Capcom [before they became the joke that they are now] used to create some of the best video games ever. Games like Mega Man, Street Fighter, Resident Evil, and my personal favorite Devil May Cry. While the series is not as widely popular or held in high regard like other hack and slash action games, the impact the series has had on the action genre cannot be underestimated. This series is all about stylish action while playing as the badass Son of Sparda, Dante. So in order to celebrate my favorite action series of all time, I've decided to write this retrospective in order to share my love with all of you. So without further ado, let us begin.
Devil May Cry 1
The original Devil May Cry, while a revolutionary game that left a heavy impact on the 3D action genre, has sadly not aged very well. And its somewhat to be expected since Devil May Cry was originally supposed to be Resident Evil 4 before it was changed mid development. The game itself is rather limited with its arsenal and there are balancing issues regarding certain enemies, and the famous style meter is at its weakest. But for all these flaws, you also got a game with action that was entertaining to behold, an incredible soundtrack, and the beginning of the Devil May Cry's famous style system that would go on to become a crucial element of the series. In addition Devil May Cry's influence can be seen in hack and slash action games that would come out later down the line, games like God of War, No More Heroes, and naturally Bayonetta. Whether its the ability to level up weapons, various enemy types with radically different tactics, or the style system that would encourage players to improve their skills and vary attacks when dealing with enemies, despite its flaws Devil May Cry remains as a pillar of the hack and slash genre.
3/5
Devil May Cry 2
Ah I can already hear the sounds of keyboards clicking away as fans of the series and gamers in general demand that this game is crucified for the millionth time. How it completely goes against the series, how Dante no longer makes his trademark wisecracks, how the presence of two campaigns only serve to draw out a supposedly "boring" game. Well I have news for you. I don't think Devil May Cry 2 is a bad game.
Before my comments section is over-flooded with people saying I'm a blind fan boy, at least know my reasons for why I like Devil May Cry 2 while I first address the common criticism of the game being nothing like any other game in the series, while first letting you all know this. Shinji Mikami, who worked on Devil May Cry 1 had nothing to do with this game. An entirely different studio was reponsible, and that same studio would go on to make Devil May Cry 3 and 4.That being said, the complaint that this game isn't like any other game in the series doesn't apply since the Devil May Cry series didn't have a fully established formula yet, so comparing it Devil May Cry 3 and 4, for lack of a better word is lazy. And as for comparing it to the first game? Well 2 does certain things better than 1. There are a wider variety of enemies for example, at least 30 enemies and at least 10 unique bosses. Devil Trigger has been expanded on since the first game and can be customized with various different gems, such as increasing running speed, gaining the ability to fly, and adding different elemental bonuses to weapons, adding a layer of depth and preparation to battles. In addition Devil May Cry 2 actually lay the groundwork into the Style combat system in Devil May Cry 3 by introducing gameplay elements that would lead into the different styles seen in the series. Different swords and move inputs leading to the Swordsmaster style, being able to pull off different attacks with your guns [Gun Slinger style] and even parkour and aerial manuevers to help avoid attacks [Trickster style]. As for Dante being almost completely silent and making no jokes? I always just assumed Trish had died or something horrible had happened to reduce Dante to what he was. Something that might have been addressed in a later game. But for what it was, Devil May Cry 2 was a solid game at the very least and while it may not have been what people were expecting, that doesn't make it a bad game.
2/5.
Ah but then there is Devil May Cry 3. Almost everyone who has played the series can agree that Devil May Cry 3 is the series zenith. The best game in the series and hands down one of the greatest action games ever made. This is by far my favorite game in the series, and my favorite action game of all time. Every single thing in this game has been honed to near perfection, a large roster of enemies, each one unique and requiring different tactics to defeat while being as stylish as possible, the style meter finally having purpose in being an indicator of the players skill and technique during combat, widely different weapons and different styles to utilize in combat to give the player the chance to create their own unique fighting style. That is perhaps the greatest thing about this game, the fact that the game designers made the game so that players could truly experience the feeling of being a powerful demon hunter armed with a large arsenal of weapons. Combine that with the best soundtrack of the series, a story that is actually worth mentioning [which is something very special for any game in this series] and you have what is easily the best game in the series. It only has two flaws worth mentioning. The first being the atrocious platforming which has always been a problem in the series due to the completely locked vertical leaps the characters make when jumping, and the fact that when the game was initially released, it was EXTREMELY difficult to the point where Normal difficulty was the equivalent of Hard difficulty and so on. A Special Edition had to be released that lowered the game's difficulty, but on the plus side it included a mode where you could play as Dante's brother Vergil. Back when Capcom wasn't the greedy slimy corporation it is now.
5/5, play it.
Soooo.... yeah. Devil May Cry 4 is kind of hard to review. This game puts an emphasis on graphical presentation, cutscenes, story, and exploration mechanics utilized by the Devil Bringer [The blue demon arm you see on Nero's arm]. Instead of being all about stylish combat with multiple weapons, Devil May Cry 4's combat was simplified while playing as Nero and seemed to be an afterthought since the Devil Bringer was mostly used to break up combos and explore the levels. All in all, Nero's story was boring and the gameplay wasn't varied enough to be much fun. Dante's campaign on the other hand, is a marked improvement over Devil May Cry 3 in terms of how Styles work. Despite there being less weapons than 3, the ability to swap between styles on the go requires the player to master each style in order to flourish. However this game's greatest flaw is how much backtracking and recycling of bosses there are in this game. There are not nearly as many unique areas or bosses in this game as there are in the other Devil May Cry games and indeed you only fight the same three bosses for the majority of this game. Despite improving on the feeling of playing as Dante, this game has too many problems to overlook and as a result earns a mediocre score.
2/5.
Overall series score 4.5/5
To be concluded in the next review.....
