Part 5 - Devil May Cry 4 (Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC)
Despite the doubts of gamers and critics, Devil May Cry 3 exceeded expectations and quickly became the best of the entire series. Although there were a few complaints (mostly about the difficulty), Devil May Cry 3 was heralded as one of the best games to ever grace the Playstation 2.
However, other extreme action games were gaining footing. God of War was also released in 2005 along side Devil May Cry 3, and had gained widespread notoriety among gamers and critics. In the previous year, Ninja Gaiden graced the Xbox and brought with it its own extreme style of video game action. If Devil May Cry 4 were to be released, it would have to compete head-to-head with the new kids on the block.
Initially a Playstation 3 exclusive title, Capcom was having doubts about Sony's new uber-expensive console and the critical backlash it had received during its 2006 E3 conference. Paired with the early PS3 backlash, Microsoft bought Capcom's love and Devil May Cry 4 was ported to the Xbox 360. The Sony fanbase was furious, but with a low install-base for the PS3 it was an unavoidable business move.
Even more alarming, though, was the fan reaction when Capcom revealed that Devil May Cry 4 would NOT have Dante return as the main protagonist, and gamers were introduced to what appeared to be a more youthful clone of Dante named Nero. It was revealed early on that Nero's big innovation revolved around the use of his Devil Bringer, a magical devil poltergeist hand that could reach out and grab enemies like Scorpion of the Mortal Kombat games. "Get over here!"
Devil May Cry 4 was finally released on both the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3, and as of March 31, 2008, the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions combined to sell 2.3 million copies, according to Capcom, and its average rating was in the mid-80's (84% according to Metacritic). However, the gamers were polarized; some enjoyed Devil May Cry 4 and thought of it as a welcome addition to the franchise, while others were much more critical on Devil May Cry 4's major flaws.
And what were the flaws? Let's dig in:
Story *SPOILERS!*
Nero
The main protagonist of Devil May Cry 4. Nothing is really known about him as far as his background, or exactly how he got his arm. The only thing you know about him is that he has a major boner for Kyrie.
Dante
The hero of the Devil May Cry franchise now appears to be the antagonist of Devil May Cry 4. What are the motives behind this strange twist? Read on to find out.
Kyrie
Nero's love interest and stereotypical damsel in distress. Sister to Credo and member of the Sparda-worshipping cult, The Order of the Sword.
Credo
Captain of the Holy Knights and brother to Kyrie. Credo is very stern and military, but is torn between serving the Order of the Sword and protecting his sister.
Devil May Cry 4 starts off with (what I believed was) a very melodic and beautiful opera scene sung by a young lady named Kyrie. As she sings to what appears to be a congregation, the white-haired and brash hero, Nero, races to the cathedral, fending off ragdoll-like puppet-demons with his arm securely wrapped in a sling. The scene is a mini-actionfest that, when coupled with the opera music, is surprisingly fitting and fresh. As Nero defeats the demons and races closer to the cathedral, a lone man with white hair and wearing a long, red jacket stands on the roof watching.
As Kyrie ends her song, she notices Nero sitting in the once-vacant seat. She approaches Nero, who ignores her advance by adjusting his headphones. Kyrie looks distraught until she glances at the small gift resting beside, and the two exchange discreet smiles as Sanctus, the High Priest of their order, begins to address the congregation. Bored with Sanctus's preaching of their savior, the Dark Knight, Sparda, Nero turns to leave.
The arm he has cradled in a sling and wrapped heavily in bandages begins to glow, and the glass roof shatters. The mysterious, white-haired and red-clad intruder lands on the stone podium in front of the preacher and, drawing a pistol, shoots him dead. As the holy knights rush to subdue him, the mysterious assailant makes short work of them. Nero and Kyrie attempt to flee, but Kyrie breaks free from Nero to retrieve the gift he had given her. She is knocked to the floor in the panic, and the dark assailant approaches her. Nero attacks the man in red and calls for Kyrie's brother, Credo, to take her to safety while he buys time for reinforcements to arrive.
The two face off in an over-the-top display of swordsmanship and gun slinging; however, the man in red is toying with Nero more than actually fighting him. The assassin escapes from Nero, taunting him as he disappears. Credo charges Nero with finding the assassin and bringing him to justice, which he anxiously accepts. However, in the battle, Nero's arm has been exposed, and he hides it ashamedly from the eyes of Credo, Kyrie and the others. Meanwhile, Kyrie retrieves her gift: a golden necklace with a large crystal embedded within.
Nero pursues the assassin, and meets up with a saucy, sensuous femme fatale in white who, after dispatching a horde of the doll-demons with extreme ease, fluidity and eroticism, introduces herself as Gloria, a new addition to Nero's covenant. Uncomfortable with Gloria's less-than obvious advances, Nero continues his mission. Meanwhile, the High Priest, Sanctus, has been brought back to life, and his less-than holy motives are made clear. Nero's 'demonic attributes' (aka: his arm) are brought to light and the order deems Nero as a liability. Along his journey, Nero encounters the assassin, Dante, who drops a few lines now and again that makes Nero question the true motives of his order.
Sanctus
The High Priest of the Sparda-worshipping cult, The Order of the Sword. Sanctus gets his head blown off in the first 2 minutes of the game.
Agnus
The Order of the Sword's lead demon-researching s-s-scientist. Agnus has been harnessing demon power to craft holy warriors.
Gloria
A mysterious woman and recent addition to The Order of the Sword. Gloria has been sent to destroy demons, which she does with great finesse and without the aid of underwear.
