Alittleacorn
Smile it confuses people
I’ve finally gotten around to finishing this. It took longer than anticipated...:lol: whoops.
I wanted to write a review that didn’t sugar-coat everything, nor one that smashed things to pieces with a mallet [gods know we’ve had enough of that.] So there will be praise, there will be criticism…and there will be hell of a lot of humour.
but know that the jokes you see here are made out of my love for this game. They’re not to be taken as offense.
You want a fair review that doesn't exploit the word? You got one. Now let’s get cracking.
Categories
-Gameplay
-Visuals
-Music
-Story [saving the best for last]
-Overall/Final Score
Gameplay: The Good
-Combat is strong and lives up to what was shown in the demo. None of it once got repetitive and I never winded up switching off the console and quitting out of boredom. Stringing combos together is a hell of a lot of fun, even if trying to stay in the air can be a challenge in itself. The fact there’s so many ways and styles to fighting gives it a lot of freedom and depth, more so having access to the newer weapons Aquila and Kablooey, my favourites aside from Rebellion...
Learning curve for combat is pretty good too. Everything is introduced little by little and in a way it didn’t leave me overwhelmed while trying to get to grips with everything, an issue I had with Alice: Madness Returns that had quite a lot of weapons too like DmC does.
So even from the start I was still kicking butt, like this:
And not stumbling all over the place, like this
-The vast range of enemies with differences in fighting styles. Figuring out and remembering the best way to defeat foes, while being outnumbered by enemies attacking from all directions, serves a challenge, especially on the higher modes.
Another thing I was happy about was often enemies won’t always attack you if they’re not on screen, but only on the condition if you've not yet spotted them [but turning the camera away while they're charging up an attack isn't going to save you, I tried :lol:] I found this saved me from any unjust and annoying incidents of being attacked by something off camera I didn't know was there before hand, something that might've been a pain in the butt on higher modes if that wasn't the case.The Bosses, though being easy to learn in their move sets were good too [not great, but good with the exception of a few].The Demon Hunter was my most favourite [I was sad I couldn’t have a rematch with his guy], all with the exception of one boss that I’ll get to in a minute.
-Platforming segments are well handled. They aren’t easy to the point of being unnecessary and aren’t overly difficult that I would be chucking my controller at the screen. Traversing the levels is never a bore and was quite enjoyable. although I wouldn’t have minded a little more challenge. But after Enslaved with the hand holding, I was grateful I could mess up failing to reach a platform and not wait forever at a loading screen to try again [so no Vanessa Carlton, time will not pass you by if you should fall into the sky]
And I got a kick out of using the angel/demon pulls that Dante has. I got quite attached to those.
Uh…n-not that attached o_o
-Others-
-The quick time events that didn’t lock you in on a ‘hit the button at the right time’ command. Giving you a window to use angel pull to escape a collapsing street or to angel glide out before a wall could crush you gave more freedom, something Resident Evil 6 should’ve had. I enjoyed these cinematic sections of the game.
-Upgrading abilities and weapons. There were plenty of skills to learn and the accessibility to change and test these out didn’t leave things constricted.
-Exploration in having to search out lost souls, doors and the keys to unlock them to access the secret missions. Being able to jump off the path for a little for some searching I liked.
-The puzzle in Mission 18 =) loved it! I wish there’d been more puzzles worked in the game as well as this one…but er, nothing repetitive in that you had to do the same one different times and in different ways. There’s nothing fun about that! ;_; [Heavenly Sword dong puzzles, FFX shrine trial thingys*].
-Smooth controls and practically no delays between switching weapons and performing a move.
-Camera was great and rarely ever an issue.
-Kicking ass!
-Kicking lots of ass!
Gameplay: The bad
-Having no manual lock-on. It didn’t affect the game much but on the higher modes flying pests became a nuisance when swarmed with enemies and you go to fish in the flying cupid and you pull in an angry chainsaw guy instead! T_T
-Needed more bosses, and tougher.
-Guns are too weak. They don’t pack as much of a punch I’d of liked, even precious Kablooey.
-Colour coded enemies on the Fire and Ice knights didn’t bother me, on the Rages however, limitations seared through. Would’ve been better if they kept switching colours or just not to have it because it’s a pain on the tough modes.
-Getting scored for keys and lost souls you collected from previous mission playthroughs…that can wind up being HIGHER than the scores you've earned from playing the level, or contributing a high number to it. Rewarding for finding these things is good, but this is ridiculous. The only thing you should be getting points for is your fighting style and time completions [along with the detractions for deaths and item use]. Being scored for the keys and lost souls gives an unfair advantage and shouldn’t play a factor in the overall score of your mission, especially over something a gamer finished in the past. I’d of rather the game rewarded me with a large amount of red orbs/white orbs, instead of bumping up the S’s when they aren’t needed. @_@
-Decreases in item use and death counts should’ve been more punishing on the overall score.
