Devil May Cry 4 (PS3, X-box 360)

Going into this game, I had mixed expectations. On one hand, I had tracked this game since the very beginning, and I had just about bought a time share with the hype machine, Beautiful graphics, expanded story bringing back some of the classics, and a new playable character, what could go wrong? Then I started thinking: some of the models look like slightly upgraded PS2 level models, what the hell does an action title need with a story, and what if Nero turns out to be Raiden in devils clothes? I was exited for the game, but my expectations were tempered.

Once past the install (about 20 minutes give or take on PS3, not included on 360), your treated, or subjected to a beautiful stylish cinematic that introduces you to the new hero, his “love interest”, the Order of the Sword, and of course the seemingly villainous Dante. Those returning from previous DMC games may scratch there heads at the initial out character portrayal of him, but don't worry, it eventually gets cleared up.

After the cinematic, you get to muddle through a poorly thought out tutorial while fighting Dante. I can accept that tutorials are a necessary evil in games these days, but why the hell do I have to jump three times before the game will allow me to precede? It's a good thing the rest of the game isn't so blunder headed. Once past the tutorial, you finally get to play a solid game, with only a few small flaws.

Right off the bat, you can tell that Nero isn't some weak sauce Dante wannabe. He's his own man. While quite a few of his initial moves are the same with new names, the more you play, the more you learn how to use them differently. Once you learn to control how your enemies are getting knocked around with creative use of the air combos, and the Devil bringer, you can just watch your style meter climb. The only problem is that once you've pretty much master Nero, you have to switch to Dante, and relearn him. It's nice to see how different the characters stack up, but the transition is a little jarring.

Jarring is about the best thing that can be said about the jump in difficulty between standard, and hard diffucluty settings. On Human (read: easy), the game is a cake walk. Even a beginner should be able to get through the game in roughly 6 hours. Once you jump up to Devil Hunter difficulty things become near impossible for all but the most accomplished. The secret missions are challening in either mode, often requiring one character in able to have any hope of ever ahcieving the set goal.

Luckily, the controls to keep you moving through all this are pretty good. After 3 iterations, they aren't revolutionary, but they are near perfect. Never once was I unsure why something was happening on screen. In either the standard or automatic mode you feel in control. A total badass when things go right, a dunce when they don't. Automatic mode could have been tweaked a little more to vary combos later in the game when you've unlocked a bigger variety, but it's in no way a game breaker.

The games rough edges aren't few, but each are small, and once you really start to feel the groove of the game, you can almost ignore them. They're still there though, preventing complete immersion. A rough transition between Dante, leaving you to relearn the elder demon hunter, a funky lighting engine that makes shadows dance and warp on the screen when anything is in movement, sudden camera switches that can get you turned around, and the lack of a middle of the road difficulty all should have been taken care of.

In the end, it all wraps up to be an enjoyable adventure. Sure, it's filled with juvenile humor, and stilted action lines, and pointless T&A, but that's why some of us have come to love the series. Sometimes you just need to shut off your mind, and decompress, and thats what this game offers.

8/10