Presentation
Maybe it's the dearth of classic Gothic style in other games (although this seems to be more trendy lately), but DMC4's visual aesthetic has always had a special spot in my heart. The character design was somewhat disappointing - while their take on the angelic themes are interesting (kind of a toned-down Persona, maybe?), some of the character and monster designs are bland or overused. Yeah, the dancing crackpuppets are back.
While the Dante x Nero undertones are more yaoitastic than I'd like, the developers have seen fit to grace us with the laughably oversexed and somewhat oddly attired Gloria, who definitely puts a little extra oomph into her cutscenes. No Gloria x Lady, though. Capcom would have to be blind to not realize that a little yaoi fanservice can go a long way, but you'd think that they could throw in some girl on girl for the hetero male fans (and, well, the resident gamer dykes like me) that are into that sort of thing. You know, even out the balance of the Force and all that.
To wander into that tangent, it blows me away that we're seeing more and more "mature" games that can handle sexuality the way they do - it can be a selling point (DoAX), but at the same time we have games that take it seriously, or alternately slip it in to be both sexy and funny. It's a good time to be an adult gamer!
Back to the review. The cutscenes come fairly often, and yes, there is a plot of some sort, though to be honest I really wasn't paying too much attention. They're beautiful, just like the game.
The fourth installment of DMC is as over-the-top as its predecessors, and I wouldn't have it any other way. However, it does suffer from an emotastic hero who, predictably, is chasing after a kidnapped love interest for whom he angsts loud and often. The trailer pretty much sums things up.
Unfortunately, DMC4 does suffer from bizarre and sudden camera angle shifts that will totally fuck your shit up when you're trying to deal with platform / Bringer-bungeeing areas, but it's not gamebreaking... just really fucking annoying. This is probably one of the only real gripes I have with the game, and it doesn't happen often enough to induce a blinding rage.
Gameplay
I was disappointed by the lack of weaponry - it's Blue Rose, Red Queen and Devil Bringer (Nero's demonic arm) all the way, save for a partial runthrough as Dante. But the Devil Bringer adds a little juice, and it's still the good ol' hack, slash, and occasional blam-blam-blam that we've come to love and expect. Aside from the Bringer and some related elements, DMC4 really doesn't bring anything new to the table. You're still graded on Style, you still buy items and skills from statues, there are Secret Missions scattered about the various levels. Game progression is very linear, but that's not necessarily a complaint.
While I can't say that DMC4 is innovative or "special" - it really is just another DMC - there's nothing really bad to say about it, other than the cheap "hey weren't those boss battles awesome, let's fight them again and again" thing they have going. I didn't finish Metroid Prime because the developers saw fit to make me wander the entire fucking grid all over again when I thought I was actually near the end - fuck your Artifacts, I say! - but at least DMC4 switches it up a little by throwing Dante into the mix.
Overall
It's fucking Devil May Cry. How can I say no?
Maybe I'm becoming a bit of a current-gen whore, but this is definitely my favorite of the series so far, and I liked its predecessors quite a bit. If you liked the others in the series, it's a must-buy; if you haven't tried DMC but the trailer piques your interest, this is a great introduction to the series.
Thumbs Up!
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