I think you mean command input complexity. Mechanical complexity is another thing, and depends on the... well, excuse the repetition, mechanics that are (and are not) in the game. Which is another issue, separate from the controls.
Out of Style - Dante's Controls
- Thread starter TWOxACROSS
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I think you mean command input complexity. Mechanical complexity is another thing, and depends on the... well, excuse the repetition, mechanics that are (and are not) in the game. Which is another issue, separate from the controls.
Nope. I made that from a post I made years ago:
https://devilmaycry.org/forums/threads/how-to-talk-about-video-games.16937/
I trimmed it really quickly last night from the last pic. I was lucky the original it was still up. It's, ofcourse, yours if you need it or want it.
Anyway, back to the point, I've mentioned a few times that after a few years and a some playthroughs of DMC4SE and DmCDE, I understand why DmC did some of the things they did. Specifically, one thing I advocated against but had to reconsider was the dedicated launch and helm break button. This was never an issue until I played LDK mode with Nero, having to push forward + lock on became complicated when what I locked on to wasn't exactly in front of me and by the time I found it the moment had long passed. I think that's also the logic that originally lead them to remove the lock on, because when there are so many enemies forward and back are not so easy to distinguish.
I was in a discussion on 4chan about tank controls in RE1-3 in contrast to RE4 and how people kept ragging on them. I made a point that games are designed around their controls. In RE3 you won't be be put at a disadvantage for the controls being how they are because the enemies are build to accommodate that set up. In the same way, All DMC game are designed around the gameplay, so when there is a something as fundamentally detrimental as not being able to tell which way to aim the stick I know that the game was not designed with LDK mode in mind, but DmC might've been.
In order to get all those things we want set up in an accessible and straight forward way we might have start getting used to the idea of letting some of the long time staples of the combat and design go. I'm guilty of this too, but we can't go screaming the old rant of 'make it better but change nothing' if we're serious about wanting a better game. I still stand by my demand to hold on to the lock on feature because not having it got rather detrimental in DmC, and I will tip my hat to the addition in the DE, but things like the style system, controller mapping placement, useless moves (like Danse Macabre), on the fly weapon or style switching (meaning going in to the pause menu to assign those things), or whatever else that I might've forgotten or can't imagine having to let go might have to go. I'm not saying that they should copy Bayonetta but I definitely think they should take some notes.
An option at that point is always nice, to tap or hold. The mechanic itself wouldn't change, it'd just be really whether the system is holding the trigger for you, or you're doing it yourself.
I wonder though, because Nero's Taunt was just placed on R2, while Dante's (and every other character in DMC4se) had it on Select. I ended up putting Nero's on Select as well for consistency, and that leaves a whole button free for whatever. Plus, he had no uses on the D-pad. There's room for improvement, and with Nero's Devil Breaker, we're probably going to have your concern addressed, because yeah, Snatch and Buster were fun, but Nero was lacking in some variety.
It'd be interesting to see if Nero got different kinds of Exceed systems on his sword in DMC5, too, more than just revving it up.
Eeeeeh, I think GoW'18's issue was that with the style it was in, it just didn't allow for much else; you only had a few different options for attacking; throwing and recalling was dope but slightly limited; the perspective didn't allow for quite as much. We really even had just the one combo really, then two special attacks at a time on a cooldown, plus whatever you chose as a Talisman. It's all fun, and can be satisfying, but it doesn't allow for as much depth compared to something like DMC.
I can't agree that ease-of-use is a detriment to a game's combat, what matters is how much depth they bother to apply to it.
You know what? I think I did the exact same thing from your post because that bit was such a proper diagram!
I can understand what you mean. The base DMC system works pretty well, but primarily for fighting a singular opponent, or at least only a handful of scattered enemies. DMC4 had different options for how lock-on behaved for targeting, from what's closest to you, what's in front of you, or what you tilt the left stick - I use the left stick input one, because it's the one I can control the most. However, it also causes a problem if I want to launch, because I have to point at the specific target, then hold backwards once the lock engages.
In DmC I, fortunately, never really had a problem hitting my mark without a dedicated lock-on system, and the soft lock it did have was always overridden by tilting towards your intended target, which made O as a launcher feel so good. Trish in DMC4se even has a directionless launcher.
Regardless of how much I love the feel of DmC's controls, I also definitely love the way Nero feels, because he's an exceptional middle-ground for ease of use and doing cool stuff. If, like I scribbled out above, Dante could follow suit and use Nero's controls as a starting point for all the potential that configuration allows, he'd feel just as good.
