I Played: DMC: Devil May Cry

I Played is a quick look at opinions of a recently completed game in the form of a short review.

Many fans of the Devil May Cry franchise were upset when Capcom announced this reboot. Personally, I was excited about the news. I had only played the first game in the series, and hadn't followed it's several sequels. DMC appealed to me as the perfect opportunity to jump back in and reconnect with the fast paced action gameplay that the series had been known for.

While interesting and amusing, the story is also well written and really well performed. Peppered with over the top anime inspired moments, the story does a great job of weaving in plot points that kept me guessing what was coming next. And the writing of the redesigned protagonist, Dante, finds the perfect balance between being corny and charming.

But the Devil May Cry series has never been known for it's story. DMC is about gameplay first. Combos are quick and fluid, and the game does a great job of easing you into the various weapons and moves you have at your disposal. At the beginning I was fumbling with trying to figure out how to juggle an enemy. But after a few chapters, I was pulling off moves I never believed I would be able to do. Much credit for this I award to the fantastic controls, which provide incredibly responsive input. At the end of every fight, I felt satisfied. And I felt like a total badass.

Another highlight of DMC is the setting. The game takes place in limbo, a space between reality and hell. It's a distorted world that is constantly changing, an enemy in itself, doing everything it can to stop Dante as he progresses through its orange and green filtered haze. The environments are fun and challenging to navigate, and always fresh and interesting to look at. Entering limbo turns a bustling nightclub into a dimension of visualized synthetic music, ribbons of colored light form a path, flickering to the beat. The game is really well crafted in keeping things fresh, and no environment or style overstays its welcome.

I went into DMC a bit hopeful, but skeptical of how much I would like it. I didn't expect to be so impressed. If you are a fan of the series, you owe it to yourself to check DMC out. Forget what you have heard from upset fans crying fowl, it really will win you over. If you are like me and just want a great action game, DMC will never fail to entertain, and is most definitely worth your time.