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[PS3] [360] [PC] [PS4] [ONE] Devil May Cry 4

Unread postby icycalm » 03 Nov 2007 03:48

http://www.capcom.co.jp/devil4/

Alright, it was time I made a froth thread about this game. I absolutely adore the DMC series, even though the only game worth playing so far is the first one. Despite that, there's a more fascinating setting/character here than in any other generic 3D-action borefest you'd care to mention. Bottom line is: even a shitty DMC game is still head and shoulders above most other games belonging to the same genre.

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As for 4 and its chances of awesomeness, well... I wrote this blurb in the archive section:

A little-known fact about DMC 4 is that it's being directed by the same man responsible for the second, and worst, game in the series. On the other hand, the producer is the same guy who worked on the original Devil May Cry -- by far the best of the bunch. So I guess anything's possible with this one. One thing that rankles right away though is that the main playable character seems to be this Dante-wannabe dude called Nero. I mean, jeez, when will these people learn, eh?

http://insomnia.ac/archive/games/playst ... ilmaycry4/

So there you have it; this could go either way.

Game Watch just posted an update, by the way, mentioning the final release date (January 31: no fake exclusives here -- all three versions go on sale the same day), the band that will be doing the theme song (Japanese pop rockers L'Arc ~en~ Ciel) and some details on the omake DVDs they'll be peddling.

http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/doc ... 2/dmc4.htm

Most interesting is the MSRP: at 8,390 yen it will be uncharacteristically high.
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Unread postby CosMind » 03 Nov 2007 04:31

Hey, if the videos I checked out long ago are any indication of the potential of enriching the game with more environmental exploration, then you can capitalize your "motherfucking" as far as I'm concerned.

The second and third of the series seemed to pretty much do away with such elements altogether, making them so heavily focused on just combat that the pacing was just way off. Gotta mix it up, fellas. A little punch n' shoot, a little jump n' climb, a little punch n' shoot, a little jump n' climb. Variety is the spice of gaming.
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Unread postby icycalm » 14 Dec 2007 02:32

New scans:

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Unread postby icycalm » 21 Dec 2007 09:38

Now this is something funny:

http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/doc ... 20/ps3.htm

Sony will be releasing two versions of the PS3 with DMC4 as a pack-in on the game's release. One will be "Clear Black", the other "Ceramic White". Gone are the days when pack-in games were killer app exclusives... nowadays just about anything will do.

Both versions will sport 40GB HDDs and will retail for 47,800 yen, which is not a bad price. In addition, they will contain a so-called プレミアム映像 (premium image) Blu-ray Disc, with 60 minutes of a digest version of the game's cutscenes, including the ending.

Whoop-de-doo, etc.
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Unread postby icycalm » 30 Mar 2009 02:18

http://insomnia.ac/reviews/xbox360/devilmaycry4/

[DMC3's] cutscenes [are] so awesome that -- when viewed back to back -- form one of the best action movies of the past decade.


lol. I've played the damn game. Back to back or front to front, the story is pants. The only reason I kept watching was the dark haired cutie.

Only for you to find out that Dante's stages are just A REPLAY OF ALL OF NERO'S STAGES IN REVERSE ORDER, complete with sloppy seconds against the bosses Nero already beat up. What a breathtakingly cheap move! How desperate were these assholes to make the next-gen release date that they'd pull something like this?


Which is merely a continuation of what happened in DMC3, with that stupid labyrinth stage where you had to fight all the bosses all over again back to back, without even, you know, new stages in between, as in DMC1. Granted, DMC4 sounds much worse, but seriously, if the reviewer did not have such a hard-on for 3 he would have noted this. This is simply a DMC trend that seems to be getting worse with each new game, and not something introduced with 4.

unlocking new moves in DMC games doesn't make things any easier, just more interesting


I call bullshit on this. If I didn't know better I'd say the author hadn't even touched the damn games.

The above aside (and really, they are just minor details that I could fix with 3-minutes' worth of editing, if the reviewer allowed me to...), I really enjoyed this review. I have the Japanese 360 copy of the game sitting around somewhere, and I'll get around to it at some point and add my own observations. In the meantime, here is the official Insomnia DMC series ratings:

Devil May Cry *****
Devil May Cry 2 ** (provisional rating: I've only played two hours of this)
Devil May Cry 3 ***
Devil May Cry 4 ***

Every sequel has basically been a hackjob, in other words. O Kamiya-sama, Where Art Thou?
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Unread postby mees » 30 Mar 2009 04:02

I only played the first game for about 10 minutes, although I finished 3. What makes it so much better than three?
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Unread postby Mischief Maker » 30 Mar 2009 04:11

lol. I've played the damn game. Back to back or front to front, the story is pants. The only reason I kept watching was the dark haired cutie.