This is why i never liked the "Style Switching", DMC3 didn't envision style switching when it made this feature. Styles were just supposed to be a little bit of an extra perk for every mission to keep the combos gonig. BTW I still don't understand how to use Royal Guard, its a style with such a steep learning curve that it might as well not exist. I play DMC for frantic action and RoyalGuard is more about timing and releases.
I 100% agree with removing the Styles and binding the special moves to the weapons. Maybe when you reach a higher grade of Style like "SSS" or "A" your swords&guns could get beefed up with the Gunslinger/SwordMaster moves, that's a better way to make use of these moves. Switching between styles just feels clunky, like why do i need to "switch styles" to do something simple like making Dante dash to the left and do Prop Shredder(The sword spinning thingy)?
I 100% agree with removing the Styles and binding the special moves to the weapons. Maybe when you reach a higher grade of Style like "SSS" or "A" your swords&guns could get beefed up with the Gunslinger/SwordMaster moves, that's a better way to make use of these moves. Switching between styles just feels clunky, like why do i need to "switch styles" to do something simple like making Dante dash to the left and do Prop Shredder(The sword spinning thingy)?
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I've also been thinking about how DMC3's Style system wasn't built for on the fly switching. Each style is really built with a different playstyle in mind and players change how they play to fit each Style. Swordmaster is all about being aggressive, Trickster is about constant moving and looking for openings, Royal Guard requires careful observation and timing, and Gunslinger focuses on keeping enemies at more of a distance. By implementing on the fly style switching in DMC4, a lot of that is lost in favor of just stringing together crazy combos. Which is still a lot of fun, but I wouldn't say it's better than what we have in DMC3.
I think Styles are a lot of fun, both with or without being about to switch instantly, but I do think in order for DMC to keep evolving, it's going to have to leave Styles behind and try something new.
Yes. But the best way to play is to use any style in any situation, like DmC, and feel comfortable. Nero had that that an so did DmC. Dante always felt like I had to think incredibly hard to evade and then strike. DMC 4 was amazing coming off of DMC3 but as we all know everything Dante could do was accessable with one button.
A perfect game for some, but completely overwhelming for others.
I want Dante to move like DmC Dante but expand hi move set because a lot of times in DmC I felt like I should be able to do more.
I feel the same way. There could have been so many more moves crammed into DmC, especially for aerial combat. Makes sense if they don't use that control scheme for DMC5, but I'd love to see them revisit it in the future.
It wasn't bad at all especially coming off of dmc4.
We all knew how hard the learning curve was gonna be and we were ready but it never happened
I think he retain original Exceed system, but from what we've seen arm has now different modes, I asume you should switch between them, replacing lacking weapon amount with abilities.
Actually I think GoW tried to much button controls at the same time. You have light / heavy attack, throwing axe, boy controls, boy abilties, parry, combo breaker, rolling, two different abilties on the weapon and
two more on the other weapon
Chatting with Gregaman about this stuff, even as cool as Styles were in DMC3, it also made very little sense that Dante would essentially forget how to slide to avoid an attack just to remember how to do an aerial combo. It made sense as far as gameplay went in DMC3 that you were choosing a Style to stick with, because you didn't have to wrap your head around being able to switch. However, when we got DMC4, they used the d-pad so we could switch when we wanted, and then maniacs used it mid-combo to great effect. Yet ultimately, if you're goal is to give the player access to everything, then just...rework the controls so that everything makes more sense.
Right. I remember back before DMC4's release in a magazine article (damn, old) where Itsuno talked about how Nero's sword was mechanical and he was kind of like a gearhead, but instead of modding a motorcycle, he liked tuning the Red Queen. It was a little disappointing in the main game that we didn't get to tune the Red Queen at all ourselves.
There's a hope for me that Nero in DMC5 will be able to do just that, so our Exceed can get some different effects, although I can't think of much aside from revving for stronger/altered attacks, or maybe a legit gunblade-like trigger where you Exceed on impact for more damage - stronger, but needs complete precision and can't be prepped before an attack. Not sure what else...
It's good that we're getting more variety in Nero's arm, but being able to tune the Red Queen would add another element to him, without just handing him a brand new weapon.
