Originally released for the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3, Devil May Cry 4 is largely the same game on PC as the console version, with a few extras thrown in as a trade-off for the few months? extra wait. It?s a bit of a fish out of water, for a couple of reasons. One, this type of third person action game just isn?t seen very often on the PC platform, and as such hasn?t been met with as much anticipation as the console release. Two, console ports have a reputation for generally being poor performing cut-downs, inferior to their original releases- clunky cash grabs done cheap by publishers for a few more sales- and therefore not worth buying over the original, right? Not so with DMC4. The PC version is every bit as good as its console progenitors- actually, it?s a lot better.
The game tells the story of Nero, a young, white haired and fashion conscious emo/demon hunter who wields a giant sword and a big gun- and has his oddly fantastic life turned upside down when a man in a red coat slaughters the priests of his hometown?s clergy. Confused? It?s Japanese. The plot, story and characters in all the series? games are largely in keeping with what you would expect from Japanese anime and manga aimed at teenagers: purely fantastic and not necessarily logical. It?s silly, but suspend your disbelief and you will find quite an entertaining, though not necessarily intelligent story for an action game.
The first thing most people will notice is that it works very well on a wide range of computers, and it looks absolutely jaw dropping at its highest level of detail. Performance is excellent, maintaining a smooth frame rate throughout almost the entire game on mine and others? fairly modest PCs. Technically this is one of the best ports of a console game ever made to the PC, and you won?t need an expensive upgrade to see it at its best. The visuals are some of the best in the business, with an astounding amount of detail in absolutely everything, from the characters to the environments and dramatic lighting- it looks just stunning in every way you could hope. Special attention has also gone into animating the marvelously over-the-top cut-scenes, both exciting and humourous in their own way, with the style that has come to be expected of the series so far.
Aside from the astounding visuals, there is quite a meaty, yet particularly old-school game to play here. Hailing back to the arcade games of old like Double Dragon and Final Fight, the Devil May Cry series is all about visceral, brutal and violent combat. Essentially, the player moves the protagonist(s) through a level, defeating throngs of enemies in locked areas that can?t be left until every monster has been blown six ways to Sunday. Sounds simple, but Devil May Cry?s combat system is full of complexities that will keep you coming back for more. Using a single button for shooting a gun, another for slashing with a sword, a third for jumping and a fourth for a special ability, things get pretty complex and varied when you mix and match attack functions, switching weapons and attack styles, slashing an opponent high into the air, filling them with lead as they fall back down to the earth, then slam them violently into the ground with your devil arm, then snatch them from the ground to you in the air with the arm again, and lay waste to them with a flurry of airborne sword slashes timed with the revving of the engine in you sword for extra power...and so on and so forth. Yes, I said devil arm- the game?s central new gameplay feature, which essentially allows Nero to pick up, slam, pull and snatch enemies and objects with effortless grace. It looks incredibly cool, and allows Nero to perform some brutal throwing moves with various enemies, lending an extra layer of flair to the game?s visceral feel. It?s also very strategically important, becoming completely invaluable in boss fights (of which you will have seen plenty by the end of the game).
Silly as it may sound, it is immensely satisfying to stack up stylish combinations between sword slashes, gunshooting and special abilities that lend the combat a dance-like grace which will leave you wholly satisfied until the next encounter. Then you take into account the sheer number of moves and abilities available to you, and those that can be unlocked, then the different approaches you have to take for each enemy or combination of enemies, and you have a grasp on how much depth there is to it- and just how fun this game is. Dante?s appearance as a playable character about half way through the story makes for a nice change of pace from Nero?s slower, more deliberate play style too. He?s faster and more linear than Nero, but can change from one of four different style sets that allow him to change from a wide range of different abilities on the fly. Some of his weapons and abilities just look absolutely ridiculous, such as the ?Pandora?s box?: a suitcase that can transform into all manners of ranged weaponry, from rocket-launchers to mini-guns and explosive crossbows- it?s crazy and over the top, but just loads of fun to play with.
