Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Surprisingly good"

Let me start this review by saying I'm an HUGE hack'n'slash fan. The original Devil May cry for the PS2 was the game that started this craze about the genre. I dont even have to say that I'm absolutely one of the biggest fans of the series and just as many in the same shoes as me, I too became concerned when the "new" DMC was anounced to be made by none other then the british Ninja Theory wich became known over Heavenly Sword and Enslaved. Odyssey to the West, two games that, despite being entertaining had several flaws namely in the gameplay department (something that is the core of the DMC series), that made me skeptic over it. Well, I finally beat DmC and I must say I was surprised by how good its gameplay was despite not reaching the level of complexity and speed of DMC3 and DMC4. It seriously was great fun to play and try different combos. It sure hasnt combat mechanics as good as the best in the genre like DMC3/4, Bayonetta or Ninja Gaiden but it still holds up well on its own. There is variety, style and various types of enemies that will give you a big headache in the later levels at bigger difficulties.
The game is rather easy. Beat it on Nephilim, supposedly the "hard" mode, and only like until the last five levels did I have a hard time with it. It may be because I'm already acostumed with the genre.
The story and characters are alright. Definitely more developed than the ones from the previous series but thats not saying much. There is alot of "new age" non-sense wich I wasnt really fond off. To each his own I guess. Dante isnt, however as bad of a charater I thought it would be. I actually ended up liking the guy by the end of the game. Vergil however... *sigh, no words.
Graphically the game isnt a technical benchmark by any means but its helped by a competent artsyle and great choose of colors to stand out above the rest. Great work by Ninja Theory on level design and, on a smaller extent, enemy design.
Overall I highly recomend this game for people that want to try something "new" by borrowing the core of something "old". Hardcore DMC fans might hate this game, and I can comprehend why. Others, that just want a good, fun game to play, DmC is a great one at that. Give it a try!