If you have an Xbox 360, you're pretty much obligated to download the Devil May Cry 4 demo. There are two reasons for this: 1) you're really excited for Devil May Cry 4, whether it's because you love the series or are a fan of action, or 2) you know this is the first Devil May Cry game for an Xbox console and you're trying to figure out what group number 1 thinks is so great about it. Truth be told, we actually fall somewhere in the middle, as we have played bits and pieces of previous Devil May Cry titles but have never actually completed one. Given our limited experience with the series, we can safely say that the demo provides more of what fans have come to enjoy, and uninitiated action fans should definitely take note. Read on for our impressions of the demo.
The demo offers two options, a timed level that let's you experience as much as your skill will allow in 10 minutes. You slay monsters and move forward as quickly as possible trying to see as much as you can. The second option isn't timed but offers significantly less content than the timed option. Essentially it's one brief bout of demon slaying followed by a massive boss fight. So, how does it play?
In short, it plays great. In the tradition of Capcom, the controls work flawlessly, although we hope the retail version lets players customize buttons (the sword is mapped to Y? What?). The face buttons allow you to jump, slash, shoot, and use your Devil Bringer, something like a spiritual grappling hook. The Devil Bringer allows you to traverse large distances quickly, but its most important role is in combat. Devil May Cry is all about stringing together as many combo attacks as possible. Players constantly swing Nero's sword, launch enemies into the air, continue to attack them while in the air, knock them back down to the ground, and keep going from there, using Nero's pistol to keep the combo going. The Devil Bringer allows Nero to pull enemies toward him (even in the air), which aids in keeping combos going and also introduces even more combo possibilities. For instance, it's possible to combo an enemy into the air, knock it to the ground, and then pull it back up while Nero is still in the air. Pretty slick. Another addition to the combat is the ability to "rev up" Nero's sword like a motorcycle. By repeatedly pulling the left trigger, Nero revs up his sword, storing energy to make his next few blows more powerful. Honestly, we were too busy slaying to see exactly how much more damage these blows did, but the added animations certainly look nice.
Unfortunately, the ease with which you can put combos together serves to highlight the fact that the enemies aren't too bright. Only rarely did enemies actually manage to land a blow while we were playing, and usually it's simply because we weren't paying attention. Granted, it's only a demo and the difficulty is probably toned down, but it's worth noting (it's also worth noting that Devil May Cry 3 was notoriously difficult). The single boss fight offers up more of a challenge, but not by much. In fact, it's possible to simply hover over the boss's head using the Devil Bringer, delivering punishing sword strikes the entire time. Still, mistakes are rewarded with severe blows in return.
Graphically the game is very tight. The character models are top notch and animate very well. The environments look nice and there are a handful of destructible set pieces here and there (which usually contain goodies, by the way). If there could be a knock against the graphics, it might be that they are a little too pristine, too static. That, however, is purely a matter of taste, and no one could argue that what's there isn't very well polished.
All in all, the Devil May Cry 4 demo delivered exactly what was expected of it. The star of the show is still the free form combo system. If that's your cup of tea, it looks like Devil May Cry 4 will hit the spot. Our only hope is that the retail version offers more of a challenge. Assuming it can, DMC4 will definitely be one to look out for. If not, it should at least serve as a nice way to pass the time until Ninja Gaiden II hits the shelves.
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 3)
1-24-2008 @ 10:35PM
saintpale said...
The camera is absolutely horrible, it reminded me of DMC 1, and thats NOT a good thing.
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1-24-2008 @ 11:29PM
SnesR0X said...
Or IS it??!?!?!?! 0__0
It's similar at times, but the rest of the camera angles follow the character. In the original DMC it was more often fixed camera angles, this is not.
1-24-2008 @ 10:43PM
JSN91 said...
picking it up along with turok. wish you could have played with dante since he has more tricks than nero. like his sword master style and gun slinger. yes ive played all the other 3. ill also be picking up ninja gaiden when it come out.
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1-25-2008 @ 12:32AM
Flakundenga said...
personally i didnt lyk the game. yes it plays well n all but it's to ummm...wats the best way 2 put it...satanic 4 me
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1-25-2008 @ 11:50AM
J said...
i don't know.. to each his own, but you're killing the demons in the game, not making friends with them.
1-25-2008 @ 12:39AM
Jayslacks said...
Gamers need to support Capcom games. Especially 360 gamers. They are the best Third-Party Publisher, hands down. And DMC4 is going to be amazing.
