Review! DMC: Devil May Cry

System:  Playstation 3 (also available on Xbox 360 and PC)
How far did you get:  One completion

Devil May Cry is a pretty old series at this point, and the more modern entries were a bit stale.  In my opinion, very few video games need a reboot, but if any game did it was Devil May Cry.  Though many reboots may end up being shadows of their former selves, DMC: Devil May Cry took something that was already pretty good and made it awesome. 

DMC decided to take a slightly more lighthearted turn.  While the game is still full of dark themes and over the top weirdness, it doesn't take itself too seriously.  This can be bad for some games, but when you're working with the material DMC is, taking it seriously would make it seem legitimately silly.  Dante, the main playable character in DMC, is a violent, sex obsessed jerk with a touch of amnesia.  His brother Virgil is tasked with convincing him that he's half demon and half angel, and demons killed his mother and took his father to Hell.  In addition, the demons are currently controlling humankind and Virgil wants to set them free.  It's certainly not game of the year material, but it sets the stage perfectly for an over the top action game. 

DMC's gameplay is an absolute blast.  It's fast and frantic, and very rarely lets up.  I'd say it's even faster and more frantic than any of the other games in the series.  Fortunately, you can't just button mash you're way though the game.  You unlock different weapons with different properties as you play through the game, and certain enemy types can only be damaged by certain weapons.  This becomes particularly challenging when fighting large groups of mismatched enemies, forcing you to switch between weapons several times mid fight.  The controls are all very responsive and fluid, though it could have benefited from a target button. 

In addition to being fun to play, it's fun to look at too.  You'll spend most of the game fighting in Limbo, which is basically a regular area with a red foggy tint to it.  The world basically explodes around you as you move from place to place, keeping you on your toes.  There's one area where you fight inside a television, and the digital effects are really amazing. 

If you have any interest in action games, DMC: Devil May Cry is a no brainer.  It may not be the most complicated or deep game on the market, but it's fast, crazy and a whole lot of fun. 

Rating:  87/100