Given that there are two disparate enemy types denoted by color and requiring a corresponding weapon color to fell, your claim that DmC is some mindless button-masher is effectively nullified from the outset.

The rest of your critique is nebulous and borders on cryptic. You claim the combat system is rendered worthless due to a dearth in competent game design yet you never state, specifically, what is lacking. You also make the claim that Team Ninja specializes in "flashy games" but you never bother to elaborate on what that means. (Clearly it was a pejorative statement)

Team Ninjas previous games, Heavenly Sword and Enslaved respectively, were both well-made endeavors. Heavenly Sword actually enjoyed a solid combat engine replete with a fair amount of depth and Enslaved, while possessing shallow combat mechanics, executed said combat very well.

Even assuming you've played this game (or the demo) it seems clear your mind was made up long before you ever gave this newest entry an objective shot. I keep reading these types of incessantly pedantic diatribes from a certain segment of the fanbase who apparently believe that this game is some sort of blight on the franchise when clearly it is anything but.

I dropped fifty dollars on the PS2 version of Code Veronica just to get the demo of the original DMC so I've been a fan of this franchise since the beginning and I'm nothing but pleased with this newest entry.

I'm not asserting it's the best in the series but it is most certainly better than you are claiming.

Grammaton-Cleric

I agree that my post is rather half assed. I am playing DmC right after playing through the entirity of RE6 so my impressions were rather unreasonable. But I still stand by the gameplay in this game being a button masher friendly action game meets Simon Says. Cranking up the difficulty on this game only really results in some more enemies thrown at you and they make an attempt to be more defensive. They are not anymore agressive which doesnn't make them much of a threat. So making Dante easier to kill is almost pointless. I did play the demo and was disappointed with it. A good friend of mine has the game and replayed enough to unlock Hell and Hell mode. Playing on his account with his save, I skipped over Son of Sparda and Heaven and Hell modes and went right for Hell and Hell mode. I just finished up Chapter 14 on Dante Must Die mode and honestly forcing myself to finish it at this point. DMD should not be this easy.

And I didn't mean to make the flashy remark sound as demeaning as it came out. Flashy games can still be fun. What I meant is their games looks great in motion and it doesn't take much for you to perform things that look awesome. But thats the problem I have with their games. They are all flash and no substance when it comes to gameplay design. This is why I am so disappointed with DmC and Heavenly Sword. What is the point of having solid combat systems when the inherit game design doesn't provide the right friction to take advantage of it? Neither game forces you to take full advantage of the systems in place.

And I have been with this series since that demo as well. We are both big fans of this series. I was thoroughly disappointed with DMC2 and rather disappointed with 4. The fourth game to me felt like they didn't understand what they did right with 3. I respect that you are enjoying this game. I have honestly tried to like it, but I don't. To me, there is too much wrong with it for me to enjoy it.

I originally just wanted to vent my feelings about this game with my original post and be done with it. But I have nothing but great respect for you on this forum (I have enjoyed many of your debates here), so I made an attempt to clear up a couple things for you regarding my feelings for the game. If I am sounding disrespectful or still unclear I apologize. Can't say I am the greatest person to convey their feelings about a game they don't like. :P

And one final thing about this game. I am not implying it's a bad game. As a DMC release, I have my own expectations for it. So it fails in that respect for me personally.

DmC is a terrible Devil May Cry. DMC4 was heavily flawed, but it certainly felt like a DMC at least. Nero was a balanced character, while Dante was completely broken. Also the game was like a palindrome of game design. But it was still DMC. I didn't care for Nero much, but I can care even less about the redesigned Dante. You should not be able to button mash through a DMC on higher or even the highest difficulty settings. And for all the effort NT put into making a 'deep' combat system, it's made completely pointless by their inability to execute game design to support it. NT's strong point has always been making flashy games. But those games are also shallow in the gameplay and/or design departments since neither of the two elements ever line up. DmC turned out exactly as I thought it would following NT's track record.

Capcom keeps dropping bombs and it's killing my interest in their releases. RE6 is just terrible with no redeeming qualities.And they should have just lit the code of RE: ORC on fire instead of selling it.

I love how everyone says Stealth is bad in MGS4 and how you can run and gun through the entire game. I wonder if these guys actually beat this game on Hard or Extreme. You would think people saying the game is too easy would've upped the difficulty, but nope, seems b*tching about the game being too easy on a video game forum is the way to go.S0lidSnake

Ive been playing this series since the original and I can safely attest that the critics-as per usual-are entirely wrong.

This is not merely more of the same but rather a radical and systemic overhaul of the entire game that shifts the way it plays (and will be played) drastically.

And while I have no idea how well the game will hold up as the ultra-competitive crowd dissects and evaluates it frame-by-frame, I can state without hesitation that a great deal of effort went into the making of this sequel; a genuine attempt to usher the franchise into tourney-level legitimacy.

The first thing I noticed was how much tighter the game feels. Animation, hit boxes, and the general flow of the game have been fine tuned. Counters, an oft-used and abused technique, have been reduced considerably in terms of damage along with a reduction in the active duration for said counters to be effective. I tried spamming counter holds in the same manner as in previous DOA games and was throttled for my (lack of) effort.

The change in tempo and rhythm is so jarring and at odds with previous installments that it almost doesnt feel like DOA but rather some manic iteration of VF, an assessment buoyed by the welcome inclusion of three VF alumni, all of whom make the transition surprisingly well. (Sarah Bryant is already shaping up to be top tier)

The remaining roster is a collection of familiar faces replete with additional techniques and improvements while the new additions to the cast, namely Rigs and Mila, offer up some unique play styles. Rigs is an obligatory Taekwondo character with spring-loaded kicks and a brutal offense. Mila is an MMA fighter with an extensive set of strikes and holds that make her an interesting alternative to Tina.

Visually the game looks fantastic, retaining the anime-inspired aesthetic of the previous games but blending in a more realistic overall look and feel to characters along with nice bits of minutia such as dirt and grime caking the fighters as they battle and beads of sweat adorning brows and trickling down cheeks. The backgrounds are likewise filled with detail: rich, colorful settings brimming with bombastic imagery and sometimes offering interaction that can shift the momentum of a battle.

I guess I shouldnt be surprised that the general gaming press, so easily moved by the shooter genre even while being overtly critical of everything else, might be unable to appreciate how much effort clearly went into the forging of this newest installment.

For me, the best way I can summarize my enthusiasm for what Ive played thus far is this: DOA5 has erased the blight of Ninja Gaiden 3 from my mind entirely and once again I am most decidedly TEAM NINJA.

Grammaton-Cleric

I am with you 100%. Itagaki's departure was possibly the best thing for the franchise. This is honestly the first fighting game out there that will fight for the attention of my VF crew and myself. We have always enjoyed DOA, but VF was always first. And it's been that way since we first met playing the original VF. But DOA5 has put us in a position that we have never been in before. When we hop on XBL are we loading up VF5 FS or DOA5?

How have you been recently?

mitu123

[QUOTE="N3MO"][QUOTE="Chow_Mein_Kampf"]

I'm getting an odd layout and not loading on occasions.

mitu123

I'm getting an odd layout and not loading on occasions.

Chow_Mein_Kampf