Presentation
The look has always been a major deal in DMC. One thing all 4 the DMC games had in common was that the world was always being attacked by Demons, and their stronger leaders Devils. Most Humanity in the cities under attack had been killed or had gone into hiding. Your always set in a Dark fantasy world, with kind of a Gothic setting, in a city under attack. In all DMC games, 4 included as at one point you aren't play as Nero for like 6 missions, you play the series main protagonist Dante. Over the years Dante's look has changed, while DMC 2 and 4 are sequels to DMC, DMC 3 is a Prequel, and DMC Devil May Cry IS NEITHER SO STOP SAYING THAT SHIT I'M TIRED OF READING AND HEARING IT. GOT DAMN IT!!!! MOVING ON, as i stated Dante's look changed over the years.
In the first DMC game, you are introduced to Dante a grown man. IMO not the best he has looked but certainly much better then his look in DMC... i am still not a fan... and i never will be... PERIOD!
I know, i know, the sword he has in this picture NOT rebellion, it's the Alastor. Know your lore, moving on, in DMC 2 his look changed again, while still not my least favorite, it fit with the feel of the game, and was still Dante.
In DMC 2 Dante is older, and a darker then in the previous game. Many people didn't like this, but even with this change the game play like aways was amazingly satisfying. Eventually people began to question who Dante was. By eventually i mean they have been asking since the beginning of the series, and by ask, i mean they demanded lore on Dante. Capcom answered with DMC 3, a prequel to the series, and with it, a younger Dante was introduced.
Through this game Dante became a Iconic Character, vital to the life of DMC, and while Capcom was unaware of this *obviously they had to be as their choice in DMC 4 was just stupid.* Fans of the series were finally able to connect to Dante as a character, and they wanted more. In a effort to expand the story, in the usual fashion of DMC games, Capcom released DMC 4 and Dante changed again. DMC 4 takes place some time after DMC 2, Dante is much older, and stronger, with a deeper understanding of his powers. Something he lacked in DMC 1, 2, and 3.
While many didn't like DMC 4 it was by far my favorite of the series, despite the fact that Dante IS NOT the main protagonist. Though for a handful of mission you do get to play as Dante, he isn't the main protagonist, Nero is. Who is Nero, THIS GUY.
I know that doesn't explain much, trust me I'd rather review that game right now. Needless to say that is for a later review. Needless to say, Capcom's poor choice resulted in low sales of a great game, and due to that, we hadn't seen a sequel to the series. As stated in truth, Capcom intended to drop the series. If it had not been for Ninja Theory there would be no new DMC games. an had they not decided to remain true to the feel of DMC we wouldn't have this.
Still not a fan of the change in look, but as for as design goes, Ninja theory DELIVERED BIG TIME. This game may not be the best looking game to be released, but in the series of DMC it's level design amazing, while not better then DMC 4, they are imo on par with them in there own way.
I've played this on both Pc and Console, i prefer PC, it looks so much better. Reboots are always major risk, but this one payed off. As you can see in the screen shots, the Levels look AMAZING, they flow fluently and and just a pleasure to look at. While Level design is important, it's not nearly as important as the level difficulty, and looks can be very misleading, as none of these levels are challenging to me. Aside from the levels, Dante's brother Vergil gets a make over as well, and there is for the first time a love interest for Dante, and a major annoyance to me. The old Vergil being on the left, while present DMC: Devil May Cry Vergil on the right, both look great to me though i prefer the older Vergil, mainly because of the coat. Below them is Kat
Aside form the main character, DMC's design of enemies also stands out from the rest. While the difference in enemies is sorely lacking, they still look like something i'd cut down with extreme prejudice. Overall the presentation is satisfying, if it wasn't the game would have fell on it's face, as DMC 4's Presentation blew 3 out of the water, in Level design and characters, as 3 did 2. Seeing as in DMC's story was never it's strong point it relied on it's presentation and gameplay to keep fans hooked, and that worked, until people started asking questions, and people started to notice major plot holes in the story.