Story? Who said anything about story? Who plays videogames for the story? Thanks for telling me that war is bad, videogame, you've broadened my horizons. Also, thanks for giving me 1000 points for all those guys I killed before you delivered this epiphany.

I was talking about the kickass action scenes, deconstructing the silliest excesses of kung fu movies and anime. Did you turn your nose up at Army of Darkness because ITS plot was pants?

Which is merely a continuation of what happened in DMC3, with that stupid labyrinth stage where you had to fight all the bosses all over again back to back, without even, you know, new stages in between, as in DMC1. Granted, DMC4 sounds much worse, but seriously, if the reviewer did not have such a hard-on for 3 he would have noted this. This is simply a DMC trend that seems to be getting worse with each new game, and not something introduced with 4.


Eh, the next-to-final level replay of all the bosses is a brawler staple going way back in the arcades. Anyway, it's extra fighting scenes, and that's the whole point of the series.

DMC4 is a retread of THE ENTIRE LEVELS, did you enjoy the jumping puzzles? The laser hallways? The key collecting? You get to DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN, YAY!

I call bullshit on this. If I didn't know better I'd say the author hadn't even touched the damn games.


Okay, granted the fire gauntlets were next-to-useless in DMC1 until you powered them up, but that was a design flaw. If all you're doing is Stinger-ing enemies to death, you're playing the game wrong. It's all about the style meter/score and if you spam a super effective move, you lose your style rating. You're Mr. Arcade, why are you ignoring the scoring system?

This was actually one of my biggest complaints about part 1, the rigid unflexible style system. You WILL do one of the pre-approved "stylish" combos if you want a high score, and you better not get creative with throwing an unapproved move or you lose it all! DMC3 had a totally superior style system that allowed for showing off.

And lest we forget that DMC3 featured an oversized electric guitar that you used to kill demons by ROCKING THEM TO DEATH! Debate over, I win.
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Unread postby icycalm » 30 Mar 2009 20:45

mees wrote:I only played the first game for about ten minutes, although I finished 3. What makes it so much better than 3?


Stage design, enemy designs, boss fights and boss fight designs, pacing, atmosphere, backgrounds, graphics, story -- even puzzles -- pretty much everything, basically.

Mischief Maker wrote:Story? Who said anything about story? Who plays videogames for the story?

I was talking about the kickass action scenes, deconstructing the silliest excesses of kung fu movies and anime.


I didn't notice the "deconstruction". Perhaps you'd care to enlighten me either by starting a DMC3 thread and going into it in detail, or by writing a DMC3 review...

And note that when I talk about story in an action movie -- I mean also the action scenes themselves. A string of explosions and stunts is just a string of explosions and stunts -- it's nothing to get excited about -- it's how you put them together, and in what context, that differentiates films like Blade Runner, The Terminator, Highlander, etc. from the third rate stuff. You can't divorce the plot from the "action" -- even in pure action movies. The plot is as important in those movies as in straight drama -- the only difference is that the flavor of the plot is different. Not less or more important: just different.

Mischief Maker wrote:Did you turn your nose up at Army of Darkness because ITS plot was pants?


I haven't watched it, but there is no doubt that if Army of Darkness is a great action movie, its plot (which includes scene development -- the "action" in other words) will not be pants.

Eh, the next-to-final level replay of all the bosses is a brawler staple going way back in the arcades.


And? I didn't like it then, and I sure as hell don't like it now.

Anyway, it's extra fighting scenes, and that's the whole point of the series.


Nonsense. "Extra fighting scenes?" WTF is that supposed to mean? Here, have the same boss fight 3,000 times -- it's just "extra fighting scenes, and that's the whole point of the series".

Nonsense.

DMC4 is a retread of THE ENTIRE LEVELS


Yes, I realized this, which is why I am saying the series is going from bad to worse. It was bad enough that several boss fights were repeated in 1, then it was worse that a shitload of boss fights were repeated in 3 -- AND BACK TO BACK AS WELL -- and now it's even worse that entire levels have been repeated in 4. Let's just wait and see how much more inanity 5 will introduce.

