|
Koruwa's Devil May Cry 4 (360)
|
| [February 7, 2008 07:28:21 PM]
|
Gamelog Entry #2
GAMEPLAY
After playing for another hour, I became more accustomed to the Exceed system, which is part of the main character's fighting style. His sword, the Red Queen, allows him to rev the blade to increase speed and damage with timed presses of a button. One thing I noticed was that the game has a lot of backtracking. I found myself traversing the same areas multiple times. The developers made it such that the backtracking wasn't too confusing. Often, there were messages stating that a new path was available in the area which prevented me from getting too lost. After going through most of the game as Nero, the story switched to the perspective of Dante, the protagonist of the previous games. Having since gotten used to Nero's combat abilities, I found myself disoriented and confused with the different set of abilities. After a little while, the new controls set in and were simple to remember and simple to pull of combo attacks.
A few things I found annoying were some of the enemies. Some of the varieties of monsters are just a pain to deal with such as an electric demon that is impervious to melee attacks until many rounds from my firearms. Even after that, it turns red and tries to suicide bomb me.
DESIGN
The developers did an outstanding job in level pacing and variation. The settings of the levels were gorgeous and breathtaking, in particular the snowy castle and the lush jungle areas. One thing that the developers could have improved was the shadow effects. The problem is most noticeable in the jungle areas from the shadows cast by the trees. The shadows just look very sub-par and take away from the rest of the superb visuals.
One of the new additions to the combat system, the Exceed System, greatly deepens the already intricate combat system in this game. For new players, the exceed system can be ignored but with more experienced players, it adds a new layer of skill. The perfect timing needed to pull of combos with the Exceed System add to the skills necessary to master this game.
Another thing the developers further improved from previous games was the equipment management system, which makes the fighting more fluid by allowing the player to change melee weapons, guns, and fighting styles on the fly. For example, a player using Dante can start off with a few slashes from a sword, continue with some fire from the dual pistols, Ebony & Ivory, and then instantly follow up with a rocket launcher and hand to hand combat. This system allows for some truly amazing combos that would not have been possible in the previous games.
read comments (1)  -
add a comment 
|
| [February 7, 2008 05:13:59 PM]
|
Gamelog Entry #1
SUMMARY
Devil May Cry 4 is the fourth installment of the popular Devil May Cry series that began on the Playstation 2 seven years ago. The player takes control of Nero, a newly introduced character, for the majority of the game and for the last third of the game, reprises the role of Dante, a half demon devil hunter. The game focuses on stylish combat against multiple enemies by using various firearms and melee weapons. As with the majority of its previous incarnations (the exception being the mediocre Devil May Cry 2), Devil May Cry 4 is known for its difficulty.
GAMEPLAY
The first thing that came to my mind when I first started playing Devil May Cry 4 was a sense of familiarity. The artistic style is similar to that of its predecessors with a dark gothy ambiance. Although the fourth installment of this series does not bring too many new innovative gameplay ideas, it has further improved on its combat system and of course its graphics engine. One new feature I found interesting was the introduction of "Proud Souls", which are basically the in-game currency for purchasing weapon and skill upgrades in addition to the standard red orbs of demon blood which has become a staple for the series. Instead of having one single currency for both weapon/skill upgrades and for item purchases, the game separates the two so the player can better manage resources. Red orbs are rather plentiful and are dropped by dead enemies and from breaking various objects in the surrounding areas like chairs and tables. Proud souls on the other hand, are rewarded for finishing a mission. Depending on the grade given, the amount of souls received increases or decreases.
One of my favorite things about the Devil May Cry series is the use of amazing in-engine cutscenes to show the plot of the game. The game is filled with outrageous fight scenes and corny dialogue that has become synonymous with the series. As expected for a hack and slash action game, the plot is not particularly deep, but it was written well enough to keep me interested in what was happening to the characters.
This entry has been edited 2 times. It was last edited on Feb 7th, 2008 at 17:18:34.
add a comment
|
|
|
 |
Koruwa's Devil May Cry 4 (360)
|
|
Current Status: Playing
GameLog started on: Thursday 7 February, 2008
|
|