-Devil Triggering is flawed against large numbers of enemies. When they’re thrown up into the air, it’s more difficult to hit them and left me playing Spiderman trying to catch and kill as many Mary Janes as possible before the gauge expired. DT’s becomes more of an emergency health item rather than an powerful ability for dealing heavy damage that could’ve been easier dealt if enemies stayed on the ground or were pulled towards you while they were stunned, rather being tossed upwards.
-Mundus’s boss felt the weakest point in the game when it should’ve been one of the strongest. It reused too many things from Succubus’s boss fight and needed more of an adrenaline rush [e.g: that you needed to hurry through the building after Vergil and Dante crashed through it because Mundus was ripping it apart, or you needed to hurry to save Vergil before Mundus killed him, and just expanding the field that you weren’t confined to two unbreakable rooftops to keep things moving.]
I also couldn’t wrap my head around why Mundus was so generous o_o
-Vergil boss battle. I didn't mind this final boss; I just wish it’d gone on longer and that the mute button hadn’t been the reason for their sudden inabilities to talk during the fight except in the short cutscenes.
Visuals: The good
-Limbo is deadly looking. Levels get very creative, from the nightmarish carnival, the nightclub, to walking through an upside down city underwater, all while the sky churns like a storm as if you’re in some furnace or a heat wave. Each level is unique from the range of colours and atmosphere making each one feel different, with an impressive amount of effort and detailed crammed into every one. The ways buildings and street would break apart and move as they had a mind of their own is friggin brillent! The world this game had to offer is stunning, that sacrificing 60fps for 30fps [Xbox360/PS3 only] to create the illusion Limbo was alive was worth it. It wouldn’t have had the same atmosphere or had as big an impact if things had been frozen in place.
-Character designs. Models look very detailed and refined, with a style of realism in their appearances that doesn’t go into the uncanny valley, or looking like they stepped off fresh from the Final Fantasy line. They dressed like ordinary people [with the exception of Vergil] and having the little things a scar, mole and just the creases on the face when a character frown or smile added those little bits of detail, helped also by the mocap which once again it does its part in bringing out human performances, with every actor fitting their roles perfectly from body language to the voice acting.
-Demon designs are creepy, artistic and unique from the Rages, Witches to the giant Saw bot. My favourite has to be Samurai demon, just for the design of him.
The same is said for the bosses. Each in design is memorable from the sinister Demon Hunter to the Tron-like form Bobby takes on and even the Succubus being the complete opposite of anything seductive I thought was clever.
-Others-
-Best carnival, ever.
-The design of the Virility factory, in and out of Limbo [those tank things with the tubes and the organs, yuuuuck! XD]
-The tower and upturn level with the rays of digital lights flowing all over the place.
-That sketch effect thing during mission 16. It had a reaaaally cool movie look to it.
-Mission 17 with the flames and platforms. Creepy stuff.
-The portals and change from the real world into Limbo.
-The way the world became brighter and more colourful after Limbo merged with the real world, and how a strange storm stirred up during Dante and Vergil's fight as if it reacted to it.
-The back of Lilith and that head twist thingy…god that was scary! :'(
-Phineas's eye, everyone should have one
-The camera eyes.
-Witch/Summon thingy, pretty!
-Vergil’s hat, I love…that hat.
Visuals: The Bad
-Minecraft character shadows on the PS3. They’re annoying and distracting to the point someone like Vergil can be talking and all I could think was ‘blooock…blooooock’ as if a giant mole manifested on each of them just to take your mind off what’s going on. If the real engine can’t cope with character shadows on the PS3 as it can on other consoles, then it shouldn’t have them, at least at points where they take way from the scene.
-Pop in textures once or twice, but there was only ever one place where this really became an issue for me and that was during The Trade, when it kept reloading between Mundus in his tower and to the group on the dock.
-A few minor bits on framerate here and there [PS3], but these were only in about a handful of incidents and in cutscenes. Nothing that was a big issue.
Music: The Good
Not much of a heavy metal fan, but I liked the Combichrist’s tracks, they really added something to the fights throughout the game. The same is said for Noisia too. The music carried itself to fit the mood of what was happening and didn’t stick to one type of music.
My most favourites were:
-Intro music
-Track during first fight
-All the nightclub music
-Kitty Kat’s theme T_T
-The Trade music
-That track that plays during the final boss with Vergil, EPIIIIIIC!
