First of all, the title is dreadful. D.M.C. Devil May Cry. It's just the same title repeated twice, not off to a great start. Next thing I feel I should talk about is the trailer, which threw many fans into a screaming roar of BETRAYAL!!!
Yeah, many fans of the old Devil May Cry series were pretty upset, though it was all for one reason, Dante's new look. For those wondering, here's what Dante once looked like.
Yeah, not bad huh? A unique look, at first, and he actually looks pretty bad-ass. The new Dante is very lanky, has a stupid haircut, and just looks off. Most people said that the new look was pretty much because of the Twilight craze going on at the time, and I kind of agree with them. The Twilight movies, for better or worse, were popular at the time, and the inspiration is kind of obvious. Some people actually thought, however, that because of Dante's new look, the game would automatically suck the big one. These people were really overreacting though, many things go into a game being bad, not just its' look.
I was part of the crowd that were put off by the look, but were really hoping that the game play would be up to par with previous games. That's the best thing about all the previous games, they're a ton of fun because the action is fast-paced and fluent, with some fantastic combos that could be pulled off. I was sincerely hoping they wouldn't screw it up. Did they? Well let's find out.
Let's start with the story, and, well let's be honest, the story has never been very strong in any of the Devil May Cry games. While none of them have been bad, they've never been anything special. The same is true for this one, though it does have some good points about it.
The story begins with Dante waking up after a night of sex. Well that's a great introduction to our hero, him being naked, drunk, and possibly on drugs. He's woken up by a woman named Kat, who warns him that he's being hunted. Before he really has a chance to say anything, he's dragged into limbo by a hunter demon. The rest of the level is a tutorial on how to play the game, and it works in that respect. At the end of it, Dante kills the hunter demon and goes with Kat to see her boss.
On the way there, she talks about the organization she belongs to, called The Order, a vigilante group that wants to free the world from demon control. Yeah this world is controlled by demons, specifically by the demon king, named Mundus. Mundus controls the world through debt, which isn't a terrible idea. It's also probable for this to happen, repeat a lie over and over and eventually people start seeing it as true. That's not bad, it makes me think of the book 1984.
Anyway, we soon meet the head of the order, Vergil. Hey remember in Devil May Cry 3 when he was voiced by the Quantum Ranger?
Well, here he's again voiced by a former Power Ranger. David de Lautor, who played R.J. in Jungle Fury. Man, that's three games in a row where a character has been voiced by a former ranger. Anyone else find it funny?
Whatever, we get a look at Dante's past. In it we learn that his mother was an angel, while his father was a demon, and Vergil is his brother. This makes the both of them Nephilim, the only beings that have a chance at defeating the demon king, and his mistress Lilith. To accomplish this, they decide to take out two of the most oppressive things Mundus has made. The Verility plant, which creates mankind's favorite soda, and the Raptor News Network. You might as well call them the Slurm factory and Fox news, there's really no difference. Hell, the anchorman for Raptor, Bob Barbas, is an obvious parody of Bill O'Reily, though somehow less entertaining. He also has one of the best boss battles in the game, it's just awesome.
After destroying the Slurm factory, Dante is sent into the demon world, where his devil side is given more strength so that he can reach his goal. Yep it's the Devil Trigger,an ability that unleashes your full demonic might! Sadly, in this game it's very unimpressive. Just slowing down time, and throwing enemies into the air, which is a bigger hassle than it sounds. Oh and it also gives Dante white hair and a long red coat. Cute.
After taking down Fox news, which I admit is pretty satisfying, Dante goes back to help the Order which is being overtaken by troops. Kat is kidnapped by the troops and is held for ransom. Dante comes up with the idea of an exchange. Lilith for Kat. Vergil says that Mundus cares nothing for Lilith, and he only keeps her around because Lilith carries his child. Dante decides to go get her. Dante! Demon slayer, and delivery boy.
After an interesting stage with a very strange boss battle, Dante is able to take Lilith for the exchange. After the exchange, and with Kat back, Vergil executes Lilith, first blowing out her womb, and her baby, then killing her. I'll get into my feelings on that in a little bit.
