Devil May Cry 4

Platform: PlayStation 3/Xbox 360/PC (Windows)
Genre: Action
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Release: 5 February 2008/8 July 2008
Rating: Mature
Price: $16-18

Devil May Cry has always touted some of the best brutal action combat in games (except for 2, but we don't talk about that one). The formula was perfected in DMC3, and 4 simply expands that even further. If you've seen my Top Ten Replacement Protagonists, you'll know that the new lead, Nero, has replaced recurring protagonist Dante in this game, and frankly, I thank Capcom for that. Because while controlling Dante for the second third of the game is fun as ever, Nero's "Devil Bringer" ability makes pulling off combos much easier. Which was really the main problem that 3 had.
Ever played God of War? While a great game in its own right, its combat is--when you think about it--little more than a dumbed-down version of Devil May Cry, with the emphasis on combos and damage-avoidance ripped out. And to be honest, the style-obsessed, combo-heavy combat is what makes DMC so great.
Devil My Cry 4 is by no means perfect. The level design can be rather obnoxious at times, and there is a large amount of backtracking (though given that DMC originally grew out of Resident Evil, that's little surprise). But the combat is just so much fun that the level design is simply a minor complaint.
The game is also brutally difficult. At least there's an Easy mode, for those who can't master the higher difficulties.
All three versions of DMC4 are great, but I have to recommend the PC version, since it has slightly fancier visuals. And a new difficulty mode, "Legendary Dark Knight," which multiplies the number of enemies, and is a nice challenge for those that have already mastered the game.
All three versions of Devil May Cry 4 are available on Amazon: the PS3 version is $16, the Xbox 360 version is $17, and the PC version $18.
Play, save, and enjoy. See you next week.

--Kotaro

P.S.: I apologize for the lateness, but things came up. I think I will start uploading them in advance so they can update automatically.