DMC4 feeds from the best aspects of the series, but also commits to a presentation that is nearly unmatched in gaming.
STORY === 9/10
The story in this game isn't incredibly large, lengthy of in-depth, as is typical with many great storylines, but still manages to capture something that all of the previous games in the series fail too. It is a great story, executed in an even better fashion.
The game introduces a new main character, Nero. He resembles Dante in many ways; in fact, a newcomer to the series may not even be able to tell the difference between Dante and Nero at first. Apart from being visually similar, they both hold similar characteristics within their persona. Nero has many of the things that we have come to love about Dante the most, primarily the arrogant-teenage attitude which they both love to display. The story displays just the right amount of arrogance in the face of danger, along with sarcasm and a touch of seriousness to really bring characters in this fourth installment to life.
The story brings a much more powerful tale of love than has been told in any of the previous installments, residing between Nero and Kyrie. You will see this love blossom and grow; though it might be somewhat cliche, it is enjoyable because of the realism of the emotions that are displayed. You can almost feel Nero's emotions thanks to the execution, voice-acting, and music. All together, the story is excellently played out, and gives it a satisfying appeal that is typical of much longer, in-depth storylines.
GAMEPLAY === 10/10
There is one word that describes Devil May Cry 4's gameplay - Unmatched. This is probably the funnest game I have ever played. After replaying the first 3 Devil May Crys all within a few weeks of the release, I must admit that I was fairly embarrassed by the failure I encountered at the beginning of this game. It wasn't particularly difficult, it was just the adaption to Nero that slowed my progress at first.
Nero comes fully loaded with his own sword, the Red Queen, as well as handguns and a sacred addition to gameplay - the Devil Arm. You will find this an invaluable addition to tactics that you may have become used to with Dante. The Devil Arm is a priceless piece of weaponry which allows you to snatch enemies from afar as well as grasp them and give them a good beating. As if that weren't enough, it will let you execute supercombos, which can often be very entertaining to watch, against bosses throughout the game. Overall, it offers a good new variety to the good and old variety you've played.
The boss fights are the definite highlight of this game. Most of them will be extremely large, even larger than you have become accustomed to throughout the series. They will all require strategy, not hack'n'slash, but anyone that has played either 1 or 3 should catch on quickly. As has been said in many other reviews, the main downside is that you will have to fight these awesome bosses more than once, often several times...but don't fret, the repetition isn't as terrible as it may seem, and differences within each encounter will help to quell the pain.
About halfway through the game, you will temporarily take control of the fabled Dante, and trust me - I had a blast with it. Unlike Devil May Cry 3, you can seemlessly switch between the four styles Dante possesses, which will allow you to bring together incredible new combinations of attacks. In addition, you will unlock some cool new weapons for Dante which help offer a new level of diversity to combat.
The gameplay in this game is simply astounding; even minutes after finishing the game, you will feel the urge to start playing missions again, just to pull together awesome combos. The gameplay in this game is not one that will disappoint, and should be enjoyed by any fans of action.
PRESENTATION === 10/10
This game is presented better than perhaps any other next-gen game. The graphics are beautiful, and even somewhat of an art form. Enemies are highly detailed, and awesome to look at. Environments are always pleasant to look at, and give a good feeling to the gameplay. The cutscenes are more abundant and incredibly well done. The characters all seem very alive, and have very distinct personalities. The visual presentation of cutscenes is near flawless, and the voice-acting is superb.
Music greatly adds to the experience here too. Like previous installments, the typical metal music will add further fun to the gameplay. It makes it all the more fun when you slice enemies to pieces. There are also other well-done songs throughout the game. Several songs lean towards the more emotional appeal, which the story is glad to reinforce.
As beautiful as the graphics and cutscenes are, there are barely any load times throughout the entire game in the PS3 version; the ones that do exist are between 1 and 2 seconds. The graphics are incredibly fluid and realistic, and never present any framerate problems or screen tearing. Overall, there are few games that have such an unprecedented level of presentation, and Devil May Cry 4 dominates in this appeal.
REPLAY VALUE === 9.5/10
DMC4 may not have online play, but you will WANT to replay the main game and missions for further achievements. There are several difficulty levels for you to play through and master throughout the game, each of which bring new levels of fun. There are achievements to unlock, as well as a theater mode which allows you to re-watch cutscenes that you have unlocked throughout the game, either individually, or in a continuous role, similar to a movie.
Devoid of online play, DMC4 DOES have online leaderboards which allow you to see how you compare to the best in the world on each individual mission as well as overall. If you don't like competing which Asian masters of the game, you can switch to be ranked just against your friends, and duke it out to see which is better.
DMC4 offers a lot of replay value for the buck, more than probably any other game out there that doesn't have an online multiplayer mode, as well as many that do.
TILT === 10/10
This is a series I have grown to love in a very short amount of time, and this latest installment has proved even better to me than any of the previous ones. The trailer for this game alone completely captivated me in every aspect possible - the gameplay looked amazing, bosses incredible, and it introduced a story that was unforgettable. The game delivers in all of these aspects.
STORY === 9/10
GAMEPLAY === 10/10
PRESENTATION === 10/10
REPLAY VALUE === 10/10
TILT === 10/10
BOTTOM LINE === 9.7/10
DMC4 does a lot, but most importantly, it does everything right. It improves upon almost everything we have come to love in the series. Though there are minor frustrations within it, such as certain minigames that may get frustrating, the game pulls together an excellent combination of story, gameplay, and beautiful art-worthy graphics to deliver an unforgettable experience that is simply a blast to live through. This is a game that should not be missed, and easily one of the best next-gen games that has been released thus far.