The competition between Ninja Gaiden and Devil May Cry is just going to get hotter, as both will get next-gen treatments this year. Ninja Gaiden Sigma is sticking to what makes that series great -- hyper-aggressive enemies that force a very particular style of play. Devil May Cry looks to be sticking to its own definitive style, based on what I got to see and play at Capcom Gamer's Day last month. That is, it's not about enemies who rush you until you've got no time to breath. Instead, it's about enemies being there to be your punching (and shooting, and slicing) bags, until you've got such incredible, sexy combos going that you're left breathless. You'll end up in the same state with either title, but isn't getting there half the fun?

Let Your Revolver Do the Talking

Capcom formally announced DMC4 for the PS3, 360, and PC. Without dwelling on the loss of exclusivity for the PlayStation platform, the real question is what does going next-gen bring to the game -- other than a higher price tag? One obvious answer is simply beautiful, stunningly beautiful, graphics. Also, more content than previous games have seen included. But the real answer is that this isn't going to redefine the Devil May Cry series. This is not Resident Evil 4. The series isn't in need of a serious retooling, as far as Capcom is concerned, and after playing through the mash-up of levels that were available I'm inclined to agree.


Playing as Nero, a new protagonist who looks suspiciously like Dante, members of the journalistic community got to tear through a monster-infested fountain courtyard, explore a dock / alley district, fight through a snowy mountainscape full of ice demons, and then finally face the massive Berial, "the Conqueror of the Fire Hell," in one-on-one combat. That's not anything like the level progression planned for the game, but the idea was to give us a solid idea of how the game would play. Some areas looked rough, in particular the ice level. Better than the TGS trailer -- which I've included below to refresh your memories -- but still not up to the graphical level I'm hoping to see the game ship at.



That noted, when the game peaks, it looks stunning. The battle versus Berial takes place in a deserted shanty town, with Nero being forced to beat the demon senseless and then inflict as much harm as possible while it's stunned. Composed of a flaming, molten rock shaped into a stories-tall centaur-like demon, and armed with a sword larger than a man which deals savage ranged attacks, Berial is exactly what a boss monster should be. Huge, ridiculously so, and tough. To stun Berial, you have to literally beat the flame out of him, leaving him a helpless, smoldering chunk of rock. The scope of the battle is one thing, but the sheer beauty of the game's engine is something else. It's not just great lighting or gorgeous design, although those certainly help. It's the supple speed of the characters, their animation giving each monster and Nero himself as much vivid life could be hoped for. Again, some parts of the demo looked rougher than others, but the overall showing was graphically spectacular. It doesn't hurt that from the cut-scenes I saw, Nero's dialogue shows the same so-dumb-it's-awesome zip that defined Dante in DMC and DMC3.