Right. I remember back before DMC4's release in a magazine article (damn, old) where Itsuno talked about how Nero's sword was mechanical and he was kind of like a gearhead, but instead of modding a motorcycle, he liked tuning the Red Queen. It was a little disappointing in the main game that we didn't get to tune the Red Queen at all ourselves.
There's a hope for me that Nero in DMC5 will be able to do just that, so our Exceed can get some different effects, although I can't think of much aside from revving for stronger/altered attacks, or maybe a legit gunblade-like trigger where you Exceed on impact for more damage - stronger, but needs complete precision and can't be prepped before an attack. Not sure what else...
It's good that we're getting more variety in Nero's arm, but being able to tune the Red Queen would add another element to him, without just handing him a brand new weapon.
Even better would be if Nero got more weapons that used the exceed mechanic.
DragonMaster2010
Don't Let the Fall of America be Your Fall
Personally I wouldn't care if the style system was gone for something new. Style systems were fun back in DMC3, but DMC4 was just a mess with the styles by having them all on one, at least to me. I don't particularly enjoy breaking my fingers just to pull off combos and have "fun". It's why I don't even touch DMC4 anymore. I stick with DmC because it's easier mechanics and its to my liking. I don't have to twist my thumbs and risk carpal tunnel just to make Dante turn into a living steam light rave show.
For DMC5, I would at least rather they do it how DmC did it. the whole Angel/Demon trick where you hold the upper buttons for styles. hold L2 for Swordmaster, hold R2 for gunslinger, while Trickster and Royalguard are all ready part of the button layout. L1 being trickster, and R1 being royalguard.
EDIT: and Darkslayer (if Dante does still have that) could be its own Devil Arm to switch from.
For DMC5, I would at least rather they do it how DmC did it. the whole Angel/Demon trick where you hold the upper buttons for styles. hold L2 for Swordmaster, hold R2 for gunslinger, while Trickster and Royalguard are all ready part of the button layout. L1 being trickster, and R1 being royalguard.
EDIT: and Darkslayer (if Dante does still have that) could be its own Devil Arm to switch from.
I've thought about this some and here's my proposed control scheme:
L1 & R1 remain the same
D-pad is for weapon switching with players free to pick whatever weapons they want (be it devil arms or guns)
L2: Royal Guard
R2: Trickster dash/wall run
Triangle, X, and Square will all be the same
O button: Special move?? Maybe Dante could have his own method of getting close to enemies. Like how Nero has his DB/robot arm and Vergil has the Darkslayer style. Maybe Dante can have something too?
EDIT: Since I'm giving Trickster its own dedicated button, the O button can be used for something else!
No sure how well any of this will work, but it's the best I've come up with so :laugh:
L1 & R1 remain the same
D-pad is for weapon switching with players free to pick whatever weapons they want (be it devil arms or guns)
L2: Royal Guard
R2: Trickster dash/wall run
Triangle, X, and Square will all be the same
O button: Special move?? Maybe Dante could have his own method of getting close to enemies. Like how Nero has his DB/robot arm and Vergil has the Darkslayer style. Maybe Dante can have something too?
EDIT: Since I'm giving Trickster its own dedicated button, the O button can be used for something else!
No sure how well any of this will work, but it's the best I've come up with so :laugh:
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Here's what I use (for both Dante and Vergil).
R1 = Toggle lock-on (it takes some getting used to, but it helps with dodging)
R2 = Dodge (Air Trick dash default for Vergil because obviously that's how he evades)
L1 = Demon Mode
L2 = Angel Mode
Forward forward only when I use stinger moves.
I actually use the opposite setup for L1 and L2 (because I'm always using an Angel Boost/Sky Star-type move with L1 and X in another game) but it's easier to use Angel Mode the way I originally mapped it above.
As always, I make sure to leave both Turbo and Hardcore modes on because technically it's on "separate list" and I don't feel like repeating difficulty sets just for that.
I leave everything else as is. I think.
R2 = Dodge (Air Trick dash default for Vergil because obviously that's how he evades)
L1 = Demon Mode
L2 = Angel Mode
Forward forward only when I use stinger moves.
I actually use the opposite setup for L1 and L2 (because I'm always using an Angel Boost/Sky Star-type move with L1 and X in another game) but it's easier to use Angel Mode the way I originally mapped it above.
As always, I make sure to leave both Turbo and Hardcore modes on because technically it's on "separate list" and I don't feel like repeating difficulty sets just for that.
