Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition

Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition reaffirms the series' status as the current king of the action genre. It may not fix some of the blemishes inherent to the game's campaign, but the new characters and styles are fantastic, and will have players creating combo videos for years to come.

Even after seven years, you’ll be hard pressed to find a game that better demonstrates the absolute top of the hack and slash genre.

Capcom has delivered yet another fantastic HD remake.

With a few finishing touches, some additional characters and a new difficulty mode, Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition stands as game fans of the series and newcomers alike should immensely enjoy.

Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition arrives in a time when remastered games tend to dominate the launch catalogue of many consoles. Even though many of them are criticized for not offering anything new that their original counterparts didn’t have or at least received some minor additions, it's really pleasant to come across with a title that easily becomes in the definitive version of its own entry. Definitely, a remaster that fans should try.

Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition on XBox One is a thrilling experience from start to finish!

Each takes some getting used to, but we recommend that you finish the Dante/Nero campaign before tackling the others in order to properly understand how the core combat was originally designed to operate. All are worth playing, giving this package more replay value than most of its peers.

A commendably well crafted re-release that doesn't rest on its laurels. [Sept 2015, p.96]

From time to time you feel that the original is from a different era, considering that it is seven years old. The battle dynamics have been surpassed by the likes of Kratos, Bayonetta or Dante’s modern alter ego. Nonetheless it still is a thoroughly entertaining action-adventure that aged very well.

Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition like last year’s Bayonetta 2 is for hardcore action gamers. It rewards practice and patience. The level design can get repetitive, but the levels aren't really why anyone plays a Devil May Cry game.

The timeless classic finally gets the treatment it deserves. This edition may seem a little unnecessary for some players, but the improvements, tweaks and new characters were a duty long past due for this action gem.

Completing an HD overhaul for the entirety of the Devil May Cry series, Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition is a definitive package that represents decent value for money for returning players, and is pretty much essential for anyone yet to play it.

Just like DMC3, DMC4 now has its own special edition version, only this time we get more extra characters to play.

While the remaster may not fix all of the flaws of the original game, it does manage to breathe new life into one of Capcom's most beloved series.

A good game wrapped in a great remastered package. Capcom could have just slapped together something with a higher resolution and called it an HD remaster like many are doing, but they elected to actually build upon their seven year old game by adding meaningful content. Granted, they didn’t reinvent the wheel with these extras, but playing as Trish, Lady and especially Vergil are more than welcome additions.

Thanks to the improvements made – and maybe the lack of anything like it outside of maybe Bayonetta 2 – it was a true pleasure to return to Capcom’s world of jacked up angels, plant dragons, and Dante hamming up every single delicious scene he’s in. Truly, it’s good to be back. It’s better to be back than it ever was.

There's certainly enough quantity and quality to justify the asking price for genre fans. [Sept 2015, p.81]

A good game that has stood the test of time in an exemplary manner, but that conforms to repeat the same mistakes of the original, although extends the experience with new content.

A very good action game, with a great combat system an a brilliant set of characters. Unluckily this remaster edition doesn't add enough content to be really compelling to the ones who already played it in the past, so it's mainly recommended to those who skipped it originally.

The design flaws that held DMC4 back on release frustrate even more today, and even a raft of new content can't boost this to SSS status. [Issue#127, p.86]

Fans of the series will have the most fun with this, but for others who haven't played any of these games, will most likely have serious problems with the fixed camera and backtracking. The combat is very good but for me, everything else is nothing but frustration.

This remake still has some of the problems the original game had, but all in all it's nice fighting game that leaves all competitors behind. The addition of three new characters and improved graphics are also very nice.

A good special edition of a good game, it's hardly essential, but a definite treat for the fans.

If you pick up Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition, know that you're essentially getting a prettier version of a 2008 experience. That may sound extremely obvious, but, over the last seven years, character action games have changed greatly, making some of DMC4's choices feel absolutely dated.

If you've never played Devil May Cry 4, or miss the glory days of the series where Dante was fun, combat was deep and challenging, and things weren't so stupid edgy and serious, this low-priced special edition offers fun aplenty.

Although the excellent combat of Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition remains as enticing as ever, the various troubles that plagued the original release (sloppy camera, lazy backtracking), only feel more egregious this time around.

There are elements of greatness here—the bosses are exceptionally inspired and some of the level themes are great—but so much of DMC4 is antiquated.

If you played and loved it in 2008, then it's worth picking up for the power trip of playing as Lady. Alternatively, if you've beaten Ninja Theory’s faster, prettier DmC reboot and still have an irresistible urge to combo something, then, flawed though it is, Devil May Cry 4 will deliver.

If you're dying to see how Vergil fares against the Order of the Sword or feel the need to test the extreme difficulty, take the leap. Just be warned that some aspects of the game would have been better left in the past.