#but my brother says he has no interest in our consoles except the PS4 so I will probably take it back to my lair after that 3:)

[cosmiciaria]

Devil May Cry 4 SE spoiler free review/rant!

With all the DMC5 hype, and with all the no-money I have, I went and watched the cutscenes of the new game. Yes, don't judge me, some people just don't have the money to buy it the day it's released. Some people don't even have a ps4 so watching cutscenes is the only alternative if you wanna enjoy the story. This was my case for far too long, when I only owned a ps2 and I was craving for the ps3 I never got. So I'm used to watching cutscenes of the games I knew I wouldn't be able to play at all; and this is no difference, for I have some priorities (cof cof Kingdom Hearts 3 – yes, I'm still saving for it) before throwing my money at Capcom.

SO obviously after watching the cutscenes and getting all the feels and, idk, reminiscing all my love for these characters, I went back to my old file of DMC4 and kept playing. I had been stuck at Mission 11 for a stupid platforming thing that I couldn't wrap my head around it, but somehow, magically, this time I managed (after falling from that wall like 25 times). I'm going to be honest here: I like the DMC franchise for its story, which, ironically, is what most people consider to be the worst aspect of these games. What I try to say is, I suck at playing it. I'm not ashamed of that fact. I play games first for their stories, and then for their gameplay, and my philosophy is that, if I can't enjoy the story because the gameplay is obstructing me, then I'm sorry but that game just isn't for me. That's one of the reasons why I hesitated so much before buying Bloodborne (you can guess: I still haven't finished it). Yes, I suck at DMC4 and 3, and probably the other two as well. I did play the first three, but I never finished them, and I followed their stories thanks to the magic of Youtube. Around that time, when I wanted to have a ps3 and I couldn't, I watched DMC4's cutscenes many times. When it was finally on sale in psn, I didn't think twice: I bought the special edition. So here I was, trying to finish this stupid file on Human difficulty (then again, I'm not ashamed of admitting it) and at last claim the title of "yes, I PLAYED that game!"

Initially, like I said, I've only watched its cutscenes. I was in love with Dante, with Vergil and with Nero. I admired them and their badassness. Slash, punch, wahoo, everything. And I've heard multiple times that DMC3 was a masterpiece and that DMC2 fell flat in almost everything and then that DMC4 is just… an unfinished game. And oh boy, did I feel that as well!

A little introduction for those of you who for some reason don't know anything about Devil May Cry: Dante, the son of the legendary demon Sparda and the human Eva, is a demon hunter. He's cocky, confident and loves taunting his enemies. Vergil is Dante's twin brother: as you can guess, brotherly rivalry (maybe too much rivalry). Nero is the newcomer to DMC4, which triggered many debatable reactions, because fans just love their Dante. Unfortunately for those who don't like Nero, he's the real protagonist of this game. The story revolves around his city, Fortuna; Kyrie, his love interest; and the fact that he's one quarter of a demon, because he descends, too, from Sparda.

So the leader of this occult religious order, Sanctus, worshipper of Sparda, has some god-syndrome and wants to rule the world, opening the hellgates all over the place and kidnapping Kyrie in the process. So it's up to Nero to rescue his (girl)friend, learning some things about himself in the way there. He crosses paths with Dante, who's there because, well, he gotta stop that stupid Sanctus, you know? But Nero confuses his intromissions with an enemy, and their relationship starts off as an opposition. Soon Dante sees something special (even familiar) in this young man, but we'll leave that for another day.

So that's it, that's the premise: you fight your way across the city of Fortuna with Nero and his devilish arm. Halfway through the game(ish) Nero is incapacitated for the time being and it's time to go back to sweet old Dante. Sadly, it's not actually "half" of the game, but just a few missions, and here's where the "unfinished" thing comes into place.

You see, Nero goes forward across the map, and then Dante undoes the same way, going backwards, up until the very first section of the game. And they fight exactly the same demons, the same bosses and go around the same places. Hadn't it been for the fact that Dante plays quite differently than Nero, you wouldn't see a difference between these two routes. And it's frustrating.

Another thing that screams "unfinished" is Mission 19. This is your own very section of boss rushes. The same four bosses that you've encountered with Nero and Dante, you have to fight them yet once more. So it's the same four or five bosses that you fight three THREE THREE times. By this point, you can play against them with your eyes closed.

And this is such a pity! Because the story is good, Nero is a good protagonist to attract younger audience, Dante is at his prime in both personality and abilities, and they even threw some romance into the mix to shake some things up. So why did this have to happen? Well, the devs have admitted they had to release the game in a certain deadline and they had to rush things by end of the cycle, acknowledging that it was incomplete. Due to this, Dante's section of the game feels like a replay of Nero's section, in the lazy kind of way. I can't blame anyone if they complain about this, because it's painfully true.

But still, I can't help but love these characters. I can't help but care for Dante, and his quirky, funny dances; I can't help but cry NOOO whenever Nero wants to save Kyrie. I know Kyrie receives a lot of hate, but it's not her fault the devs decided to make her this useless. I do wish she had a better role than just being the plain damsel in distress. It goes against everything we women have been fighting for these years! Nevertheless, Nero's love for Kyrie is felt, and it’s the main driving force for our main character, so think it this way: without Kyrie, Nero would've been a very plain protagonist, without real motivation.

This time around, the gameplay is faster than before, for the special edition has the "turbo" mode (I recommend it). And not only you can play as Nero/Dante, but also Lady and Trish make their triumphal appearance here, and also – yes, the lord of all special editions, the man everyone was longing to see in action: Vergil. Although, you may've guessed by now, his role in the story is null (except, well… you'll get it) and he only replays all of the missions as if he were Nero/Dante, with no real involvement in the plot, just like it had happened with DMC3 SE. Same happens with Lady and Trish, but hey, at least you can play as Lady! It's the first time she's playable! And she ROCKS!

I know graphics were never so much a thing for the DMC games, but this title still holds a variety of eye-candy visuals that make me rethink how capable the ps3 was. I know that now everything pales in comparison with DMC5 but don't forget, this game dates from 2008, and the remaster is from 2015, and it still holds up to this day! Pretty amazing, to say the least.

From a technical aspect, this game is a let down because of the unfinished business, but it feels like, it plays like DMC game. And for many years it was the consolation to that DMC reboot they tried to pull off (we don't talk about that game – although personally I like it, but I don't consider it canonical, or at least, I don't consider it part of this franchise at all). Nero's character is growing ever since, with now being the undeniable protagonist in DMC5. His role, his powers and his origins will drive the plot from now on, obviously accompanied by our beloved Dante, taking in the mentor mantle. Who knows, maybe Nero will be our next devil hunter in red cape?

This game is old, and probably nobody is speaking about it, but I couldn't not add my words to the void. DMC4 was one of my favorite stories back in the day, when I couldn't play games and only could watch cutscenes in YouTube. It holds all these nostalgic feelings for me. It was a time when I didn't have money, when I needed a game to relieve stress and I couldn't, and I found so much joy in these characters that I can't not love them. In fact, after playing it, I realized most of the aesthetics I find beautiful come from this game: the concept of angels, the Savior, and hot dudes with white hair. I just can't even.

In conclusion, it's not the best of games. It's very mediocre. It's very short. And it feels incomplete. But characters are loveable, and it opens the door to countless possibilities for the future of the franchise.

And the future is here! Go play DMC5 and then lend me a copy! 😉 Jk. But DMC5's story is good, and I've heard the gameplay is even better, so Capcom returned with everything they got this year. And I'm glad they did.