This could stand as a metaphor for the game itself: a stylish and intense action ride that doesn?t take itself too seriously, and has the best time doing it. Though the game may essentially repeat itself in reverse halfway through, you won?t mind as the epically intimate depth of the combat and ridiculous cinematic feel of the game will keep you hooked until the very end. Unpretentious and simple to enjoy- a deep and challenging combat experience with a fairly entertaining story and plenty of well executed flair in just the right places, Devil May Cry 4 is definitely worth your time. Now, I?ve got a few demons that need laying waste to, so if you don?t mind?
The game tells the story of Nero, a young, white haired and fashion conscious emo/demon hunter who wields a giant sword and a big gun- and has his oddly fantastic life turned upside down when a man in a red coat slaughters the priests of his hometown?s clergy. Confused? It?s Japanese. The plot, story and characters in all the series? games are largely in keeping with what you would expect from Japanese anime and manga aimed at teenagers: purely fantastic and not necessarily logical. It?s silly, but suspend your disbelief and you will find quite an entertaining, though not necessarily intelligent story for an action game.
The first thing most people will notice is that it works very well on a wide range of computers, and it looks absolutely jaw dropping at its highest level of detail. Performance is excellent, maintaining a smooth frame rate throughout almost the entire game on mine and others? fairly modest PCs. Technically this is one of the best ports of a console game ever made to the PC, and you won?t need an expensive upgrade to see it at its best. The visuals are some of the best in the business, with an astounding amount of detail in absolutely everything, from the characters to the environments and dramatic lighting- it looks just stunning in every way you could hope. Special attention has also gone into animating the marvelously over-the-top cut-scenes, both exciting and humourous in their own way, with the style that has come to be expected of the series so far.
Aside from the astounding visuals, there is quite a meaty, yet particularly old-school game to play here. Hailing back to the arcade games of old like Double Dragon and Final Fight, the Devil May Cry series is all about visceral, brutal and violent combat. Essentially, the player moves the protagonist(s) through a level, defeating throngs of enemies in locked areas that can?t be left until every monster has been blown six ways to Sunday. Sounds simple, but Devil May Cry?s combat system is full of complexities that will keep you coming back for more. Using a single button for shooting a gun, another for slashing with a sword, a third for jumping and a fourth for a special ability, things get pretty complex and varied when you mix and match attack functions, switching weapons and attack styles, slashing an opponent high into the air, filling them with lead as they fall back down to the earth, then slam them violently into the ground with your devil arm, then snatch them from the ground to you in the air with the arm again, and lay waste to them with a flurry of airborne sword slashes timed with the revving of the engine in you sword for extra power...and so on and so forth. Yes, I said devil arm- the game?s central new gameplay feature, which essentially allows Nero to pick up, slam, pull and snatch enemies and objects with effortless grace. It looks incredibly cool, and allows Nero to perform some brutal throwing moves with various enemies, lending an extra layer of flair to the game?s visceral feel. It?s also very strategically important, becoming completely invaluable in boss fights (of which you will have seen plenty by the end of the game).
Silly as it may sound, it is immensely satisfying to stack up stylish combinations between sword slashes, gunshooting and special abilities that lend the combat a dance-like grace which will leave you wholly satisfied until the next encounter. Then you take into account the sheer number of moves and abilities available to you, and those that can be unlocked, then the different approaches you have to take for each enemy or combination of enemies, and you have a grasp on how much depth there is to it- and just how fun this game is. Dante?s appearance as a playable character about half way through the story makes for a nice change of pace from Nero?s slower, more deliberate play style too. He?s faster and more linear than Nero, but can change from one of four different style sets that allow him to change from a wide range of different abilities on the fly. Some of his weapons and abilities just look absolutely ridiculous, such as the ?Pandora?s box?: a suitcase that can transform into all manners of ranged weaponry, from rocket-launchers to mini-guns and explosive crossbows- it?s crazy and over the top, but just loads of fun to play with.
This could stand as a metaphor for the game itself: a stylish and intense action ride that doesn?t take itself too seriously, and has the best time doing it. Though the game may essentially repeat itself in reverse halfway through, you won?t mind as the epically intimate depth of the combat and ridiculous cinematic feel of the game will keep you hooked until the very end. Unpretentious and simple to enjoy- a deep and challenging combat experience with a fairly entertaining story and plenty of well executed flair in just the right places, Devil May Cry 4 is definitely worth your time. Now, I?ve got a few demons that need laying waste to, so if you don?t mind?
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