Hold onto that sigh. Not all re-releases are created equal. Some, of course, are quickie, me-too do-overs, but every so often we’re blessed with the full-fat, bona fide gaming equivalent of a Blu-ray director’s cut with all the previously deleted trimmings. DmC fits that bill to a T.
Few games can claim better candidacy for PS4’s extra power than 2013’s Devil May Cry reboot. A fantastic, streamlined refresh of the series’ core gameplay, its fine-tuned accessibility belies a spiralling wealth of combat finesse, using smart, friendly control tweaks and pacing not to dumb down, but to facilitate. Providing a softer route into its aerial extravaganzas, and immense scope for spatial creativity, it allows any dedicated player to create true spectacles.
Cranked up to 60fps, with a full 1080p display, what was already great now positively purrs. Even after extensive experience of the original game, firing up the Definitive Edition is revelatory. The extra precision to Dante’s already tight controls, the greater sense of place and space, the sheer visual pop of Ninja Theory’s glorious art design… It almost feels like a new game. But then the meaty-as-a-cow content additions push things even further.
Trigger Happy
A new Hardcore modifier for every difficulty setting retunes the game closer to the sharp, more demanding setup of the original series via a meaner Style-gauge, more dangerous enemies and tighter parry rules. Turbo mode increases the game speed by 20%, an innocuous change on the surface, but an exhilarating tweak that it’s hard to go back from.
A new Gods Must Die difficulty gives enemies Devil Trigger mode, and removes support items. And for extreme purists, there’s now the option of manual lock-on, complete with enemy health meters, for as much strategic information and control as you want.
All of this, bar the top difficulty, is unlocked from the start and available to activate as you see fit. It’s an all-encompassing DmC megamix that blows the options wide open while letting players of any skill experiment with much greater, more intricate precision. The scope for long-term play has exploded, doubly so when you consider that the Vergil’s Downfall DLC is also right there on the start screen.
This is what happens when a remake is done with insight and effort. Filling in gaps you didn’t even realise were there, it’s the full realisation of the original game’s potential. A great game made fantastic and, for that, it deserves applause.
Few games can claim better candidacy for PS4’s extra power than 2013’s Devil May Cry reboot. A fantastic, streamlined refresh of the series’ core gameplay, its fine-tuned accessibility belies a spiralling wealth of combat finesse, using smart, friendly control tweaks and pacing not to dumb down, but to facilitate. Providing a softer route into its aerial extravaganzas, and immense scope for spatial creativity, it allows any dedicated player to create true spectacles.
Cranked up to 60fps, with a full 1080p display, what was already great now positively purrs. Even after extensive experience of the original game, firing up the Definitive Edition is revelatory. The extra precision to Dante’s already tight controls, the greater sense of place and space, the sheer visual pop of Ninja Theory’s glorious art design… It almost feels like a new game. But then the meaty-as-a-cow content additions push things even further.
Trigger Happy
A new Hardcore modifier for every difficulty setting retunes the game closer to the sharp, more demanding setup of the original series via a meaner Style-gauge, more dangerous enemies and tighter parry rules. Turbo mode increases the game speed by 20%, an innocuous change on the surface, but an exhilarating tweak that it’s hard to go back from.
A new Gods Must Die difficulty gives enemies Devil Trigger mode, and removes support items. And for extreme purists, there’s now the option of manual lock-on, complete with enemy health meters, for as much strategic information and control as you want.
All of this, bar the top difficulty, is unlocked from the start and available to activate as you see fit. It’s an all-encompassing DmC megamix that blows the options wide open while letting players of any skill experiment with much greater, more intricate precision. The scope for long-term play has exploded, doubly so when you consider that the Vergil’s Downfall DLC is also right there on the start screen.
This is what happens when a remake is done with insight and effort. Filling in gaps you didn’t even realise were there, it’s the full realisation of the original game’s potential. A great game made fantastic and, for that, it deserves applause.