Zero Punctuation: DMC: Devil May Cry

[Strain42]

Pretty much everything I have heard fans say about this game boils down to "Well, it's a perfectly fine game...BUT HOW DARE THEY DO THAT TO DEVIL MAY CRY!!!"

People seem to just be mad that it's called Devil May Cry rather than have any real problems with the game itself.

Given all the negative stuff Yahtzee had to say about DMC4, apparently something is moving in the right direction if this game got the fairly positive video that it did here.

 

[sumanoskae]

I don't understand why everyone keeps saying this game is too easy; DMC isn't as hard as the other Devil May Cry games, but that's not saying much, it's still hard, and it has a difficulty setting.

I could understand Yahtzee's complaints about difficulty if he turned the difficulty up as high as it would go and still found it unchallenging, but it sounds like he was playing on easy; I'm not even sure it's possible to end the later encounters of the game with an S rating using only Rebellion, most late encounters you can't even SURVIVE only using Rebellion.

I mean, the game flat out asks you if you would prefer it was more difficult, and people are upset because it did what they asked?

 

[Saika Renegade]

Whilst I am not the target audience of the original Devil May Cry or this reboot, I can understand the frustration of having a game series feel like it's lost its sense of challenge. That aside, I also have a new favorite euphemism now.

Except that DMD in this one is still piss easy. DMD used to tear you into shreds if you were to make one mistake or 2 in DMC1,3 and 4. It's like they give you more enemies with higher HP so you can farm even more points with the utterly broken style ranking system.

Also if the game rewards you with an S in the category ''Number of times died'' with the number being 2, you know that the game has been casualified down right to the core.

I"m not quite sure what you're getting at by quoting me here; as I said, I understand what it feels like to have a series that started challenging feeling considerably less so. In a way, mainstream FPSes have felt this way to me to an extent: major shootouts feel more frustrating than tense right now, for instance.

As far as whatever difficulty Devil May Cry, new or old, may have had, the only thing I have for comparison by experience is God Hand, and I'm not exaggerating to claim that it was a game that was unashamed to kill you with every other encounter (I'm pretty sure 2 deaths would have merited an A or even an S there).

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

and his clothing was a lot more stupid.

I would disagree simply because I have met insufferable morons people who actually dress like new Dante and think they are super badass looking (Which is admittedly a big part of why I find him so loathsome), I don't think anyone outside of an Anime convention ever tried to dress like old Dante.

Fuck, if I had a millionth of Dante's mad charisma I'd dress like him every day.

 

[Roman Monaghan]

I'll say to DMC Devil May Cry what I say to all other games that try to have a "social message":

If you're going to rip off 1984, try not to suck at it.

 

[Cid Silverwing]

Praising garbage, are we, Yahtzee?

You're losing your touch. This game is a blasphemous abomination unto its parent franchise. I'm surprised you didn't mention Donte looks like Ninja Theory's CEO or whoever.

 

[afroebob]

He recommended the game? Well he must have gone insane considering how undeniably awful this game must be. You know, because all gamers are so fucking rational and everything they say should be taken at face value.

 

[RedDeadFred]

I don't understand why so many people are foaming at the mouth because they changed the story and the characters. It's considered a reboot for a reason. What were you expecting? The same game as the original with better graphics?

 

[Vault101]

Wow that want as bad as I expected, I might actually try this one out

 

[Vault101]

Praising garbage, are we, Yahtzee?

You're losing your touch. This game is a blasphemous abomination unto its parent franchise. I'm surprised you didn't mention Donte looks like Ninja Theory's CEO or whoever.

sure.....yahtzees opinion is Clearly wrong because fan-logic

 

[Sheo_Dagana]

To say something is good just because it's new is an even shakier platform to stand on then the people who hate things just because a series went in a different direction.

Which isn't really what I was saying at all. Metroid: Other M took the franchise in a different direction and was awful. Feel free to dislike the game because all of the things you listed in your post were things you didn't enjoy, I wouldn't say your argument is invalid simply because I don't agree with you. My gripes lie with people that simply hate the game because it is not Devil May Cry 3.5. This is not a problem limited to this particular series - see Dynasty Warriors or Call of Duty.

A game should be neither reviled nor propped up by it's name, although that is ultimately a hopeless wish. The game has to function on it's own. New directions/changes should never be discouraged, and are in fact how the original Devil May Cry came to life in the first place, but do not always yield fruitful results.

 

[tautologico]

Some people say it's not about the hair, it's not about the character design.

Okay, so just imagine if this were the same game, but with Old Dante. At worst, people would say "meh, not the best in the series, but it's better than DmC 2". And that's it. But because the character changed, the same things cause a lot of RAAAAAGE. Maybe the "hardcore fans" have a point in their criticism (I haven't played the game), but the emphasis and vitriol would never get to this level if they didn't change some things people were used to.

So this gives me the impression that, in the end, it's actually all about the hair

 

[animeh1star1a]

Wait!!! In the context Yahtzee used gravity in that sentence, would gravity be considered a law or a theory?

 

[CaptOfSerenity]

The amount of Ninja Theory's ego in this game is enough reason for me to burn as many copies as I can. I'm kind of surprised Yahtzee gave it a thumbs up, guess he saw something I didn't. I thought for sure he would rag on enemy design or fixed grapple points.

Well, he's not a fanboy, so he can give a game a chance and play it, instead of advocate censorship.

Also, to everybody who liked the previous games: didn't Dante cuss like a sailor and act like a douchebag, too? This seems very faithful to that.

 

[CaptOfSerenity]

I don't understand why everyone keeps saying this game is too easy; DMC isn't as hard as the other Devil May Cry games, but that's not saying much, it's still hard, and it has a difficulty setting.