Or hey, maybe we should just say fuck it and wait for Bayonetta instead.

Okay, granted the fire gauntlets were next-to-useless in DMC1 until you powered them up, but that was a design flaw.


Not from where I am standing. I have nothing against working a little harder to power up my brand-new fire gauntlets.

If all you're doing is Stinger-ing enemies to death, you're playing the game wrong. It's all about the style meter/score and if you spam a super effective move, you lose your style rating.


In which case you lose gems, in which case you don't have enough cash to buy more moves, in which case the game ends up at least a tad bit harder, and not to mention at least a tad bit less interesting. So it was a very well thought out system.

You're Mr. Arcade, why are you ignoring the scoring system?


First off, there's no scoring system in the first three DMC games, because there is no score -- at least not in the way there is a score in arcade games. The ranking system is a mechanism by which you get more cash to buy more moves, healing items, and the like. If you consider the amount of crystals you have as score, then you might as well consider GTA's cash to be your score -- which you could, if you wanted to, but that's another story.

Second off, you seem to have somehow connected arcade games with score. Why is that? The relationship is almost tenuous. If you are referring to my arcade article, you will note that I hardly ever mentioned score at all in it. In fact, I usually couldn't give two shits about score. What I like about arcade games is their difficulty, and their tightness (lack of fat, etc.) These two characteristics have nothing to do with score. In fact in arcade games, the scoring system -- when it exists, which it often does not -- is usually of secondary importance, especially in games with stage progression. What is most important in arcade games is the SYSTEM, the general system, part of which is sometimes comprised of a scoring system. So what I love about games like Shikigami no Shiro, Psyvariar, Giga Wing, Espgaluda, etc. is their system, their FIGHTING SYSTEM, in other words. And the greatness in those games is that, generally speaking, survival and scoring go mostly hand in hand. The goal then is to beat the game, and if you do so you will usually also have a very decent score. If then, at that point, you decide that you have not had enough of the game yet, and want to play some more, then you can concentrate in getting a higher score. That is where convoluted scoring systems came from in the arcades, and that is the purpose they serve. "Replaybility" in other words.

However, given how much time and effort it takes to beat such a game, and how many other such awesome games exist, I almost never feel the desire to keep playing one of these games after I've beat it (Cave is an exception).

Now, when it comes to modern sprawling 8- or 12-hour "save state" action titles, like the DMC games, I laugh at the very idea of playing them for score. I mean I would never dream of playing these games more than once -- even the best-of-the-best 3D action games, stuff like Max Payne, Far Cry, Halo, GTA III, Ninja Gaiden, DMC etc., I've only played once, and would refuse to play twice even if someone paid me to. That's how much I detest all the fat these self-indulgent games are loaded with. So there's no question of me ever playing any game like that "for score" -- even if they did have scoring systems, which they don't. I simply play them to get to the end, and then grab the next title out of a little mountain of sealed games in my closet.

This was actually one of my biggest complaints about part 1, the rigid unflexible style system. You WILL do one of the pre-approved "stylish" combos if you want a high score, and you better not get creative with throwing an unapproved move or you lose it all! DMC3 had a totally superior style system that allowed for showing off.


Yeah, that sounds interesting. I guess that would be the only area in which DMC3 is superior to 1, but since I played these games the way I explained to you that I play them, I never quite noticed it. This is also a fault of the games, since they are not hard enough to FORCE you to play stylishly in order to get more crystals, in order to get more moves, in order to progress. If they were harder, I would have noticed this. They are all extremely easy though.

Still, the above is a little detail compared to the litany of problems with 3, I am afraid. I understand why you enjoyed it -- I am just telling you why I did not.

And lest we forget that DMC3 featured an oversized electric guitar that you used to kill demons by ROCKING THEM TO DEATH!


Can't argue with this. One of two, three details in the game that had any merit.
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Unread postby Volteccer_Jack » 31 Mar 2009 01:30

Mischief Maker wrote:a huge disappointment in almost every category that nonetheless has a few key improvements that ruined its excellent predecessor for me.

This is pretty much exactly what DMC3 was, and given the reviewer's giant boner for that game, I'm already doubting his expertise.

Mischief Maker wrote:Never mind that the special edition addressed the issues of the learning curve.

