[or, "Once more, into the bargain bin!"]
Depending on the store/website you visit, there's a good chance you can buy this game for about the same price it would take to rent once or twice. Admittedly, I already played it once several months ago, and didn't think much of it. However, I managed to find a working used copy for under $10, so I decided to give it another shot.
Let's get this out of the way first: Devil May Cry 4 (henceforth known as "DMC4") is not exactly a thinking-man's game. Sure, there's a sort of story about Dante appearing to shoot a religious leader in the face while the game's first playable character, Nero, strikes back and tries to figure out why. The cutscenes feature some over-the-top, anime-esque action that looks kinda cool and doesn't bother to take itself too seriously. But for the most part, the story boils down to this: "There are some demons. Kill them all. Roll credits."
Like I said, you start out as Nero, who is pretty damn similar to Dante except that he wears a bluish coat instead of a reddish one. He carries a similar gigantic sword and the same kind of gun that seems to fire spitballs at enemies instead of the surprisingly effective bullets featured in the cutscenes. Okay, his sword can be "revved up" like a motorcycle, and he carries a double-barreled revolver instead of dual semi-automatic pistols, but it's only a minor difference.
What's different about Nero, other than the fact that he happens to be voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch (who appears to have mastered the "whiny young brat" voice)? Well...he's got this magic hand called the Devil Bringer with the power to grab enemies and slam them into the ground. It sounds kind of lame, but there's a sick sort of humor to see him take a knight's lance from behind, thrust it through his chest and keep on pumping for a few seconds.
Also, when you play as Dante later in the game (SPOILER!), it takes little time to remember that you have to resort to brute force instead of grabbing things. But Dante's specialty involves actually killing bosses instead of just sending them back from whence they came, and turning their souls into new weapons from the Pandora morphing suitcase gun to the Gilgamesh metal fists and feet combo. Unfortunately, only Dante can use these new weapons, while Nero is stuck with the ones he had at the start (plus a katana that he picks up a little later, but that's more of a "special" weapon).
So those are the only big differences I can name off the top of my head. But for the most part, the differences between Nero and Dante are purely cosmetic. Both characters fight the same enemies, the same bosses (in reverse order), and both characters use something called "Proud Souls" to upgrade their weaponry and abilities, which are gained based on the grades you get at the end of each level.
Yes, the game actually grades you on how well it thinks you did based on the time, orbs, and "style" necessary to complete the level. However, you might get a few extra Proud Souls if you keep dying so much that the game takes pity on you between continues. Nothing like finally defeating a hard boss only to have that sense of triumph diminished because the game decided you suck badly enough that it had to give you an "enemy handicap" without asking.
However, for all its faults, DMC4 is still a pretty good game. Yes, you can argue about the similarities of Dante and Nero, or the schizophrenic difficulty, but mindlessly slashing through demons, knights, and bug-things is actually made kind of fun by the over-the-top combos that the DMC series is known for. For example, you can catapult a scarecrow into the air with your sword, give him a nice cushion of bullets under his ass, and then slam him into the ground on the way down.
Heck, I'd actually recommend this over a similar game released around the same time: Ninja Gaiden II. Why? Well, first of all, you can probably pick up a used copy of DMC4 for $8-15, depending on where you look. But more importantly, while NGII made me want to rip out my hair in frustration, set it on fire, and then mail the charred remains to Team Ninja [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team_Ninja] every time I played it, DMC4 actually provided its share of challenges without getting too annoying. While most enemies in NGII had to be killed by spamming the "flying swallow" attack with the Dragon Sword, DMC4's enemies will let you slaughter them in several different ways without having to resort to cheap magic attacks (I'm looking at you, infinite-rocket-launching assholes in Chapter 8 of NGII).
So basically, if you're looking for some cheap, mindless fun with over-the-top action that doesn't take itself too seriously, DMC4 is your game. Just be warned that there may be times you'll be tempted to play it with the sound off, and I won't blame you at all for hitting the mute button.
