Nero the badass
User Rating: 10 | Devil May Cry 4 PS3
I had been waiting for this game since I completed DMC3. All I can say is the game was definitely worth the wait. DMC fans will be treated to a fantastic new story that stars of course Dante, but also as most people know a new guy, Nero. For anyone who is a fan of DMC they know Dante is the man, he is a total badass and the complete center of the DMC universe. Pretty much everyone was a little worried that Nero might be just a wimpy, whiney lameass, but rest assured the dude is anything but. From the opening credits (sung by Nero's girlfriend Kyrie) you get to see Nero in asskicking form. For those that have never played a DMC title before you don't need to worry, you can choose a human mode of play that should be fairly tough but not excessively so. The game also starts out with Dante dropping in on the mass Nero and his girlfriend are attending to assassinate the leader of Nero's order. So you start out in a tutorial mode fighting Dante in the church. Don't worry it's a tutorial mode and Dante goes easy on Nero. I thought this was a nice touch; it allowed new comers to get used to the DMC controls instead of throwing them to the demon hoards with no idea of what to do. Each mission progresses pretty nicely with Nero at the helm until about halfway through the game. He takes the lead again for the final missions. Of course you go around collecting the usual red orbs for power ups, but a new currency is added to the game, proud souls. You receive a number of proud souls for the combos and the style of execution you pull off, with proud souls you can buy new combos and abilities. Unlike Dante, Nero never really gets any new weapons; he pretty much sticks with his Devil Bringer arm, Red Queen sword and Blue Rose revolver. The gun is a little slower than Dante's Ebony and Ivory but is still very useful for long range attacks. The Red Queen though is really where it's at. The sword features a clutch like a manual transmission on a car or bike. Rev up the sword with L2 and you give more power to your fuel injected sword to cause major damage to foes and bring up your style meter to S in no time. The devil bringer arm is really a joy to use too; never in gaming before have I played with a weapon that not only brings your enemies toward you but also inflects damage and helps you reach otherwise unreachable places,(think Link's clawshot in Legend of Zelda, but wayyyy more powerful and useful.) There are just so many cool things to do with Nero there are just too much to list here, but just know he is a blast to play and has plenty of variety to his fighting style. Dante, on the other hand is just as ridiculous as ever; he gets his usual styles from DMC3 (gunslinger, swordmaster, royalguard, and trickster) and at the very end of the game, dark slayer. Of course the devil arms make their return too in the form of Pandora (a ridiculous gun) Lucifer (kind of arrows, but it's a hard weapon to explain) and Gilgamesh (fighting greaves.) All of the boss battles are just as memorable as previous games, from Berial (the fire hell demon) all the way to Sanctus (a living statue,) of course they all require different tactics to beat especially since you fight each of them with Nero and Dante. That is probably the biggest gripe people will have with the game, you fight all the bosses as Nero, then as Dante (who actually kills them) then again as Nero in hell (just like in DMC3.) Me, I personally didn't mind the challenge but some players might. The graphics are once again outstanding; they are by far the best I've seen on the PS3. The facial features are just outstanding and you can see every detail on everything from the individual strands of Nero's hair to the denim stitching on his coat. The music and sound is of course typical DMC rockin action. Pretty much everything from the sword swings to the rockin metal score is perfect. I really didn't have a problem with the camera to speak of, it is adjustable in some situations but even when it's not I never found myself getting screwed by the camera. This game while not as hard as 3 initially, is still quite a challenge and most gamers could be turned off by the difficulty, but if you are a hardcore gamer it shouldn't matter much, you'll want to play through it. I haven't played the upper difficulties yet but I hear they are harder even than 3! Pretty much everything in this game was perfect I thought and I couldn't recommend this game more to anyone, whether you are a fan of the series or not, you will enjoy the fighting and the story, which is brilliantly told and acted. Just remember that at the end there is a mode in the final credits where you have to keep Kyrie from harm. If you can do this you get a bonus ending feat. Dante, Lady and who I forgot to mention earlier, the hottest girl ever in a video game; shows she is still the hottest, Trish! Oh yeah and Nero does get a devil trigger. Bottom line, buy this game and start making the Devil cry.
