Fails To Reach The Epic Status Of It's Inspiration
Hell Awaits: The star of the game has to be Visceral Games' vision of Hell. The damned are everywhere....in the walls you climb, in the rivers you traverse, impaled on wooden stakes along the roads you walk......and you never forget it because they moan/cry every step of the way. Some of the early stages are quite epic to look at. The atmosphere has an undeniable foreboding feel to it.
Holy / Unholy Powers: Dante is given quite an impressive arsenal of powers to unleash in the game. He feels every bit as powerful as Kratos.
Combat Gameplay: Even though no risks were taken, it does to be noted that Visceral Games created a combat system that is every bit as accessible and fun as GoW's system. If you played either of Kratos' PS2 adventures, then you'll feel right at home. And even if you haven't, you'll still be able to dominate foes with spectacular ease.
Bruatlity! : Maybe it's just the type of person/gamer that I am, but I love how brutal this game is. I loved Punishing the horned guys by ripping them in half. I loved Punishing the minions by slicing them in half. It never got old for me.
Achievement Unlocked: If you follow one of the easy guides available, then getting a 1000GS/Platinum trophy is no problem at all. It's great.
HATED
Difficulty Spikes: There are many places/rooms in the game where it seems Visceral Games' only intention was for you to die and replay the segment for no other reason than to artificially lengthen the game. The game will just throw wave after wave at youwith no chance to refill your health. It is worth noting that problem is mainly confined to the Unholy Path since there is a Holy power which lets you regen your health.
A Swing and a Miss: Expect a good amount of trial & error as Dante's movement (running, jumping, swinging) isn't has fine tuned as it could be (ie like Kratos). You'll land most of the jumps on your 2nd or 3rd try, but there are some frustrating parts in the game.
Character Models: With the exception of most bosses, the character models & textures are nothing of note, Dante in particular. In fact, I'd say most look like a 1st gen Xbox360 game from 2006.
We've Been Here Before: It's kinda shocking how much of a clone of GoW this game is. Everything from the combat system, to how Dante collects health & mana, the upgrade system, and even the QTEs to finish off bosses is lifted, wholesale, from the God of War franchise. It's blatant, but that didn't really bother me. What did bother me was that DI feels like an unfinished game that was rushed out in order to beat GoW III to the store shelves. IMO, such is quite evident in the last 1/3 of the game.
CONCLUSION
If imitation is truly the sincerest form of flattery, then the guys at Visceral Games are quite possibly the biggest God of War fans on the planet. Dante's Inferno is alike God of War it's almost criminal. But what keeps Dante from reaching the epic status of Kratos is the rush to hit store shelves before GoWIII. The last 1/3 of the game drags on with recylces enemies and unispired level design.
Dante's Inferno is still a solid game that GoW fans and non-fan alike will enjoy. The game just misses the "Must Play" mark, but is still worthy of a playthrough for fans of the genre.