I leave everything else as is. I think.
Oh boy I guess I'm going to have to be the contrarian here but I'm going to have to disagree about abandoning the Style system and I advocate expanding the style system and tweaking it.
Its possible to tweak the system to make it more accessible rather than completely overhauling/streamlining the system (like what fighting games do).
As someone who sunk in 200 hours playing DMC4 (70% was trying to learn Dante) the problem with Dante's combat is that it was poorly implemented in 4 whereas with DMC3 it handled the styles far better. Each style in DMC4 was a watered down version of what they were capable of in DMC3 (minus Royal Guard). They can easily streamline the style system by relocating attacks and abilities in the control scheme such as making aerial rave the default Rebellion basic (Triangle/Y) aerial attack rather than Helm Breaker and either making Helm Breaker the default SwordMaster aerial skill or giving it a new input like how Nero does Split or a triangle/Y + O/B for both High Time on land and in the air.
Reasons for this change. Sky Star + Aerial Rave seems to be one of the most common tricks in DMC4 so rearranging the controls will make this technique for easier to pull off without sacrificing depth and most players have no problem JC Nero's Split although I would rather use that input for an Aerial Stinger instead like Vergil and Bayonetta. I think Dante could use a strong boost in his aerial game. In action games like this it seems there is a big penis measuring contest of who can stay in the air the longest and modern games seem to have embrace this with DMC4SE additonal characters ala Vergil having some amazing air game with his moveset, DmC Dante and Nero having tons of ways to stay in the air as long as possible, Bayonetta, and even the Sengoku Basara 4 characters (also made by Capcom with some of the same DMC staff behind it) having aerial versions of DMC3-4 even DmC techniques before its older brother series (DMC) started doing them. So I would rather have an aerial stinger rather than another way to pull off Helm Breaker (granted it is possible to have both). But I think realistically swapping Aerial Rave for Helm Breaker works fine too.
I do think looking at Nero and the other DMC4SE characters for ideas to implement into Dante's combat is a good idea but I honestly believe the Style System has the most potential of any action game. There is more to the style system than just button inputs there are whole of depth and nifty tricks non-existent in other combat systems such as the utilization of Inertia into his moveset while Nero also has Inertia Dante best utilize it. Plus Dante's moveset is literally mechanically designed and structured around his control scheme. Most of his style moves are designed to come out as quick as a button press (like RainStorm, Prop & Shredder, etc whereas say DmC's Rainstorm has a slighty longer start up time and last longer but has a wider hit range and had Dante fall to the ground while DMC3/4 Rainstorm is far quicker and shorter and with Inertia in DMC4 can allow you to reposition Dante around the enemy while in mid-air so DMC4's Rainstorm feels more like a combo extender while DmC's Rainstorm feels more like a super move and even DmC gave you the option to map the Gun Specials as its own button if you want because the devs know it feels and flow better for moves like Detonation and Fireworks with simplier inputs). This is how in most games movesets are designed around their controls and inputs and common design principles in action and fighting games where harder to pull off moves usually neg more beneficial results where in DMC4 there are tons of characters who use combination inputs like Y + B/Tri + O is usually a pretty strong move and even Trish uses this to pull off High Time/her launcher but thing is her launcher has a larger hit radius than Dante's High Time but unlike Dante she always launches herself into the air when she performs it and she has another Launcher move with High Voltage or 3 since her basic jump can actually damage and send grounded enemies flying with her. Even forward back or back forward moves like Shuffle is designed as a back forward input because Nero steps back before he delivers a counter attack and while Streak is cool I think it would flow so much better if its just a R1 + forward function like how Stinger is (like Vergil's and Bayonetta'S aerial stinger).
I'm all for giving Dante these types of moves to expand his moveset but to supplement these inputs for old moves and have them flow and function the same would be harder than you think. If you alter Dante's controls to just try to cram and condense his moves in this IMO limited moveset would have to alter how Dante's moveset function.
While I'm all for accessibility as the next guy I care more about expanding the combat and giving the players more options. What I would personally want is to relocate a lot of Dante's moves using ideas from Nero, Trish, Vergil's, and Lady's combat to make the base combat more open and accessible and we can get more badass and unique Style abilities like I would like Sword Thrust to return but if you press the style button while near a pierced enemy Dante performs an action (something like what he did to those Order soldiers in that opening cutscene in DMC4) along side stuff like Wall Running and Enemy Surf (although this should be a general ability and not a Style).