Story
While the Story has not been a major selling point of the previous DMC games, mainly because of the plot holes, and jumps in the time line. The Story of DMC: Devil May Cry plays a major role in the game play. This is the kind of Action RPG DMC was meant to be, I've always felt that a good RPG NEEDS a good story, and that the story should add to the game play. I'm not going to waste any more of your time going of the story of DMC 1 - 4, because that will take way to much time, and I plan to cover that in the future when i do reviews on DMC 1 - 4. For now we will just cover DMC: Devil May Cry. DMC: Devil May Cry takes place in a modern day fantasy world. In this world one man controls the world, not through power, not through fear, but through debt. That's right DEBT you read right, who is this one man that rules the world, why none other then Mundus. You know the three balls of red light in the old DMC games.
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| This guy? |
Yep that was Mundus, but now this hideous guy is, and may i say, he is INDEED someone i wanted to kill by the end of the game, just because how ugly he is.
Dante is a young man who lives his life Partying, drinking, and having sex with ho's he picks up at scrip club. Don't believe me, play the game, the start of the first mission is Dante meeting Kat, he opens the door NAKED, and she kinda just stares for a few seconds.
She tells him that he has to get out of there, and they they are looking for him, from there you are thrust into the story. You are eventually introduced to Vergil, Dante has no ideal he is related to Vergil let alone what he really is. Vergil tells you that a Devil named Mundus is trying to rule the world, and he and his resistance group have been fighting against him. He tells Dante of his past, of the war between the Angel's and Devils, and about his father and his mother. He then tells him that the two of them are nephilim, the product of Devils and Angels. I shouldn't have to explain any further then that, if i do, your either a minor and shouldn't be reading this blog, or you live a sad sad life. Vergil then takes Dante to their home when they were children and has Kat send him to limbo, the place where the vast majority of this game takes place, so that he may unlock his true power, and see the truth for himself. Afterward Vergil sends Dante on several missions, missions HE COULD HAVE DONE HIMSELF, but NOOOOO he want's to remain in hiding, as Mundus isn't aware he even exist. Unlike the other 4, this game is dependent on the story, and the game play and level not only fill in plot holes, but they compliment the story in a satisfying way. Imo it was intended to be the hook to keep people interested in the game, as a good story should be.
Gameplay
If the Story is the hook, the game play has to be the selling point right. RIGHT, and as i said previously THAT'S THE WAY IT SHOULD BE, I'M TIRED OF PLAYING RPG'S WITH CRAP STORIES, I GIVE NOT A SINGLE METRIC FUCK IF THE GAME PLAY IS GOOD IF THE STORY SUCKS. I'M NOT DOING IT ANY MORE, NO FUCK YOU, GET OUT OF MY FACE, I'M NOT PLAYING ANYMORE GAMES WITH BAD STORIES! If i ask you what the story of a game is, and you can't tell me anything but how the game play is, THE STORY SUCKS, AND THE GAME NEEDS TO BE BURNED. PERIOD THE END, GOOD DAY!!!!!!!!! MOVING ON, As i said, the game play in this game is indeed the selling point.
While most will argue that this game doesn't feel the same, I couldn't disagree with them more. Yes it's much faster, and due to that it seems like Dante isn't as strong. In previous games Dante's attacks were slower with the Rebellion, and it made seem like he hit harder. Truth is there is no difference in how hard he hits, all this is, is players looking for something to bitch about. Due to the speed increase, combat can be much more fluent, and skillful. An if you played a DMC game, you know fluent skillful combat is a MUST, as your rated on you fights, and your rated overall at the end of a mission.
DMC: Devil May Cry is no different, and this is actually my only issue with the combat. It's way to easy to get a S, or even SS ranking, as the damage counter does count down when you don't attack, but it won't drop below your current letter ranking unless your hit, and if you play DMC like i play DMC, that could be a while, by the time it happens i've already cleared half the mission, and it mainly only happens when i fight a boss or i'm to tired to pay attention to my surroundings, OR i didn't notice that one demon that hid behind a wall.
