While the focus of the game is combat there are also puzzle elements as well as the occasional platforming. While both are usually straightforward for players who are willing to think them through they often needlessly break up the action. It can be frustrating when you are working on a puzzle that seems to make no sense, but rarely are they complete stumpers. Similarly it can be frustrating to fail a platforming part when you must re-clear a previous room every time before you can try again. While these parts of the game are rare enough to not really detract from the experience they almost always seem out of place and anticlimactic.

The game supports DirectX 10 and it shows. The lighting effects are incredible, especially in the attention given to glow effects and shadowing. Enemy detail is of a similarly praiseworthy level; which every enemy intricately detailed from their textures and models down to their animations. The icing on the cake though is the cutscenes, which are often epic fights between Nero and whoever is foolish enough to stand in his way. The game is simply incredibly beautiful as a whole, with the only real nitpicks being that with the menu designs which are rather plain in their design and appeal.

The gruesome sounds of monsters getting slashed, gunfire ricocheting off of armor, and the roars and growls of boss demons serve as a great backdrop for the on-screen action. The sound effects are not only well done but are quite clear and distinct in their delivery, whether you use headphones or desktop speakers. The ambiguous metal music that plays during combat is subtle and helps builds up the intensity of combat as well, just as it always has for the series. Surprisingly enough the voiceovers for the characters are quite passable as well, with Nero coming off just as full of himself as his character actually is and other characters often surfing just on the side of being over the top without being cheesy.

Keep in mind that you are practically required to have a decent gamepad to have a chance in the combat. Though the game does support using the keyboard it is close to futile to actually do so. Using a gamepad like a wired 360 controller is a much better alternative, or practically any gamepad you already own that has a similar number of buttons and a pair of joysticks.

Dante may not be the front man this time around, you basically repeat the Nero sections with him in the second half of the game, but Nero does a great job of filling that role. Though the combat at a glance seems watered down due to the frighteningly smaller weapon selection what it really does is refine the combat to rely more on skill and tact than constantly switching your armaments. The graphics and sound are both stellar on a variety of levels, but the biggest reason the game is entertaining is the combat itself. Even its status as a port does little to harm things, and overall Devil May Cry 4 is a shining example of what the series has to offer.

Questions or comments? We'd love to hear from you .