Devil May Cry: Information from Answers.com Mobile

Devil May Cry

Release Date: October 18, 2001
Genre: Action
Style: Action Adventure
Similar Games: Onimusha: Warlords (PlayStation 2), Dino Crisis 2 (PlayStation)

Game Description

The creative duo largely responsible for 1999's highly acclaimed survival horror title Resident Evil 2 is reunited for the development of this action-adventure game that is designed to cross over borders of genre and style. Producer Shinji Mikami and director Hideki Kamiya collaborate once again to create Devil May Cry for the PlayStation 2 console.

Billing itself as a "gothic action" title, Devil May Cry uses a newly-designed system of control intended to provide more natural, responsive character movement than is common in many of its survival horror predecessors. Featuring backgrounds rendered in real-time, a wider, more dynamic range of camera angles is possible.

Devil May Cry puts the player in the role of the warrior Dante, who is rumored to be descended from a Prometheus figure demon who rebelled against the devil on behalf of mankind. Dante is destined to continue the noble fight. The game's dark, gloomy tone is emphasized by a distinctive artistic style and enhanced by state-of-the-art graphical effects.

~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Review: Overall

Capcom's best effort on the PlayStation 2 to date, Devil May Cry represents one of the most dramatic advancements in the survival horror genre since Resident Evil. The secret? Devil May Cry infuses the genre with two pints of raw action.

While Devil May Cry has the trappings of survival horror, it is much closer to a pure action title. Forget the methodical pace of traditional games in the genre. With controls perfectly suited to gameplay, the action is fast-paced and easy to get into. There's also some depth in how you dispatch enemies with a variety of strategies and special attacks.

Combat primarily involves slashing with your sword and blasting with one of your various guns, which thankfully never run out of ammunition. The flowing nature of combat, especially against a large group of enemies, is particularly impressive. You'll slash down one enemy and blow away another with your trusty shotgun, then activate the devil trigger gauge and rip into the remaining creatures in one fluid motion.

Entering Dante into his demonic form gives players a feeling of great strength, which only adds to the excitement level. Players can also purchase extra powers with red orbs left behind by enemies, but few are actually helpful. While some powers are fun to use a few times, the cost isn't worth it in the long run.

As with many other 3D titles, there are some problems with the camera. Sometimes it moves along with your character, but often, particularly in larger rooms where boss battles take place, there will be several fixed viewpoints. Unfortunately, these are usually at completely different angles, so you'll move to another screen only to find yourself facing in the opposite direction. You get used to it, but you'll die a few more times than you should.

While camera problems are nothing new, Devil May Cry's biggest flaw is that it ends too quickly. Thus, its biggest strength is also its biggest weakness: the fast-paced nature of the game makes it easier to finish. Even with the secret missions and multiple difficulty levels, most experienced players will be able to complete the game within five hours.

Although this is certainly a disappointment, that shouldn't keep anyone, especially action fans, from giving Devil May Cry a try. Its length may keep it from being a "must-buy" title, but it's still one of the more enjoyable games released on the PlayStation 2 thus far.