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1-25-2008 @ 1:06AM
SonyPS3Sucks said...
I have downloaded both Versions X360 and PS3, played both same TV and settings. From my Knowledge the PS3 ver. SUCKS!!! J/k Jokes aside, the xbox 360 version was more smooth and more cleaner in graphical terms. :)
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1-25-2008 @ 1:38AM
ez054098 said...
Typical Japanese crappy camera. I thought I was playing Dino Crisis 3. Other than that I liked it.
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1-25-2008 @ 3:18AM
Anticrawl said...
Heh, or the original Resident Evil
1-25-2008 @ 6:52AM
chenry said...
this game is tits!
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1-25-2008 @ 7:23AM
SadisticHam said...
Was all easy for me but not the boss fight. Everyones claiming it's easy but i had trouble, i killed it in the end but he was a tough one.
I suppose this is my first play of the series, I'll pick it up. Ninja Gaiden seems better but this was a fun challenge too.
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1-25-2008 @ 9:11AM
thisguyrighthere said...
It'll make for a fun rental but I can't justify dropping $60 for the opportunity to hit Y over and over.
Really, people thought it was hard? I was half asleep and just hit Y a million times and B maybe a dozen times and it was over. Timed and boss battle.
It requires no thought and barely any attention. I could have done just as well walking out of the room with the controller and making a sandwich while pressing Y with my index finger.
It should be really popular with stoners and drinkers.
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1-25-2008 @ 4:00PM
SnesR0X said...
The demo is on easy, therefore it wasn't meant to be challenging. It's fairly simple....
1-25-2008 @ 10:09AM
Paulo Eifel said...
Well I was really disappointed with the game..It was the first time I played DMC and I just don`t like the pace and the combo system..It feels so friggin` lame.
I´ll propably rent it but this button mash fest ain`t worth 60 bucks!
Cheers
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1-25-2008 @ 10:48AM
tim said...
HELP - How do you break through the red spider-web looking stuff? It seems to be blocking the doorway.
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1-25-2008 @ 3:20AM
Anticrawl said...
Well if you paid attention to the tuitorial that doesn't exist you'd realize that you have to find these blue ciricle things, hold RB and hit B so you can grapplehook/zipline to another location.
Gah, my frustration with not being able to rush into battle in the 10 minute demo almost makes me want to never play it, especially since they never really explained what you needed to do.
1-25-2008 @ 1:11PM
Go Bruins! said...
I'm a DMC noob. To me, there is just too much button mashing for my taste. And for those who really played Ninja Gaiden (the whole game and mission mode), there is no way DMC is remotely like NG. With blocking and much smoother and quicker motions (esp rollling), NG was far away a better experience. Even with the smaller enemies, NG was a blast to play, not to mention the reflex/attention/skill it required to beat them.
I have to give some props for the graphics though. It's one of the prettiest game so far. The boss level was definitely better than the timed level. So here's to hope the game will be more like the boss level.
Overall, I have to say I'm more disappointed than hopeful.
Hype: 9
Graphics/Style: 9
Actual Fun: 6
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1-25-2008 @ 6:44PM
BananaBoat said...
I don't think the hype for this game is as high as everyone thinks it is. It is on the internet perhaps, but I haven't heard it mentioned once outside of the net. People are hyped for Metal Gear 4, Super Smash Bro's, Ninja Gaiden 2, etc, but DMC lost alot of fans between the original and now. Especially in the US.
This baby is a rental. Bring on Dead Rising 2, Capcom
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1-25-2008 @ 7:33PM
Mike said...
Has anyone noticed an error in the gallery pics? They show Dante, yet in the demo I have, you play as Nero...
I think in the real game, you are Dante for these missions judging by those pics.
Anyways, Im a DMC fanboy, wont deny it. I preordered the Collector Edition of DMC4 for the 360. I've been counting down till this games release, the demo is a bit washed out, but these games don't have a reputation of sucking, so don't go doubting CAPCOM, they never hold back on us. And that difficulty error in DMC3 made it better, if we had the n00b modes it wouldn't have been fun. There are too many easy games out there. We need the fun ones like DMC and Ninja to keep our hunger satisfied.
Yes, this is all my opinion, and most of you will probably want to rip off my fingers. Oh well, easy modes are for the casual gamers. Im a hardcore gamer. We need more hardcore games, Im sick of the easy stuff.
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1-26-2008 @ 9:10AM
stealer said...
The first jaggie free game? srsly is it running AAx20 or what
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