Game review: DMC: Devil May Cry

5:30 AM Thursday Jan 24, 2013

A scene from 'DmC: Devil May Cry.' Photo / AP

Dante awakens after a big night out - and an even bigger night in - to the news of a terrorist threat on the telly, and a piercing hangover clouding his mind. Then the world falls apart and the demons come screaming in to claim his life. But not without a fight, our hero reckons.

Devil May Cry is an ambitious reboot of the Devil May Cry series, with a new Westernised feel and a serious injection of sex, slashing and all the ills of corporate domination.

Half-angel, half-demon and all bad-ass, the new Dante is dragged into a parallel city called Limbo, where the devil is most certainly in the details. Pursued without mercy by the demon-mogul Mundus, Dante is aided from the real world by an accomplice who is aligned with The Order, the group labelled as terrorists by the demonic media.

Like the Dante of old, this contemporary brawler favours a sword and dual-wielded pistols, and uses them to spectacular, devastating effect - giving you sensations of raw power and mystic charm that nearly disguise the furious button-bashing and stick-twisting going on under your thumbs.

Using either trigger button modifies Dante's melee weapon, imbuing it with angelic or demonic power and the abilities to suit. For added style, the powerful Devil Trigger mode slows enemies down, turning the demon's soldiers into sitting ducks.

In a game where chained combos are of such high importance, the lack of a manual lock-on ability is a potential nuisance. It is fortunate, then, that a running counter actively tracks Dante's combos, letting you know when the chains are still alive.

The counter also grades you - in classic DmC style - as you link your moves, from a start-again-and-repeat-the-subject D up to that delightful A mark that the swots in school liked to rack up, and the high-prestige mark of S.

At times, DmC strays from its focus because of an in-game camera that doesn't always go where you need it to. Like its predecessors, the focus on scoring - and the naming convention for its grades - might be a little on the arcadey side for some.

Visually and sonically, DmC borders on perfect. It's presented like a film, it plays like a dream. It is dark, intelligent, runs red-hot with sex and ice-cold with attitude. Capcom and Ninja Theory have delivered a thrilling, mature experience deserving your attention.

Stars: 4/5
Platform: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
Rated: R13

- TimeOut

By Troy Rawhiti-Forbes @TroyRF

Brad Thomas (Howick) | 09:05AM Thursday, 24 Jan 2013

Great review definately a must buy after reading this, as a fan of the original series, I have but one question. Does it live up to the name DMC? Or is it just a rehash? would be great to get your feedback whether or not a dire fan of the old series should put this on his must buy list.

Troy Rawhiti-Forbes (Auckland Region) | 01:46PM Thursday, 24 Jan 2013

Thank you very much, Brad. I'm thinking more "rejuvenation" than "rehash" in this case. There's a lot in common with the original series, but reworking Dante as a sleazy punk with some life lessons to learn has worked pretty well.

Brad Thomas (Howick) | 09:53AM Tuesday, 29 Jan 2013

After the review you gave I went and bought this game and honestly it blew all expectations out of the water. The platforming, the combat, the profanity, it all just works as a Devil May Cry game and honestly calling it a "rejuvenation" doesn't do this game justice. The camera at times is fiddly, however the combat makes up for it so much! In my own opinion this is the best Devil May Cry yet and I am excited for the devs to continue the series with more of the same as what they have done here.