Cast all of your fears aside because DmC is completely kick ass.
After the opening scene and you get control of Dante it comes very clear that Capcom and Ninja Theory listened to the complaints and tried their best to make this game for newcomers and the long time fans. The combos are insane, the combat is fast, it all looks beautiful, and it's a hell of a lot of fun to play and watch.
The entire world of DmC feels alive...literally. Everything is out to stop Dante and Vergil from unfolding the mysteries of this town and stopping Mundus from his evil plans. This alone is already ahead of previous Devil May Cry games with storytelling. Past games had a story, but it was just there so you had some sort of reason to be fighting the forces of hell, with DmC it's there to genuinely keep you wanting more and more until the very end.
The combat is similar and new at the same time. Combos are a lot easier to pull off for newcomers but old time fans will have a ton of fun stringing together attacks and various moves as well. The attacks are flashy and have a lot of impact and weight to them so you feel like every hit matters. There is always a feeling of success after stringing together a chain of attacks as soon as you defeat an enemy and the camera swoops in to show you that finishing blow.
The newest addition to the combat that is a lot different than previous games is the angel and demon powers. Dante has a grappling hook like move that lets you grab onto enemies and pull them towards you, or you can use your angel move and pull yourself towards the enemy instead. This let's you have a lot of variety in your attacks and is a lot of fun to use throughout the entire game.
Graphically the game is beautiful. Limbo is always a beautiful hellish place that unfolds and transforms in stunning ways. Some areas will change up its layout so you have to jump area to area to reach your destinations while some areas keep extending out to try and keep Dante in limbo as long as possible. As I said before, the city is alive and does whatever it can do to stop you. Sometimes it will tell you to go to hell, while other times it tells Dante he cannot escape. This is another way the game and story works together to keep you motivated, and is definitely effective.
Developers should really take note on DmC on how to make a proper reboot. There are plenty of changes, but none of the changes jeopardize the soul of the franchise. It still feels like a proper Devil May Cry game. Dante still feels and actslike that lovable badass we have become attached to, the gameplay feels fresh and familiar at the same time, and most importantly, it all comes together to make an very impressive and fun game of its own.
I don't know if there will ever be a sequel to this game, but I sure as hell hope so. This Dante has plenty more fights and adventures ahead of him. If not, then at least this game just goes to show that a reboot is not always a bad thing.