Devil May Cry 4 (PS3)

Devil May Cry 4 (PS3)

Navneet Prakash, Feb 23, 2008 1449 hrs IST

Some of the good, some of the bad, some of the weird

Great hack and slash action, amazing visuals, good replay value, a fresh new character, polished presentation, super-stylish

Bland plot, irritating soundtrack

Expert Rating :

Expert Review

Eventually, Dante and Nero have a showdown in which Dante almost defeats Nero. When Dante realizes Nero isn't an ordinary human, he has hidden in the sling a powerful, devilish contraption called the Devil Bringer Arm. The intro ends with Dante commending Nero on his abilities and rushing off for business.

The plot is way too complicated -- all you need to know is that Nero has to capture Dante, as Dante just killed his leader. There are many twists and turns, and the story gets even weirder as the game progresses.

The Gameplay

Most of the game you will be playing as Nero; Dante comes in the second half of the game. Nero is essentially Dante as far as combat is concerned -- he wields a sword called the Red Queen and a revolver called Blue Rose, and he uses both weapons throughout the game, with upgrades. What makes Nero unique is his Devil Bringer, a strong competitor at this year's lame-name-for-games awards. This arm can dole out immense amounts of damage and clear a room full of foes within seconds.

Throughout the game, Neo finds different magical items that enhance the arm. You gain the ability to grab enemies at a distance and bring them close for execution; you can use it to grab certain illuminated points that will sling you across and cover great distances.

The combat style depends on you and your upgrades; you will collect different orbs -- red to buy items, green to gain health, blue to increase total health, and yellow for resurrection. There is a new currency to buy upgrades for your weapons called Proud Souls, gained by killing bosses and getting a better style rating. To explain style rating, in case you haven't ever played a DMC game, every time you kill an enemy, depending on your combination of attacks and damage taken by you, the game rewards you with a style rating. Throughout the levels a style meter can be seen during combat, it starts with D and progress to an SSS -- these are grades that you get during combat.

Nero fights like Dante; you can slash and enemy with a sword, throw him in the air and finish him with your pistol or sword, in different styles depending on the button combination. You can upgrade to many moves, which make you stronger and stronger. Nero is faster than Dante and more agile; as he gets stronger you can see the difference in style between the two characters.

There are quite a few puzzles that involve the Devil Bringer Arm as well as a dice game that is pretty interesting. The combat moves are many and will keep you entertained for quite some time. There are a total of 20 levels like all DMC games -- you play as Dante in seven of them. Dante has all his abilities and weapons from the previous games; even his combat style names -- Gunslinger, Royal Guard, Trickster, and Sword Master. This concept will make sense if you've played DMC 3. These styles basically add a few new moves to your character; you can now change them during combat, unlike in DMC 3. You can access different styles by pressing on the D-pad. Dante also has access to many other weapons including his trademark pistols Ebony and Ivory. The seven chapters you play as Dante are really cool, and honestly, I still prefer Dante to Nero; not that Nero lacks attitude, but I guess I am more of a Dante fan.