Devil May Cry 4

May 1, 2007

The competition between Ninja Gaiden and Devil May Cry is just going to get hotter, as both will get next-gen treatments this year. Ninja Gaiden Sigma is sticking to what makes that series great -- hyper-aggressive enemies that force a very particular style of play. Devil May Cry looks to be sticking to its own definitive style, based on what I got to see and play at Capcom Gamer's Day last month. That is, it's not about enemies who rush you until you've got no time to breath. Instead, it's about enemies being there to be your punching (and shooting, and slicing) bags, until you've got such incredible, sexy combos going that you're left breathless. You'll end up in the same state with either title, but isn't getting there half the fun?

Let Your Revolver Do the Talking

Capcom formally announced DMC4 for the PS3, 360, and PC. Without dwelling on the loss of exclusivity for the PlayStation platform, the real question is what does going next-gen bring to the game -- other than a higher price tag? One obvious answer is simply beautiful, stunningly beautiful, graphics. Also, more content than previous games have seen included. But the real answer is that this isn't going to redefine the Devil May Cry series. This is not Resident Evil 4. The series isn't in need of a serious retooling, as far as Capcom is concerned, and after playing through the mash-up of levels that were available I'm inclined to agree.

Playing as Nero, a new protagonist who looks suspiciously like Dante, members of the journalistic community got to tear through a monster-infested fountain courtyard, explore a dock / alley district, fight through a snowy mountainscape full of ice demons, and then finally face the massive Berial, "the Conqueror of the Fire Hell," in one-on-one combat. That's not anything like the level progression planned for the game, but the idea was to give us a solid idea of how the game would play. Some areas looked rough, in particular the ice level. Better than the TGS trailer -- which I've included below to refresh your memories -- but still not up to the graphical level I'm hoping to see the game ship at.

That noted, when the game peaks, it looks stunning. The battle versus Berial takes place in a deserted shanty town, with Nero being forced to beat the demon senseless and then inflict as much harm as possible while it's stunned. Composed of a flaming, molten rock shaped into a stories-tall centaur-like demon, and armed with a sword larger than a man which deals savage ranged attacks, Berial is exactly what a boss monster should be. Huge, ridiculously so, and tough. To stun Berial, you have to literally beat the flame out of him, leaving him a helpless, smoldering chunk of rock.

The scope of the battle is one thing, but the sheer beauty of the game's engine is something else. It's not just great lighting or gorgeous design, although those certainly help. It's the supple speed of the characters, their animation giving each monster and Nero himself as much vivid life could be hoped for. Again, some parts of the demo looked rougher than others, but the overall showing was graphically spectacular. It doesn't hurt that from the cut-scenes I saw, Nero's dialogue shows the same so-dumb-it's-awesome zip that defined Dante in DMC and DMC3.

But for anyone who has played the previous Devil May Cry games, or for that matter virtually any action game, the idea that you fight through hordes of lesser creatures to fight a giant boss may not sound "next gen" enough. The refinement of the gameplay comes in two forms, the first of which is the new character Nero's changes from Dante's stock of moves. Although a lot of Nero's forms will be familiar to DMC vets, this is not Dante. He wields a single gun ("Blue Rose"), a different sword with a unique ability (the "Red Queen"), and wears the "Devil Bringer," an Onimusha-style right arm. It's the ability to charge the Queen and the variety of ranges that the Devil Bringer can operate on that really open up Nero's gameplay.

Holding down a shoulder button (in the console versions, anyway) allows you to "rev up" the Red Queen, since the blade has a motorcycle-style grip. Pressed for an explanation as to why someone would have a sword they could "rev," Capcom simply stated "It's cool, isn't it?" And it is. Revving the Queen to one of her three states of charge opens up lots of interesting combo choices, as does the Devil Bringer. The Devil Bringer lets Nero incorporate powerful but difficult-to-combo throws and slams into his attack routines. After a little early upgrading, the Devil Bringer can reach nearly across the screen, vastly increasing your choices as a player as you try to do what the Devil May Cry series lets you do best -- kill monsters in ridiculously stylish ways.

The Inevitable Return of the Great White...

Of course, it wouldn't be Devil May Cry without Dante, and Capcom confirmed that the original man in red will be a playable character. Although we didn't get any hands-on time with him, we did get to see him in action in a video. Capcom also confirmed that Dante will have the styles from DMC3 available to him, but he will be able to switch between them on the fly. No amount of weaseling or clever anti-PR tricks got me any more information than that, but the real question is whether the styles will be upgraded based on the amount you use them, based on orb (or some other experience icon) expenditure, or will all simply be fully upgraded when you unlock Dante. I'm guessing that they'll all be available when you pick up Dante as a playable character, but upgrading them will require spending precious red orbs.

What's really intriguing about being able to swap styles on the fly is the potential complexity it introduces, particularly if it can be done fast enough to maintain a combo. It got a bit too complex to switch between styles in recent Mortal Kombat games, and that series peaked at three per character, let alone six. On the other hand, considering how much experience the DMC team has working with Dante and the style sets from the whole series, and the careful rebalancing of DMC3 in its special edition, I have high hopes for his portions of the game.

Overall, what I saw of DMC4 looks quite promising for fans of the series and action games as they stand today. Capcom doesn't seem interested in taking any big risks, in turning the series on its head. Instead, it seems committed to providing a next-gen iteration that exceeds the standards of the previous generation of Devil May Cry games, but is still instantly familiar to fans of the series and the genre. I am a bit disappointed that Capcom isn't taking a slightly more radical turn with the game, but that does little to dampen my enthusiasm for the potential of DMC4.