Of all the Devil May Cry games, Devil May Cry 4 has the SECOND-BEST story line. Though it is better developed and the characters more flushed-out than Devil May Cry 1, it is only slightly edged out of first place by the drama and plot of Devil May Cry 3. It does not hold a candle to the absurdly unfocused plots of the Devil May Cry anime, and it is a tough call with Devil May Cry 2, whose Disk 2 story line. involving Lucia is a contender for best story. Yes, I said it before: if I can commend Devil May Cry 2 for anything, it is the second play through with Lucia that makes it worthwhile, however so few gamers actually bother (sadly).
The overall theme of Devil May Cry 4 is the romance between Nero and Kyrie, and more so the lengths of which Nero will go to protect Kyrie out of his love for her. Yeah, the whole thing sounds like the same "Save the Princess" bullshit that has existed in storytelling since the beginning of time; however, the fact that Nero (apparently) sold his soul in order to protect Kyrie is pretty powerful no matter how you cut it. To make the story deeper yet, you have Credo, Kyrie's brother and the head of the holy knights, who must choose between his friend (I use the term 'friend' loosely) and his sister's happiness, and his devotion to the holy order and the will of the High Priest he serves.
On the downside, the plot itself is so damned predictable. A half-second after Dante blows the head off of Sanctus, almost everybody who is remotely familiar with the Devil May Cry games or anime already knows that there is something awry with the Sparda religion, and that Nero and Kyrie are going to be pawns in the middle of it all. Another major strike against the plot is the fact that Nero's glowing arm is not clearly explained. Nero gets a flashback on the brink of death where you hear Kyrie scream and Nero making a speech about how he wanted more power to keep Kyrie safe forever. I mean, what the hell happened exactly? Was Kyrie attacked by killer rag dolls? Was she being mauled by a bear? Did she fall down a well, or did her car break down on the side of the road? A scream is not proper storytelling! The last downside of Devil May Cry 4 is the character Agnus, the holy order's lead research scientist in their religion (Scientology??). I can't explain exactly why I hate this character any more than I did above, but he just seems so mismatched and horribly out of place from the rest of the characters. Agnus is kind of like Hans from Valkyria Chronicles, though his somewhat comedic and absurd presence is supposedly less intentional than that fucking horrible flying pig.
Gameplay
The gameplay in Devil May Cry 4 shines above its predecessors and its competition, though only for the most part. The mechanics of Devil May Cry 3 are properly in place, though there have been improvements in the item and skill system. Most noticeably is the fact that red orbs no longer purchase both items and special abilities, and now only purchase items. To purchase skills, you cash in on separate Style Points that you earn through the Style System and buy Proud Souls that in turn earn you special moves and powers. By no longer being forced between powering up your character or buying expensive items to stay alive, Devil May Cry 4 feels a great deal less stressful, if not significantly easier.
The Style System is identical to Devil May Cry 3: You have a combo meter that slowly fills the more diverse and lengthy your attacks against your enemies. The higher the rating, the more Red Orbs and Style Points you earn. The meter slowly drains during pauses in your attacks, is exceedingly harder to fill if attacks are not diverse enough, and your score will drop a full grade or two if you are hit by an enemy. At the end of a level, an overall grade is given based on items used, Red Orbs gathered, time taken, and the amount of Style Points accumulated. The rating system is as follows:
D = Deadly
C = Carnage
B = Brutal
A = Atomic
S = Smokin'
SS = Smokin' Style (same thing as 'S'? Style rank of Smokin' = Smokin Style??)
Nero's Devil Trigger is fairly different from the Devil Triggers in previous games. Of course Nero is faster, stronger, and can regenerate health while in Devil Trigger mode, but the full strength of Nero's Devil Trigger lies in combining it with the Devil Bringer against bosses. Not only do the Devil Bringer special attacks deal more damage, but they include additional animation ranging from an extra series of ground slams, or something as spectacular as an excessive barrage of cuts and slashes that compares to Cloud's Omni-Slash in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. There is HUGE replay value against boss enemies just because of these extra animations. However, the only downside to the Devil Trigger is that you don't get to reach its full potential until after Nero's battle against Agnus (quarter-way through the game), meaning that to view some of the more spectacular sequences, you would have to opt to replay earlier levels and refight bosses. But trust me, fights against enemies like Berial are fully worth the extra work.
Nero's most notable ability is his Devil Bringer: With the Devil Bringer, you can reach out and grab objects and enemies from a distance, slam enemies to the ground, and pull off extended action sequences against major boss characters for added damage and eye-candy. A prime example would be against the Fire Lord, Berial: If you weaken him enough, he will falter and stumble, and it will give you a window of opportunity to use your Devil Bringer, where you proceed to slam Berial's head into the earth. Use your Devil Arm a second time, and you throw the massive beast into the air and punch him across the level like you were serving a volleyball. These animations NEVER get old.
However, Nero is far from being King of Extreme Action Characters. Gameplay with Nero is far from as diverse as Dante from Devil May Cry 3. Even with the Demon Arm and the ability to charge the Red Queen sword, Nero's character suffers from not being able to gain new weapons throughout the whole game. Though new attacks can be purchased and the Devil Bringer can be upgraded, Nero is permanently equipped with his sword and his single-shot pistol, the Blue Rose.
Weapons
Red Queen. Think of it like this: You have a sword with a throttle on the handle and even what looks like the handbrake of a Huffy bicycle. You rev it up like you would a motorcycle, and exhaust comes out of the base of the sword. Sound effects are included. This is likely the most ridiculous 'evolution' of a sword I have ever seen outside of a Final Fantasy game (ie: Squall's gun blade); however, its application is somewhat valuable. You have a throttle meter that fills sort of like an RPM gauge in a car, except that when you red-line it, you get one of the three possible bars filled. The more bars you fill, the stronger your attacks. However, if you get hit, the bars you filled remain but the gauge falls back to zero.