Besides combat, there is platforming and jumping puzzles.
what the fuck, JP's in my hack and slash, WHAT THE FUCK NINJA THEORY!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP, i hate people who bitch about JP's, if you don't like them, don't play the game, because they are there, and a true gamer loves a challenge, and loves to push their limits. When you stick in a comfort zone, you get bored, and eventually you will lose your love of gaming. SO SUCK IT UP SUN SHINE, AND JUST DO IT. Besides, they aren't hard, they are actually easy, and if you can't do them your worse then my 3 year old nephew who plays IOS games. As i said before, the Level design can be misleading. Some levels look like they will be a pain in the ass, but then when you get down to doing them, common sense should kick in and tell you just where to go, when to use certain skills and weapons, and how to get from point A to point B.
All in all, the game play was just like any other DMC, the only other issue's about the game i had was outside of combat, yet related to combat. What was it you asked, the WEAPONS and THE DEVIL TRIGGER. I didn't care for the Weapons or weapon switching system used. It could have been better, it could have been alot better, as a matter of fact, I killed almost everyone enemy with Rebellion alone, and only used my Angelic and Demonic weapons when i had to. Here is the Deal, unlike the old DMC games, this Dante gets access to Devil and Angel weapons. Certain demons can only be killed with these weapons, you two of each. What sucks is that the best ones are the Angelic weapons, down side is that they don't do nearly as much damage but they are fast, still that pisses me off. I want to put down enemies fast, i'm a busy man, i don't have time to spend thirty minuets fighting a group of demons or doing one mission. The Devil weapons are the strongest, but i they are so slow that using them isn't worth my time. The Rebellion is a perfect balance of power and speed, and that is why i like using it.
Now i'm not going to leave you wondering just what each of them are. I will speak on each of these weapons just to give you a little taste of them.
The Rebellion - This is the Rebellion, looks different doesn't it. It got a remodel along with Dante as it normally does, until 3 that is. Dante used the same model rebellion in 4 as he had in 3. Made sense since the sword was the key to unlocking his power.
The Rebellion is always Dante's main weapon, it's strong, it's fast, and it's dependable. Dante, being who he is, tends to swing this sword like a baseball bat, and rarely use's it skillfully, until DMC 4 that is. DMC: Devil May Cry is no different, Dante starts with this weapon as he does in all games. Just like in the old games, Dante can use moves like, the Thousand Stab, and Stinger, they even recreated his Drive attack. When it comes to using Rebellion i prefer Ninja Theory's take on it. It's so much smoother, and all his attacks have a much more satisfying result.
Ebony & Ivory - These are the new design for the Ebony & Ivory. like the Rebellion they too received a make over, and like the Rebellion, have for every remake of Dante until 3, where Dante used the same guns in 4 as he did in 3, which makes sense since he used the same rebellion, right?
These are Dante's guns, his babies, he never leaves home without them. Only issue is, they are weak as shit. This is actually done on purpose, despite how much people don't like. The guns are meant to be used as a filler to prevent your ranking from falling when you are to far away from a target. Thing is though they are fired faster, the guns are much weaker for me in DMC devil may cry, while he still has some of his most iconic moves, i prefer DMC 3 and 4's take on the Ebony and Ivory, while i do love their new look, and would pick it over then older versions.
The Revenant - This is the new shotgun, just like in DMC, your rarely going to use this, and when you do, you will wonder why you haven't used it. It's good for what it does, but it's just not as flashy. It's just as powerful, and useful for clearing out large groups of enemies, and dealing high damage to tougher demons who get in close range.
The Arbiter - This is the first Demonic Weapon and my least favorite of all the weapons at Dante's disposal... like i said about the Demonic weapons, this weapon is slow, and powerful. When it comes to using the Arbiter, i didn't... unless i had to, if your fighting a Red demon with a shield, bust this axe out, and go to town, bring the pain, PUT EM DOWN. If your not inclined to picking favorites, you'll enjoy using this weapon, while it may be slow, it's capable of dealing large amounts of damage, and if used properly, can allow you to chain together some pretty impressive combos.
