Title Devil May Cry 4 Date 02.09.2008 Genre Action, Fighting Platform PlayStation 3 Developer Capcom Publisher Capcom

Intro
I am a big fan of the Devil May Cry (DMC) series, and having just got my hands on this prized game along with a PS3, I am writing this review to express my candid impression of DMC4 after a couple of runs through the game. DMC4 is the fourth installment in the DMC series, taking place after the original DMC game and before the events of DMC2.

Plot
I do not know whether it was the explicit intention of those people at Capcom to incorporate such an intangible narrative style into the game, but if I could sum up the quality of DMC4's plot into one word, this is it: Awful. Sure there are the plot twists and the eventful surprises, but the entire narrative process as a whole is delivered in a mildly hunky-dory style at best, and in a fickly haphazard manner at worst.

As is listed in the game manual, there's our main protagonist Nero; there's Dante, the apparent murderer of Sanctus, the head of the Order of the Sword (of which Nero is a member of); there is Nero's love interest (or at least a friend) Kyrie; and her brother Credo, who is some sort of general among the ranks of the Order of the Sword. At the start of the game you witness Dante interrupting a sermon by Sanctus by dramatically falling down through the glass roof panel overhead, and sensationally bring Sanctus down low with a point-blank shot to the head. Dante then promptly slays his surrounding adversaries and eventually flees the scene, and the game opens with Nero attempting to hunt him down to avenge his beloved elder.

Now, all the game narrative of DMC4 is delivered via cut-scenes, which are practically oozing with superlative quality but regrettably lack substance in the narrative department due to the fact that the cut-scenes are all interspersed with long moments of combat that really disrupt the storytelling rhythm, to the point where sometimes you get so caught up in combat you actually forget your primary objective in the first place; many a time I seem to find myself aimlessly trudging forward to wherever the game level would take me with no inkling of immediate objective in mind. Not that I am being hypercritical, mind, since this is primarily an action game. But yeah, the narrative flaw is certainly palpable.

Also, magical artifacts like the Wing Talisman that you get early on (which activates interactive objects, such as jump-pads that propels you into the air) sure add an innovative touch to the game but I get the impression that the game is simply allocating random names to these ability-bestowing items. There are no background stories behind these artifacts, nothing to justify their narrative presence in the game, nothing to substantiate upon their housing location whatsoever (the Wing Talisman, for example, is housed inside some intricate-looking contrivance in a certain chamber of a castle).

As well, there is a severe lack of involvement from other non-playable characters in the game. Everything is pure Nero and pure Dante. Except for Kyrie's later tribulations and a poignant part involving Credo, you get the sense that the whole game is a just one huge Nero/Dante ego trip. Dante's famous sidekicks Trish and Lady, as well as the sexy assassin Gloria, all of whom were featured prominently in some of the screenshots released by Capcom prior to the game's release, appear only in cut-scenes and do not affect the player's gameplay experience one wee bit, which is sordidly disappointing - especially if we are talking about three gorgeously hot babes.

Besides all those grievances, there are also several plot-related burning questions that remain unanswered: How did Nero get his right arm transformed into the hideously sleek Devil Bringer? What is the narrative build-up that led to Dante getting himself involved in all of this in the first place? Where on earth is the city of Fortuna in relation to the rest of the DMC universe? And to the truly uninitiated: who are the two ladies that appear with Dante in the cut-scenes? (They are Lady and Trish, characters from previous installments in the series; their identities and agenda were never specifically addressed in DMC4).

All in all, the plot of DMC4 leaves a lot to be desired; a little dose of Final Fantasy would do wonders to jack up the game's merit.

Gameplay
Every time you complete a mission, the game will rank your performance based on the number of ‘Red Orbs' you managed to acquire, the time taken for completion of the level, as well as your ‘Stylish' rank, which is the overall variety of your combat maneuvers. The higher your performance ranking, the greater the number of ‘Proud Souls' you will be rewarded with at the end of the mission. Proud Souls are used to purchase ability ranks; a higher ability rank will result in the availability of more combo options and maneuvers.

Additionally, in the mission menu you can also choose to start the mission in either the standard or the ‘Automatic' mode. The Automatic mode's central purpose is to cater to all the button-mashers out there: it automatically performs the optimum combo move associated with the player's basic action input. For example, a combo that would normally require an input of X-X-delay-X can be executed by simply mashing the X button all the way when you play Automatic. Admittedly, this mode can be pleasing if you are not overly concerned about not having total authority over your character's actions and want to appear cool in every fight. I feel that the in-your-face Nero really excels in this mode, while you'd be better off playing Dante manually due to his huge array of peculiar attacks.

You play as Nero throughout the first half of the game and then Dante thereafter and I find that the switch in character makes for a refreshing change of momentum and combat style. In my opinion, Nero is the more potent of the two protagonists. For one, he can only use his sword, gun and Devil Bringer arm to attack, so you have ample time to perfect your attack maneuvers and don't get the sort of dilemma you'd experience when you play as Dante, whose huge array of melee and ranged weaponry might leave the vacillating player spoilt for choice. Nero's combat variety potential stems from the diverse powers that he acquires and absorbs via his Devil Bringer as he progresses through the game, such as the ability to grab a foe from a distance and draw him towards you for some sore thumping.

When playing as Nero, you also have access to the Exceed Gauge mechanic that basically functions like the revving up of a motorcycle engine, where the rider has to twist his bike handle several times to get the engine running properly; similarly, it takes a few charges to kick the Exceed Gauge to maximum power. When charged, the Gauge enhances the power of your next immediate attack; the deeper the charge, the more potent the attack power. This is an effective, convenient way of raising your initial combat potential until the gauge is drained, and I would deem the charging up of the Gauge before combat a viable strategy to tide you through higher difficulty settings.