The Blue Rose Revolver itself is extremely weak and slow in comparison to Dante's twin pistols, Ivory and Ebony, and you will find that juggling enemies with Nero is nearly on par with the crippled gunplay of Devil May Cry 2. Juggling enemies in the air with the Blue Rose is on par with the blazing-fast, extreme action of CHAMPIONSHIP SKEET SHOOTING!
Enemies
For the majority, the minor enemies in Devil May Cry 4 are directly re-hashed from Devil May Cry 1. While the main enemy this time around are the Scarecrows instead of the Blood Puppets, a majority of the enemies are familiar from previous games:
You have the banshee-like floating enemies, although this time they are actually insect-demons(?)
You have the armored lizard-men with the shields and swords
The ice-demons look familiar, however it's been a while since I've played DMC1 so I can't say with confidence that they've made a return
Some new enemies added to the foray include:
Hellhounds that shoot fire from their mouths like bazookas
Trans-dimensional beasts that swim through reality like sharks in water
Gigantic metal versions of the killer-clowns, complete with massive blades
The freshest enemy in Devil May Cry are the Angelic Knights, or "Bianco Angelo" as they are officially titled. These demon-enhanced suits of holy armor carry lances and shields, and they are fairly tough to take down. You must first weaken and destroy their shield in order to make them vulnerable, however the optional method is to sneak in a few hits during the split second they expose themselves to attack you. With Nero's Devil Arm, they are not that difficult to dispatch. Beware of the Golden Armors ("Alto Angelo"), which act as coordinators and commanders to any and all Angelic Knights in the area, and also gives them all a slight stats boost.
Then there is 'the game board room'. The game board room is the most infuriatingly annoying part of any modern game I have ever played. If you are lucky enough to have never played this piece of shit, I'll explain it to you:
When you enter this room, there's no turning back. A pair of dice drops from the ceiling, and when you 'roll' (slash) them, your 'piece' moves throughout the 'board'. There are different colored spaces you can land on, and each one has a peril that depends on what difficulty you are playing Devil May Cry 4 on. If you land on a colored square you can either: Receive a ton of red orbs, be attacked by multiple enemies, have to out-run lasers, HAVE TO RE-FIGHT PAST BOSSES, or even GO BACK SPACES.
It's a fucking sadistic version of Candyland that is the gaming equivalent of "If you land on red, you have to cut off a finger. If you land on purple, you get a smoothie. If you land on Yellow, you have to go back and try again." Sweet fuck, I was expecting to see a pale-faced doll riding a tricycle in the corner of the room.
I expect bullshit like this from the 'early years' of video games, but 30 fucking years later and after all the progress has been made, Devil May Cry 4's horrible Game Board Room had to go and send it all back to the Dark Ages of the Atari 2600. And the worst part? You have to do it not just ONCE, but TWICE IN A ROW, AND YOU HAVE TO DO IT AGAIN AT THE END OF THE GAME!! Who ever designed this piece of shit should be forced to masturbate with a rusty cheese grater at gunpoint!! FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU!!
Bosses
Throughout the game, it is revealed that the Order of the Sword has been using Demon Arm artifacts to create artificial Hell Gates for use in their experiments. The result has been the release of several major demons from the pits of Hell.
Berial – Now THIS is a boss! Berial the demon horse is the Conqueror of the Fire Hell. Escaping from the Hell Gate, he is confronted by Nero. Berial's attacks range from simple slashes with his enormous sword, to fire geysers, to a full-out nuclear blast. The most effective way to attack him is to leap onto its back and attack, but beware of his spin attack, which will send you flying. The houses that he destroys contain Green Orbs (life orbs) so make sure you collect them. After a while, the fires on Berial will die down and you can score massive damage using your Devil Bringer. Use it once to slam Berial's face into the ground, and quickly use it again to toss his ass in the air and spike him like a volleyball.
Bael - First appearing as a pair of luminous lesbian sprites, the Rusalkas, it becomes quickly apparent that there is something far more sinister lurking in the darkness. It turns out that the glowing girls are no different than the light of an angler fish, used to attract prey. Bael itself is an enormous angler fish and frog abomination that wants nothing more than to eat you. This boss is extremely dangerous because of its ice powers. If the Rusalkas manage to grab hold of you, they will freeze you in place, and Bael will leap form the darkness, chew you up, and spit you out. If Bael manages to eat you, use your Devil Trigger to break free. The annoyance factor of the boss is extremely high because it has a tendency to disappear into the shadows, leaving you to fend off its two Rusalkas without being able to damage Bael directly.
Echidna - Echidna first appears as an enormous floating serpent or dragon, only to have the head of the serpent open like a rose bud and reveal the upper-half of a woman within. Echidna has both the characteristics of an animal and a plant. She deposits seed-like pods throughout the game, and these pods develop into Chimeras, parasites that turn their hosts (usually the minor clown demons) into much more dangerous foes. Through the battle she will rush you in serpent form, whip you with her hair when she exposes herself, and deposit seeds that hatch into Chimeras and attack you. While you can get in a lot of hits when her humanoid form is exposed, her true weak point is the pod she exposes when her tail splits apart.
Credo - Using the harnessed demon power, Credo transforms into this pseudo-angelic, demon-hawk. Defeating Credo is a lot like killing the Holy Armor Knights: Credo's shield has to be broken before he will be vulnerable. It will require several uses of the Devil Bringer to destroy his shield, all while carefully avoiding his sword combinations. Credo will also generate lances and throw them at you from across the circular arena. The lances are easy enough to avoid, but if you have really good timing you can use your Devil Bringer to catch them and throw them back at Credo.