The Special Edition's difficulty changes are an affront to any self-respecting person. Infinite lives, and on top of that, we get Ultimate Fucking Pussy Mode, a mode so easy you could probably fall asleep mid-bossfight. Because the first two missions weren't easy enough, I guess.

[quote"Mischief Maker"]Not only were the cutscenes clever in ways that went over the heads of the reviewers (like the fact the game is a prequel and Dante's outfit is straight out of the '80s (Who's bad?)), but they were created with a combination of motion capture and computer effects that resulted in cutscenes so awesome that -- when viewed back to back -- form one of the best action movies of the past decade.[/quote]
LOL. I'd forgotten just how dumb DMC3 fans can be sometimes.

Mischief Maker wrote:He's supposed to be cool and laid back and super protective of his ditsy one-dimensional girlfriend, but he just comes across as a pissy little wanker.

I'd be willing to argue that Nero is supposed to come across as a pissy little wanker, and in that respect, the cutscenes were done quite well.

Mischief Maker wrote:While it's disappointing that many of them where ripped wholesale from DMC1

What are you talking about? The only enemies that draw heavily from DMC1 are Frosts and Assaults, and both have been extensively altered and buffed to put up a half-decent fight against DMC4 Dante, who quite frankly, is hilariously overpowered. Assaults even have the addition of the utterly game-changing Chimera seeds.

Mischief Maker wrote:Some DMC games added a new novelty difficulty level (DMC1 had "Dante must die" where enemies devil trigger, DMC3 added "Heaven and Hell", where everything, yourself included, dies with a single hit)

Comparing Dante Must Die to Heaven or Hell is akin to comparing gourmet cooking to dog shit. DMC4's Legendary Dark Knight mode is interesting for the first half-hour, until you realize that you're basically playing Chaos Legion, only without all those things Chaos Legion has that make fighting fifty identical grunts entertaining. At which point you go, "Hey, Chaos Legion was awesome", dig it out of your closet, and play that, because it's better.

The best contribution of DMC4 is Hell and Hell mode, which is like hard mode, only you die in four hits. Unfortunately, they still give you unlimited lives, so it doesn't work out all that well.

***That's the end of me responding to the actual review. The rest is responding to stuff in this thread***

Mischief Maker wrote:Okay, granted the fire gauntlets were next-to-useless in DMC1 until you powered them up, but that was a design flaw.

Not really, given that once powered up, they're the best weapon, and even with no upgrades, charged hits are extraordinarily powerful.

icycalm wrote:First off, there's no scoring system in the first three DMC games, because there is no score

I'd like to consider your actual rank (C, B, A, S and what have you) the scoring system. If the ranking systems in DMC3 and DMC4 weren't irredeemable garbage, I would.

Mischief Maker wrote:You WILL do one of the pre-approved "stylish" combos if you want a high score

The only time the Style meter EVER comes into play in DMC1 is when fighting Marionettes, and even that goes out the window once you grab Alastor in mission 2. After that point, the Style meter is useless to any skilled player.

Mischief Maker wrote:DMC3 had a totally superior style system that allowed for showing off.

Only until you get good at the game. Due to a combination of slow Style decay, a weak taunt limit, and ridiculously disproportionate Style points for hitting multiple enemies simultaneously, being "Stylish" in DMC3 pretty much consists of starting every fight with a Crazy Combo, which instantly maxes the meter, and then taunting every time it drops off a little. Because DMC3 is pathetic and doesn't even attempt to encourage you to use every move at your disposal.
Last edited by Volteccer_Jack on 31 Mar 2009 20:29, edited 1 time in total.
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Unread postby Worm4Real » 31 Mar 2009 17:08

It's weird how you transition seamlessly from quoting the review to quoting icycalm. In the spirit of icycalm and insomnia.ac, I'm going to have to ask you to add names to each quote or kindly remove yourself from this website for bad posting.
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Unread postby Volteccer_Jack » 31 Mar 2009 20:30

My bad. That should make it a little more readable.
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Unread postby icycalm » 01 Apr 2009 00:14

Volteccer_Jack wrote:
Mischief Maker wrote:a huge disappointment in almost every category that nonetheless has a few key improvements that ruined its excellent predecessor for me.

This is pretty much exactly what DMC3 was, and given the reviewer's giant boner for that game, I'm already doubting his expertise.


