Set Free the Devil Inside (Devil May Cry 4 (Xbox 360))

Member Name: Goldensummit

Product:	Devil May Cry 4 (Xbox 360)
Date:	10/02/08 (126 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Graphically superb, extrodinary gameplay, the coolest playable characters.

Disadvantages: Its shortness.

There comes a day and a time when pure greatness is created and released, this is one of those moments. Capcom's famed Devil May Cry series has struck it rich with its newest instalment; Devil May Cry 4. With its epic story, outstanding graphics and the most badass characters you'll ever see, makes this game one that everyone will need to complete their game collection.

To those who don't know of the Devil May Cry series, let me elaborate for you. It is set in a world that's constantly under harassment from the demon world, and always some psychopath wanting ultimate power (you know, the typical conquering the world scenario). The story focuses on the protagonist; Dante, the son of the devil. Dante has an extremely badass attitude, and takes everything calmly, and shows great confidence that he will be able to back with sheer skill with his sword known as Rebellion and his twin pistols known as Ebony and Ivory. Dante owns a bar, and is known as a Demon hunter, he will take any job if the price is right.

Devil May Cry, however, does not follow on from any of the prior games, so it's good if you want to get involved with the series; you can just pick this one right up and play with knowing all that goes on. As Devil May Cry 4 is based around newcomer; Nero, whom possesses devil abilities, it won't represent much except some classic characters from earlier games.

This time round, it is set in a distant land where the Castle town of Fortuna resides. In the past, it was protected by the Order of the Sword, which once protected mankind. Now its 'Saviour' strives for more, and seeks to wield the demon blade, Yamato which has the power to create an ultimate god-like stature, and use it to dominate the world. Nero, once a knight of the order, turns against them after they use a close friend of Nero (named Kyrie) as a human shield to get what they wanted from him. Kyrie is a young girl, who 'adopted' Nero as her brother a long time ago but they both see each other more as lovers then anything else.

As you travel through the land, trying to discover the roots of the demon attacks, and seal off the demon world once again, you battle through numerous different types of demons, from flame wolves, to ice creatures to imperial knights. You will be able to smash, slash and bash these enemies with numerous different combinations which you can learn throughout the game with skill points that are acquired at the end of each mission (depending on how skilful you were, is depending how much skill points you get). Fight demons with your blade, or with your guns, or even perhaps with other styles that could be learned later in the game. You also get red orbs that are used to purchase items, such as healing stars, devil trigger(for those who don't know, Devil Trigger is the name of when you go into devil form) stars, and much more. For the veterans of the Devil May Cry series, you will see many old characters, such as Trish from Devil May Cry, and Lady from Devil May Cry 3.

I really enjoyed this game, with its' fast paced action, its wide variety of attacks, the many things you can learn and the coolness of the characters you get to play as. The story is also very good, with its epic cut-scenes and FMV's just make it brilliant, kudos to Capcom. The only downfall I would say is that it could have been longer, and it leaves you wanting way more, which is a big frustration with most new games out to date. This is one of the first games that has had me hooked constantly throughout, it lasted around 20 or so hours for me, and I went through all that within 3 days, I just couldn't stop playing it, and I find that extremely rare in a game.

Devil May Cry 4 is original, with its original story, its original unique characters, just pure brilliance in a masterful game. Graphically, this game is top notch, by far the best game graphics I've seen, well... ever, truly an inspiration to watch with its beautiful designs. The soundtrack is amazing, being exclusively orchestrated, really sets the mood. The voices are amazing also just exactly how you want them to be, unlike quite a few games, this really hits it lucky. The game was rather difficult and challenging throughout, the bosses weren't, nor were the enemies as such (if your skilled with the combinations and use up your skill points wisely), but the puzzles were really a mind cruncher that could leave you clueless if you don't focus properly.

The game didn't last as long as expected, which is the only downfall to the game, though it does offer two difficulties for you to play through, which kind of gives you more incentive to play as you unlock new things after each completion of the respected difficulty. For those that are interested, the limited edition of the game comes with an awesome black metal case, with an art book that includes artworks of the enemies, characters and environments, its well worth getting considering its currently the same price as the game itself. The game is priced at £30 - £40 currently, as it is just recently released, but it is truly worth purchasing at that price. In short, I thought this game was amazing, game play was excellent, the story was amazing, and the graphics were masterful, good for all action fans, and fans of the series should defiantly get this, as it's the best one out of the four.

Overall: 9.5/10

Summary: The newest instalment in Capcom's Devil May Cry series