2008 Woodie Awards
'Devil May Cry' has some hiccups
But sequel still provides stellar adventure gameplay for fans of the 'DMC' series
by Leah Christensen
Issue date: 2/14/08
Section: Gaming
"Devil May Cry 4" better than this review will make it sound. The game is a few glitches away from being spectacular, but those glitches are significant enough to keep it from reaching greatness.
The game starts at a church. From the pews, a young knight named Nero watches his love interest sing in the choir at the altar.
When the choir's finished the high priest goes up to talk. In the midst of his speech, Dante, the protagonists from the previous "DMC" games, drops from the ceiling and pierces the priest with his sword. It's here that Nero jumps into action.
The opening sequences of the game immediately get the blood pumping. Nero replaces Dante for most of the game, but do not fear, this kid maintains the badass precedent set by Dante in the previous "DMC" installments.
Playing the first three "DMCs" is not necessary for "DMC 4." For the most part, this is Nero's tale and he doesn't disappoint. His story is the bloodline of the game, propelling the player from one mission to the next with an interesting plot and characters.
The battle scheme can boast as well.
Combos are the bread and butter of the game: stringing together attacks feels organic and gives a powerful feeling to the player's fingers as the characters effortlessly switch from a gun, sword and Nero's new, powerful, grappling hook of the hand. Different combos allow for various style points. And the player definitely wants to have style since the "DMC" series has always been about the cool factor.
The arm is an interesting new addition to the "DMC" array which creates a better flow. It can reach out to grab opponents, shortening the time it takes to run to the enemies. At the same time, however, the arm makes the battle a little too easy. Just grabbing an enemy and slamming it into the ground feels like cheating. It takes the difficulty away.
That isn't the end of the game's problems.
The camera angles are horrendous. Nero will enter a room, the camera angle flops and the player ends up turned around. This rotation is sometimes tricky and often annoying. During battle a character rounds a corner and the angle will not rotate so the player can end up fighting enemies blind.
These battles in "DMC 4" can feel repetitious at times. As Nero and Dante travel through the environments the combat becomes a cycle of killing enemies, gathering energy orbs, finding the next door, repeat. Though it avoids becoming trite, the game could use a little freshening.
None of this should deter anyone from playing "DMC 4," however. The glitches are merely hiccups in what otherwise is a complete, stellar adventure game and a great addition to the "DMC" series.
THE GRADE: A
It's only a few glitches that keep this game from being spectacular.
Leah Christensen is a Reporter staff writer
The game starts at a church. From the pews, a young knight named Nero watches his love interest sing in the choir at the altar.
When the choir's finished the high priest goes up to talk. In the midst of his speech, Dante, the protagonists from the previous "DMC" games, drops from the ceiling and pierces the priest with his sword. It's here that Nero jumps into action.
The opening sequences of the game immediately get the blood pumping. Nero replaces Dante for most of the game, but do not fear, this kid maintains the badass precedent set by Dante in the previous "DMC" installments.
Playing the first three "DMCs" is not necessary for "DMC 4." For the most part, this is Nero's tale and he doesn't disappoint. His story is the bloodline of the game, propelling the player from one mission to the next with an interesting plot and characters.
The battle scheme can boast as well.
Combos are the bread and butter of the game: stringing together attacks feels organic and gives a powerful feeling to the player's fingers as the characters effortlessly switch from a gun, sword and Nero's new, powerful, grappling hook of the hand. Different combos allow for various style points. And the player definitely wants to have style since the "DMC" series has always been about the cool factor.
The arm is an interesting new addition to the "DMC" array which creates a better flow. It can reach out to grab opponents, shortening the time it takes to run to the enemies. At the same time, however, the arm makes the battle a little too easy. Just grabbing an enemy and slamming it into the ground feels like cheating. It takes the difficulty away.
That isn't the end of the game's problems.
The camera angles are horrendous. Nero will enter a room, the camera angle flops and the player ends up turned around. This rotation is sometimes tricky and often annoying. During battle a character rounds a corner and the angle will not rotate so the player can end up fighting enemies blind.
These battles in "DMC 4" can feel repetitious at times. As Nero and Dante travel through the environments the combat becomes a cycle of killing enemies, gathering energy orbs, finding the next door, repeat. Though it avoids becoming trite, the game could use a little freshening.
None of this should deter anyone from playing "DMC 4," however. The glitches are merely hiccups in what otherwise is a complete, stellar adventure game and a great addition to the "DMC" series.
THE GRADE: A
It's only a few glitches that keep this game from being spectacular.
Leah Christensen is a Reporter staff writer
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