The devil gets his due in this rock solid action game...
You don't have to have played and of the previous Devil May Cry titles to be able to enjoy this game, but it certainly is advantageous to be familiar with the characters and concept. In this game, infamous demon hunter Dante kills the leader of a religious sect that worships the demon Sparda as their God and has recently been up to nefarious no-gooderies such as capturing and experimenting on various dangerous demons. You'll start playing the game as Nero, one of the knights of the Order of the Sword charged with hunting down Dante, but as the plot thickens and gets more complicated, you'll be playing as Dante again until picking up as Nero again for the game's conclusion. Overall, the plot can get convoluted and it's kinda hard to tell what the hell is actually going on in some moments, but it's overall decently written stuff and charming characters such as the sarcastic tough guy Nero, or the hilariously over the top antics of Dante taking front and center in some of the best choreographed and produced cutscenes that manage to hold your attention throughout the game's lengthy campaign.
And the campaign best be lengthy, because there isn't anything else to do in Devil May Cry 4. You can replay sections of the campaign on higher difficulties and attempt to get higher scores as well as executing the various bonus missions around the levels, but there's little in the way of replay value.
So, it's good that the gameplay you do take part in is rather good. The game's all about chaining sword combos together to pulverize the various demon baddies you take on, coupled with some gun blasting and other abilities. You'll start out playing as Nero who is a very no-frills fighter and has some pretty basic attacks, but his real draw is his possessed right arm known as the Devil Bringer that can grab and slam enemies from long range, and whose skills play in particularly awesomely during boss fights, which overall, makes Nero a very deliberate, yet exciting character to play as.
Once control shifts over to Dante, things get complicated, as the demon hunter has a slew of weapons and fighting styles to choose from. You'll also be missing the Devil Bringer at this point, so Dante might seem like a step down at first. However, once you start goofing around with Dante's various fighting styles (such as Swordmaster and Gunslinger) you'll find he's an absolute dynamo with some lightening fast combos and skills to play around with. It's a nice contrast to have, and both characters are a joy to play as, as their personalities are both likeable and skills both apt. It's hard to choose whether it's funner to use the powerhouse Nero, swatting enemies away only to pull them back in and slam them, or the swift Dante, dancing around enemies as he cuts them to ribbons and fills them full of holes.
On the presentation front, Devil May Cry is stellar. The cutscenes are easily some of the best looking of this generation, and although the action never gets that hot during actual gameplay, and the visuals will look slightly stunted in game, there is still plenty of slick animations and awesome scenery to feast your eyes on in this game. In the sound department, sound effects of guns blazing, swords clashing, and baddies roaring all sound appropriately over the top, as do the voice actors. Some might accuse the actors of being too cheesy in their delivery, but considering the seriousness that some of these topics could have inherited, such as the occult and hyper violence, it's good to see the game has an excellent sense of humor. It's just something you either get or you don't, and I got it.
One thing I COULDN'T get, was that horrible... industrial suckfest music that always plays when you enter combat. Honestly, it's quite grating, and considering the rest of the music is only atmospheric, the sound track takes a considerable hit when this diddy starts playing. Aside from Kyrie's song she sings in the beginning, the rest of the music is forgettable.
Overall, DMC 4 is a great hack and slash game with a surprisingly deep fighting system, and some diversity that other games in the genre just don't have. Coupled with a great presentation, and a cheesy, but well delivered story line, you get a solid action title that is easy to recommend to anyone. Just don't ask me to listen to that combat song anymore.