As Dante, you initially start of with your sword, a pair of dual pistols and a trusty shotgun; but as you progress through the stages you will acquire more weaponry. Dante can also switch between four different combat ‘Styles', adding a new dimension to the skirmish experience. To those who have not yet had a taste of Dante's gameplay fashion from previous DMC titles, the switch from Nero to Dante can get a little disorientating; certainly, Dante, with his extraordinary arsenal of Styles and weaponry, will need some time for the average player to get used to. For most parts of the game I just relied doggedly on the Swordmaster style, which emphasizes swordplay over firepower, to tide me through.

Dante has the option of entering into the ‘Devil Trigger' mode, which seems like the counterpart of Nero's Exceed Gauge; Devil Trigger pumps up Dante's combat prowess for a set period of time, after which it falls dormant and cannot be used again until charged.

I want to give special kudos to the combat system; it is just pure awesomeness. You can feel the meticulous quality in the attack animations, the way your character and the enemies flinch from a hit, the recoil of your firearm - everything is just really, really polished.

Challenge
There are two initial difficulty levels: Human and Devil Hunter. To be honest, I feel everyone should just skip Human and plunge straight into Devil Hunter goodness. Human is for all the newbies out there who want a feel of the DMC gameplay without being overwhelmed by the game's challenge. Thing is, I reckon even total DMC newcomers (like me) would have been familiarized with the ‘feel' of the game come the fourth or fifth mission; treating us like newbies for the entire game somewhat insults our gameplay aptitude, which is exactly what Human difficulty does. In Human, you would be able to slay each and every boss by just rushing up to him and unleashing your most potent combos (made much easier in Automatic mode) at every given opportunity and chances are you'd slaughter it before it kills you - this just does not give bosses their due respect. In Devil Hunter, bosses (and regular critters) have the sense to put up at least token evasion maneuvers against your head-on charges.

A new difficulty level will be unlocked if you beat the game in Devil Hunter; and a new one thereafter upon completion of the game in the previously unlocked difficulty setting. I have not yet explored DMC4's gameplay beyond Devil Hunter mode, but there is obviously a certain charm in replaying the game on a harder difficulty setting and testing your mettle all over again.

Having only experienced Devil Hunter gameplay, I can say that it is credibly challenging for amateurs and seasoned DMC veterans alike. From piranha-like critters who can unfairly burrow and spring up to strike as and when they feel like it, to armored knights who are virtually impervious to harm when they get their fat shield up, to that annoying teleporting lightning dude whose every ounce of sizzling flesh screams ‘Imbalanced!!', you are guaranteed to have your hands full.

Graphics
The visuals of DMC4 are stunning and lavish, the kind of cutting-edge fest you would expect from a next-gen game title. The special effects are also exceptionally brilliant. All that, coupled with an amazing variety of elaborate architecture and assorted sceneries, truly make DMC4 an exemplary visual fest.

Audio
Fitting heavy metal pieces properly evoke the thrill and buzz of a battle scenario, which is the primary focal point of the music. There are musical pieces for normal battles, boss battles, the menu screens, as well as a placid end-game song. The voice-acting are also strikingly outstanding, at least until you tire of the implied arrogance dripping from almost every word uttered by Nero and especially Dante; but since they possess the kick-ass skillz to back up their brags, I'm not complaining.

Controls
Regarding the camera, one major point to take note of is that the camera does not constantly follow your character around. Rather, the game employs what I term the ‘camera relay' system, whereby different cameras are stationed at various parts of the game world. Once your character reaches the threshold of another area in the level, your current camera will pass the tracking of your character's movement to the next camera (in a manner that imitates the passing of the baton in Olympic Relays). This results in the occasional switches in display orientation, which needs some getting used to and will probably disorientate you initially if you have never experienced this kind of camera system before. Not too faulty a design, but I would rather much prefer a permanent camera that tracks you perpetually.

The tight controls of the camera system might also be a hindrance in confined areas due to your vision being obscured by the nearby architecture, and can be particularly frustrating in certain scenarios that require precise timing of character movement and direction. But for the most parts, the camera system, while not overly notable, performs credibly well enough to serve you through the entire game.

Other than that, navigation, attack and jumping controls are by and large a smooth affair, though if you are playing on the above-mentioned ‘Automatic' combat mode you might find your character performing the occasional unintended form of attack.

Fun Factor
Let's face it, the only thing that sustains DMC4's value has got to be its fun factor, derived from all the stunning action sequences and luscious special effects - and this game does indeed excel in that element. While certain parts of the game, especially level obstacles, can get rather frustrating, there is little doubt that this game will entertain the devout action fanatic for hours on end.

Replay Value
The primary replay value of DMC4 lies in its additional unlockable difficulty levels, which in turn rewards the player with additional end-game goodies like bonus artwork and a survival-style combat level. All these replay incentives might not seem rather delectable at first glance, but trust me: after you complete DMC4 once, you'd be itching to beat it again at a higher difficulty level just to prove that your previous completion of the game was no fluke.

Conclusion
If you are a huge action, swordfight or gunfight buff, get this game; it's worth your every penny. If you are more inclined towards story and exploration, forget it - DMC4's narrative is downright mediocre and there are no additional peripheral locations on offer for the ambitious adventurer; every locale in the game is a linear part of DMC4's beeline plot. This is a pure adrenal hack-and-slash-and-shoot-and-hack-and-smash'em-up-and-slam'em-down game that utilizes some amazing special effects to accentuate its no-nonsense trash-everything-that-moves gameplay trait.

Game Score

B+

Reviewed By: Contributed