DmC: Devil May Cry

A staggering achievement from Ninja Theory. DmC injects new life into one of the best genres in all of gaming, and does so with a style and confidence that elevates it beyond its roots. Awesome, truly. [Issue#227, p.60]

Ninja Theory has done a great job capturing the action of the Devil May Cry games, and you'll be hard pressed to find a better action game.

It screams replayability and I just can't wait to get back to it.

The strongest aspect of the game isn't the gameplay, it's all about the presentation, level design and art direction. That doesn't mean DmC isn't fun to play, just that sometimes the gameplay can't match the production values. Worth playing!

When you turn off your brain and let your intuition take over, you become one with Dante in a wild and seductive game you just want to play over when it finally ends.

Potential players on the fence should give the demo a shot – it lets you enjoy a good mix of action and platforming, as well as displaying some dazzling graphics too. $60 may seem like a high price to pay for an action-platformer, but you've got a variety of difficulties to play through it with as well as numerous remixed versions that change things up fairly radically.

I really enjoyed DmC. Yes, it's darker, grittier, and deals with more relevant issues, but it's still everything I want from a Devil May Cry game.

Forget all the controversy surrounding Dante's new-look. DmC is one of the most compelling action games you'll play this generation.

Whether you have played the other Devil May Cry games or not, DmC is a lot of fun and well worth the investment.

A reboot is a chance to revitalize a flagging series, and Ninja Theory has done that with a striking vision for the DMC universe and top-notch combat.

The rebirth of DmC gives it an impressive new life. Ninja Theory latest title, based on the Devil May Cry franchise, convinces us from the very beginning, and offers the public a game that delivers quality in almost every aspect. Becoming a worthy successor to everything that made DmC what it is, this title receives the baton with the respect and the hard work necessary to create such a game.

A rambunctious, thrilling, attitude-laden thrill ride. The design is slick and highly effective, the presentation is vintage DMC (while adopting a fresh flair), the combat offers fantastic variety and endless entertainment, and the story is a big improvement.

Ninja Theory deserves credit for not only delivering smooth combat and telling an entertaining story, but also for crafting detailed character models without lip-synch errors, who show real emotion and wear clothing that moves along with them. This is what a 2013-game should look like. [February 2013, p.72]

Dante is back! At times the gameplay may be a little monotonous but there is speed, fun and atmosphere to be found in DMC – Devil May Cry. The new style sits well on Dante and Combichrist's soundtrack perfects the return of the arrogant demon hunter.

Ninja Theory didn’t just overhaul Dante. It also infused the series’ plot with some big — and surprisingly timely — ideas.

Although the style of the new Dante is somewhat ambiguous there's no denying that DmC is an enjoyable, well-paced and quite beautiful game.

A lot of people have complained about the look of the new Devil May Cry and frankly, they should just play the game instead. Ninja Theory has changed things up quite a bit, but they haven't touched the core of the franchise. DmC is an excellent hack & slash game which has a few problems, but then again: nobody's perfect.

To put it simply, DmC: Devil May Cry breathes new life into Capcom's beloved action franchise and anyone who enjoys this type of game experience would be foolish to pass it up.

DmC: Devil May Cry is a fantastic game and a very successful reboot of the franchise. The new Dante is very convincing, just like the dark world and accessible gameplay. The increased accessibility might not fully cater to Devil May Cry-fans of old, but there's something for everyone here.

It should be noted, with a certain severity, that the 360 version is clearly superior in this pair. Its PS3 counterpart struggles to keep a steady framerate which is sadly characteristic of PS3 games running on the Unreal Engine.

Ninja Theory have been faithful to the original games, but still added enough of their own lick of originality to warrant the return.

An incredible hack 'n slash game with a great fighting system that is shown beautifully on screen. Moves seamlessly come together under the guidance of an amazing soundtrack, which constantly pushes you to set an even better score. That this symbiosis of style and content isn't found in the other elements of the game, becomes painfully clear when Dante is trying to act though with bad jokes and terrible one-liners. The writers hint towards an intelligent and deep plot, but when it fails to deliver the disappointment is even bigger. DmC: Devil May Cry is played for the action, and the stylish, beautiful action alone.

