Today I’ll reproduce the Devil May Cry and Devil May Cry 2 reviews, then tomorrow, as some kind of finale, will be the Devil May Cry 3 review, where I gush for hours and hours.
Format: Playstation 2
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Release: December 2001
They say that the greatest trick the Devil ever played was to convince the World that he never existed. Well, Capcom just ruined that one for him. The concept of Devil May Cry is simple. You kill things. In a thrilling, stylish, and often overboard manner. In fact, that’s the way Capcom prefer you explain this game. As Thrilling Stylish Action! Slightly over-enthusiastic? Nope, dead on. You will be thrilled and awe-struck in equal measures with Dante’s style and panache as you shoot, stab, electrocute and burn your way through the vast array of beautifully designed enemies and locations.
Dante could quite possibly be the coolest guy in videogames, ever. First of all, there’s his look. The shock of white hair, the bright red waistcoat hugging him tight under the flowing scarlet velvet overcoat, the black no-nonsense boots, all provide our hero with a stunning appearance. Then there’s his attitude. One-liners and a disregard for anything that looks vaguely non-human are common-place, with scathing put downs and taunts actually enraging enemies during play. “F*** off feather-face, or you can find out… the hard way!”
Adding to this are Dante’s weapons of choice. A pair of .45 cal pistols, with infinite ammo, of course, and he’s even named them Ebony and Ivory. Which is handy, as one’s black and one’s white. Later, you get the choice of wielding a Shotgun instead of your trusty side arms, and man, it is certainly one of the most satisfying things you will ever kill virtual demons with. The explosive crack it makes when you squeeze the trigger, the way the enemies fly backward in a cloud of gunpowder, hit the wall with a heavy thud and flop uselessly to the floor in a heap.
His sword, the Force Edge, while quickly replaced in an early mission, is exquisite and ornate, and a joy to use. What is it replaced by? Alastor, a sword that constantly crackles and hisses with electricity, and can enhance Dante’s powers tenfold by activating his “Devil Trigger”. Once in this state, Dante is constantly regenerating health, has limited flight abilities and is powered up beyond anything you had seen at that time in videogame history. The usual three hit sword combo becomes a five hit behemoth, capable of killing even the strongest of adversaries in mere seconds. The gunfire from Ebony and Ivory becomes a constant stream of blue haze, cleaving the air as it whistles through the possessed bodies. And I’ll leave the enhanced Shotgun to your imagination.
Combining the blade and bullet couldn’t be easier thanks to the way that Capcom have created a system where they both have their distinct uses. The array of swords and gauntlets are for causing serious damage close up, and launching your opponent’s prone bodies skyward where you are free to join them and bring them down to earth with a slice or three. The fire arms, which all come with infinite ammo as standard, are for attacking distant foes, and maintaining combos if you are not quite close enough to carve them up. The possibilities for interchanging each move at different points of a combo are immense, but you have the freedom to choose at all times. When you launch that bad guy into the sky, do you follow him up there and cut him several more times? Or do you choose to wait on the floor, filling his body with hot lead as the automatic targeting is tracking his carcass back to the solid ground?
Now, it’d be no fun if the things you and Dante were directing all this aggression toward were lifeless, one dimensional punch bags, would it? No sir. Good thing all the enemies in Devil May Cry have their own distinct personalities and characteristic touches then. Even the basic enemies, the sword fodder that litter the levels are entertaining to tussle with. The Marionettes, the first enemies you meet, are life-size dolls that have been possessed by the main adversary. Far from being the stereotypical dumb foot soldiers, the Marionettes will gang up on you en-mass, or try to surround you, or when near death back off and launch projectiles toward you. Before they throw these knives however, as a handy early warning system, they rotate their wrist joint which produces a sound akin to nails being dragged down blackboards. The trick is to get to know your enemies, so you know how to dodge and counter their attacks in the most stylish and thrilling way possible.
Then there are the Bosses. Not one to rely on tradition, Devil May Cry could spring one on you at any moment. On an early mission, just after having thought you vanquished Phantom, the oversized demonic lava scorpion from hell on the preceding level, he suddenly comes crashing through a 5 foot thick wall of mortar and marble. Beforehand, having to dodge his streams of magic in an open plan room was child’s play compared to being pursued down a narrow corridor by the aforementioned remarkably angry giant insect. Some bosses shifted the games dynamics from an arcade style hacker and slasher to, for example, a shooting gallery type affair, whilst other bosses relied on the risk/reward mechanic; Get close enough to inflict maximum damage potential, but run the risk of being sucked into the netherworld and have to scuffle with previously slaughtered bosses.
The atmosphere throughout is simply magnificent, the cold, lonely, gothic mansion where the game is situated is beautifully realised, both in terms of look and sound. Wind screeches through the large, empty courtyards, ruffling the torn banners and flags of yesterday’s battles. Solitary candles light up the stone walls, giving movement and bustle to the eerie, ink black shadows. Glowing ancient runes indicate the hellish nature of your quest. The dark and foreboding musical score reacting to calm and chaos. When rushing through a lonely corridor the music is orchestral and baroque, but in combat it transforms into fast paced heavy techno death-metal. Perfect for demon slaying.
To conclude, if you like your games to offer you a serious challenge and the necessity to use technique over button bashing, then this is for you. The difficulty curve is perfectly judged, and fighting enemies is always a joy, never a chore. Devote some time to mastering the deceptively simple controls and really get in there and show off. Some slight camera niggles sometimes annoy, but its never enough to make you throw the pad down in disgust. Devil May Cry is a rare breed. A fluid, entertaining and energetic romp in a world of clunky, tedious bore fests. [9]
I’m very pleased I found all the original images for this one.
