you run out of land. And while some minor issues keep this from being a perfect ten, you will still get your money's worth. So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and kick some butt!

9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/08/08

Game Release: Devil May Cry 4 (US, 02/05/08)