"What's the point in saving the world if you can't look cool doing it?" That's the question Capcom's new game "Devil May Cry" tries to answer. This so-called "cool-sim" flaunts itself as a one-of-a-kind title and breaks away from the "survival horror" genre by adding a new element to gameplay.
StorylineYou play Dante, a demon exterminator for hire whose current job involves the investigation of a ruined city on a faraway island. There he learns that the great demon king Mundas is planning to resurrect himself after being expelled from the world of mortals 1,000 years ago. There's a personal twist to this quest since it was Dante's own father, Sparda, who originally defeated Mundas. So what better way to carry on the family tradition?
GameplayWhen it comes to gameplay, "Devil May Cry" is first and foremost an action game. As you move Dante around the island, you'll be given various assignments that need to be completed before your can progress to the next stage. These include key fetching, escaping an area within a time limit, and or course boss battles. "Devil May Cry's" cool factor comes into play when you're fighting. Every time Dante attacks, he gets a rating that ranges from Dull to Stylish. To get good ratings, Dante has to pull off moves that allow him to continuously pummel the enemies without interruption. If there is a short break between attacks, then he starts off with Dull again.
Camera angles are top notchProbably the most commendable feature in "Devil May Cry" is its ground-breaking camera technique. This is helped by the fact that there are no more prerendered backgrounds as in "Resident Evil" -- it's all real time. Of course the camera angles are still predetermined, but now each angle allows for a wider range of movement and quickly makes adjustments so that you're never at a disadvantage when in combat.
Graphically speaking, you're never short of eye candy. Everything from the pseudo-Gothic architecture to the enemy character designs are highly detailed and takes full advantage of the PS2's hardware. The game plays incredibly smooth and stays consistent throughout. With all the enemies that can potentially fill up the screen, it's amazing that the game never slows down once.
SoundIf your PS2 is hooked up to a stereo system, you'll definitely want to turn up the volume while playing "Devil May Cry." Music composition is strong, delivering a diverse mix of high-energy techno/metal tunes that fits "Devil May Cry" like a glove. The situation-sensitive battle music helps immerse you, fading in when you're close to foes and fading out shortly after you've cleaned house.
The sound effects are just as commendable and complement the game's over-the-top image. While subtle sounds such as Dante's "whoosh" when he jumps adds to his coolness, it's the game's weapons that steal the show. Never before have blades sounded so crisp and clear in a videogame. There's also nothing more satisfying than hearing (and feeling) the bass from Dante's gauntlets as he deals mind-blowing body blows and uppercuts.
Of course, the aural experience of a Capcom action game wouldn't be complete without cheesy voice acting. In keeping up with the standard set by "'Resident Evil" and "Dino Crisis," "Devil May Cry" has its share of it's-so-bad-it's-good dialog. Granted, the acting is not great, but you can be sure most of the game's script will be quoted by hardcore gamers in years to come (e.g. "Let's rock baby!").
Where sound does suffer is in the audio levels. There are times where dialog gets so drowned out by both the music and the sound effects you can't understand a single word a character's saying. Moreover, all boss characters have such incredibly low, rough voices it can be a struggle to get intimidated by their taunts. It's surprising that Capcom didn't bother to fix this and one wonders if it even noticed. This could easily have been remedied by including adjustable sound meters in the option screen, which is a very common feature in most games today.
Replay value"Devil May Cry" should take the average gamer about eight hours to complete the first time around. The game does have its own share of unlockables (mostly secret missions and characters) you can hunt for after you finish normal mode. Of course earning these goodies will require you to play the game on harder modes. This enhances the game's replay value, provided you're skilled and patient enough to fight opponents who can take off half your life bar with one hit.
On a superficial level, "Devil May Cry" overflows with coolness from beginning to end. At its core, though, it's simply a fun action game. With top-notch controls, innovative camera technique, and stellar graphics, "Devil May Cry" is a standout release and should get the attention it deserves.
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Devil May CryPlatform: PS2
Developer: CapcomPublisher: CapcomESRB Rating: Mature
RatingsGraphics: 5
Sound: 3
Playability: 4
Gameplay: 3
Overall: 4
