Devil May Cry

The Good
Almost eveything about this game was perfect. How can you go wrong with a double-gun wielding, sword swinging, half-man, half-demon hero? The FMV's are brilliant, the bosses are challenging, and the gameplay is simply magnificent. There is a perfect variation in the enemies you encounter, from malicious puppets to demonic-lizards, and many more. Bosses include a spider the size of a gas-station store, and a bird the size of a blimp, all with unique powers that they all use very effectively. And if it seems a bit unfair, don't worry. As you fight, your "devil trigger" gauge will fill up, allowing you to turn into a demon with devastating powers. An all around great action game.

The Bad
The only problems in the game are the camera and the story. Capcom used a cinematic camera in the game, giving you no control over it, and sometimes causing you to stray of course when it switches angles. The story is another problem, and while it has its plot twists and surprises here and there, it doesn't live up to the caliber of the gameplay. But these problems are incredibly minor compared to the game as a whole.

The Bottom Line
The only way I could describe this game to another who hasn't played it is to say that it is unbelievable. I don't think there are many people out there who wouldn't like this game. I loved it, and I personally think it is one of the best games for the PS2 yet.

The Good
Devil May Cry might be a relatively simple game at its very core, but it's also an incredibly polished one. The controls are smooth and Dante's movements feel free and very precise at the same time. Attacks you can perform strike the perfect balance between variety and convenience - they're varied and creative enough to make the combat genuinely engaging throughout the entire game, yet not too difficult or overwhelming. The difficulty is very well-balanced too, combining a gentle learning curve with actually challenging enemies and providing the player with many different ways to deal with occasional difficulty spikes. As a result, gameplay in Devil May Cry feels great and satisfying pretty much all the time.

What stands out the most - apart from the delightfully over-the-top acrobatics and aerial combat - is the inclusion of two main weapons with very distinct movesets and fighting styles. As mentioned before, their moves aren't too overwhelming or hard to master, yet they provide the player with multiple options in handling each fight and add an element of experimenting, finding your own playstyle, and adapting it to the game's various challenges.

In an action game, combat and character movement are crucial, but they're not everything. Thankfully, the presentation in Devil May Cry doesn't disappoint either. Immersing yourself within ultra-gothic environments of the castle is a true dark delight that's difficult to deny, and descending into Hell later in the game is as fascinating as it is disgusting. The music, combining an orchestral score, dark ambient soundscapes, heavy guitars, and trance or breakbeat beats, adds to the atmosphere of both mystery and intensity.

The aspect of the game which combines the most intense elements of both gameplay and presentation is obviously the boss and miniboss encounters. From the swift, cat-like beast Shadow and the elusive Death Scythe to the bizarrely mangled giant bird Griffon and cute yet deadly scorpion Phantom, from the mysterious yet sassy Nelo Angelo to the shapeless abomination of Nightmare, they're all very different and distinct in terms of both gameplay mechanics and audiovisual design. They all present a challenge and require you to adapt without being actually unfair or overpowered.

The Bad
The flaws of Devil May Cry are minor and usually linked to merits that overshadow them. The levels might be a bit too straightforward and the game as a whole a bit too short, but that also adds to the tight, focused experience which ends up being extremely satisfying. The first-person diving segments might be out of place and slightly awkward to control, yet they provide a very interesting change of pace. There are some isolated moments where fixed camera angles work to the player's detriment, but they're also an integral part of the game's brilliant visual style.

The Bottom Line
Devil May Cry is a game that's iconic and influential, but first and foremost ridiculously fun to play. It's a tight, focused, and meticulously polished piece of hack-and-slash gaming that's a must-play not just for fans of the genre, but for anyone who appreciates action games in general. 9/10

[based on the PC port in the HD Collection]

The Good
How it got me... or how I got it
The reason this game got into my collection is by pure accidence. I actually went to local retail store to purchase Onimusha (or was it Veronica X, can't remember), but they were off-stock and I didn't wanna get back home empty-handed, so I ended up buying DMC. I had some high expectations towards the game as I played a demo from an extra disc I got with Veronica X (ah, that means I went to buy Onimusha after all). I didn't know what I missed by not getting Onimusha that very day only until I later got that game... but that's another story. Capcom here, Capcom there, it's all Capcom so I had no lack of trust in their titles. This one is no bad one either... but I was kinda expecting it to be good, then, which I also can't say with certain clarification.