Depending on the store/website you visit, there's a good chance you can buy this game for about the same price it would take to rent once or twice. Admittedly, I already played it once several months ago, and didn't think much of it. However, I managed to find a working used copy for under $10, so I decided to give it another shot.
Let's get this out of the way first: Devil May Cry 4 (henceforth known as "DMC4") is not exactly a thinking-man's game. Sure, there's a sort of story about Dante appearing to shoot a religious leader in the face while the game's first playable character, Nero, strikes back and tries to figure out why. The cutscenes feature some over-the-top, anime-esque action that looks kinda cool and doesn't bother to take itself too seriously. But for the most part, the story boils down to this: "There are some demons. Kill them all. Roll credits."
Like I said, you start out as Nero, who is pretty damn similar to Dante except that he wears a bluish coat instead of a reddish one. He carries a similar gigantic sword and the same kind of gun that seems to fire spitballs at enemies instead of the surprisingly effective bullets featured in the cutscenes. Okay, his sword can be "revved up" like a motorcycle, and he carries a double-barreled revolver instead of dual semi-automatic pistols, but it's only a minor difference.
What's different about Nero, other than the fact that he happens to be voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch (who appears to have mastered the "whiny young brat" voice)? Well...he's got this magic hand called the Devil Bringer with the power to grab enemies and slam them into the ground. It sounds kind of lame, but there's a sick sort of humor to see him take a knight's lance from behind, thrust it through his chest and keep on pumping for a few seconds.
Also, when you play as Dante later in the game (SPOILER!), it takes little time to remember that you have to resort to brute force instead of grabbing things. But Dante's specialty involves actually killing bosses instead of just sending them back from whence they came, and turning their souls into new weapons from the Pandora morphing suitcase gun to the Gilgamesh metal fists and feet combo. Unfortunately, only Dante can use these new weapons, while Nero is stuck with the ones he had at the start (plus a katana that he picks up a little later, but that's more of a "special" weapon).
So those are the only big differences I can name off the top of my head. But for the most part, the differences between Nero and Dante are purely cosmetic. Both characters fight the same enemies, the same bosses (in reverse order), and both characters use something called "Proud Souls" to upgrade their weaponry and abilities, which are gained based on the grades you get at the end of each level.
Yes, the game actually grades you on how well it thinks you did based on the time, orbs, and "style" necessary to complete the level. However, you might get a few extra Proud Souls if you keep dying so much that the game takes pity on you between continues. Nothing like finally defeating a hard boss only to have that sense of triumph diminished because the game decided you suck badly enough that it had to give you an "enemy handicap" without asking.
However, for all its faults, DMC4 is still a pretty good game. Yes, you can argue about the similarities of Dante and Nero, or the schizophrenic difficulty, but mindlessly slashing through demons, knights, and bug-things is actually made kind of fun by the over-the-top combos that the DMC series is known for. For example, you can catapult a scarecrow into the air with your sword, give him a nice cushion of bullets under his ass, and then slam him into the ground on the way down.
Heck, I'd actually recommend this over a similar game released around the same time: Ninja Gaiden II. Why? Well, first of all, you can probably pick up a used copy of DMC4 for $8-15, depending on where you look. But more importantly, while NGII made me want to rip out my hair in frustration, set it on fire, and then mail the charred remains to Team Ninja [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team_Ninja] every time I played it, DMC4 actually provided its share of challenges without getting too annoying. While most enemies in NGII had to be killed by spamming the "flying swallow" attack with the Dragon Sword, DMC4's enemies will let you slaughter them in several different ways without having to resort to cheap magic attacks (I'm looking at you, infinite-rocket-launching assholes in Chapter 8 of NGII).
So basically, if you're looking for some cheap, mindless fun with over-the-top action that doesn't take itself too seriously, DMC4 is your game. Just be warned that there may be times you'll be tempted to play it with the sound off, and I won't blame you at all for hitting the mute button.
andora, in closing i'd give it a 6/10