Agnus - Credo isn't the only member of the Order of the Sword who has been dabbling in devil powers, and it was in fact Agnus who made it possible. Rather than a more bird-like angelical form like Credo, Agnus is a locust. His power is the ability to seemingly reach into other dimensions and summon the flying swords and the shark-like demons that swim through reality. Coupled with the ability to summon fireballs and other projectiles, and the ability to absorb your life to replenish his own, Agnus is an extremely dangerous adversary.
Dante - When you fight Dante for the second time, it's horrifically apparent that the fight in the beginning of Devil May Cry 4 was the absolute easiest it would ever be. Dante isn't playing with you this time around, he is going in for the kill. Dante is extremely quick to react, and his Style changes even quicker. Your gun, the Blue Rose, is almost worthless because Dante's dual pistols shoot your own bullets out of the air. Your best bet is to use a hit-and-run strategy and use your Devil Bringer only when you have a clear opening, otherwise you will get your ass handed to you.
The Savior - Not so much of a boss fight as it is its own level. Depending on whether you are playing as Nero or Dante you will (respectively) either fight through several dice games and re-fight Berial, Bael, Echidna, and Agnus, or destroy a series of blue gems that cover the outside of the Savior statue. When playing as Nero and playing the dice games there is nothing new to expect. As Dante destroying the blue crystals, it is imperative that you use the Dark Slayer style to slash them from a distance.
Sanctus - When Nero makes it to the center of the Savior statue, Sanctus awaits with the Sparda sword in hand. Sanctus hovers over the ground, casting fireballs and raining lightning on your head, all while being contained in a bubble-like shield. Use your Devil Bringer on the two floating lanterns to pull yourself to his level and attack the shield with your sword. When the shield breaks, Sanctus will fall to the ground and you will be able to string a decent combination of sword attacks, topped off with the use of your Devil Bringer. I suggest that you also activate your Devil Trigger while doing this combination to not only make the attack look cooler, but also lay waste to 1/3 of Sanctus's health. After a while Sanctus will teleport and either attempt to attack you with the Sparda sword, or he will summon the power of the sword and make a mad lunge at you. While he is lunging, time your Devil Bringer and beat the ever-loving hell out of this bastard.
Graphics
The graphics of Devil May Cry 4 honestly did not 'wow' me as much as I had expected they would. Of course this contrasts to my giving the earlier games high marks in graphics, but that was because I believed that they were actually fairly impressive for their time and for the limited hardware of the Playstation 2. Devil May Cry 3 was a game that I felt really pushed the graphic hardware of the Playstation 2 and I am still in awe to this day. However, the graphics in Devil May Cry 4, given the hardware of the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3, just looks 'good'.
To be honest, Devil May Cry 4 looks like it is (graphically) a step up from Ninja Gaiden Black for the Xbox. Some textures are rough, and the shadows and shading look even rougher. The characters and bosses look fairly smooth, and Devil May Cry 4 does not seem to suffer any slowdown issues or any noticeable frame tearing. The special effects look pretty good, but nothing as full blown and spectacular as I had expected to see. There are exceptions, such as the boss fights that are larger than life and rife with special effects, but the majority of Devil May Cry 4 is not that impressive.
The character designs, I am actually content with. The Holy Order of the Sword characters look kind of bland (Credo) or completely mismatched (Agnus), but the other characters have a lot of individuality. Nero has the usual Japanese-punk look, with the clothing that is comprised of 1000 fucking zippers; Trish looks pretty similar to her original concept so no complaints there; Lady looks pretty damned hot.
Then there's Dante... Oh God, what the hell happened? Dante had previously always had a very Victorian or Gothic look, kind of like a contemporary vampire outfit, complete with the vest, long coat, white undershirt, etc. Since when did he become a fucking K-Mart Cowboy? Leather chaps? Cowboy boots? A flaming-red duster? He looks like Wyatt Earp's pimp brother. Yee Haw... Was this some sick joke on the part of the Japanese developers? Is this how the rest of the world views America? Do people think that we think that it's cool to look like the bastard child of John Wayne and Liberace?
Unlike Devil May Cry 1 and 3, the levels themselves have no soul to them. In the earlier games, each room of the castle/tower had something that uniquely identifies it, setting it apart from the others, and making navigating a hell of a lot easier. In Devil May Cry 4, though the stages look dramatically different (snow fields, castle, jungle, etc) every nook and cranny looks nearly identical with the others. Furthermore, there isn't really anything artistically driven by any of the levels. The castle looks stock, the jungle is nothing more than 'just a jungle', and even the town is as uninteresting as the earlier stages of Devil May Cry 2.
Sound
I was actually impressed by the sound as far as voice actors and music.
The voice actors for Nero, Dante and crew sound much more natural in their roles than most of the previous titles. Nero sounds like a cocky little shit, Credo sounds like a stuck-up, but noble military leader, and Dante's voice actor seemed to really get into the role this time around. Characters like Agnus and Sanctus sound cliche for their archetypes, but they get the job done without making my ears bleed.
The music in Devil May Cry 4 is probably the best in the series to date. While I feel the soundtrack is lacking in the epicness in comparison to the Devil May Cry 3 soundtrack, Devil May Cry 4 sounds more diverse. When you go from a pretty good Opera scene in the beginning, to the techno-metal of the boss fights, I would say that you have all of your bases covered. However, as I said, the musical score in the Devil May Cry 4 soundtrack doesn't have that feeling of 'epicness' like the DMC3 soundtrack, which you could listen to and actually 'feel' what part of the story you are at by the music alone. Devil May Cry 4 does not have a Neo Angelo piece that is both movingly powerful and adrenaline pumping at the same time, and it is a crying shame.
