Even though 2007 has now come to a close, the flood of upcoming games hasn't slowed much. Devil May Cry 4 is one of early 2008's hottest titles, and we've spent quite a bit of time tinkering with it during our holiday break. On second thought, "tinker" is a tad gentle. We've slain demons, hacked and slashed through gates, and collected red orbs until our eyes were red. Based on what we've played of the first five levels, fans of the series are in for a treat.
We'll refrain from discussing the circumstances under which the game opens, but the action fires up right off the bat as you'll take on the role of Nero, another silver-haired weapon-slinger in the vein of DMC hero Dante, as he takes on none other than... Dante. It turns out that Nero is part of the Order of the Sword, a mysterious group that seems to also be in the business of demon hunting. Think of it this way: if Devil May Cry (Dante's demon-hunting business) is Ghostbusters, then the Order seems to be Ghostbusters run by Masons. "Birds of a Feather" is a tutorial level that'll warm up the reflexes of those who haven't played since 2006's DMC3 Special Edition. Even if you've burned through past games on "Dante Must Die" difficulty, it's quite a dazzling kick-off to the game, as gorgeous cutscenes pepper the stage.
In the second and third levels, which we've played a few times during preview events, you'll begin to get a feel for Nero's combat style. His sword, the Red Queen, has a fuel injector built in, so that he can "rev" up his blade for charged attacks. Rather than tote two guns like Dante, he's got the Blue Rose, a pistol that rivals the Red Queen for the most phallic weapon in his arsenal. He's also got a demonically-powered arm that enables attacks such as the Buster, in which he can grab and slam enemies, as well as the Devil Bringer, which allows him to pull demons, both vertically and horizontally, from around the stage to unleash more attacks.
Plotwise, Nero is en route to a mountain to get down to the bottom of some unsavory business. In the second level, he journeys from the town of Fortuna (and past the fire demon Berial) to get to the town's castle, which is nestled in snowy hills. Along the way, he meets Gloria, a sexy demon hunter who leaves him a bit flabbergasted.