Don't. He played at least 1,3 and 4 to the end, and it is obvious that his review of 4 is a solid one. I mean it's not like these games have any serious depth that REQUIRES much expertise to be appreciated. All we have to do is point out the one or two things he missed or misjudged, and that's the end of it.

If, by the way, you know of a better DMC4 review anywhere else on the internet, by all means link it. And if you think you can write a better one, by all means do so.

Mischief Maker wrote:Comparing Dante Must Die to Heaven or Hell is akin to comparing gourmet cooking to dog shit. DMC4's Legendary Dark Knight mode is interesting for the first half-hour, until you realize that you're basically playing Chaos Legion, only without all those things Chaos Legion has that make fighting fifty identical grunts entertaining. At which point you go, "Hey, Chaos Legion was awesome", dig it out of your closet, and play that, because it's better.


Worth noting here that:

Chaos Legion **

So if Chaos Legion is better than Legendary Dark Knight, I don't want to know how bad Legendary Dark Knight is.

The only time the Style meter EVER comes into play in DMC1 is when fighting Marionettes, and even that goes out the window once you grab Alastor in mission 2. After that point, the Style meter is useless to any skilled player.


Can you elaborate on that? I never bothered with trying to maximize crystals in DMC games, so I've no idea how the Style meter works. It always seemed to me to work in a rather arbitrary fashion.

[Question answered here: http://forum.insomnia.ac/viewtopic.php?t=2728 --icy]
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Unread postby nloth » 24 May 2009 23:54

This game is rubbish without the audible cues that made DMC3. Amidst a dozen incoming attacks, how are you supposed to notice when to dodge, counter, evade et cetera? Or is this a straightforward button masher?
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Unread postby Volteccer_Jack » 25 May 2009 03:58

nloth wrote:This game is rubbish without the audible cues that made DMC3.

What? DMC4's enemy cues are perfectly audible, all the ones that actually require cues, anyway. In fact, that was one of the problems with DMC3, since the blaring, obnoxious battle music made several cues, such as the bishop's attack, needlessly difficult to hear. However, as with many aspects of the series, both DMC3 and DMC4's cues are vague and difficult to distinguish in comparison to the distinct cues in DMC1.

Amidst a dozen incoming attacks, how are you supposed to notice when to dodge, counter, evade et cetera? Or is this a straightforward button masher?

Enemy offensive options are severely limited when they aren't on-screen, to the point that an experienced player can play with the sound muted. As a matter of fact, manipulating the right analog stick to keep enemies off-screen is an extremely useful tactic in both 3 and 4.
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Unread postby Some guy » 15 Dec 2014 17:35

Devil May Cry remasters coming to PS4 and Xbox One
http://www.vg247.com/2014/12/15/devil-m ... -xbox-one/

Matt Martin wrote:Capcom has confirmed that DmC Devil May Cry and Devil May Cry 4 are being remastered for PS4 and Xbox One.

DmC Devil May Cry: Definitive Edition will include the original game, all previously released downloadable content including the Vergil’s Downfall campaign and “brand new modes and additional gameplay features”.

It’s due for release digitally on March 17th for RRP $39.99 / EUR 39.99 / GBP 29.99.

Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition is due in the summer of 2015.
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Unread postby El Chaos » 02 Jul 2015 20:24

Face-off: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digit ... n-face-off

John Linneman wrote:Ultimately, Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition is a fairly straightforward release that allows users of current generation consoles a chance to revisit the game with a number of improvements. The added content, improved visuals, and new options are all worthwhile additions, and while the level design feels a bit dated, the core gameplay remains excellent. It should also be noted that while this is a digital release in the West, the game is available as a retail product in Japan and other Asian countries, so if you're a collector looking for the definitive version of DMC4, there are options out there. The retail versions of the game are region free and include English language support.

As for which version to consider, it's pretty clear that the PC version comes out on top in terms of technical performance. Support for higher resolutions and hardware MSAA combine with excellent performance on a wide range of hardware to create a wonderfully polished experience from top to bottom - just don't plan on playing the game with a mouse and keyboard if you decide to go down that route. Between the two console versions, it's easy to imagine that casual users would be happy either way since they both offer a nice improvement over the original release. That said, we have a real preference for the PlayStation 4 version due to flawless in-game performance in all modes and the more comfortable R1 and L1 buttons. Even considering these minor quibbles, Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition is perhaps the highest quality remaster Capcom has released this year - regardless of platform.
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