Capcom released its Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition some 7 years after the original game with a slew of improvement and extras. The question you have to ask, is it worth jumping in to the demon busting game all over again and why should you buy this new game over picking up the original for a fraction of the cost. Take a look at our Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition review for the full picture.
Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition Review:
Today we’re taking a look at Capcom’s 2008 re-release of Devil May Cry 4 in the aptly named “Special Edition” which is more of the same but with added attitude. Heroes, Nero and Dante are back although this time are joined by the enigmatic Vergil (that’s Dante’s brother) and the luscious femme fatale demon hunters Lady and Trish who become playable from the off. It has to be said, the game remains faithful to the original, so if you’re well versed you’ll have no trouble jumping in again. Capcom has said there’s some slight tweaks to the gameplay which rest on the more subtle side than anything. The reality is, for your investment you’ll see some improved visuals, a steady 60 frames per second – and this extends to the console versions too – the aforementioned 3 new playable characters and a slew of modes and unlockables.
Looking at the new characters and it’s clear there’s a distinct difference between them. Lady and Trish both have a unique gameplay style with Lady using big guns to rack up style points and Trish more manic charge attacks and blade combos. They play very differently to Nero and Dante although there’s some slight overlap. Vergil on the other hand is a more pronounced character and takes a bit more skill to use. If you’ve come from DMC Devil May Cry then you’ll be well versed in how he plays. So, you’ve got options here to pick and choose what character to play as, and luckily you’re not locked into one campaign at a time so can chop and change as you see fit.
In terms of the gameplay, Devil May Cry 4 offers a mixture of styles which might leave some players divided. The same complaints we had back in 2008 are valid here and it seems Capcom has done nothing to address these. You’ll be spending a lot of time engaged in some excellent combat which allows for diversity and custom combos. Perform well, and rack up the style points. There’s an element of smashing up the scenery too to collect orbs which can be used to purchase items such as increased health and attack items amongst other things. You’re graded at the end of each mission based on how many orbs you found, time taken and style points accumulated, so it pays to look around and destroy anything that looks breakable – although in some cases what can be destroyed isn’t always obvious and at times players will be left swiping air. Outside of combat there are a number of navigational puzzles which aren’t going to be suited to everyone’s tastes. Not only are they frequent, but can be a little obscure which means if you’re not paying attention to the clues given you might lose track of what needs to be done next. This really does break up the awesome combat and does put the breaks on unnecessarily – unless you know what you’re doing. The environments offer free roaming to a degree which means there’s occasion where a wrong turn can lead to a lot of wasted time and effort.
In terms of visuals, there’s little to no difference between the PC and console versions which means they are all looking sharp and running smoothly with no dips in frames despite the numbers of enemies on screen. There’s some neat variety in locations and a number of boss encounters that are pleasing on the eye making for a varied and good looking game despite some forced camera angles at times being at odds with the free camera movement. If there’s any real complaint here then it would have to be some of the texture detail which is showing its age a bit with low resolutions throughout. This is not really a remake but more a remaster and it shows.
Audio is of a high standard and offers some contextual sound bites from the characters and enough chatter and noises from the enemies. There’s a story here to follow if you’re interested told through numerous cut scenes, although for those well versed the option to skip them from the off is a welcome move. The game’s music is a bit hit and miss and obviously is down to personal taste as it kicks in during combat with screeching guitars and the like. Naturally this can be muted or turned up, take your pick.
Players are going to get their monies worth here and for the £20 asking price you’re getting a lot of content if you like playing through the same areas again and again. There are 20 missions and then a number of bonus side missions to play through, several game modes which add increasing difficulty, the Bloody palace survival mode, a number of unlockable costumes to obtain and of course the option to best ones high score on each stage. On top of this there’s a whole menagerie of unlockable content to marvel at including a cut-scene viewer, library which shows off character models and lots of other pieces of useful info, artwork and more. For purists there’s simply a lot to sink your teeth into which is well worth it for the price being asked.
Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition is another successful notch on Capcom’s remastering bedpost, as it comes in with enough content and vast difference between the characters to make it worthwhile playing through all over again. There’s lots to do here although it does lend itself to repeat plays to get the most from the experience. The first run through is a learning process before you can really let off some steam and shine with style. With no differences between the console and PC versions it doesn’t really matter which platform you choose as this is well worth the investment regardless. A solid game from 2008 just got better and although not up to par in looks compared to more modern games, the gameplay is rock solid and shows that graphics aren’t always indicative of all round fun. For its cheap price Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition comes highly recommended, although be warned of the puzzles which might need some external help to pass.
Score 8.5/10
Review code supplied by Capcom & Team Xbox
