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Devil May Cry 4 Review

by Chad Crawford March 8th 2008 5:02 PM CST1 Comments

Devil May Cry 4 has been one of my most anticipated games since it was announced way back in 33 B.C. Now that the seemingly 2041 year wait is over, DMC4 definitely has higher expectations that your standard action game. Well, Devil May Cry 4 eventuall boils down to this; DMC fans will be at home with this latest addition's gameplay, but it does have some technical and story based issues that need to be expressed.

Rather than revolving the story around series poster boy Dante, Capcom has decided to go in a whole new direction. Instead, the game focuses on Nero, an expert in badassery and slicker version of Dante. Luckily for fanboy's liking, Dante isn't absent from this game, as he is present throughout the adventure and does become playable after some time. What brings these two characters together is a deep, thoughful story; bringing a No Country for Old Men cat-and-mouse chase to life.

Now, I'm not saying that Nero is a bad character, but it just seems like a bit of tease that it isn't Dante's story. Whenever a good story is told in a game or even in all forms of story-telling, attatchement to the characters at hand is usually the most important factor when trying to attach an audience. Dante was the guy who gamers have become fond of, and since the entire story is based around trying to "kill" Dante from Nero's perspective, a whole depressing feel to the game is at hand; especially because Devil May Cry games are very story centered.

Still doesn't mean the plot isn't well crafted or illogical. The actual presentation and production values of the game are hard to match on any platform, and the reasoning to why you're trying to kill you're once beloved hero is believeable. But there is still alot of questioning as to just why Capcom saw it fit to have such a depressing goal as killing the one character they gave you that at least DMC veterans have become attatched with.

Luckily, whether your Nero or Dante, both play beautifully. Nero has a whole new set of weapons and tricks up his sleeve and Dante has his same old weaponry as well. The strategy and combinations you can pull using these weapons are have alot of depth and customization; and definitely stay fresh throughout most of the game. The new and old weapons both are easily manipulated and have some satisfying effects that will get anyone with a pulse' blood going.

You're also opened up to some gorgeous level design and some great background detail of these rather linear levels, which definitely pulls you into the game more. The enemies and the game's environments all have some cool variations level to level, and the sense of satisfaction after each level is enhanced due to a new "orb" system put in place. The system works much better than most people probably expect, as at the end of each level depending on your progress, your given a certain amount of orbs and "proud souls" which act as a currency for upgrading weapons. Definitely gives you an extra sense of motivation as you plow through the game's story, and keeps the game fresh.

But the game isn't all perfect. The camera does get in the way alot more than one would like, especially when enemies are coming in all different directions. Also, the weapons don't really lock on all the time and can become frustrating to use. This comes much more apparent when using weapons that require some kind of charging effect to be used, which don't register. Also, you eventually reach alot of backtracking levels as you become a part of Dante. This is very annoying, and definitrely stalls the game alot during its second half.

Also, as said before, the fact that this just isn't Dante's story does have a bad effect on the game. Nero is the star of this title, but you'd really just wish that Dante wasn't in the game at all. None the less, Devil May Cry 4 is still a well crafted game, and despite some technical problems and a storyline which has just a real depressing feel to it, it's still a very good game.