Music: The Bad
Er…w-wub? :blink: actually I can’t really think of anything. I didn’t mind the wub wub during Mundus’s fight, but that’s probably one instance where I thought “I don’t know if this works for this particular fight.”
Story: The Good
-I really enjoyed the serious tone that it took. There was something episodic in the way missions would end and begin, like a movie divided into parts. I liked the setup of Limbo being this otherworld layered over the real one, along with the modern day setting and the demons disguised as humans having a control over oblivious mankind. But along with how the game ended with Limbo collapsing into the real world, since it really feels like setting up the world similar to the originals and the possible path to Dante’s demon hunting business.
-I was also interested by the history of the angels and demons being at war, and Dante and Vergil being nephilims instead of part demon/human, and their mother an angel. I loved that the game explored more into Dante and Vergl’s backstories too, and that Sparda and Eva play a more prominent role than previous games, even if for the most part they’re still word of mouth, Eva getting more of an appearance and the set of Sparda possibly still being alive, leaves a lot open for that character.
-Dante’s character development. I enjoyed seeing him gradually change from a rebel into more caring human-erm, nephilim being that could trust others. Scenes inside the house were my favourite because of this and how it played like a trip down memory lane, along with other scenes where he talked with other characters like Vergil, Kat or Phineas. But one of the scenes that really stood out for me later on was how supportive he was in showing Kat how to surrender. Even though the end result for her was still bad, it was a big change from him threatening to shoot her at the beginning and really showed how far he’d come by that point as a person.
But, I really liked that he found a purpose at the end with looking out for mankind and also showing hints of classic Dante too [a.k.a DMC1 Dante]. Although personally I would’ve liked him to have been a douchebag for a tiny bit longer [he just seemed more funny when he was being a dick XD this is why I like Hollow Dante so much and his hate for public transport.]
-Every scene with Phineas! The design of this guy is brilliant and even though he’s not in the game long, he leaves a lasting impression playing the mentor role to Dante, while faintly alluding if whether or not he can be trusted 100%. I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing more of this guy in the future, especially after he hinted about Dante being yet to unlock his full potential.
-Vergil not starting out as a villain was refreshing and having more depth to him than in previous games. I liked that he wasn’t pure evil, that there were valid reasons for what he did and his goals. Most importantly I liked was that Vergil did honestly love his brother instead of following the same cliché of the evil twin that’s been done to death [even though I thought myself this was really going to happen, I’m so glad it didn’t!]. The fact Vergil cared about Dante and did want his brother to join him in ruling over mankind made the ending more tragic, when their differences and their beliefs were what tore them apart, and when there was also no real direct answer to which was right or wrong.
Although I’ll never forgive Vergil for using Kat as a portal handbag accessory! >_< that insensitive, sexist, arrogant, overly expensive designer shoe buffer!
-Kat is so CUTE! Even though she's made to look attractive, she’s not been turned into a glorified Gloria, but instead dresses and acts like a human being. Her personality seemed like the opposite to Lady, yet there were moments and bits of her design that reminded me of her. Kat counteracting Dante in a Yin/Yang kind of team is great and doesn’t get stuck with being a love interest or the annoying ‘guy gets the girl’ cliché. Plus her loyalty and the lengths she went to help Vergil too [even begging his life to be spared] were moving, if sad, especially when he neglected her and endangered her life after he’d saved her in the past.
Speaking of her past, I’m glad how well that was handled, that it didn’t run away from the subject matter, but didn’t force you to see or hear anything upsetting like flashbacks or using the R word. Kat’s word of mouth alone was enough to tell you she’d had a tough past, and hearing how Vergil rescued her and gave her hopes made me understand more why she was so willing to risk her life for him.
-Mundus portraying a good villain, although I wish there’d been a bit more to him [it’s hard to explain this one, but, say if there’d been more backing up why he was doing what he was doing or he had more screen time.] regardless he is definitely not a bad villain and plays a really intimidating character. Those scenes where he and Dante talked in the office before attempting to rip out of his heart were some of my favourite scenes with him, because he sounded like really believed he was right for being in control of mankind.
-Lilith, I loved hating her, even if I felt bad for her towards the end and how she died. But definitely a character that bite off more than she could chew in her quest for power.
-All the new reports with Bob, he was such an asshole and I loved him for it. I’m sad he wasn’t in the game for longer.
I'll miss ya Bob!
-Others-
-The opening sequence with the club, just because it had me giggling first time I saw it. Damn Dante, you know how to party don’t you?