Eryx - Eryx is the second Demonic Weapon Dante gets. They are a set of flaming gauntlets, gauntlets that are capable of dealing massive amounts of damage to a single target are a group of clustered enemies, though at higher difficulties i'd just stick to single targets. Eryx suffers from the same flaw as The Arbiter, it's slow, BUT while it may be slower than the Rebellion, it's faster then The Arbiter, and the best choice when fighting enemies that can only be killed by demonic weapons. Like I said... I don't use The Arbiter... unless i have to... PERIOD!
Osiris - This is the first Angelic weapon given to Dante, and if you know me, you know i love Scythes, and because of that, I loved this weapon.
This weapon is very fast, but it's weak, and that makes me sad... Still it's the weapon i used most of all the 4 weapons. I had to use one of them to help chain my combos. This weapon is a crowd control weapon, useful when fighting large groups that are coming at you from multiple directions. It is also one of the best weapons for chaining air combos.
Aquila - These are extremely fast Dual wielded shuriken, when thrown they always come back, so no worries about that eh. Their long range sweeping attacks make them an even better choice for crowd controlling, and devastating to large groups of weak enemies. I mainly only use these weapons when fighting Witches though... and when getting Collectibles .. yeah i know, i'm a horrible person... yeeaaahhhh.
Kablooey
Yeah funny name right, well the weapon is actually quite useful in the final boss fight. The Kablooey is a firearm. *DUH* LET ME FUCKING FINISH It's a fire arm that shoots explosive needles... *PRICK* Excuse me? yeah that's what i thought. These needles stick into enemies, and must be manually detonated. Multiple needles can be shot before detonating, and with more needles, more damage.
Using all the weapons properly will result in extremely high scores, and it makes the game so much better. The use of the weapons makes the boss fights that much better. Speaking of boss fights, the ones in this game are the most creative by far. As with the fights in the original DMC's they require you to keep your eyes open, and remain active. They are engaging, and flow smoothly, and the cut-scene's before you fight them, and after you kill them are great to watch, and the only time i feel like the new Dante is even remotely close to be the old Dante i know. Only issue i have is that they are too short, they are easy, the only mode i had a hard time clearing was Heaven and Hell, and let me tell you THAT was HELL THERE WAS NO HEAVEN TO BE FOUND THERE, NONE SON, NO HEAVEN AT ALL.
End Game
Finally we are almost through, thanks for sticking it out champ, you deserve a cookie. Sadly I don't have any, someone was supposed to make me some, but they never did. An now you are without cookies... no cookie time for us eh. Moving on, the final fight in this game is, you guessed it Mundus. WRONG had you going there didn't I, You do fight Mundus, but he isn't the final fight, nor even challenging if you use the Kablooey. It is a interesting fight, but as much as Mundus was hyped up through out the game to be this badass Devil who was incredibly strong... well HE WASN'T , HIS SON WAS HARDER TO FIGHT. An after you figure out how to beat him, even he is a push over.
The true final fight in this game is with Vergil. That's right, the Epic conflict between brothers seen in DMC 3 is reborn, in a way that makes sense. This battle on harder difficulties was the hardest of all of them, as Vergil's speed is god like, and he is much more aggresive, to be honest, the only time i enjoyed this fight was on harder difficulties, and the fact that the only way to win this fight is to activate your devil trigger when vergil is down to his last bit of health has tripped myself, and other players up. After Dante and Vergil take down Mundus, Vergil reveals his true motive. I always tell people, never trust someone who wants to use you, they always have a hidden motive. Vergil wanted to remove Mundus from power, only to rule over humanity in his stead. In truth Vergil looks down on human's, despite how big a help Kat was to the success of their mission. Dante on the other hand, couldn't disagree with Vergil more. Through this conflict, the rip between the brothers is created, an the ensuing fight tore what ever links that bind them.
Over all I enjoyed DMC: Devil May Cry, which was a major shock to me. Despite wanting to give this game a fair shot, i went in wanting to hate it, wanting there to be something bad. An while it does have some flaws, over all it's worth every cent payed for.