DmC does things like make launchers tied to 1 button which is nifty and makes things far more accessible but I think that is going too far for in Devil May Cry once you make most enemies airborne they essentially become your b*tch. While I do see in the value in making doing stylish combat more easier for people to pick up and play I think that falls in the (sorry if this offends someone) the dumbing down category. Not only do you lose more actions you can perform with that button but you essentially turn down the challenge by making a vital part of getting an upperhand in combat way more easy now. I think DMC is as much as having a challenge as it is pulling off stylish combos and I fear due to DmC and aspects of DMC4SE Capcom seems to be forgetting that.
Now I think there are some ideas DMC5 can take from DmC like switching weapons mid pause combo, a training mode, having the UI active at all time so you can know which weapon and firearm is active at all time, and gun special inputs too.
However I have a solution that makes both parties happy. Why not have 2 control schemes?
You have the classic one and you have a simple control scheme. The only difference is how you change weapons and style.
It goes with your Bayonetta idea of having weapon sets and swapping both fire arms and devil arms at once using one of the trigger buttons and having the style change map to the other trigger button and you can only switch between 2 styles and you can go into the menu to adjust them like Bayonetta or have sets tied to the D-pad like DmC.
Or Capcom go to the effort of designing a simpler moveset for newcomers while expanding his old moveset for veterans who love his playstyle in DMC3/4.
Its possible to tweak the system to make it more accessible rather than completely overhauling/streamlining the system (like what fighting games do).
As someone who sunk in 200 hours playing DMC4 (70% was trying to learn Dante) the problem with Dante's combat is that it was poorly implemented in 4 whereas with DMC3 it handled the styles far better. Each style in DMC4 was a watered down version of what they were capable of in DMC3 (minus Royal Guard). They can easily streamline the style system by relocating attacks and abilities in the control scheme such as making aerial rave the default Rebellion basic (Triangle/Y) aerial attack rather than Helm Breaker and either making Helm Breaker the default SwordMaster aerial skill or giving it a new input like how Nero does Split or a triangle/Y + O/B for both High Time on land and in the air.
Reasons for this change. Sky Star + Aerial Rave seems to be one of the most common tricks in DMC4 so rearranging the controls will make this technique for easier to pull off without sacrificing depth and most players have no problem JC Nero's Split although I would rather use that input for an Aerial Stinger instead like Vergil and Bayonetta. I think Dante could use a strong boost in his aerial game. In action games like this it seems there is a big penis measuring contest of who can stay in the air the longest and modern games seem to have embrace this with DMC4SE additonal characters ala Vergil having some amazing air game with his moveset, DmC Dante and Nero having tons of ways to stay in the air as long as possible, Bayonetta, and even the Sengoku Basara 4 characters (also made by Capcom with some of the same DMC staff behind it) having aerial versions of DMC3-4 even DmC techniques before its older brother series (DMC) started doing them. So I would rather have an aerial stinger rather than another way to pull off Helm Breaker (granted it is possible to have both). But I think realistically swapping Aerial Rave for Helm Breaker works fine too.
I do think looking at Nero and the other DMC4SE characters for ideas to implement into Dante's combat is a good idea but I honestly believe the Style System has the most potential of any action game. There is more to the style system than just button inputs there are whole of depth and nifty tricks non-existent in other combat systems such as the utilization of Inertia into his moveset while Nero also has Inertia Dante best utilize it. Plus Dante's moveset is literally mechanically designed and structured around his control scheme. Most of his style moves are designed to come out as quick as a button press (like RainStorm, Prop & Shredder, etc whereas say DmC's Rainstorm has a slighty longer start up time and last longer but has a wider hit range and had Dante fall to the ground while DMC3/4 Rainstorm is far quicker and shorter and with Inertia in DMC4 can allow you to reposition Dante around the enemy while in mid-air so DMC4's Rainstorm feels more like a combo extender while DmC's Rainstorm feels more like a super move and even DmC gave you the option to map the Gun Specials as its own button if you want because the devs know it feels and flow better for moves like Detonation and Fireworks with simplier inputs). This is how in most games movesets are designed around their controls and inputs and common design principles in action and fighting games where harder to pull off moves usually neg more beneficial results where in DMC4 there are tons of characters who use combination inputs like Y + B/Tri + O is usually a pretty strong move and even Trish uses this to pull off High Time/her launcher but thing is her launcher has a larger hit radius than Dante's High Time but unlike Dante she always launches herself into the air when she performs it and she has another Launcher move with High Voltage or 3 since her basic jump can actually damage and send grounded enemies flying with her. Even forward back or back forward moves like Shuffle is designed as a back forward input because Nero steps back before he delivers a counter attack and while Streak is cool I think it would flow so much better if its just a R1 + forward function like how Stinger is (like Vergil's and Bayonetta'S aerial stinger).
