Wednesday 29 January 2014

Game Review: The Devil May Cry HD Collection



For my next game review I thought I would review one of my favourite series, Devil May Cry. This review covers only the Devil May Cry game featured in the HD collection so the fourth instalment and its remake are not included, spoilers a head though I will limit it as much a I can. Before we begin I just want to say that my game reviews will mostly be about older and classic games, I do have a PS3 but I am picky about what games I get but I have played lots of the old classics which is why I have a lot of the HD collections.

The story of Devil May Cry is about a man called Dante who is a jack of all trades and accepts any job from his shop called Devil May Cry. He is also a half demon whose father has a demon called Sparda who betrayed the demons and chose to fight for the humans instead. So Dante has incredible power within him and chooses to also be a demon hunter and protect the humans like his father did.
Devil May Cry focuses on Dante accepting a job from a mysterious lady named Trish who wants Dante to go to MulletIsland and slay the demon king Mundus who is gathering power.


Devil May Cry 2 is about Dante helping a group of humans who fought along side his father Sp and now wants his help to stop a powerful tycoon named Arius from transforming himself in to a powerful demon so he can rule the world.
Devil May Cry 3 is actually a prequel to 1 and 2 and takes place before Dante has even opened Devil May Cry. He battles his twin brother Vergil, who is aided by a man named Arkham, who wishes to open the portal to the demon world that their father sealed.


Overall the combined story of the three games is very good and immersive and Dante is an instantly badass protagonist. Devil May Cry 3 story is particular is the best because Dante is younger and a lot more rash, plus it introduces his brother Vergil who in my opinion is one of the best video games villains of all time. A let down however is in the story of Devil May Cry 2 mainly because it seemed rushed and Dante seems to lack any personality in it. He does not even seem that bothered to be there, he has a lack of lines in cut scenes and the main villain and leading lady are really forgettable.

The game play in the series is a hack and slashes type and is one of the best in genre. Dante’s primary weapon is a sword but in each game you gain more weapons over time for a lot of variety. The environments are really big and when you fight a crowd of enemies you really feel in control of Dante; you can dodge, jump and perform combos with ease, many new comers can pick it up almost right away. There are also a lot of upgrades for weapons and abilities which adds even more ways off battling the enemies. One thing however that is not very welcoming for a newcomer is the series increased difficulty. Even normal mode can prove to be challenging, veterans to the hack and slash genre won’t be that put off but those who are new may have difficulty. Also they have added trophies which make for good challenges.


As I mentioned earlier in the review the standout characters in the series are Dante and Vergil because their stories and personalities are so well written and interesting; in Devil May Cry 3 I looked forward to every cut scene where they interacted with each other. Other great ones include Lady and Arkham for Devil May Cry 3 and Trish from the first game, unfortunately there are none from Devil May Cry 2 who are worth mentioning because I believe the story was just not very good in that one.

The graphics have really been improved in the HD collections; little touch ups that make the visuals a lot sharper and more up to date. The soundtrack they use in the games is very fitting with really fast based rock music for when the battles start and really good orchestra music that goes perfectly with its gothic theme. One thing that annoys me however is that in Devil May Cry 1 and 3 of the HD collection the voices are not in synch in the cut scenes, not in all of them but enough that it is frustrating.


In conclusion the HD collection is a near perfect import of the PS2 games to the PS3, let down only by the poorly written Devil May Cry 2 and the out of synch voices. I highly recommend this to fans of the original Devil May Cry series who wish to play them on the PS3 but I also recommend it to new gamers who want to get in to the hack and slash genre; it is a great series to start with.

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