Variety is the Spice of Life

The Devil May Cry HD on PlayStation 4 is a straight up port of the same collection that was released for the PlayStation 3 consisting of the first three Devil May Cry games. There is a resolution difference as the PlayStation 4 now runs at 1080p.

The first Devil May Cry was one game that I got very well into back into on the PlayStation 2 with it’s amazing soundtrack and amazing visuals. The game had a very Gothic atmosphere coupled with a violent hack and slash style of gameplay. The game also had plenty of puzzles put into it in a style that Resident Evil retained in the series. The atmosphere that the game had can still feel very much present today. The Inventory screen while looking dated even in this new port is all part of the charm that the game has. The game is known for being extremely difficult at the best of times and has plenty of challenge that can be had by new and veteran players. The game consists of platforming; hack and slash gameplay amongst hordes of enemies and slow down segments consisting of puzzles. Collecting red orbs are a source of currency and allow Dante to gain new items during game while blue orbs help as giving Dante a permanent health upgrade. The game has a perfect balance of all and even plenty of secrets to be unlocked throughout. Completing stages gives a grade based on Stylish rank with D being the lowest and S being the highest. Factors are taken into account such as how many orbs are collected and carrying attacks as well as parrying enemy attacks with their own. The grade system is also one that has carried over in the series.

Devil May Cry 2 had always been considered the weakest of the series however I would disagree. It had its problems but was in no way a bad game. First you could play as either Dante or Lucia and each character has their own campaigns which play differently although they both tell pretty much the same story; just from different perspectives. For me this game has by the strongest of the soundtracks of the three games. I think most of the complaints come from the game being far too easy which the series is not really known for. In the first installment you could barely stand back and solely rely on gunplay as enemies were clever; they would hit you from afar and a room full of Marionettes is not an easy situation to get out of. The joys of Devil May Cry is having your ass handed to you and knowing you screwed up; kicking ass and having your ass kicked has never been so much fun as it has in Devil May Cry. Still Devil May Cry 2 introduced us to some great new features such as mid-air combos and being able to switch through ranged weapons without having to go to the Inventory Screen and is definitely not one that you should miss and being part of the trilogy why would you want to?

Devil May Cry 3 was a complete game brimming with everything that Capcom had learned from the first two games. The game felt like it was going back to original but having a new type of gameplay added where players could pick their own play style. Each mission in Devil May cry could be done where players would focus on different fighting techniques. A player could focus on swordplay where each style would gain experience and allow more abilities could be unlocked using red orbs found throughout the game. On top of impressive attention to detail in the world itself Devil May Cry 3 felt the most fullest of the series giving more players more control over Dante themselves along with some slick cutscenes and an amazing soundtrack. Devil May Cry 3 is considered by many the strongest and I for one would definitely not argue that.

Being a HD collection of PlayStation 2 games it does show how dated the cut-scenes are; for me this is most noticeable with the first two games while the third always had the most detail as it was a game which had improved noticeably in all areas back when it was released. The game is a HD port but the main area of difference is in the actual gameplay itself. Having three great games in one package makes the game a great deal and with them all having several characters, difficulties and many secrets this gives the trilogy a good length especially to those wanting to find and collect everything.

A PlayStation 4 Review code was provided by Capcom