RPGamers Network > Reviews > Game Reviews > Devil May Cry

Game Stats
Genre Action
Platform PlayStation 2
Format DVD
# of Players 1
Released Jap 08.23.2001
Released US 10.18.2001
Released EU 12.07.2001
Aprox. Length 5-15 hrs.
Reviewer Rankings
Battle System 9.0
Gameplay 9.0
Music 8.0
Originality 9.0
Plot 7.0
Replay Value 8.0
Sound 8.0
Visuals 8.0
Difficulty User Selected
Overall
8.3

Devil May Cry

By: Capcom

Reviewed By: Tidus

When most people think of Capcom they either think of Resident Evil, Megaman, Street Fighter, and of course, Breath of Fire. This time, Shinji Mikami has something completely different up his sleeve. An all out action-packed game titled "Devil May Cry" (DMC).

DMC was originally supposed to be Resident Evil 4 but Capcom started to play around with some new ideas and decided to create a whole new game, and hopefully a brand new series as well. After four hard years of planning and development DMC was released on the Sony PlayStation 2.

DMC has a very simple storyline that isn't very appealing. The player takes control of a man named Dante who has his own business called "Devil May Cry" where he takes on special jobs to slay demons. The player will then find out that Dante must go to a castle on a island to stop the evil that is emerging from the underworld and destroy the villainous god, Mundus. That's it in a nutshell, folks.

DMC most amazing aspect is it's insanely fun battle system. DMC plays like a third person action game but with a fixed camera view that changes depending on where the player is taking Dante. In the American version the player will use the circle button to use either Dante's sword or gauntlets if they are equipped instead. The triangle button is used to jump. One technique that helps a lot is the ability to have Dante jump on a wall and then jump off the wall to preform a double jump. This technique comes in handy when fighting hordes of enemies and you must escape quickly. In order to shoot Dante's fire amrs the player has to hold down R1 and then tap square (usually really fast). This is where the player might experience serious cramping after long strenuous play. After that, it's up to the player to "create" their own combos. I normally just smash buttons, but hey, it works and is still fun!

The graphics in DMC are very impressive. The background environments are all rendered in 3D and the lighting effects are very good, but not "Metal Gear Solid 2 good". The only drawback to DMC's visuals are the ruff edges around the characters and other objects as well.

The music in DMC reminds me of many horror movies and occasionally The Phantom of the Opera. Although this soundtrack won't win any awards, it is still able to deliver good music that fits DMC's mood very well.

Overall, DMC is an excellent action-packed game that delivers great visuals, well fitting music, multiple difficulty settings for more replay value, and most importantly a innovative and original combat system. DMC is an excellent addition to anyone's PS2 library.

ESRB Rating

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