A perfect example of hard not necessarily meaning crappy.
Some gamers today will tell you that games are easier than their older counterparts, that the translation into the third dimension sacrificed difficulty for new gameplay possibilities. I have written this review to tell you that is incorrect, and one of the best examples is this game, which will challenge you throughout.
The gameplay experienced here is pure action, nothing less. You take the roll of Dante, a half demon devil hunter who kicks ass first and takes names later. You’ll spend a lot of time in combat, slashing enemies with your sword of choice and spraying them with bullets from the barrel of your gun. You can also pull off special moves by choosing a style that corresponds to how you play the game. Want to do stealthy, dodgy moves? It’s in here. Want to try just slashing away at everything? They have that too. However, this doesn’t make the enemies any easier in terms of difficulty. In fact, the difficulty here is so unforgiving that even on easy mode you’ll experience controller smashing difficulties. Even for the elite gamers, this game will take an entire rental period to beat on easy, so renting this game is only for those who wish to prove their status as a gamer. This painful difficulty can be alleviated by Devil Trigger mode, an alternate form to Dante that can only be unleashed through use of magic orbs, regenerated by fighting. However, it does drain too fast for comfort. There are also some rudimentary puzzles in this game, but unlike the parent series, Resident Evil, who tried to give the puzzles as much a spotlight as the horror, this game knows that it’s action before puzzles.
The graphics in this game are just beautiful. The environments and enemies are all based off gothic designs to fit in with the whole devil theme. However, the Resident Evil still hasn’t been drained out completely, with the annoying camera angles remaining at some points, most notably at the beginning of Temen Ni Gru. But if the graphics alone amaze, just wait until you see this game in action. Every cutscene will be a graphical prowess of what the characters can pull off, even when it’s somber and serious. Some examples are Dante knocking over a pool table and striking all the balls in mid air by hitting the cue ball and later using a motorcycle as a weapon to strike down demons as he re-enters Temen Ni Gru.
But the music here sounds like a bad mix with the graphics, but works surprisingly well. The soundtrack is actually dark metal, which works well with the action-paced gameplay of the game. Each time you hear the soundtrack kick in, your heart will rush as you fight your enemies, especially when using the guitar weapon, which lets Dante pull off a great guitar solo.
So, in short, for those who find current generation games lacking in difficulty, try buying this game or renting it a couple of times. You’ll come to see that some games actually have a hefty challenge, one that will last you quite some time.
*originally posted July 26, 2006