Time Has Come and Shall Never Surrender
The main theme song for Devil May Cry 4, "Time Has Come" sounds very similar to "Devils May Cry" from Devil May Cry 3, but minus the Gothic choir feel, which was one of Devils May Cry's best strengths. But it is still an upbeat, don't-hold-back, and kick ass theme. Not as great as Devil May Cry 3's theme, but still a good track.
Then there is the credit song, "Shall Never Surrender" which I can't stand simply on the grounds that it is one of those songs that will get stuck in your head until you find yourself humming it off key in a public place and make everyone around you think that there is a dying dog close by. It's not a bad song by far; I have heard much MUCH worse (PERSONA 3!!), but it is annoyingly catchy for a mediocre and slightly unfitting tune for a Devil May Cry game.
Dialogue
The fairly interesting story line. is coupled with surprisingly decent dialogue. A lot of the characters are well spoken, such as Credo, the holy knight, and Sanctus, the religious leader, and each present their intentions and personality in crystal clarity. However, Nero's dialogue comprises mostly of the word 'Kyrie'. "Kyrie-this" and "Kyrie-that". Sweet love of fuck, I know you have it hard for this petite princess Pavarotti, but Goddamn, she knows her fucking name, and so do we. It's not fucking hard to tell what you are fighting for when you mention the chicks name in nearly every cut scene.
The Dialogue is surprisingly less cheesy than any of the previous Devil May Cry games. Sure, there are parts that are overblown and over dramatic (Agnus's scenes for the most part), and there are the cliche moments sprinkled in the story line, but the sheer cheesy goodness of the previous games is kept at a minimum.
... Even Dante is actually more of a bad ass this time around? I am impressed. The majority of his dialogue is his overconfident taunting and calling Nero a 'punk', instead of delivering hammy speeches like "Devils don't cry" or "I could have been your liiiiiiiiiight!". Could it be? Could the producers have actually found a dialogue editor?
Well, for the most part, yes. While Dante's dialogue has evolved considerably since the first game, Nero is pretty much back at square one when he gets on his "Kyrie!" streak.
TIME TO BACKTRACK WITH DANTE!!
Yes, now that we've gotten this far into the Devil May Cry 4 review, now it is time to backtrack with Dante's half of the game. Don't you just LOVE backtracking?
Bosses
Echidna - Echidna first appears as an enormous floating serpent or dragon, only to have the head of the serpent open like a rose bud and reveal the upper-half of a woman within. Echidna has both the characteristics of an animal and a plant. She deposits seed-like pods throughout the game, and these pods develop into Chimeras, parasites that turn their hosts (usually the minor clown demons) into much more dangerous foes. Through the battle she will rush you in serpent form, whip you with her hair when she exposes herself, and deposit seeds that hatch into Chimeras and attack you. While you can get in a lot of hits when her humanoid form is exposed, her true weak point is the pod she exposes when her tail splits apart.
Dagon - Dagon is nearly identical to Bael except for the coloring. First appearing as a pair of luminous lesbian sprites, the Rusalkas, it becomes quickly apparent that there is something far more sinister lurking in the darkness. It turns out that the glowing girls are no different than the light of an angler fish, used to attract prey. Dagon itself is an enormous angler fish and frog abomination that wants nothing more than to eat you. This boss is extremely dangerous because of its ice powers. If the Rusalkas manage to grab hold of you, they will freeze you in place, and Dagon will leap form the darkness, chew you up, and spit you out. If Dagon manages to eat you, use your Devil Trigger to break free. The annoyance factor of the boss is extremely high because it has a tendency to disappear into the shadows, leaving you to fend off its two Rusalkas without being able to damage Dagon directly.
Berial – Now THIS is a boss! Berial the demon horse is the Conqueror of the Fire Hell. Escaping from the Hell Gate, he is confronted by Nero. Berial's attacks range from simple slashes with his enormous sword, to fire geysers, to a full-out nuclear blast. The most effective way to attack him is to leap onto its back and attack, but beware of his spin attack, which will send you flying. The houses that he destroys contain Green Orbs (life orbs) so make sure you collect them.
Agnus - Credo isn't the only member of the Order of the Sword who has been dabbling in devil powers, and it was in fact Agnus who made it possible. Rather than a more bird-like angelical form like Credo, Agnus is a locust. His power is the ability to seemingly reach into other dimensions and summon the flying swords and the shark-like demons that swim through reality. Coupled with the ability to summon fireballs and other projectiles, and the ability to absorb your life to replenish his own, Agnus is an extremely dangerous adversary.
The Savior - Not so much of a boss fight as it is its own level. Depending on whether you are playing as Nero or Dante you will (respectively) either fight through several dice games and re-fight Berial, Bael, Echidna, and Agnus, or destroy a series of blue gems that cover the outside of the Savior statue. When playing as Nero and playing the dice games there is nothing new to expect. As Dante destroying the blue crystals, it is imperative that you use the Dark Slayer style to slash them from a distance.
Enemies
For the majority, the minor enemies in Devil May Cry 4 are directly re-hashed from Devil May Cry 1. While the main enemy this time around are the Scarecrows instead of the Blood Puppets, a majority of the enemies are familiar from previous games:
You have the banshee-like floating enemies, although this time they are actually insect-demons(?)
You have the armored lizard-men with the shields and swords
The ice-demons look familiar, however it's been a while since I've played DMC1 so I can't say with confidence that they've made a return
Some new enemies added to the foray include:
Hellhounds that shoot fire from their mouths like bazookas
Trans-dimensional beasts that swim through reality like sharks in water
Gigantic metal versions of the killer-clowns, complete with massive blades
The freshest enemy in Devil May Cry are the Angelic Knights, or "Bianco Angelo" as they are officially titled. These demon-enhanced suits of holy armor carry lances and shields, and they are fairly tough to take down. You must first weaken and destroy their shield in order to make them vulnerable, however the optional method is to sneak in a few hits during the split second they expose themselves to attack you. Beware of the Golden Armors ("Alto Angelo"), which act as coordinators and commanders to any and all Angelic Knights in the area, and also gives them all a slight stats boost.
