Hands-On Preview: Devil May Cry left me crying tears of joy.
Of all the big games coming out for PlayStation 2 this fall, Devil May Cry is the only one that’s come close to matching Metal Gear Solid’s hype. The word of mouth in both print and on the Internet has been enormous, making DMC go from sleeper to most anticipated in a heartbeat. And after finally getting my hands on the much anticipated demo of DMC (packaged within Resident Evil – Code: Veronica), I have to say that DMC is more than worth the wait – though October 17th can’t come fast enough for me. It’s even surpassed Metal Gear Solid 2 as “the” game of the fall, at least to me anyway. All this lengthy demo did for me was make me want it just that much more.
DMC of course originally was built on what was supposed to be Resident Evil 4, but the game became so different than the traditional series, it was decided to spin off the game into a separate franchise. Smart move, because Devil May Cry more than deserves to be yet another monster franchise for the masters at Capcom.
Anyway, enough backstory – I’m sure most of you want to know just how this game plays. In a word: AWESOME. Of course that won’t cut it, so I’ll elaborate more. First, let’s start with the main character, Dante. Capcom obviously tried to make Dante a “cool” main character, and by George, I think they’ve done it. Dante is the personification of badass. Plain and simple. From his look, to just how he points his shotgun one-handed Terminator style, screams of cool. He makes Solid Snake look like the dorkiest kid in class. Even the guy who did Dante’s voice for the US version adds to the coolness factor. Unlike some of Capcom’s past hero characters, Dante has style up the wazoo.
As for the gameplay – wow. For one, the control scheme takes but 5 minutes to learn and master. It’s that intuitive, just like everyone has said it was going to be. It’s got the standard Resident Evil R1 trigger for targeting the closest enemy, but this time you can use not only a sword, but also a big fat gun (on separate buttons, of course). If Dante has regular handguns, he shoots them both at the same time, tearing into the various demons. Better yet, Dante can string in some sweet combos – knock an enemy into the air with your sword, and finish him off with a few shotgun blasts before it hits the ground. Or use Dante’s super cool jump and slash moves both given and learned to slice and dice. This ain’t your ordinary hack ‘n slash, that’s for sure. And the power-up Devil form Dante can transform into at set periods of time makes butt-kicking that much more fun. The variety in terms of attacking enemies is really cool.
Like Onimusha, defeating enemies lets you collect “souls” of some sort, which you exchange for new moves and health items. Unlike a lot of games nowadays, Devil May Cry is mission-based – you’ll have a certain task to accomplish per mission before you move on to the next (most of the time finding a new item or getting past some obstacle). While the game, which is played in a large castle, is put together like one huge area, the objectives add a bit of purpose, like the old-school games of the past, which were indeed mission based instead of one huge area. After each mission you can exchange the red orbs (souls) you get for killing enemies (and you’re pretty much advised to kill, and kill a LOT) for new moves and items, like health restorers and that sort. The emphasis is definitely on action in DMC, not puzzles or adventuring. And believe me, from what I’ve played, you’ll have your fair share of action.
Graphically DMC is mindblowing – maybe not as amazing as MGS 2, but still absolutely awesome. The amount of detail on Dante, as well as the various demons you fight, along with the simply awe-inspiring level designs (in full 3D) is enough to make the most jaded of gamers (*cough* me) drop their jaws. The lighting effects, and camera work is excellent as well. Finally, the graphics help identify DMC again as a “cool” game - not scary, COOL.
I’m also a big fan of the sounds – especially the music. There’s two types of musical variances – loud rock-like music for when you’re fighting, and the creepy, quiet music that plays when you’re just trying to progress. The voice acting appears to be top-notch as well. Actually, I’m surprised that DMC has English voices for a demo, considering that MGS2’s demo was all in Japanese. Not complaining, however. The various effects are also well done, from the gunshots to the clang of metal on metal (when the sword meets up with one those witches with scissors..yeah scissors). The ambience only makes the DMC experience that more engrossing.