Controlling your demon
One thing is absolutely fantastic when it comes to this game, it's its the sheer speed and velocity of the various moves Dante can make. Camera is static and doesn't let you to control it, but it rotates as you walk, and it all works with such a speed and smoothness I can't say I witnessed in many games (can't think of any up to date). Devil May Cry II isn't any slower either, by the way. So I'd say gameplay itself is the finest hour this game can provide you with, aside from loads of fun blasting your way through various demon hordes with either your sword or guns (either is upgradable and you get bigger and meaner weapons as you progress).

Not quite a saga
So, you're Dante, you're a P.I., and you're half-human (on your mother's side, duh). Lucky guess would be your father was a demon. Well, was, because it was ages ago, the name's Sparda, and he fought some really badguy when trying to help the human kind. Now, you're doing the same. Although, more like a Tex Murphy, sitting in your office, and trying to earn for a rent... or not. Until, one night, a mysterious woman blasts in on a motorcycle and all hell breaks lose. After she fails to kill you, you decide to render your services to her inspite of what just didn't happen (weird huh, but Dante wouldn't take any less of a case). There really isn't any of the meaningful dialogues to encounter and very little of exploration or chit-chats, maybe every 10 levels when you run into Trish. Other than that, you're battling constantly, and quite often with the same bosses you humiliated but not defeated in your encounters.

The Bad
Not a survival horror for sure
Unless you consider Rambo movies a horror-survival, this game ain't either. It's too fast to be considered one, and enemies seem to be afraid more of Dante then vice-versa. It's pretty much action action action, and very little exploration or puzzle-solving. Now why is this a bad thing? It isn't, but aside from mindless action, this game doesn't deliver other goods. The story is just enough to keep it going, and occasional conversations are just there so you're aware it features voice-acting. The world itself is... well, it's beautiful in the artful sense of the matter, but it all kinda seems... small and pretty much the same (uh, this brings ICO to mind). Hm, yup, good comparison actually, this game is no more fun than ICO, so if you liked that game, you may like this one (in whichever way may someone even see them as comparable, though). But no, really, there is something with the world game takes place in that bothers me. It lacks of some attraction or interest. It doesn't look like Dante is on some investigation case, but more like he's on some mayhem of blind justice mowing down anything he encounters and ask questions later. And all that to eventually lead to the final battle and story revelation which is just as interesting, duh. Also, the whole boss battles which were quite too often got you to think there aren't many things in this worlds, so those that are are automatically called bosses. But some were irritatingly hard to defeat (especially that last slimy thing), whereas ending boss was rather easy to pass, so you'll be able to replay the ending cinematic at your leisure.

The Bottom Line
Technicality over personality
This game is so obviously meant to technically show what PS2 is capable of, and how games can run pretty darn fast on that black box as they can on a powered-up personal computer. You can say it has a certain attitude and even a bit addiction to it (hey, I bought a sequel so go figure... even though for like $7 only, but shrinkwrapped new, was a special discount on that item, though), but isn't anything too serious. Don't expect it to be as entangling as any of Capcom's real horror-survivals, this is a mere stress releaser and a neat one to compensate instead of getting yourself a Doom or Quake.

The Good
overall, I loved this game. the atmosphere is perfect, the controls are easy, there is more then enough variety in attacks, with more moves and weapons added as you progress in the game. this is good because most of the game involves little more then hacking, or blasting countless enemies. still, the game remains fun and replayable. there are several hidden missions to find, and different levels of play to unlock. the levels are great, and puzzles are never too hard. in fact they would be too easy if this were a puzzle-solving adventure and not just excuses to make you run from one room full of monsters to another room filled with monsters. as it is, the puzzles add variety, and lead the game along without distracting from the gameplay.