Then there is 'the game board room'... AGAIN.
When I saw Dante standing in front of that piece of shit die, I wanted to cry. Seriously, I would have been willing to burn all of my Man Cards and cry my eyes out rather than go through that piece of shit all over again. I was at the point where I would have sold my soul to the Devil himself if I didn't have to play that rancid piece of video gaming shit. I would have cut my finger and signed a contract in blood if I would only be spared this half-hour of torture.
And I got my wish. The evil die fell in front of Dante, gives it a "fuck this" smirk, slices it in two, and continues on with the game.
I was about to do the Balki Bartokomous "Dance of Joy" until I felt an eerie chill roll down my spine. I looked at Dante's wily smirk as he walked off camera, then I felt a sharp pain from my finger. I wondered if I hadn't done something I will regret later...
Weapons
Rebellion - Dante's trademark sword is back and better than ever. The attacks are similar to those in Devil May Cry 3, however if you couple the Rebellion with the Swordmaster Style, you can pull off a combination of attacks that will make even the most hard-nosed of gamers drool. My single complaint about Rebellion is that it seems that the 1000 Stab technique is not performed the same as any of the previous games, and this caught me off guard.
Ebony and Ivory - Dante's trademark dual pistols have returned. All of the over-the-top moves from Devil May Cry 3's Gunslinger Style have returned, and a few additions have been added, most notably the ability to barrage your opponents with an even FASTER rate of gunfire. Juggling enemies is far more satisfying with Dante than with Nero. Ebony and Ivory are the essential projectile weapon because of their fairly balanced range and power.
Coyote-A Shotgun - The essential 'up-close-and-personal' projectile weapon. Get within point-blank range with the sawed-off shotgun and send enemies flying across the screen. Use the shotgun against tougher enemies, like the Holy Armor and the banshee-like enemies. The Gunslinger Style adds a little flair to the move list with skills like The Firecracker, but most of the attacks are more visually appealing and stylish than practical.
Gilgamesh - When you slay Echidna and destroy the Hell Gate, you receive the gauntlet and grieves, Gilgamesh. The attacks for Gilgamesh are very similar to the Beowulf weapon of Devil May Cry 3. With Devil May Cry being developed by Capcom, it's no surprise that there are a lot of attacks that look similar to those in the Street Fighter series. Dragon Uppercuts, Lighting Kicks, they're all present in one form or another.
Earned after killing Echidna.
There is only 1 Devil May Cry game that DID NOT have a pair of demon gauntlets for 'fisticuffs' fighting, and it was the weak Devil May Cry 2. It just goes to show that a pair of demonic boxing gloves has always been as big a part of Devil May Cry as Dante himself.
Pandora - I don't know how to describe this bizarre weapon: It's a fucking suitcase... that can turn into anything from a machine gun, to twin bladed disks, to a bazooka, to an ion cannon, to a missile launching vehicle you pilot. And for the cream-of-the-crop: You simply open it, and like the Arc of the Covenant in Indiana Jones, the light within damage all of your enemies. Obviously, Pandora benefits from being paired with the Gunslinger Style.
Earned after killing Dagon.
Lucifer - Another bizarre weapon that defies convention. It is a hellish weapon worn like a backpack, and is able to spawn a countless number of spectral swords to hover around it. These swords can be rearranged, thrown, or wielded, and will explode either after a short duration, or at a command from Dante, such as a clap, or throwing the rose held in his mouth like a Flamenco dancer. You can continually plunge these spectral swords into the bodies of your enemies, turning them into pin cushions in a literal sense. The swords then detonate automatically, or you can throw your rose and they all explode on cue. Using the Swordmaster Style, you can summon multiple swords that can either appear in a ring around yourself, damaging all enemies close by, or you can encircle an enemy with blades that pierce inward. Lucifer's special attacks have sexual names: Bondage, Discipline, Splash, Climax, Ecstasy and Pin-Up.
Earned after killing Berial.
Yamato - The sword used by Dante's twin brother, Vergil, and the key to the Hell Gate. While Nero does get to possess the sword during the later part of the first half, Nero still only uses the Red Queen in battle. Dante, on the other hand, has the ability to use the sword in combat. The most notable skill is the ability to attack distant objects with the sword with ethereal slashes.
Earned after killing Agnus.
Gameplay
There is no equal in all of gaming than being a demon spawn that can switch between five Styles, three weapons, and three projectile weapons AT WILL. The insane combinations of attacks are off the wall, and mixed-and-matched with different Styles and weapons, you are an invincible badass of which the likes of Kratos and Rau will turn into willing bitches for Dante's super-human coolness.
The controls are remarkably user-friendly for the sheer amount of awesomeness you can alternate between 'on-the-fly'. You use the two trigger buttons on the controller to alternate your Devil Arms and your projectile weapons. There are, at maximum, three of each so cycling through your inventory is quick and painless. The Directional Pad is used to select your Styles: Gunslinger, Swordmaster, Royal Guard, and Trickster. The four main styles are exactly the same as in Devil May Cry 3. A fifth Style, Dark Slayer, is available after you regain the Yamato sword (Vergil's sword from Devil May Cry 3). Equipping the Dark Slayer Style is the only way to use Yamato, and it doesn't enhance any other weapon like Swordmaster or Gunslinger. To equip Dark Slayer, you simply have to double-tap one of the directions on the D-Pad.
With a little bit of practice, cycling through weapons, guns, and gameplay Styles without accessing an inventory screen is not only cool to watch, but is also extremely rewarding.
