DMC: devil may cry Review

DMC:devil may cry Review

Overview:​​​​​

Dante is back in a prequel/reboot of the infamous DMC series. He is a wholly new Dante with a new developer Ninja Theory(Heavenly Sword and Enslaved) built from the ground up on the Unreal Engine 3. Dante is now a Nephilim a half angel and demon creature instead of half human and demon. Concerns have been raised with the new look and style of the game. We will get into all the details and see if we have a new hack n slash king or another dissapointment like DMC 2...

Graphics/Presentation:​

DMC is a georgeous game throughout. The only shortcomings presented by DMC is the inability to maintain the over the top graphical flair shown in the first 30 min of game play. You have oversaturated colors and lens flare running rampant. Levels like Virility and The Plan have bland passages. At the same time you have levels like Breaking News which are visionary stand outs. It is a mixed bag in art direction but the draw backs can't hold back to sheer graphic awe this title sheds with every move. Devil trigger unleashes a over the top inky black and White filter(similiar to the Street Fighter IV trailers)all in all a sinfully beautiful package. It has lost a bit of its gothic roots but in return we a highly stylized world to compliment Dante's style driven move set. The impact of the world being converted to limbo as Dante is dragged into limbo is awesome. The world breaks apart, shifts and the lens filters change. It is impactful and distinguished when things are turning for the worse.

Gameplay:

I think it is important to note that this devil runs at 30fps.(unfortunately unreal 3 games seem to be stuck here). This may be a concern to longtime fans worried about precise movement and animations. I can officially say this is the smoothest 30fps I have ever encountered (although Halo 4 is a honorable mention). Never in my play through was the frame rate a hindrance to the on screen action. Dante moves with near twitch like perfection as he slays the horde of demons before you. That being said however the new control scheme is cumbersome to begin with(It took most of my first play through to get it right). You have the two triggers dedicated to angelic or demon weapons(angel=quick/light, Demon=heavy) and their grapple hooks(angel and demon hook) one pulls you to enemies the other pulls enemies to you. You also have three different evades available your standard evade, demon and angelic. The angelic evade sends you through "Limbo" when timed correctly. This sounds cool but the result is you move a great distance from your attacker. Not the most ideal scenario for attacking after the evade. The Demon evade is where it is at! When timed correctly this gives a tremendous boost to style and damage for several seconds. If you want to achieve SSS on stylish points, this is in my opinion is the only evade worth perfecting. You have a jump, attack and launch buttons. Clicking in both thumbsticks engages Devil Trigger. This is the most accessible DMC ever made in terms of story, combos and difficulty. They new style system does not punish you for not being overly aggressive and gives you the freedom to try new moves and combos without the risk of losing your style ranking. Which only resets during battle if you are hit by a enemy. Also woth noting about it being accessible it is the easiest DMC since DMC2 for a number of reasons. Enemies are less aggressive and do less damage than in past games. Enemies give and visual and audible que when attacking. This makes evading attacks simple and prevents cheap attacks. Boss battles are strictly pattern based(spoiler alert except for Virgil) and predictable. The Boss battles are dissapointing overall and dont really test your combat skills as a whole just your evade abilities. This is in stark contrast to DMC1,3,4 and a step backwards for the series. The game provides you with multiple check points throughout most levels. Also making it easier is the best camera of the series and possibly the genre. The entire game is definitely easier than DMC 1&3. I really think it feels more refined, balanced and fair in the same breath. Training mode is new and a great addition. Its needed in a game where you can infinitely chain together your combos and have a move set as large as a fighting game. I hope to see this as a staple throughout the hack n slash genre in the future. For the first time in the series you cannot lock on to enemies. Not as big of a deal as one would think. The game does a wonderful job filling in the blanks 99% of the time, but you will still find issue when fighting a mix of air and ground enemies. I would have liked to see the lock on system replace the useless angel evade on the control set. Dmc swordplay has never been smoother or more over the top. Dantes multiple weapons and aerial combat stream together effortlessly. You can switch through all of your weapons mid combo via the D-Pad(this is a better system on the PS3. 360's mushy d-pad causes swapping errors at times.) It makes the combat feel organic and natural. However the same cannot be said for the gunplay(the awesome Trickster Mode from DMC3 this is not). I rarely used anything other than the shotgun in battle. The need of the guns is only driven by the airborne enemies. To mix up things in combat you have fire and ice styled enemies which only respond to your Angelic and/or Demon weapons. It seems the developers intent was to mix up combat but really all they did was make you feel constrained in combat. It became more of a nusance than a thought provoking strategy element. Even on its hardest levels you will find yourself chopping down demons with out much problem with your demon evades and generous check points. I would have liked to have seen more challenge on the hardest difficulties. Also you have more collectables this time around. You have the staple secret missions, however these are now behind locked doors that you must find keys for throughout the levels. This requires you play the game atleast twice before you can unlock them all. In addition to the secret missions you have Lost Souls hidden throughout the level that you free via melee attacks. You are looking at a first playthrough of about 10hrs not including the secret missions and lost souls hidden in nearly every level.

Sound:

DMC is loaded with over-the-top sounds.  From the beat driven music of Combichrist to the hiss of the demons it delivers.  Each one of the demons has a distinct sound and you know what enemy is in the enviroment even if you don't see them in your line of sight.  While a far cry from the best voice acting..  DMC delivers the best in its series and genre.  Dante is fortunately more subdued and not contantly making quips and one liners during combat ala DMC3.  The guns sound like the originals the pistols and shotgun pack the same artificial punch as the original DMC1.  The swords each have a distinctive sounds. The angelic weapons have a very clean and precise kitana like sound.  The demon weapons are a very heavy sound like they are infused with the roar of thunder.  Each level seems tailored to bring a diffrent emotion through the soundtrack.  It is all edited nicely and ties in well with the story scenarios.

Story:

In its infancy it starts out strong building your new back story.  The pacing in the first few chapters feels great but drags a little around mission 5.  Helping is the fact that Dante is coming into his own and figuring out just what and who he is and what happened to his parents for the first time.  You have a story that is simple but engaging.  The demon king Mundus has infiltrated the earth and is poisoning humans minds with news, debt and a drink called virility.  If that wasn't enough he is planning a takeover and just so happened to have murder your mother and enslaved your father.  As you can see you have a story driven on freedom and revenge.  Even though Dante is now Nephilim (DEMON/ANGEL) he has never been more humanized and it helps the player relate.  It really helps pacing knowing why we are doing what we are doing.  Each mission has a clear directive before it starts helping you be more engaged in the story as it unfolds.  Engagement in a hack n slash story?  I know its strange but DMC has it along with all the other goods that have made it a premiere franchise.  People have accused the dialogue and story being immature.  I disagree completely and feel like a creature like Dante would come across arrogant and self absorbed with no mission in life.  However you see character development and a change in his demeanor towards the end when he has purpose(not life changing but a shift is notable).  In the end I am not sure the direction the series will head but I am more invigorated about the series than ever.

Score:  9.5/10 -Sensational

Pros:  Awesomely fluid gameplay and move set, Nice array of enemies, Best story since DMC1, Training Arena, Limbo effects.

Cons:  No lock-on, Lack of difficuly, Weak and few inbetween boss enounters.

?:  When are we getting the Bloody Palace DLC!