With Kat back, the brothers decide to finish Mundus off once and for all. They infiltrate his tower and confront him. Mundus is siphoning power from a Hellgate, a portal to the demon world, to finish off the two brothers. Vergil destroys the gate while Dante distracts Mundus, though that doesn't finish him off. Mundus creates a giant body made out of buildings to destroy the two, but it goes about as well as you'd expect. After Mundus is defeated, the shield, which made demons invisible to humans, dissolves, and the secret is out.
Wait though! It's not over yet! Vergil reveals his true intentions to Dante and Kat. With Mundus gone, Vergil wants to rule over the humans, with a pathetic explanation as to protect them. Dante doesn't buy it, and the two fight. It's probably the best boss fight in the game, very enjoyable and difficult. Dante wins and nearly kills Vergil, but Kat stops him. Vergil leaves, disappointed in Dante's decision to protect humanity. Dante doubts himself after that, but Kat cheers him up, ending the game. There is a DLC for the game that follows Vergil after the game, but I don't want to talk about it, mostly because I haven't played it.
This game, hoo boy, do I have something to say about this game. It has problems, not in the story, that's fine. No. My problem is with the characters. Let's start with Dante.
I hate the new Dante. His appearance doesn't make me hate him, no, it's his attitude. He's a foul-mouthed, arrogant douchebag. The reason, people liked the old Dante was because he was lighthearted, he loved what he did, he enjoyed a good adventure, he would crack jokes, and he would always fight for the humans. This Dante just continually walks around killing demon because he has to, never looking like he's having fun. He cares nothing for humanity until the end, and that really doesn't feel natural the way it's presented. Oh, and that foul mouth of his gets pretty annoying pretty quickly, though there is one scene of it that just cracks me up.
This has to be intentional, because no one could take it seriously.
Now, let's talk about Vergil. Vergil has it even worse than Dante in this game. Yes, even worse. Let me talk about the original games again. In Devil May Cry 3, Vergil was a man who was driven mad in a pursuit to gain power because of his inability to prevent his mother's death. He also behaved very much like a samurai, having a sense of honor, and he didn't use guns. In this game, he looks down on humans because of his parentage and sees them as beneath him. He also has none of the honor that the previous one did. Remember what I said about him shooting Lilith. Yeah, I'm disgusted by that scene. Let me clarify, he shoots an unborn baby, out of its' mother's womb, let's her look at the remains in absolute horror, has her take it in, then kills her. Yes, she's a demon, but I'm still very disgusted and offended. I have a cousin who is pregnant, the very thought that such a thing would happen, to her or anyone else, makes me sick. It also makes me hate him.
But should I? Both he and Dante have a sympathetic back story right? Their family was torn apart by Mundus. Yes, however, a sympathetic back story doesn't automatically make a character sympathetic. You have to like them for one thing, and they actually have to be sympathetic.
Kat is the one I have the least problems with, but that's mostly because she's just dull. She's not very interesting, as a character, or as the person who gets Dante to care about humanity. She is, however, a hell of a lot more likeable than both Dante and Vergil.
Now let's talk about the game play. Story and characters aside, how is it. Honestly it's really good. Fast, tense, and engaging. The combos are easier to pull off than in previous games, and it feels very natural, as natural as demon slaying is. The enemies are varied, and require different strategies for each one. The style system, which shows how good you're doing, seems a little watered down from previous games, but it never bothered me too much. It also has an awesome soundtrack that plays while you're just going around kicking ass. The one problem I have with the combat is the guns. They just don't feel as necessary as they did in previous games, and they don't feel as powerful. It's minor, but kind of drags it down a bit.
Overall, despite my hatred of the characters of Dante and Vergil, I actually enjoyed D.M.C. The story was pretty good, as far as these games go, there are good possibilities for future games, and the combat is awesome. I'd say it's worth a rent, but not a full on purchase.
Final Verdict: 6.7 out of 10
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