-Foreshadowing with the octopus wig, eat your words Dante. You have white hair now XP
-All other sequences during the carnival, it was a great way to start the game. It felt like a movie.
-The interactions between Dante and Vergil, and how well their first meeting was handled with Dante not having a clue his brother was standing right in front of him, and that it was revealed to him later on [in another scene I favour for how well the emotions were played]. And then just the scenes where they didn’t disagree with each other, like in the hideout for an example.
-"I like it rough" line XD
-Dante looking sad over the photo of his family.
-Flashbacks shown as art
-Vergil smiling when Dante remembered hiiiiim!
-Dante kicking Succubus’s ass!
-Car scene
-The “It is eye” joke
-The beginning of Mission 12 where you were nearly powerless to do anything but watch on as the scenes unfolded, while seeing how Dante looks in Limbo.
-Dante holding Kat’s hand when she’s getting beaten up. ;_;
-Lilith being a taunting bitch.
-Lilith getting karate kicked by Dante for being a taunting bitch.
-Dante running through bullets to save Kat. Couldn’t stop myself from cheering “YOU GO MAN! YOU GO!”
-The laseeeeer scenes.
-Bigger dick joke.
-The exchange Vergil and Dante shared during the puzzle.
-Vergil teleporting to save Dante, and all the ‘need a hand’ moments. Dammit, why didn’t those two ever hug! Or are men just afraid to show brotherly affections anymore?
-The silent animal-like 'I'm going to kick your ass' walk Dante and Vergil did before they fought.
-Dante's hair turning WHIIIIIIITE!
-“I loved you brother”…T_____T
- The “You are Dante, nothing more, nothing less” mirroring something like Nero and Kyrie from the ending of DMC4. Foreshadowing something?
Story: The Bad
There were a few instances in the plot I felt lacked or could’ve been more explored.
-Eva’s appearance in mission 9
It should’ve been of more importance and at a later stage of the game [e.g: Dante temporally dying from his injuries caused by Mundus.] where her words of freedom would’ve played more into Dante’s decision to not side with Vergil at the end. Also having Dante interacting with his dead mother would’ve made for a tear jerking moment and stood out more memorable for it.
I'm sad this winded up being a secondary scene that has no real impact in the story when it could have been one of the main highlights of the game [The game is called Devil May Cry, you could've made Dante cry!]
-That the Dreamrunner/Samurai demon had been more significant to the plot. You see one of those things holding back Dante while his mother is being killed, and again with Sparda being imprisoned. It should’ve played more with Dante having a vendetta to settle with this guy, especially with how he keeps making an appearance during the later course of the game. It felt like it was setting something up there and nothing happened.
-The lack of recovery after The Trade.I got so disappointed by this!:'(
The mission objective to take down Mundus took too much focus, too soon, when it should’ve slowed down and allowed character development between the three protagonists. After how violently Kat was taken away and spending a good few missions working to rescue her, a moment to rejoice with her being back with the team and understand where the character’s stood [a.k.a a good chance to have seen more how Dante’s grown as a character] and just to have heard Kat say a little thank you would’ve helped to wrap things up with this part of the story, before moving on to the third and final act.
Without one, it felt like the equivalent of the scene between Monkey and Trip in the Leviathan core room being cut before the final showdown in Enslaved. DmC needed it's own moment to chill.
-That you don't know much about the bouncer before Dante punches his lights out. It's still funny, but I might've enjoyed him doing that more if we'd seen Dante having a grudge with the guy prior in the opening.
-No Epilogue!?
If there’d been an epilogue after the credits it would’ve been fine. Without one the ending winds up being too abrupt like an Hayao Miyazaki film. An extra minute spared to close the story would’ve made all the difference. [And no, Vergil’s Downfall doesn’t count. That’s Vergil’s story, not Dante’s.]
-Moments in the story where that could’ve been a little more explained, just so it didn’t leave questions unanswered…
…
<_<
...
>_>
Whiiiiich, for humorous purposes [and just to end the review on a fun, high note] I shall show in my usual Acorn manner with some caption madness.
…Cue Benny Hill!
[Left to right]
...>.> I regret nothing.
OVERALL!
Pros
Great combat
Interesting story/characters
Decent replay value.
Difficulties for n00bs and hardcore gamers
Beautiful Visuals
Vergil’s Hat
Cons:
Color coded enemies
Story lacking a tiny bit at points
Distracting character shadows on the PS3
Lacklustre on Mundus boss fight
NO VERGIL COME BACK! :'( make up with your brother! You can still be a family! IT’S NOT TOO LAAAAATE!
