Devil May Cry 4 is the latest installment to the Devil May Cry series. There are two noticeable changes many people who were following this game have noticed from previous ones; the first is that DMC4 is the first Devil May Cry game that is multiplatform. Also, Dante is no longer the main character. Being a fan of the previous DMC games, well except 2, this game was a must get. Does Nero, who is the new main protagonist, succeed in filling in the shoes to the charismatic demon slayer Dante?
Once you pop in the game into your PS3, you are greeted to a 20 minute, 5 GB install. During that install, an 8 minute presentation plays recapping the previous stories of the first 3 games. Once it finishes, it plays again and again until the install process is over. The game starts off with Nero running towards a ceremony only to be interrupted on his way by demons. Meanwhile Kyrie, who is Nero’s love interest, sings a very beautiful song. When the song is over, Nero makes it to the ceremony and it begins. The priest asks the people in the audience to join him in the prayer. Dante then shows up from the ceiling and shoots the priest right in the head. Yes, Dante the character we all know shoots the priest. Has he turned evil or does he have a good reason for it?
The soundtrack in the Devil May Cry series is quite arguably its strongest point, and this one doesn’t disappoint. The battle themes are still rockish and enjoyable the Devil May Cry series is known for. There are also some relaxing tunes such as the opening along with other genres. The sound effects for the guns and swords sound very similar to the previous ones. It seems like Capcom didn’t bother to upgrade the sound. Either way, the sound effects sound pretty good. The voice acting is top-notch. Everyone has a great voice and they fit to their respective person.
The graphics are surprisingly good. After watching a few videos, I thought to myself that it looked like a small upgrade to Devil May Cry 3. Wow was I wrong. The game is visually appealing, and it is one of the best looking hack and slash games on the PS3. The environments are beautiful to watch such as the corridors or the snowy fields. The cutscenes are well done because they are filled with action-packed sequences and great art style.
The gameplay is similar to the previous games. You can shoot, slash, jump, etc along with solving a few puzzles. With Nero, you can grab demons with your arm and throw them to the floor. You can pretty much kill your enemies just using Nero’s arm at the first few missions of the game. Nero’s arm can grab things needed to jump over obstacles or to reach a certain destination. Doing combos awards you some style points. These are important because at the end of each mission, you are awarded with orbs based on your style along with the time completed and items used. Nero lacks weapons and styles. You pretty much have the same weapon throughout the whole time you use him. Dante is also playable for about 6 or 7 missions. He clearly is a lot better than Nero because not only does he have a nice selection of weapons, but he also has 4 different styles in which you can choose from: Trickster, Gunslinger, Royal Guard and Sword Master). Both Nero and Dante can upgrade their weapons and learn new skills by buying them using red orbs.
After Devil May Cry 3, I expected an amazing game here, but I was wrong. During the first half of the game, you go from point A to point B. The second half is going from point B to point A. The backtracking is pretty terrible. You go through the same levels and you fight the same enemies, yes even the same bosses. The 3 to 4 bosses are repeated over and over, that you actually fight them like 3 or 4 times throughout the whole game. You even fight the final boss around the middle of the game. Also when entering into a new room, a red wall surrounds Nero or Dante and it will only disappear when all enemies in the room are defeated. This happens every time you enter a room, and it gets annoying. There is also some board game in the game. It seemed like an interesting idea at first, but it is just meh. Once I beat it, I was kinda glad it was over, but nope. Later on in the game, the board game shows up for about 3 to 4 times. It is frustrating because you have no idea where you are going to land. The game also has some accomplishments to achieve, and you can compare them to your PSN friends or the rankings. The game was released before the trophies were implemented, and it was a really great thing to add at the time, but now it’s just pointless until they make a trophy patch.
As pointed earlier, the story is pretty interesting at the beginning. Was Dante a foe or not? Kyrie was captured, and you go out there and rescue her. Somehow along the way, the story loses its magic. The story turns into a little mess and boring until I just had it with the story. Some returning characters such as Trish and Lady make a small appearance in the game.
Devil May Cry 4 is a step backward in the series. Nothing only did it not bring anything new, everything felt repetitive and the styles and weapons pale in comparison to its predecessor. The combat, music and graphics are pretty good, but the game felt more like half a game with its repetitiveness and backtracking. It really hurt the game. The story was great but going further in, it is just uninteresting.
Devil May Cry 4 launched 15 years ago today, bringing with it new character Nero. Has it stood the test of time?
Never liked it and I think I got it day 1.
Cheap Capcom design of half a game that you have to walk through twice.
5 isn't much different in that department. Encounter the same boss three times with three different characters? Endless warehouses or alien-like tunnels that all look the same.
I'm actually with you there, but DMC has that terrible writing. Alex Garland isn't it?
Grab your katana, and slice your way through this list featuring the best hack and slash games the PlayStation 3 had to offer.
Dante's inferno... an excellent GoW inspired game. So sad the sequels will never be.
I recall enjoying it well enough at the time, but it wasn't a patch on God of War 3 which came out around the same time I think.
I own it and fired it up on my PS3 about 6 months ago and time hadn't been particularly kind to it although it still very much nailed the atmosphere and it is a cool as he'll setting and universe.
Dante's Inferno needs the GOW treatment. No cut camera, with a real hellish depiction of the 9 circles and a story as dark and as serious would be amazing.
Still pretty amazing there was a PSP version that was actually pretty good. I remember playing it 10 years ago. I had the PS3 version when it first came out and loved it.
Yup, I remember being blown away with Heavenly Sword. I remember holding out hope that they would go back and add trophy support as a incentive to go back and replay the game, but I don't think they ever did?
I couldn't beat the final boss though! Spent several days trying but eventually gave up, lol. Still enjoyed it though.
heavenly sword was such a short, but amazing game. that game should be prime material to be made into a download only remaster.
I really enjoyed Castlevania, but struggled to get into it again reattempting it a few years back. I still think it does another of things well; story, presentation, level varietily and art style at least. Gameplay maybe has not stood test of time unfortunately which makes it a chore to get through.
Heres ten great games we still want to see ported to the Nintendo Switch.