One thing I am EXTREMELY grateful for is the fact that the Style Points you earned with Nero are interchangeable with Dante. In other words, if you developed some mad skills using Nero, then you get to cash out Nero's abilities and pump up Dante from the first moment you get to play as him. Other handy additions are that if you ever replay older missions, you continue to bank Style Points, and that both Nero and Dante 'remember' the skills you assigned them so you don't have to continually re-assign Skill Points every time you switch characters.
Story
*SPOILERS AHEAD*
It turns out that Dante IS the good guy after all. Oh, Devil May Cry 4, you had me going there... a little... not really...
Flashback to Dante in a meeting earlier with his female counterparts, Trish (Devil May Cry 1) and Lady (Devil May Cry 3). Apparently Lucia (Devil May Cry 2) had gotten fat and wasn't allowed to take part in their BDSM super model club. Dante and Trish are scarfing down a whole pizza while using some sort of Demonic power to retain their figures, when Lady-.... OH WOW!!
Well, Lady looks good. Her fashion sense has gotten better since her days as a militant schoolgirl. I think she is making a statement on environmental awareness with that skimpy outfit. It's not exactly: "I would rather be naked than wear fur" but more like "I can look damned sexy wearing the skin of ONLY ONE clubbed baby seal."
Anyways, Lady is propositioning the services of Trish and Dante, informing them both about a mysterious island where the inhabitants are in a cult that worships Dante's demon father, Sparda. Nothing can be done to interfere with their religious beliefs because they don't practice polygamy or pedophilia, however they are gaining notoriety because they are collecting various Devil Arms and artifacts for some unknown reason, and Lady wants Dante to check it out. Dante doesn't really give a shit, but Trish seems interested. So when Dante turns his back, she steals the sword, Sparda, and vanishes.
For some reason I was more excited by their re-emerging in Devil May Cry 4 than in the Devil May Cry anime, and that is likely because it felt more 'cannon' and legitimate than in the animated series. However, Lady does little but inform Dante and Trish of the Sparda worshipping cult, and Trish… well, let's not spoil everything.
Backtracking
I HATE HATE HATE BACKTRACKING!
There is no reason to pad-out games by forcing players to continually replay, revisit, or research some previously conquered area to advance in the story! There is no mind-numbingly horrible way to waste of my so-called-life than playing the same shit repeatedly lest I quit the game, thereby rendering the hours I had already invested into Devil May Cry 4 as equally as wasted, thus forcing me to finish the fucker in a vain attempt at justifying the time I had already wasted. All for the sake of getting a lousy ending that says: "Thanks for playing, we love your money."
Whose brilliant idea was it to recycle Nero's levels for the 2nd half of Devil May Cry 4?
The ONLY saving grace from backtracking in Devil May Cry 4 is the fact that you get to play as 'Uber Dante' and completely annihilate every poor bastard that you run across. I honestly have the feeling that Dante was never supposed to be a playable character in Devil May Cry 4, and that Nero was supposed to be the highlight of the entire game. However, Capcom may have come up short on gameplay and sensing the public backlash similar to that of Heavenly Sword's short gameplay, they needed a way to pad it out a little longer. Fortunately, Devil May Cry fans were in an uproar about not playing as Dante, so bringing back Dante as a playable character and having him revisit the same stages Nero had previously conquered killed two birds with one stone.
I honestly can't be too mad about the backtracking because I would have been even more furious if I couldn't play as Dante, but would it have killed the developers to have changed the scenery a bit?
Hopefully this review illustrates just how monotonous repeating the same thing, even in reverse, can be. And fuck, you weren't the asshole who had to type this extra-long review up!
OVERALL
Overall, better than I expected from a Devil May Cry game that didn't focus on Dante. The main characters (Nero, Kyrie, and Credo) were flushed out fairly well, however the re-emergence of Dante, Lady and Trish (while great for fans) left little impression on those not already familiar with the series. The gameplay with Nero's Devil Bringer was refreshing, and playing as the over-powered Dante made my thumbs orgasm. Devil May Cry 4 is a solid entry in the franchise. Besides the tedious (yet justifiable) backtracking, I don't see how anybody could really HATE Devil May Cry 4 unless they are just not fans of the genre.
Graphics
7.5
Bosses are fantastic. Level design feels much less 'inspired' than the first and third games, making the world around you look extremely bland. Character designs are fairly good, especially Lady. Dante's new cowboy look is shit.
Sound
9.0
Some very memorable tracks: the Opera, "The Time Has Come" and "Shall Never Surrender", but nothing truly 'epic' like in Devil May Cry 3. Character voices exceed everything we've heard so far, even if there are still some cheesy lines.
Gameplay
8.5
Nero never gets new weapons or any radically different upgrades to shake Devil May Cry 4 up.
Dante is insanely fun to play as. Switching styles and new weapons at will pushes the extreme-action genre over and above what we expected.
Backtracking feels tedious, but it is not nearly as bad as the usual 'beat the game, play as a new character' crap we've seen in the past.
Story
7.0
While the love-story theme helps add a lot more depth and character development, the story as a whole is extremely predicable. The 'fake-out' of Dante being the antagonist lasts a whole 2 seconds. Gloria being Trish in disguise actually surprised me. The dialogue is still cheesy in places.
Replay Value
6.0
The ability to replay past missions to power-up Nero and Dante is a sorely needed feature in the prior games, however there is little to no incentive to replay Devil May Cry 4 outside of online achievements and the usual worthless in game unlockables (artwork, etc).
OVERALL
8.5
The gameplay with Nero's Devil Bringer was refreshing, and playing as the over-powered Dante made my thumbs orgasm. Outside of some glaring issues with backtracking and some game elements, Devil May Cry 4 is worthy of the franchise.