Final Acorn Score:
8.5 out of 10
I love this game and recommend it with the power of a thousand suns.
I wanted to write a review that didn’t sugar-coat everything, nor one that smashed things to pieces with a mallet [gods know we’ve had enough of that.] So there will be praise, there will be criticism…and there will be hell of a lot of humour.
but know that the jokes you see here are made out of my love for this game. They’re not to be taken as offense.You want a fair review that doesn't exploit the word? You got one. Now let’s get cracking.
Categories
-Gameplay
-Visuals
-Music
-Story [saving the best for last
]-Overall/Final Score
Gameplay: The Good
-Combat is strong and lives up to what was shown in the demo. None of it once got repetitive and I never winded up switching off the console and quitting out of boredom. Stringing combos together is a hell of a lot of fun, even if trying to stay in the air can be a challenge in itself. The fact there’s so many ways and styles to fighting gives it a lot of freedom and depth, more so having access to the newer weapons Aquila and Kablooey, my favourites aside from Rebellion...
And Osiris, definitely Osiris! <3
Learning curve for combat is pretty good too. Everything is introduced little by little and in a way it didn’t leave me overwhelmed while trying to get to grips with everything, an issue I had with Alice: Madness Returns that had quite a lot of weapons too like DmC does.
So even from the start I was still kicking butt, like this:
And not stumbling all over the place, like this
-The vast range of enemies with differences in fighting styles. Figuring out and remembering the best way to defeat foes, while being outnumbered by enemies attacking from all directions, serves a challenge, especially on the higher modes.
Another thing I was happy about was often enemies won’t always attack you if they’re not on screen, but only on the condition if you've not yet spotted them [but turning the camera away while they're charging up an attack isn't going to save you, I tried :lol:] I found this saved me from any unjust and annoying incidents of being attacked by something off camera I didn't know was there before hand, something that might've been a pain in the butt on higher modes if that wasn't the case.The Bosses, though being easy to learn in their move sets were good too [not great, but good with the exception of a few].The Demon Hunter was my most favourite [I was sad I couldn’t have a rematch with his guy], all with the exception of one boss that I’ll get to in a minute.
-Platforming segments are well handled. They aren’t easy to the point of being unnecessary and aren’t overly difficult that I would be chucking my controller at the screen. Traversing the levels is never a bore and was quite enjoyable. although I wouldn’t have minded a little more challenge. But after Enslaved with the hand holding, I was grateful I could mess up failing to reach a platform and not wait forever at a loading screen to try again [so no Vanessa Carlton, time will not pass you by if you should fall into the sky]
And I got a kick out of using the angel/demon pulls that Dante has. I got quite attached to those.
Uh…n-not that attached o_o
-Others-
-The quick time events that didn’t lock you in on a ‘hit the button at the right time’ command. Giving you a window to use angel pull to escape a collapsing street or to angel glide out before a wall could crush you gave more freedom, something Resident Evil 6 should’ve had. I enjoyed these cinematic sections of the game.
-Upgrading abilities and weapons. There were plenty of skills to learn and the accessibility to change and test these out didn’t leave things constricted.
-Exploration in having to search out lost souls, doors and the keys to unlock them to access the secret missions. Being able to jump off the path for a little for some searching I liked.
-The puzzle in Mission 18 =) loved it! I wish there’d been more puzzles worked in the game as well as this one…but er, nothing repetitive in that you had to do the same one different times and in different ways. There’s nothing fun about that! ;_; [Heavenly Sword dong puzzles, FFX shrine trial thingys*].
-Smooth controls and practically no delays between switching weapons and performing a move.
-Camera was great and rarely ever an issue.
-Kicking ass!
-Kicking lots of ass!
Gameplay: The bad
-Having no manual lock-on. It didn’t affect the game much but on the higher modes flying pests became a nuisance when swarmed with enemies and you go to fish in the flying cupid and you pull in an angry chainsaw guy instead! T_T
-Needed more bosses, and tougher.
-Guns are too weak. They don’t pack as much of a punch I’d of liked, even precious Kablooey.
-Colour coded enemies on the Fire and Ice knights didn’t bother me, on the Rages however, limitations seared through. Would’ve been better if they kept switching colours or just not to have it because it’s a pain on the tough modes.
-Getting scored for keys and lost souls you collected from previous mission playthroughs…that can wind up being HIGHER than the scores you've earned from playing the level, or contributing a high number to it. Rewarding for finding these things is good, but this is ridiculous. The only thing you should be getting points for is your fighting style and time completions [along with the detractions for deaths and item use]. Being scored for the keys and lost souls gives an unfair advantage and shouldn’t play a factor in the overall score of your mission, especially over something a gamer finished in the past. I’d of rather the game rewarded me with a large amount of red orbs/white orbs, instead of bumping up the S’s when they aren’t needed. @_@
-Decreases in item use and death counts should’ve been more punishing on the overall score.