There's some annoyance to be had with the cutscenes, loading, and platforming bits, but the core action gameplay that's become synonymous with Devil May Cry still stands out as some of the best in the business.

If nothing else, DmC is sure to entertain with many hours of button hammering, fizzing combat. However, the experience as whole has hugely benefitted from a reboot and those who are familiar with the series will appreciate the new features and relish the opportunity relive Dante’s origin story. DmC, as a combat driven action title has held together the soul of the franchise, while enhancing all in-game features to create a unique experience for everyone.

Ninja Theory are calling the DMC shots now and they're doing it well. The fighting mechanics are a little bit easier to master and perhaps not as deep as before, but on the other hand the storytelling is improved with skillfully crafted cutscenes. Put up with a rather dull introduction and you're in for a great game.

The new Dante character may have lost his blonde hair and leather coat but he's got a new aura of rebel. And his lust for killing monsters is undiminished. [Jan 2013]

By obliterating the worn exterior and souping up the interior, Ninja Theory has done the very difficult, and that is they've made Devil May Cry relevant again. Not only that, they've also made it accessible where previously it was definitely not, both aesthetically and mechanically, without ignoring the hardcore crowd who've been up most nights chewing their fingers into nubs ever since this surprise initiative was announced. [February 2013, p72]

DMC is intense, but a bit slow for the seasoned player. The most important thing is the combat, though... and it's actually pretty good.

Even though Ninja Theory didn't finish as spectacularly as I would have hoped after the first half of the campaign, this game leaves you in the soothing certainty that you can count on Dante again. For the most part DmC is a pretty damned exciting and good-looking title that exactly knows where it belongs and what it wants to be. And because the Cambridge-based developers are quite the storytellers, this technical and elegant slasher works on even more levels than just the combat, something that was never really true for the DMC's of old.

This is a title that gets most of the important parts right when it comes to an action game. It makes you feel like a bad arse, thanks to the cool-looking combat and easy-to-produce combos, but remains deep to allow people to delve into the system and pull off some wild moves.

Ninja Theory made it: its Devil May Cry reboot is delicious, provocative and beautiful, all the while offering a solid beat'em all gameplay. The platforming sequences sometimes lack precision and the whole game can quite easily be don in less than 10 hours, but it's clearly a success.

It positively crushes the gameplay of the fourth installment and does away with the overused backtracking. With a story that finally explores the truth behind Dante's supernatural heritage and reveals the decisions that lead him to become a hero, DMC achieves something no previous installment could not. It's the art direction and technical problems that let the package down, and they often do so in a big way. We encountered visual hiccups galore, shaky animations and a major crash on our PS3 review copy, yet the game remained enjoyable to the end.

The gameplay is more accessible than its peers, but that's no bad thing, and there's still plenty of depth and challenge on offer to delight hardcore players. Where the title disappoints is in its narrative, which, despite some excellent performance capture and voice acting, fails to ever really get started.

While the narrative may have been stripped back, the same can't be said for the combat system, which is more complex than ever, but crucially, never overwhelms.

It looks, sounds and feels like nothing else out there, and while you might not squeeze quite as much out of it, you're still looking at the first great gaming experience of 2013. Welcome back, old pal.

The frame rate flitters between playable and jerky, while many textures often load in slower than the rest of a scene, resulting in odd looking objects. There are also a few odd audio glitches, such as Dante's speech cutting off mid-sentence. These issues don't render the game unplayable, but they do make the PlayStation 3 version the weakest of the three.

Flawed, and the new Dante isn't as cool as he thinks - but the gameplay is as sterling as ever. There's plenty to love, but fans will be divided. [March 2013, p.74]

There's no denying that gamers can walk away from the experience feeling a lasting good impression of the revamp. The new direction of the franchise holds a lot of promising potential and Ninja Theory still comes out showing that the duties of keeping things new and fresh are in capable hands. Here's to new beginnings.