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| "Let's Rock, Baby!" |
Devil May Cry is set in the modern era and follows follows demon hunter, Dante, who uses his services to get back on demons after the deaths of mother and brother. His father is the legendary demon Sparda, whom 2,000 years ago betrayed his demon brethren for the sake of humanity, this means that Dante is half-human, half-demon. One night, a mysterious women named Trish crashes Dante's shop "Devil May Cry" (get it?), and attacks him, however, Dante prevails. She tells him that she's an ally and it was just a test. She requests that he head to Mallet Island and stop the resurrection of Mundus, the demon emperor that was responsible for the deaths of Dante's mother and brother. Dante accepts her request and the game quickly jumps in Mallet Island, where the demon slaying/ shooting begin!
Devil May Cry originally started as an early version of Resident Evil 4 in 1999 and was developed for the soon-to-be released PlayStation 2. Resident Evil series creator Shinji Miakmi requested Hideki Kamiya (director of Resident Evil 2 and later Bayonetta) to create a new Resident Evil game. The original story was centered on Tony, an invincible man with superhuman skills that exceeded that of normal people, it was based on Kamiya's idea to make a cool action game. The fixed camera system of Resident Evil wouldn't fit the game, so the team opted for a dynamic camera system instead.
Devil May Cry plays like a hack-and-slash game. Its been developed by "Team Little Devils", a group of staff from Capcom Production Studio 4. The game was built from the ground up to focus on Dante's acrobatics and abilities. Additionally, during development the game was changed to follow a mission-based structure.
The team even visited Europe to photograph many Gothic statues and pavements for the game. It was later deemed too unfamiliar for a Resident Evil game by Shinji Mikami, and was later decided to be a game of its own. The story was re-written by Kamiya, and the hero's name came to be known as "Dante". In 2000, the game's title was officially known as "Devil May Cry".
Devil May Cry plays like a hack-and-slash game. Its been developed by "Team Little Devils", a group of staff from Capcom Production Studio 4. The game was built from the ground up to focus on Dante's acrobatics and abilities. Additionally, during development the game was changed to follow a mission-based structure.
The team even visited Europe to photograph many Gothic statues and pavements for the game. It was later deemed too unfamiliar for a Resident Evil game by Shinji Mikami, and was later decided to be a game of its own. The story was re-written by Kamiya, and the hero's name came to be known as "Dante". In 2000, the game's title was officially known as "Devil May Cry".
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| Dante shooting up enemies with his shotgun, Coyote. |
The core gameplay itself comprises Dante, along with his sword Rebellion and guns Ebony and Ivory, slashing and shooting enemies, and exploring the island. At the end of the mission, the player's performance is graded by letters ranging from A to D, with an additional S. Grades are influenced by how much time is taken to complete the mission, amount of red orbs collected, damage taken, stylish ranks during combat, etc.
The stylish rank is obtained by chaining multiple attacks together while not taking any damage from enemies. Basically, the more hits Dante lands the higher the rank is. But if Dante takes damage, the style gauge will drop to D. Also, taunting enemies can raise the style gauge as well. This mechanic is ideal for the game, since it require careful timing. After all, Devil May Cry isn't an easy game.
The stylish rank is obtained by chaining multiple attacks together while not taking any damage from enemies. Basically, the more hits Dante lands the higher the rank is. But if Dante takes damage, the style gauge will drop to D. Also, taunting enemies can raise the style gauge as well. This mechanic is ideal for the game, since it require careful timing. After all, Devil May Cry isn't an easy game.
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| The Resident Evil-like atmosphere is neat. |
Another aspect where Devil May Cry shines is in its Boss fights. Your first boss Phantom, a lava-infused arachnid, is a test to see how well you've managed so far. Another boss, Nightmare, requires an equal amount of timing and skill. Basically, the bosses are no cake walk, especially the Mundus battle. Despite encountering some of them on multiple occasions, they change their strategies and provide a challenge.
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| Survive the unforgiving bosses DMC packs. |
Devil May Cry features high replay-value thanks to its secret missions and upgrades. During some missions, there are some doors that will start a mission, basically a mission within a mission. These secret missions range from killing 100 enemies within 30 seconds, killing enemies at specific points, and so on. They are a good challenge for those looking for more content. Additionally, Dante can upgrade is skills and weapons via red orbs. For example, there is a skill which allows Dante to double jump, allowing him to reach higher areas. Another has him swinging his sword like a boomerang at enemies, flying while in Devil Trigger form, perform multiple stab attacks, and the list goes on.
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| Enemies will strike you down without hesitation. |
Devil May Cry is among the best game Capcom has ever made and on the PS2 as well. The atmospheric feel, deep gameplay, interesting story, and difficulty are excellent. There were some issues with camera and underwater segments, it's a must-play for any action/hack-and-slasher fan.
EXCELLENT
After release Devil May Cry enjoyed much positive critical acclaim. Along with the likes of Grand Theft Auto III, Metal Gear Solid 2, ICO, and more, Devil May Cry was among the highest rated and one of the best games of 2001. Capcom obviously saw its potential and decided to continue and expand the series. Dante gained a reputation for his stylish look and attitude and is considered as a popular icon in gaming. Mr. Kamiya later moved to Clover Studios, where he would create classic titles such as Viewtiful Joe and Okami. He later formed Platinum Games along with fellow developer Atsushi Inaba and Resident Evil creator, Shinji Mikami.
As the for the Devil May Cry series, in 2003, it gotten a poorly-received sequel, Devil May Cry 2 for PS2. However in 2005, the series went back to its roots with Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening. In preparation for the 7th generation of consoles, Devil May Cry 4 announced and released to much critical acclaim similar to its two successful predecessors. The series took a drastic 180-degree turn with the reboot, DmC: Devil May Cry, which polarized fans and critics a like. While many critics gave positive reviews of the game, It was regarded by most hardcore fans as "Garbage" and non-Devil May Cry. Thankfully, Capcom still plans on continuing the original series with a possible fifth entry in the series.
-That's all for this retrospective and review of Devil May Cry everyone and thank you for joining me in this rather long retrospective of Devil May Cry and the Devil May Cry series itself. I'll be reviewing DMC 2 and DMC 4 soon, so until next time. Let's Rock!-
Sources
Devil May Cry (HD Edition)
1UP: "The Kamiya Touch"
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