How Reboots Should be Done
DmC Devil May Cry wasn't even close to being on my radar, and I think that's what made it so surprising to me! Some background: I played Devil May Cry back in the day, but it didn't leave a huge mark, I also played Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening a bit, but I stopped shortly after getting the guitar weapon because I just thought it was too ridiculous in addition to not being fun to play. However, I love the God of War franchise, which has always been bigger, more bombastic, and much simpler. I have to assume that's why I fell in love with DmC Devil May Cry, it's the same kind of crazy epic fun, and it's got just the right amount of challenge for a person like myself. It makes you feel like a badass without having you be one to play.
Ninja Theory truly outdid themselves with the game's design. Graphically, it's stunning and even on the Playstation 3 it runs smoothly enough that most players won't notice any problems. Aesthetically it's even better. The demon worlds are so creatively drawn and fun to run around, drawing inspiration from real world counterparts and throwing a "hellish" spin on them. In addition, DmC Devil May Cry has some of the most creative levels I've seen in a long time. I don't want to go into too much detail because most of the fun is seeing it yourself, but needless to say it is spectacular. And finally, and maybe most importantly, the sound is sensational. The chainsaw enemies sent a very Resident Evil 4 shiver down my spine each time I heard them but had my back turned and the other murderous sounds are top notch. The real star of the audio show is the killer soundtrack by Combichrist, which ordinarily wouldn't interest me, but it fit perfectly in the game and really highlighted its best moments.
The new Dante looks like a douchebag, and he acts like a douchebag, but once he finds his way in the world he mellows out and becomes an enjoyable enough character. The story progresses somewhat predictably, but nothing happens to make me say it was bad, it certainly gives you enough motivation to keep moving through the game. It gives a good background for Dante that hopefully will be built upon and expanded in future games.
The gameplay, which will probably be the most controversial part of the game, is wonderful. You get a level of variety that I don't remember having in the earlier games. All the weapons, of which there are many, are always just a button press away, allowing you a huge variety of combos to draw from. However, the game is a lot simpler than the first two, but I think of that as a huge benefit rather than a drawback in that it's accessible to play, but difficult to truly master. For those who don’t think there’s enough challenge in the normal difficulty, there are many more difficult options to choose from.
DmC Devil May Cry is a phenomenal game, you just might have to let go of what DMC used to be to fully appreciate how amazing it really is. It brings together amazing visuals with great sound and super slick gameplay with a story that doesn't hold back the action.