I'm all for giving Dante these types of moves to expand his moveset but to supplement these inputs for old moves and have them flow and function the same would be harder than you think. If you alter Dante's controls to just try to cram and condense his moves in this IMO limited moveset would have to alter how Dante's moveset function.
While I'm all for accessibility as the next guy I care more about expanding the combat and giving the players more options. What I would personally want is to relocate a lot of Dante's moves using ideas from Nero, Trish, Vergil's, and Lady's combat to make the base combat more open and accessible and we can get more badass and unique Style abilities like I would like Sword Thrust to return but if you press the style button while near a pierced enemy Dante performs an action (something like what he did to those Order soldiers in that opening cutscene in DMC4) along side stuff like Wall Running and Enemy Surf (although this should be a general ability and not a Style).
DmC does things like make launchers tied to 1 button which is nifty and makes things far more accessible but I think that is going too far for in Devil May Cry once you make most enemies airborne they essentially become your b*tch. While I do see in the value in making doing stylish combat more easier for people to pick up and play I think that falls in the (sorry if this offends someone) the dumbing down category. Not only do you lose more actions you can perform with that button but you essentially turn down the challenge by making a vital part of getting an upperhand in combat way more easy now. I think DMC is as much as having a challenge as it is pulling off stylish combos and I fear due to DmC and aspects of DMC4SE Capcom seems to be forgetting that.
Now I think there are some ideas DMC5 can take from DmC like switching weapons mid pause combo, a training mode, having the UI active at all time so you can know which weapon and firearm is active at all time, and gun special inputs too.
However I have a solution that makes both parties happy. Why not have 2 control schemes?
You have the classic one and you have a simple control scheme. The only difference is how you change weapons and style.
It goes with your Bayonetta idea of having weapon sets and swapping both fire arms and devil arms at once using one of the trigger buttons and having the style change map to the other trigger button and you can only switch between 2 styles and you can go into the menu to adjust them like Bayonetta or have sets tied to the D-pad like DmC.
Or Capcom go to the effort of designing a simpler moveset for newcomers while expanding his old moveset for veterans who love his playstyle in DMC3/4.
Wouldn't that just be Dante's Air Trick from the Trickster Style? His R1+Up+O ability? It teleports you instantly to the enemy if you're within range, otherwise using Trickster's Dash can close the distance if it's greater.
Speaking of Dante in DmC had Angel Pull, which was functionally his version of Air Trick, but I'd hope with DMC5 we can get more inputs from Nero's Devil Breaker, rather than just O and an R1 variant. Hell, the Devil Bringer could have worked well with Snatch being on R1+Back and a movement to the target on R1+Up.
The Literal Wall of Jericho (of Text)
You mentioned things like intertia and and how quickly actions come out on the press of the key, but how do those exactly pertain to the Style system itself? Couldn't those same mechanics be applied without needing a switch function?
True! I always forget about that because having to switch to Trickster just to close a gap, then switch back to GS/SM is annoying so I never do it. Which is actually a good example of why Dante needs updated controls. :laugh:
On an unrelated note, I've been wondering if Capcom should bring back Quicksilver and/or Doppelganger. Maybe in the form of DT upgrades like we got in DMC2?
You know, you can just use Stinger and then cancel it into Million Stab into whatever you want. LOL
Lol, my bread and butter with Dante. First few times I cancelled from one to the other were by accident, but once I figured out how to do it--well, if no one else has cackled while working their enemies over, you're gaming wrong. :laugh:
But yeah, on that subject, there are a few tricks that once you get the knack for them, can be really rewarding between style changes. It's kind of a double-edged sword, though; if you can pull them off at just the right time, you're golden. If you can't, and you happen to be up against a boss in one of the harder modes...well, you're taking serious damage, with a potential side-helping of death. And gold orbs be damned, no one likes to die in Devil May Cry (stupid, passive-aggressive mocking to lower the game difficulty--don't lie, you've all had it happen, too).