Devil May Cry 4 Review

Devil May Cry 4 is a very solid entry into the Devil May Cry universe. It doesn't suck like DMC2 did, though it is significantly easier than DMC1 and DMC3. Dante's styles return and you can change styles at any time during gameplay...which is fantastic. Nero is an ok addition and plays drastically different than Dante, but he plays a little too much of a predominant role. It's not really 50/50 Dante/Nero which is what it should be at the minimum. Great Action games don't come around often and Devil May Cry certainly delivers in the genre.

Gameplay: 9/10
Pros: Same great DMC gameplay makes a triumphant return (even if its a lot easier). Dante is especially fun to play as with his 4 styles, multiple guns, and weapons. Changing styles at any time is a great addition. Nero's arm is a cool tool and he plays as basically a simplistic, melee heavy Dante.
Cons: Too much Nero, not enough Dante. This would be more forgivable if Nero had more than 1 lousy gun and 1 sword (though the Red Queen is pretty badass)...regardless having only 2 weapons and the demon arm makes Nero's repetoire much more repetitive than Dante's.

Graphics: 10/10
Pros: While DMC4 is not the best DMC yet, it is the best looking. Not only is the animation and graphics top-notch, but the game offers the most varied locales of any DMC game yet. There is a gothic town, icy castle, dense jungle, and a massive scifi research facility type tower.
Cons: Cutscenes do not secretly hide the mission number in them any more. This was a very fun little addition in DMC3.

Sound/Music: 9/10
Pros: The voicework is pretty solid and all the sound effects are superb. The music works well to get your adrenaline going. There are some great opera and orchestral pieces during cutscenes.
Cons: The music is a little on the "hardcore" rock side of things and can be a little much. Some lines are overly corny/cheesy/poorly written.

Lasting Appeal: 9/10
Pros: Several difficulty levels and unlockables give you a constant stream of challenge and incentive to keep playing. The biggest incentive of course is to constantly upgrade your character's moves and abilities. There's always the Secret Missions to find and play as well.
Cons: Only 20 missions (though they are much longer than previous DMC missions) and a story that focuses too much on the more boring of the action duo. Dante needs more missions plain and simple.

Average: 92.50%
Tilt: + 0.50%

Playing DMC4 is a treat even if you have to wait awhile to get to Dante. Nero and the new easier difficulties allow more players to try and hopefully enjoy Devil May Cry. Nero is a good new addition to the series and is fun to play...he just dominates the game's story too much. It would have been better to have 2 more distinct and separate stories where you could select and play through each character's story (equal lengthed levels) in whichever order you preferred. Oh well, perhaps for DMC5.

Verdict: 93%
this review is based on the playstation 3 version