Video Gamer: New life for 'Devil' | Napa Valley Register

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Video Gamer: New life for 'Devil'

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

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By AIMEE GREEN
For the Register

Capcom really threw a curveball at fans of the “Devil May Cry” series when it announced that the main character, Dante, would not be the star of “Devil May Cry 4.”

What? fans cried. How can it be “Devil May Cry” without Dante? And why does this new guy, Nero, look nearly identical to Dante?

Well, I don’t want to spoil any of the storyline, so I’m not going to go into it. But believe me when I say it’s fun to play as Nero, who spends most of the game hunting Dante.

The game is strewn with demons, and Nero fights them with his demonic arm (called Devil Bringer), a huge gas-powered sword (Red Queen) and a revolver called Blue Rose.

Devil Bringer lets Nero shoot out a phantom hand that can grab enemies and pull them closer or perform attacks. I really liked Devil Bringer, and most of my attacks hinged on it.

Red Queen, meanwhile, is wicked just as a sword, but it also has a fuel injection system that increases its power. Crazy and cool, yes, but revving it up takes time and usually you’re better off sticking with the regular sword.

As in past games, “Devil May Cry 4” uses a style combat system. As you do combos without being hit, a meter fills. Each meter level gives you a new “grade,” starting at Deadly and topping out at Smokin’ Sick Style. The better you play, the better your grade at the end of each mission and the more features you’ll unlock.

I took issue with some of the move commands, which require holding the right bumper button and one of the face buttons while moving the left thumbstick. It wasn’t hard, just a bit uncomfortable, and I found myself wishing for a two-button combo instead of three. Overall, though, controls are snappy and easy to learn.

Visually, “Devil May Cry 4” is a step up from past-generation editions. While I’ve seen better-looking games, there’s nothing to complain about, and Nero’s facial expressions are nice.

It’s too bad, though, that much of the game involves backtracking. There are 20 missions, and many of them take place in the same areas.

The PlayStation 3 version installs to the hard drive for a virtually load-free experience. Be aware, though, that the initial install can take about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, I played on the Xbox 360, and the load times didn’t bother me at all.

I think some people feared the cast changes would lead to a lesser experience. That’s not what happened. “Devil May Cry 4” is a solid entry in the series and introduces a likable, perfectly competent new hero. Action fans shouldn’t be disappointed.

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