Nice work man! Thought you deserved a comment for the awesome effort. I
already said it in the Forum but your Dice rant had me almost pissing
myself.
Agro
01 Nov 2009, 01:19
You made a lot of good points about the stupid dice game and the monotiny
of playing the same stages again. The game was only a rent for me and I
coudnt get inot it that much
Nick C
01 Nov 2009, 21:06
Great game
great graphics
so so story, terrible romance
a lot of backtracking
a lot of fighting bosses over and over
fun concept
great sound
great controls
worth about 20 bucks
neuromancer99
06 Nov 2009, 09:28
wow a sarcastic review that actually makes good points. paint me impressed.
homoarachnid
10 Nov 2009, 11:35
The dice game was the biggest piece of rancid ass in a video game. The Lady
chick is a total fox and id shoot a crotch rocket if she walked down the
street infront of me. I agree 200% with your review.
ren u
28 Nov 2009, 21:59
I didn't think Dante's outfit was that bad...
Oh, and here's a tip I found on youtube if anyone cares: during the dice
game, the number at the top of the die is the number you roll when you hit
it; so if you time your hits right, you'll always get the number you want.
LaughingMan
28 Nov 2009, 23:46
@ren u
I guess Dante's look is all about personal taste. It was an unexpected
change that I thought was too over the top (yeah, for a Devil May Cry game
the look was 'over the top' right?)
Nice find. I sort of figured that out before I beat the game the first
time. It is a valuable tip to make the dice game more playable, but I still
hate that useless segment of the game.
revvy
10 Dec 2009, 10:13
There was something that just rubbed me wrong in Devil May Cry 4 and I
think it was the really lame love story. People may think its developed but
I think it wasnt. Your Nero's Blogger account was genius! It put Nero in
his place!
johnny tester
17 Feb 2010, 17:41
This is awesome. A thurough and gamer POV review of Devil May Cry 4. You
tell it like it is. Nero is a bitch. Backtracking sucks donkey balls. Dante
is the king of the fighters! I love it.
johnny tester
17 Feb 2010, 17:46
This review is awesome. A thurough and gamer POV review of Devil May Cry 4.
You tell it like it is. Nero is a bitch. Backtracking sucks donkey balls.
Dante is the king of the fighters! I love it.
Lora
15 Sep 2010, 23:10
Great review! You almost had me pissing my pants from laughter in some
parts, damn!
The die never took me more than five minutes to get past, and here's why:
The number it lands on is the number that was displayed on top the moment
you hit it. It goes in the pattern 1, 4, 2, 6, 3, 5. Fairly easy to master,
all you need is a decent sense of timing. And hey, free orbs!
On another note, I know Dante's new attire doesn't exactly fit with the
gothic theme of the game, but as I never really cared for his previous
outfits, I feel this is an improvement. I had always seen Dante's previous
outfits (not including DMC3) as a little... feminine, I guess? (Too much
tight shit, vests, and always with the shiny "time to get the dock out of
the lake" boots...) I understand that's to be expected, what with the
game's place of origin... But, still. The more westernized look is a
welcome change for me. I admit that the chaps may be a little over the top
and out of place in a game like this, but I won't lie and say I don't
like them in the overall look. All things considered, he looks more
masculine, and you could attribute this mainly to me being a girl, but I
like this tough, not-so-Japanese, rough-around-the-edges look. I think it
fits his bold and brash personality better. And I'm almost certain that
DMC2 Dante's coat was velvet, which made me want to laugh and cry
simultaneously. I hear the creators are trying to take the fifth game in a
more westernized direction to catch more interest over here in the US of A,
and that may have been the case for this game, as well, as far as Dante's
outfit goes.
I do agree with most of your review though, especially the points you made
about the backtracking and the blandness of some of the levels' scenery,
and also about Nero's repetitive dialog. I had a sense of energy and
eagerness during the first half of the game, but I quickly lost some of
that excitement when I discovered I would have to retrace my steps and redo
all the levels I'd already done. It's essentially half a game. Same
levels, different weapons. Dante is clearly the better fighter, so I felt
even less challenged than I did during the first half. And then having to
play five of those bosses a THIRD time at the end? Meh.
Despite the backtracking and obvious obsession on Nero's part, it's a
good game. My favorite game, if I'm going to be completely honest. I've
played this game 3 times through on DH mode, and I have yet to get bored
with it. Terrific voice acting, and great cutscenes, too, especially that
one with Dante and Nero at the beginning, and the ultra-cheesy Lucifer
scene chock full of innuendos. My only REAL complaint is that they haven't
quite fixed the awkward camera angles. They're definitely a step up from
the previous games, but I keep thinking back to the time when I had to look
through a red barrier to see what the hell demons had me trapped in that
position, and it makes me want to murder.
Again, awesome review, and sorry for taking up so much space. I'm sure
I'm not supposed to review a review, but I have a tendency to ramble about
things I like. I'm looking forward to reading your review on the anime. :)
Lora
15 Sep 2010, 23:14
Oh... wow... Just now realized how enormous my "comment" was. Again,
sorry. Hope you're not too annoyed by my over-enthusiasm. ^^;
LaughingMan
17 Sep 2010, 13:47
Hi Lora,
Don't worry about having an enormous comment, I'm glad you liked my Devil
May Cry 4 review as much as I enjoyed writing it. Despite some gripes, I
still love the game, especially Uber Dante's ultimate badassness towards
the end.
If you enjoyed my Devil May Cry reviews, please look into several of my
other reviews (though probably skip Sam and Max because they're probably
too straight-laced for people looking for humor). Feel free to drop by the
forums as well.
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Devil May Cry 4 Review
