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Devil May Cry 4 Review for PC

Devil May Cry 4 Review for PC

Devil May Cry Makes Mouse Cry

When a company has created as many PC versions for its games as long as Capcom has, it shouldn’t be ridiculous to expect quality. Devil May Cry 4, the fourth installment in the long-running series, brings to life a new character named Nero, who suspiciously resembles Dante in pretty much every way from hairstyle to clothing. Nevertheless, this new protagonist doesn’t play exactly the same way the veteran hero Dante does, so there are some gameplay elements that come across as fresh. And, for players looking for a more traditional Devil May Cry experience, Dante is a playable character.

Devil May Cry 4 screenshot

According to Capcom, the PC version boasts some noticeable differences compared to its console brothers. Most of these differences are just subtle, having enemies placed in different locations, while others are nothing more than what a good PC port should have, such as the ability to customize graphic settings and resolution. On the other hand, the inclusion of “Legendary Dark Knight Mode,” which takes advantage of power PCs by increasing the numbers of enemies that can be fought at once, is nothing more than a glorified “Hard” mode for the game, but it does make for some very engaging gameplay. The combat in Devil May Cry 4 is pretty much identical to all the Devil May Cry titles that preceded it. The player will hack-and-slash their way from one area to the next, performing acrobatic combos, and collecting whirlwinds of red orbs to purchase items with. In a poor move, however, Capcom decided not to include support for the mouse when controlling character movement. This is only made confusing by the ability to use the mouse when navigating menus. Therefore, the player will find themselves hunting for the mouse every time they switch to purchase an item or change their settings.

Using a gamepad like an Xbox 360 controller is a viable option, but this doesn’t negate the fact that mouse support should be included. And, chances are, if the player owns an Xbox 360 controller, they’ve already bought Devil May Cry 4 for their console, leaving only the most hardcore of fans buying versions for each system. Also, beware of the default keyboard controls as well because they are poorly mapped for PC gaming. In fact, the only default controls that even resemble PC gaming are the movement controls, which remain “WASD.” In a PC game where the player can jump, and the key to jump isn’t the spacebar, there are bound to be issues.

Devil May Cry 4 screenshot

Once the player has setup the controls to their liking and played through the first couple missions, things become much easier to manage, even without the mouse support. In fact, the only minor annoyance with the character controls that may arise is having difficulty lining up jumps with the WASD controls, which wouldn’t be a problem using a gamepad that has an analog stick for movement.

One thing the PC version does do well are the graphics, which look amazing running in Direct X10 at a resolution of 1280×1024 and all settings maxed. Devil May Cry 4 definitely holds its own in the visual department, boasting some amazing moments overlooking far-reaching landscapes and incredibly artistic designs. The outdoor environments are definitely superior to many of the indoor ones, which sometimes come across as very empty. Character models are detailed, and the animations are as fluid as ever, which is to be expected coming form such a combat-intensive game.

Devil May Cry 4 screenshot

The music is what a player would expect from a Devil May Cry game. There is the hardcore track that plays during combat and the more melodic tunes that accessorize the rest of the environments. While the hardcore track certainly fits the combat, it does get extremely repetitive since there is only one track that plays every single time. Having a variety of combat music probably would have been an easy remedy.

Devil May Cry 4 screenshot

The sound effects are solid, making sure the player feels every swing of a sword, every shot from a gun, and every scream from a collapsing demon. Ambient effects that accompany the many levels do nothing short of increase immersion and, while these things certainly aren’t extraordinary, to say the quality is anything less than excellent would be a gross understatement.

Devil May Cry 4 is also a very cutscene-heavy experience, but not aggravatingly so. Yes, at times it does feel like the player merely moves the character from one cutscene to the next, but unlike many games where this formula becomes increasingly annoying, Devi May Cry 4 finds a way to make it enticing. The direction and animation of these scenes are definitely above par when compared to what other games consider quality, as there is definitely more going on underneath. For example, the voice acting, while expected to be poor, isn’t bad. It isn’t the greatest dialogue ever spoken and it certainly won’t win any awards, but it isn’t distracting either, which makes it an effective part of the storytelling. Sure, there are moments that may have the player chuckling a bit or scratching their head in confusion, but no worse than the acting in games like Command & Conquer 3, and that story was told through high-budget live-action scenes.

In the end, Devil May Cry 4 is everything a veteran of the series has come to expect. It is full of fast-paced, combo-heavy, sword-slashing gameplay and has many familiar faces of the previous titles. Its story, while not being complicated or particularly mysterious, remains fun and interesting enough to see you through to the end, which is saying something because it isn’t what many would consider to be a short game. What Capcom has produced isn’t the pinnacle of console-to-PC quality, but it isn’t anything to be laughed at either. And, while there is a lesson to be learned from ignoring one of the most-used PC peripherals of all-time, Devil May Cry 4 is definitely what a video game should be, fun.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 4.5 Graphics
A beautiful game with great artistic design and lots of detail brought to life by Direct X10. 2.5 Control
Barely customizable keyboard controls with no mouse support make it difficult to play with anything other than a gamepad. 3.5 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Fitting music, despite its somewhat repetitive nature, coupled with competent voice acting and solid sound effects. 4.5 Play Value
Somewhat repetitive gameplay still manages to be fun despite poorly designed PC control setup. 3.7 Overall Rating – Good
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • Two Playable Characters: Blend of familiar and new, as newcomer Nero clashes with veteran Dante.
  • Combo System: Deep combo system rewards stylish dispatching of enemies.
  • Devil Bringer Arm: Unique way of fighting opens up a range of combo options.
  • Exceed System and Style Change System: Exceed System that allows Nero to charge up his sword to perform powerful attacks, while Dante is able to change combat styles on the fly, producing crazy combo possibilities.

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