Anyone who knows me knows that I've expressed my hatred for Capcom essentially getting rid of DMC by giving it to Ninja Theory. Recently, I played the demo for "DmC," and I have to say, it wasn't all bad. The biggest problem for me, and I think a lot of other people, is that this game's trying to be something that it just simply is not. This game is NOT DMC in anyway shape or form, however, that being said, it was a fun action game. The story, and a lot of the gameplay, is a bastardized version of real DMC. "Dante" and "Vergil" are best friends, and their mother was an angel, making them half-demon, half-angel. The gameplay is really a step back overall. Styles have been removed, and High Time/Launchers have been set to their own button. This is really a shame, however, it doesn't destroy the game.
What the Game Did Right
Completely customizable controls. This is where Capcom really dropped the ball on the HD Collection. You can set any button to whatever you want. This should be a standard in every action game.
"Push" and pull. Similar to Nero, "Dante" can pull enemies in, or bring himself to them. The major difference is that "Dante" can both "push" or pull any enemy, instead of Nero's Devil Bringer, which could only do whichever option was associated to that enemy. This opens you up for more combos.
New weapons. Dante never had three major weapons in my opinion: spear/lance, axe, and scythe. This "Dante" has "Rebellion" (by name only, not really Rebellion), Osiris, a scythe, and Arbiter, an axe. Each weapon is unique, having different roles. They aren't so different, however, that they don't string together, making them easy to combo into each other, which is the goal.
What the Game Did Wrong
Bastardized the story. It was painful to hear the characters use DMC terminology so... incorrectly.
Truly miserable dialogue. This was probably the worst dialogue I've ever heard in a game. Neither "Dante" nor the bosses can do any better than "F**k you." Dante was one of the best, most sarcastic comedians in video games. That, unfortunately, is long gone.
Not nearly as Stylish. Long story short, lack of, among other things, a taunt. Even at his best, this "Dante" can only be able as smooth as, and in fact, should open his mouth about as much as, DMC2 Dante.
No styles. Or Lock-On, for that matter. This is the biggest example of how this is not DMC, but an action game made in the image of DMC. Getting rid of styles is a major step back for the franchise. Also, the idea of putting the launchers as their own button, and removing lock-on is detrimental to the gameplay. This makes Lock-On + Forward + Melee attacks impossible, limiting the amount of possible techniques for each weapon, and oversimplifying gameplay. Plus, it's such a basic part of the controls; why would they remove it?