-Devil Triggering is flawed against large numbers of enemies. When they’re thrown up into the air, it’s more difficult to hit them and left me playing Spiderman trying to catch and kill as many Mary Janes as possible before the gauge expired. DT’s becomes more of an emergency health item rather than an powerful ability for dealing heavy damage that could’ve been easier dealt if enemies stayed on the ground or were pulled towards you while they were stunned, rather being tossed upwards.
-Mundus’s boss felt the weakest point in the game when it should’ve been one of the strongest. It reused too many things from Succubus’s boss fight and needed more of an adrenaline rush [e.g: that you needed to hurry through the building after Vergil and Dante crashed through it because Mundus was ripping it apart, or you needed to hurry to save Vergil before Mundus killed him, and just expanding the field that you weren’t confined to two unbreakable rooftops to keep things moving.]
I also couldn’t wrap my head around why Mundus was so generous o_o
-Vergil boss battle. I didn't mind this final boss; I just wish it’d gone on longer and that the mute button hadn’t been the reason for their sudden inabilities to talk during the fight except in the short cutscenes.
Visuals: The good
-Limbo is deadly looking. Levels get very creative, from the nightmarish carnival, the nightclub, to walking through an upside down city underwater, all while the sky churns like a storm as if you’re in some furnace or a heat wave. Each level is unique from the range of colours and atmosphere making each one feel different, with an impressive amount of effort and detailed crammed into every one. The ways buildings and street would break apart and move as they had a mind of their own is friggin brillent! The world this game had to offer is stunning, that sacrificing 60fps for 30fps [Xbox360/PS3 only] to create the illusion Limbo was alive was worth it. It wouldn’t have had the same atmosphere or had as big an impact if things had been frozen in place.
-Character designs. Models look very detailed and refined, with a style of realism in their appearances that doesn’t go into the uncanny valley, or looking like they stepped off fresh from the Final Fantasy line. They dressed like ordinary people [with the exception of Vergil] and having the little things a scar, mole and just the creases on the face when a character frown or smile added those little bits of detail, helped also by the mocap which once again it does its part in bringing out human performances, with every actor fitting their roles perfectly from body language to the voice acting.
-Demon designs are creepy, artistic and unique from the Rages, Witches to the giant Saw bot. My favourite has to be Samurai demon, just for the design of him.
The same is said for the bosses. Each in design is memorable from the sinister Demon Hunter to the Tron-like form Bobby takes on and even the Succubus being the complete opposite of anything seductive I thought was clever.
-Others-
-Best carnival, ever.
-The design of the Virility factory, in and out of Limbo [those tank things with the tubes and the organs, yuuuuck! XD]
-The tower and upturn level with the rays of digital lights flowing all over the place.
-That sketch effect thing during mission 16. It had a reaaaally cool movie look to it.
-Mission 17 with the flames and platforms. Creepy stuff.
-The portals and change from the real world into Limbo.
-The way the world became brighter and more colourful after Limbo merged with the real world, and how a strange storm stirred up during Dante and Vergil's fight as if it reacted to it.
-The back of Lilith and that head twist thingy…god that was scary! :'(
-Phineas's eye, everyone should have one
-The camera eyes.
-Witch/Summon thingy, pretty!
-Vergil’s hat, I love…that hat.
Visuals: The Bad
-Minecraft character shadows on the PS3. They’re annoying and distracting to the point someone like Vergil can be talking and all I could think was ‘blooock…blooooock’ as if a giant mole manifested on each of them just to take your mind off what’s going on. If the real engine can’t cope with character shadows on the PS3 as it can on other consoles, then it shouldn’t have them, at least at points where they take way from the scene.
-Pop in textures once or twice, but there was only ever one place where this really became an issue for me and that was during The Trade, when it kept reloading between Mundus in his tower and to the group on the dock.
-A few minor bits on framerate here and there [PS3], but these were only in about a handful of incidents and in cutscenes. Nothing that was a big issue.
Music: The Good
Not much of a heavy metal fan, but I liked the Combichrist’s tracks, they really added something to the fights throughout the game. The same is said for Noisia too. The music carried itself to fit the mood of what was happening and didn’t stick to one type of music.
My most favourites were:
-Intro music
-Track during first fight
-All the nightclub music
-Kitty Kat’s theme T_T
-The Trade music
-That track that plays during the final boss with Vergil, EPIIIIIIC!
