Reviews
Previously a PlayStation exclusive in the last generation, Capcom's "Devil May Cry" series has enjoyed huge success, spanning over three games, and has secured its reputation as one of the top action-adventure series' alongside the likes of Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden. With Capcom's move to become more multi-platform these days, this is the first time we've had the pleasure of enjoying Dante's devil-kicking antics on Microsoft’s machine. Interestingly, in a typical "waiting for a bus" fashion, it arrives at a time when we also see Ninja Gaiden 2 warming up in the wings. So has Devil May Cry 4 been worth waiting for, or is it simply worth waiting a little longer for Namco's next opus? The answer is not really all that simple, but for the most part DMC4 delivers enough action for fans and newcomers alike, though not without some frustrations and some very surprising changes.
On loading up Devil May Cry 4 the first real shock to the system is that you're not even handed control of Dante at all, but a new character called Nero, a doppelganger for our favourite devil hunter, though noticeably younger and sporting a hoodie and headphones... kind of Dante meets teenage angst if you will. What is even more surprising is that even though Dante appears in the opening movie sequence it’s actually Nero you will be using as the main protagonist for the majority of the campaign. It seems Capcom have given more than a nod to Metal Gear Solid 2's character change shenanigans and given us Raiden instead of Solid Snake. Unlike that little switcheroo move though, this one actually pays off as Nero is a right little badass himself and in many ways just as much fun to use in combat as Dante. And yes, don’t worry, you do get to play as Dante later (so everyone is happy), but the real huge annoyance that may upset many is that you cannot play the entire game as him.
With Nero, the main draw card that makes him such a pleasure to control and use is called the Devil Bringer. Looking like a cross between the worst kind of infection you can get on your hands or Michael Jackson’s gauntlet glove from hell... the Devil Bringer enhances Nero's right arm allowing him to pull off some rather amazing grapple moves on enemies, even in mid-air. This makes the scope of combos you can pull off as wide as you can possibly imagine. In addition to its use in combat the Devil Bringer also acts as a method for navigating the terrain by grabbing onto specific grapple points and swinging across chasms... perhaps Capcom have been playing their own Bionic Commando lately? Adding to the combo options of the Devil Bringer is Nero's own sword the Red Queen. This can be "pre-revved" using the LT button up to three times dealing more damage with the next hit made on an opponent. Similarly, to give fans of the series their fix when it comes to combo-timing, there is also an "instant-rev" which requires perfect timing mid-combo to deal out some severe retribution. With all these elements combined its fair to say Nero can dish out the damage as equally as Dante ever could.
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