I could understand Yahtzee's complaints about difficulty if he turned the difficulty up as high as it would go and still found it unchallenging, but it sounds like he was playing on easy; I'm not even sure it's possible to end the later encounters of the game with an S rating using only Rebellion, most late encounters you can't even SURVIVE only using Rebellion.

I mean, the game flat out asks you if you would prefer it was more difficult, and people are upset because it did what they asked?

There are, like, 7 difficulty settings. I was...amazed.

 

[Polite Sage]

Also, to everybody who liked the previous games: didn't Dante cuss like a sailor and act like a douchebag, too? This seems very faithful to that.

Find out for yourself!
I think the difference between overall writing quality is rather evident.

It's rather funny that when someone brings up the writing or the new Dante's character DmC is usually defended based on "It's supposed to be a younger version of Dante. Ninja Theory was just faithful to the old lore!"
But when the lackluster Heavenly Sword combat is mentioned people cover it with the argument "It's supposed to be it's own thing! Stop comparing it to old games!"

Which is then usually followed by "You are just mad about the hair!". This game is Silent Hill's equivalent of Downpour.

 

[Something Amyss]

Praising garbage, are we, Yahtzee?

You're losing your touch. This game is a blasphemous abomination unto its parent franchise. I'm surprised you didn't mention Donte looks like Ninja Theory's CEO or whoever.

Yeah, how dare he not hate what you hate!

 

[IamLEAM1983]

Praising garbage, are we, Yahtzee?

You're losing your touch. This game is a blasphemous abomination unto its parent franchise. I'm surprised you didn't mention Donte looks like Ninja Theory's CEO or whoever.

Yeah, how dare he not hate what you hate!

But hating different things opens up a symphony of diversity! A rainbow of vitriol! a candy shop's worth of garden-variety insults and hasty comparisons! *'The Circle of Life' fades in, in acoustic form*

Honestly, I like the new Dante. He's fundamentally operating in the same mechanics and doing the exact same things as before; only he doesn't murder my hands anymore. That's honestly all I need.

A valid comparison, but...

I think this is really a matter of personal taste. Old Dante is all about flourish, polish, style. It makes sense for an entire boss fight's overture to be stuffed with allusions to Shakespeare, seeing as DMC4 was the franchise at its most bombastic.

The concept of a reboot implies that you can't quite re-use the same exact formulas. The new take on the character is younger and clearly has a problem with authority. Considering, him slurring at a demon feels justified. Not to mention that all he does is egg her on. If you've played the following fight, you realize the Succubus really is the one objectionable potty-mouth in the room. All Dante's doing is pushing her to act impulsively, which she does.

I wouldn't say it's a step down in terms of quality, so much as a side-step. It feels too early to tell if it's a mistake or an interesting new venture. I'd rather hold off my judgment until DMC2. All I know is mechanically, I really appreciated the greater ease of use of this reboot.

 

[TheUnbeholden]

The characters have the personality of a pre-teen who loves ICP, and it needlessly craps on a series that was much better before it got rebooted. Worth playing if you have zero attachment to the DMC series as a series and just want to hit things with a big sword while the characters randomly string together vulgarity cause that's what a 12yr old thinks is cool.

Were we watching the same video? Because I don't recall him saying any of that...

Yahtzee made fun of the plot enough to for you to realize that its all about the combat. And even there he said it does lack some challenge, the pistols are weaker than previous games tho.

As for characters, Yahtzee said that they are both assholes, but he forgot to mention that atleast the old Dante had some charm with those one liners and carefree attitude, this Dante is just a "I don't care about anything" nihilistic emo... with a lame haircut.

 

[GrimHeaper]

Probably the best Hack N' Slash I've played in a good long while. I had pretty much given up on the genre after the snore fest that was Darksiders and Bayonetta.

No offense, but the best hack N' Slash? Were you looking for something that would reward you with the highest score just for pressing attack repeatedly without any effort or concentration needed? Again, not trying to offend, but I am really trying to discern how you judge that genre of games. If it is a relaxation thing, I can understand. I like Contra for it's brutal difficulty, but sometimes I just like to unwind and pop in Metal Slug instead.

I guess I'll never understand why people complain when a sequel/reboot is not 100% like their favorite installment, but maybe that's because I play too many games to care.

You might be surprised to realize people don't hate on things just because they're new. I don't mind change; I didn't dislike the characters because they were different (they could have been turned into cartoon rabbits for all I care), I disliked them because they were awful. The game play wasn't bad because it was new, it was bad because it was lacking. The level design wasn't bad because it was new, it was bad because it was boring (in structure; it's actual appearance was beautiful). The boss fights weren't bad because they were new, they were bad because the tension level was 0. Some people like to be excited when playing a game.

To say something is good just because it's new is an even shakier platform to stand on then the people who hate things just because a series went in a different direction.

Pretty much my sentiments.

Taste is a funny and really surprising thing. An example? I kind of enjoyed Devil May Cry 2, both with Dante and Lucia, and even with Trish, but I did not finish the game with her.
Second, I've finished DMC 4, in Devil Hunter, first time I've played it and them started and finished DmC in Nephilim. And yeah, it was much harder to get to the SSS level in DMC 4, I think I've only managed to get to it three times during all the game. It was easier with DmC, but, one thing people don't seem to see, we are experienced players, who played the older games, and they were not easy at all. So, is DmC easy, or is it easy for us, the most experienced girls and guys?

When Yahtzee says the game is easy well...
The only way to get any semblance of a challenge is hell and hell mode where you die in one hit but check points and gold orbs make it pointless. On top of that Hell and Hell mode isn't even the hardest mode enemy wise.