|
Friday 8 February, 2008
Second playthrough
GAMEPLAY: For the first playthrough, I wondered where the difficulty of the game went. Sure, the first boss was kinda hard but it didn't really strike me as difficult.
Then I got to the second boss. And died.
Much to my relief, the difficulty that Devil May Cry brags about still exists. It was quite a mixed emotion actually. I was happy AND sad at the same time. I'm not too sure how that worked out, but it did. Still, I earned a few more combos for Nero, which is always a good thing. It really helps build up the Style Combo meter. For those of you who don't know, this meter encourages players to keep a good streak of combos going. The higher it gets, the more Red orbs you earn. However, if you get hit at all during this streak, the meter resets. Boo.
Playing more, I found a few Secret Missions throughout the game. By completing Secret Missions, players are awarded a fragment of a Blue Orb. When players collect 4 pieces, it becomes one whole blue orb and increases the maximum health of the player. Pretty nifty stuff.
I didn't advance any farther in the storyline so far, which was a little disappointing. But then again, I'm only on Mission 5 (15 more to go). So there's bound to be more to come. I did come across a few more newer enemies. It certainly makes the game harder (which is a good thing, depending on your taste in games). I look forward to beating this game all the way through (and hopefully beating Dante Must Die mode).
DESIGN: If I could categorize Devil May Cry as a whole, I'd say it's a beat-em-up with puzzles and platforming thrown in. For the most part, there are a few puzzles phases mixed with platforming to get new items that will help you proceed farther in the level. However, there are many rooms where you basically just kill everything to proceed. For some gamers, this might get old quick. But for people like me who love killing things stylishly, this will be right up the alley.
This particular game implements a good combo system well. Certainly a way to chain combos is to button-mash. However, to pull off the good ones that deal more damage, players need to time it perfectly. For me, this is a HUGE part of the appeal to Devil May Cry. Every move you make is made on command in great response. This makes performing combos VERY satisfying (just like Ninja Gaiden, you have to be a pro). And it looks cool too.
The one flaw in this game shares that of its predecessors: the camera. While it doesn't detract from the awesome gameplay, the camera can sometimes get in the way. For example, during my fight with the second boss of the game, I was dealing a good amount of damage with a combo when suddenly the camera shifted. Then a wall was blocking my view of Nero, who inevitably got hit with a frost wave. The camera doesn't really kill the enjoyment of the game, but it certainly is annoying.
Overall, the game has very responsive controls, a satisfying combo system, and very good upgrades to help you fight the hordes of demons waiting for Nero.
|
