Devil May Cry

PlayStation 2 (Capcom 2001)

The big G-S-G-S-G

General opinion: Pretty cool
Story: Entertaining, but much room for improvement
Graphics: Not bad
Sound: Nothing to complain about
Gameplay: Fast and simple

Total:

The Review

Well, I haven't usually been a huge fan of action games (or didn't use to be), but there are always exceptions to the rule. There are some very intelligent and entertaining action games like Metal Gear Solid, or action may be combined with other genres, like RPG or adventure. Of this category I enjoy, for example, survival horror games, most of all Silent Hill. Devil May Cry isn't particularly intelligent, or deep, or scary. It's just plain cool.

It's hard to exactly classify Devil May Cry. It has a lot of platformer elements, combined with 3D action/adventure, even a pinch of survival horror and RPG. The main character is a half demon private investigator, who journeys to castle on an island to stop the resurrection of a prince of demons, banished by his father two millennia ago... The plot isn't very original, but it's entertaining enough. My main problem with the plot is that there could be a lot more of it. The cutscenes are all quite well made (although the translation of the dialogue sometimes seems a little clumsy), but they are relatively few. Also, there are a couple of loopholes in the story that really annoyed me...

But what the game is really about, is style... Character and monster design, as well as level design is pretty cool, steeped in gothic horror and anime, and generally very entertaining. The monsters are quite imaginative, and often disturbing, which is true for many Japanese games, animations etc. Very few westerners, since H.P. Lovecraft, have had a similar imagination and appetite for the truly creative insanity. Weapons and attacks are nice as well. This is an action game, first and foremost. You can use both melee attacks and firearms, both of which you discover during the game. On the firearms side, though, I think the initial double pistols were by far the coolest, and I hardly used others at all...

Technically, the game is pretty well made. Graphics are cool, as you would expect on the PS2, and sounds work as well (although the soundtrack is a little monotonous at times). Gameplay works pretty well. Really the only thing I found annoying was that you can't change the point of view yourself. Sometimes it would be handy to be able to look around... The game is quite short, easily played through in 5+ hours. However, the entertaining, action-packed gameplay, cool design and style etc. make for a pretty good replay value... Or the game might prove too simple and monotonous second time round, who knows...

All in all, I found Devil May Cry to be a cool and entertaining action game. A great snack between more serious games. Wouldn't pay a lot for it, though.

Ben B. Bainton, 10 October 2004