Music: The Bad
Er…w-wub? :blink: actually I can’t really think of anything. I didn’t mind the wub wub during Mundus’s fight, but that’s probably one instance where I thought “I don’t know if this works for this particular fight.”
Story: The Good
-I really enjoyed the serious tone that it took. There was something episodic in the way missions would end and begin, like a movie divided into parts. I liked the setup of Limbo being this otherworld layered over the real one, along with the modern day setting and the demons disguised as humans having a control over oblivious mankind. But along with how the game ended with Limbo collapsing into the real world, since it really feels like setting up the world similar to the originals and the possible path to Dante’s demon hunting business.
-I was also interested by the history of the angels and demons being at war, and Dante and Vergil being nephilims instead of part demon/human, and their mother an angel. I loved that the game explored more into Dante and Vergl’s backstories too, and that Sparda and Eva play a more prominent role than previous games, even if for the most part they’re still word of mouth, Eva getting more of an appearance and the set of Sparda possibly still being alive, leaves a lot open for that character.
-Dante’s character development. I enjoyed seeing him gradually change from a rebel into more caring human-erm, nephilim being that could trust others. Scenes inside the house were my favourite because of this and how it played like a trip down memory lane, along with other scenes where he talked with other characters like Vergil, Kat or Phineas. But one of the scenes that really stood out for me later on was how supportive he was in showing Kat how to surrender. Even though the end result for her was still bad, it was a big change from him threatening to shoot her at the beginning and really showed how far he’d come by that point as a person.
But, I really liked that he found a purpose at the end with looking out for mankind and also showing hints of classic Dante too [a.k.a DMC1 Dante]. Although personally I would’ve liked him to have been a douchebag for a tiny bit longer [he just seemed more funny when he was being a dick XD this is why I like Hollow Dante so much and his hate for public transport.]
-Every scene with Phineas! The design of this guy is brilliant and even though he’s not in the game long, he leaves a lasting impression playing the mentor role to Dante, while faintly alluding if whether or not he can be trusted 100%. I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing more of this guy in the future, especially after he hinted about Dante being yet to unlock his full potential.
-Vergil not starting out as a villain was refreshing and having more depth to him than in previous games. I liked that he wasn’t pure evil, that there were valid reasons for what he did and his goals. Most importantly I liked was that Vergil did honestly love his brother instead of following the same cliché of the evil twin that’s been done to death [even though I thought myself this was really going to happen, I’m so glad it didn’t!]. The fact Vergil cared about Dante and did want his brother to join him in ruling over mankind made the ending more tragic, when their differences and their beliefs were what tore them apart, and when there was also no real direct answer to which was right or wrong.
Although I’ll never forgive Vergil for using Kat as a portal handbag accessory! >_< that insensitive, sexist, arrogant, overly expensive designer shoe buffer!
-Kat is so CUTE! Even though she's made to look attractive, she’s not been turned into a glorified Gloria, but instead dresses and acts like a human being. Her personality seemed like the opposite to Lady, yet there were moments and bits of her design that reminded me of her. Kat counteracting Dante in a Yin/Yang kind of team is great and doesn’t get stuck with being a love interest or the annoying ‘guy gets the girl’ cliché. Plus her loyalty and the lengths she went to help Vergil too [even begging his life to be spared] were moving, if sad, especially when he neglected her and endangered her life after he’d saved her in the past.
Speaking of her past, I’m glad how well that was handled, that it didn’t run away from the subject matter, but didn’t force you to see or hear anything upsetting like flashbacks or using the R word. Kat’s word of mouth alone was enough to tell you she’d had a tough past, and hearing how Vergil rescued her and gave her hopes made me understand more why she was so willing to risk her life for him.
-Mundus portraying a good villain, although I wish there’d been a bit more to him [it’s hard to explain this one, but, say if there’d been more backing up why he was doing what he was doing or he had more screen time.] regardless he is definitely not a bad villain and plays a really intimidating character. Those scenes where he and Dante talked in the office before attempting to rip out of his heart were some of my favourite scenes with him, because he sounded like really believed he was right for being in control of mankind.
-Lilith, I loved hating her, even if I felt bad for her towards the end and how she died. But definitely a character that bite off more than she could chew in her quest for power.
-All the new reports with Bob, he was such an asshole and I loved him for it. I’m sad he wasn’t in the game for longer.
I'll miss ya Bob!
-Others-
-The opening sequence with the club, just because it had me giggling first time I saw it. Damn Dante, you know how to party don’t you?