The Bad
for minor complaints: the game, at normal difficulty, is pretty difficult. there is an easy mode which should make the game fun for just about anyone but the jump from auto/easy to normal is pretty steep. over all the camera is fine, but there are a few places where it can be difficult to see where you want to. I would have preferred more control over the camera. the only major complaint I have are the is dialog, which is sometimes to bad, it distracts from the game. some of the lines are so cheesy I'm almost embarassed to be playing the game, at least until I get back into action and start enjoying myself again, but nothing breaks up the mood more then the script.

The Bottom Line
overall this game is great. the music, and the graphics, are wonderful. more than once I have come back to this game, run through it over a week or two and put it back on the shelf only to bring it back out again a month or two later. if the atmosphere suits you and you love slashing away at bad guys, I would check this title out.

The Good
I loved all the different weapons, and combos you can perform through out this game. Also some of the boss battles are quite fun and addictive. I loved the animation in this game, very well executed and very well thought out and put together. I also liked the fact that there were quite a few sub bosses. this game rocks with it's sound track also, really getting you into the game. Also did I mention that this game is a bit on the scary side. There are some boss battles that have bosses, that will scare the living crap right out of you. this game has wonderful presentation, and a huge fun factor. I suggest that you buy this game, to anyone who likes an addictive action adventure based game.

The Bad
I didn't like the fact that the camera angles were a bit hard to focus at times. And at times it was very difficult to turn around, when you had an enemy nibbling at your heals. Other than that not a bad game, quite good actually.

The Bottom Line
A very action packed, fun and addictive action adventure game. That keeps you thinking, as well as pushing the trigger button.

The Good
The graphics of this game were truly eye popping then, its gothic style was hauntingly beautiful, gameplay was simple, but very satisfying and the atmosphere was unique. I loved the way the camera moved. It gave me the distinct impression of an anime with all its visual power and flair. And this game was all about power and flair.

The Bad
Well, not much. Maybe the voiceovers could be better. Capcom has a long tradition of less than perfect voiceovers, but this game is excellent by their usual standards. Some of the platform stunts might prove a little frustrating, especially the optional ones.

The Bottom Line
This is the game that made me buy a Playstation2. It was the first time I actually gaped at a game's visuals and I've been a gamer for as long as I can remember (that's a quarter of a century now). When I saw a friend of mine playing the game for the first time I found myself asking: "Are you actually playing now?". And that's a question I heard many times while I was playing. Combat looks more like a surreal dance than a game, and though it sounds improbable, the double gun/ sword combination was a sight to behold.

The Good
Resident Evil has grown stale. I could summon no enthusiasm or excitement for the recent revival of the first RE on the Gamecube. There are a number of reasons for my malaise - the fact that it's fundamentally the same game, the fact that RE2 still stands as the masterpiece of the lot - but looming above all of those is the sad, sad fact that the RE control scheme remains unchanged, and therefore terrible. "Frustrating" does not begin to describe my feelings while playing Code: Veronica as I watched my characters slowly, ponderously turning about, feebly dashing this way and that from equally feeble zombies. So thank sweet Christ for Devil May Cry. Devil May Cry is like Homo sapiens to Resident Evil's Australopithecus. Most of the same genetics are there, but the former has grown so far beyond the latter as to represent an entirely new species. In DMC, Dante, the hero, has broken the "spin, spin, move forward," control scheme. This guy can go wherever he wants. And if a monster is charging him, he just leaps out of the way, double jumps off the wall, and then cleaves the bastard in two with his sword on the way back down. Cool. Dante isn't fettered by ammunition restraints - his guns have infinite ammo. And his sword, unlike the feeble knives of REs past, is a truly kick-ass weapon. I still love hacking an opponent up into the air and then blasting the crap out of it with Dante's twin handguns. DMC is an action game that doesn't attempt to scare you, unlike RE. DMC tries to evoke "cool," and succeeds admirably. There are still few PS2 games that can rival DMC for pure action-cool.

The Bad
The plot stinks like crap. So do the voice overs. So what's new?

The Bottom Line
It's survival horror taken to the next level. Absolutely don't pass this one up if you own a PS2.