Devil May Cry 4 Review

Early this year Devil May Cry 4 surfaced for both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Capcom launched the title when there was precious little competition on the market. Sales wise, this was a good move. The game would still garner praise even if they released it during the fall or the holidays. DMC 4 has a unique and very compelling setting, superb art direction and great gameplay, all of which make it a solid purchase for console gamers. PC gamers have waited many months to give this one a go and now it has finally arrived. Capcom released a demo for DMC 4 a while back, which had its fair share of downloads.

This hair doesn't get done by itself, you know.

Stop splitting hairs, will you!

While most of the storyline is as mystifying as ever, I'll try and keep it simple. In DMC 4 you play as Nero and most of the time you'll be after his love interest Kyrie, who got kidnapped by baddies. Dante is the hero from earlier DMC games and is a playable character at a later stage in DMC 4. Now, both characters are an awesome addition and they fight in unique ways too. Nero, however, his right arm, the Devil Bringer, can provide some serious demonic-slicing fun.

The initial impression of the PC edition of Devil May Cry 4 was a bit disconcerting. Sure, the visuals are breathtaking in high resolution, both throughout gameplay and during the well-directed cut-scenes. You're going to get a kick out of the atmosphere, especially if you're playing the DX10 version. The music, sound effects and voice-overs are top-notch, so no problems there either. The instant disappointment arrived when we tried to maneuver the main character via the awkward keyboard controls. The controls can be adjusted, though I'm afraid this won't help you much. You use the WASD keys for movement, while various actions and attacks are pulled off by pressing a variety of keys with your right hand. As a result, performing combos and stunts proved extremely difficult and to make things worse, they've completely excluded the mouse. Veteran PC gamers won't be too happy about this. To cut a long story short, if you're going to play this game, bring along a gamepad, preferably the X360 controller or one that's similar.

Another huge concern is the camera. Frequently throughout the game players just aren't given the best angle to view the situation. There are many sections in the game where you cannot see where the hero needs to jump or where his enemies are. It can be a serious obstacle more often than not.

The level designers did a good job of throwing enough challenges Nero's way (and Dante's, of course), although they clearly didn't think about varying things a little, since there are plenty of areas where players are forced to retrace their steps in order to progress.

Somehow, even with the faulty controls, this game succeeds in reeling you in with its captivating graphics, stunning artwork and brilliantly designed monsters and characters. The story is, well, baffling to say the least, as we've pointed out in our review of the 360 version. Trying to decipher what the writers wanted to say may take you forever (a common symptom in Japanese games, yes). Still, the overall presentation is excellent and makes up for the confusing narrative.

Listen hot-head, I was here first. Now, beat it!

Come, let me tell you your fortune. I see kids, lots of kids.

The well-balanced character powers -- plus, plenty of combos and different melee and ranged attacks -- are the reason Devil May Cry 4 is so addictive. If you're stuck in a certain area, getting through a lengthy platform-jumping sequence or if you're fighting a tough boss battle, it's constant fun and a great challenge. To spice things up for PC owners, the developers fitted on a spanking new "Legendary Dark Knight" mode, offering you a chance to slice more opponents than ever before and increasing the challenge further. This is a fine element, but when it comes to PC extras, we kind of expected more from Capcom - essentially, more content, a new chapter in the story, more secret levels and similar things.

Devil May Cry 4 is a good game if you're prepared to overlook certain downsides - first and foremost, the controls and camera. Next up, there's a solid amount of backtracking and there are a few recurring boss fights. Even so, the game is well-polished and it certainly looks sharper and better than on the console editions. What's more, it should appeal to fans and newbies alike.

The gameplay is addictive, leaving plenty of room for experimenting with tons of cool moves and fighting styles. There's even some replay value here, seeing as you can always return and complete the game using a different difficulty mode and revisit secret missions you weren't able to finish first time around.