-Foreshadowing with the octopus wig, eat your words Dante. You have white hair now XP
-All other sequences during the carnival, it was a great way to start the game. It felt like a movie.
-The interactions between Dante and Vergil, and how well their first meeting was handled with Dante not having a clue his brother was standing right in front of him, and that it was revealed to him later on [in another scene I favour for how well the emotions were played]. And then just the scenes where they didn’t disagree with each other, like in the hideout for an example.
-"I like it rough" line XD
-Dante looking sad over the photo of his family.
-Flashbacks shown as art
-Vergil smiling when Dante remembered hiiiiim!
-Dante kicking Succubus’s ass!
-Car scene
-The “It is eye” joke
-The beginning of Mission 12 where you were nearly powerless to do anything but watch on as the scenes unfolded, while seeing how Dante looks in Limbo.
-Dante holding Kat’s hand when she’s getting beaten up. ;_;
-Lilith being a taunting bitch.
-Lilith getting karate kicked by Dante for being a taunting bitch.
-Dante running through bullets to save Kat. Couldn’t stop myself from cheering “YOU GO MAN! YOU GO!”
-The laseeeeer scenes.
-Bigger dick joke.
-The exchange Vergil and Dante shared during the puzzle.
-Vergil teleporting to save Dante, and all the ‘need a hand’ moments. Dammit, why didn’t those two ever hug! Or are men just afraid to show brotherly affections anymore?
-The silent animal-like 'I'm going to kick your ass' walk Dante and Vergil did before they fought.
-Dante's hair turning WHIIIIIIITE!
-“I loved you brother”…T_____T
- The “You are Dante, nothing more, nothing less” mirroring something like Nero and Kyrie from the ending of DMC4. Foreshadowing something?
Story: The Bad
There were a few instances in the plot I felt lacked or could’ve been more explored.
-Eva’s appearance in mission 9
It should’ve been of more importance and at a later stage of the game [e.g: Dante temporally dying from his injuries caused by Mundus.] where her words of freedom would’ve played more into Dante’s decision to not side with Vergil at the end. Also having Dante interacting with his dead mother would’ve made for a tear jerking moment and stood out more memorable for it.
I'm sad this winded up being a secondary scene that has no real impact in the story when it could have been one of the main highlights of the game [The game is called Devil May Cry, you could've made Dante cry!]
-That the Dreamrunner/Samurai demon had been more significant to the plot. You see one of those things holding back Dante while his mother is being killed, and again with Sparda being imprisoned. It should’ve played more with Dante having a vendetta to settle with this guy, especially with how he keeps making an appearance during the later course of the game. It felt like it was setting something up there and nothing happened.
-The lack of recovery after The Trade.
The mission objective to take down Mundus took too much focus, too soon, when it should’ve slowed down and allowed character development between the three protagonists. After how violently Kat was taken away and spending a good few missions working to rescue her, a moment to rejoice with her being back with the team and understand where the character’s stood [a.k.a a good chance to have seen more how Dante’s grown as a character] and just to have heard Kat say a little thank you would’ve helped to wrap things up with this part of the story, before moving on to the third and final act.
Without one, it felt like the equivalent of the scene between Monkey and Trip in the Leviathan core room being cut before the final showdown in Enslaved. DmC needed it's own moment to chill.
-That you don't know much about the bouncer before Dante punches his lights out. It's still funny, but I might've enjoyed him doing that more if we'd seen Dante having a grudge with the guy prior in the opening.
-No Epilogue!?
If there’d been an epilogue after the credits it would’ve been fine. Without one the ending winds up being too abrupt like an Hayao Miyazaki film. An extra minute spared to close the story would’ve made all the difference. [And no, Vergil’s Downfall doesn’t count. That’s Vergil’s story, not Dante’s.]
-Moments in the story where that could’ve been a little more explained, just so it didn’t leave questions unanswered…
…
<_<
...
>_>
Whiiiiich, for humorous purposes [and just to end the review on a fun, high note] I shall show in my usual Acorn manner with some caption madness.
…Cue Benny Hill!
[Left to right]
...>.> I regret nothing.
OVERALL!
Pros
Great combat
Interesting story/characters
Decent replay value.
Difficulties for n00bs and hardcore gamers
Beautiful Visuals
Vergil’s Hat
Cons:
Color coded enemies
Story lacking a tiny bit at points
Distracting character shadows on the PS3
Lacklustre on Mundus boss fight
NO VERGIL COME BACK! :'( make up with your brother! You can still be a family! IT’S NOT TOO LAAAAATE!
Final Acorn Score:
8.5 out of 10
I love this game and recommend it with the power of a thousand suns.
