Devil May Cry
Devil May Cry (デビルメイクライ) is a PlayStation 2 video game created by Capcom. The game is possibly the one to create the new game genre "Stylish Action". It has a dark gothic tone to it, but is contrasted with its mix of [[heavy metal [music)|heavy metal]] and techno music along with silent, melodic music, and the cool, trash-talking protagonist Dante, a laid-back devil hunter who is unsurprisingly half-devil himself. There have been three games released in the series to date, plus Special Edition of Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening released as part of the Greatest Hits series.
The first game of the series developed quite a powerful fan-base, and although not the only one, it became an important killer app for the PlayStation 2; this was because it was released in an early stage of the console's lifetime. This led to disappointment when the second installment failed to be as different from the first as the first was from existing action games. The third was billed as a return to the formula of the original and, thus far, has been well received.
History
In 2000, after the completion of Resident Evil Code: Veronica, Capcom began preliminary work on Resident Evil 4. However, in prototype status, it proved to be too different from the Resident Evil series and the survival horror genre in general. Rather than abandon the project entirely, the premise was changed and it eventually became Devil May Cry. Although the characters in the Resident Evil 4 prototype were all new, some of the monsters bore resemblance to previous Resident Evil creatures. For instance the armored reptilian creature "Blade" is similar to a Hunter. The Marionettes were zombies constructed from various body parts. The Kyklops creatures are similar to the large mutated spiders from Resident Evil. Dante has face model are in a small degree similar to Leon Scott Kennedy.
Devil May Cry became a popular hit with players because the game represented a return to the gameplay of frantic 2D action games of the late 1980s and early 1990s, arguably the first game of its generation to reach this level of intensity. Since these game elements were now represented in 3D with some innovation, a storyline and a terrific soundtrack, Devil May Cry became a game in its own class.
Storyline
The game revolves around the P.I. (Paranormal Investigator) Dante and his one-man devil hunting agency "Devil May Cry", which he runs in hopes of finding and killing the demons that killed his mother. Dante also has a brother named Vergil, who we learn very little about during the course of the game. The story alludes to The Divine Comedy in the game's areas (roughly resembling and representing inferno, purgatorio, and paradiso) as well as in some of the character names; however it is purely an aesthetic similarity, and indeed the game borrows from a very wide range of sources for inspiration. After a less than proper introduction, a woman named Trish, who bears a striking resemblance to Dante's mother, convinces him to help her defeat the Emperor of the Underworld Mundus, who is the leading antagonist of the game. The duo then sets off to Mallet Island, where Mundus's resurrection is about to take place, and where the majority of the game plays out.
Gameplay
Gameplay focuses primarily on fast and 'stylish' combat; gaining a high Style ranking (from worst to best, D, C, B, A, S) requires using Dante's firearms and Devil Arms in a combination together in long strings while avoiding damage. Game controls are simple: one button makes Dante jump, another makes him take a swing with whatever firearm he's equipped with, and the third makes him discharge his currently-equipped firearms (all firearms have infinite ammunition). The simple learning curve makes the game easy to pick up, but racking up stylish combos is another matter. While Devil Arms are more often than not preferred when chaining to a high Style ranking, the use of firearms will not less than a lot.
The game also features some puzzle-solving and exploration elements retained from its survival-horror beginnings, but these are downplayed; Devil May Cry puts emphasis on action. The puzzles are rarely more complex than finding a key-like object and then carrying it to whatever door it opens. It also involves examining in order to find various items and orbs that will help in Dante's quest as well as some trivial information found throughout the island should the player wish to gain some background to some of the phenomenas in the game.
The game's currency is represented by red orbs used to acquire new combat powers and abilities for Dante, as well as purchasing various items that will aid him in his quest. The firearms of the game include Dante's hand-made pistols Ebony & Ivory, a double-barreled shotgun, and a grenade launcher, as well as an automatic needlegun for underwater use and an energy cannon of demonic origin, the Nightmare Beta. Devil Arms include his default Force Edge (a memento broadsword from his devil father, Sparda), the thunder sword Alastor (a reference to Alastor from Greek mythology), and the flame gauntlets Ifrit, as well as the true form of the Force Edge: A demonic-looking transformable sword named Sparda; the name of its original wielder.
The Devil Trigger ability enables Dante to transform into the elemental devil infused in his weapon, changing his appearance, increasing his strength and defense, slowly restoring health, and enabling him to use special attacks available only during his demonic alter-ego. Alastor's Devil Trigger gives Dante increased power and speed (both in movement and attacks) and bestows him with various aerial abilities. Ifrit's Devil Trigger gives Dante massive attack power, as well as access to devestating fire-based attacks. The Devil Trigger state lasts as long as there is power in his Devil Trigger Gauge, which increases by attacking or taunting enemies in the normal state and decreases by attacking in the Devil Trigger state, using Devil Trigger-only attacks, and using the alternate "charging" mode on the Nightmare Beta.
Difficulty
The game has four difficulty modes. Initially players must play "Normal" mode, which is a balanced difficulty mode that will still give a player a good challenge. Completion of a particular difficulty unlocks a harder difficulty. Easy Automatic difficulty mode can be unlocked by being killed three times during the first two missions. As each difficulty progresses, all power-ups and items will increase greatly in cost. Enemy placements are also changed, almost always a change that brings the difficulty one step higher. Tougher enemies appear earlier in the game, enemies and bosses damage more, and exclusively to bosses is an increase of defense. Also, Dante regains less health with Devil Triggers.
"Dante Must Die!" mode is the game's hardest difficulty mode. In addition to all of the other handicaps Dante faces on harder modes, enemies can execute a Devil Trigger of their own after a while, the effects of which differ for each enemy. Bosses do not gain a Devil Trigger. Some rooms have a "Do or Die!" timer. Should the room not be free of all the enemies by the time the timer reaches 00:00, they will simultaneously enter Devil Trigger. Once this mode is completed, players are able to start a new game with a new "Super Dante" character (Which is exactly the same as normal Dante by looks alone) which has an unlimited supply of devil power; the player may Devil Trigger and use devil attacks freely.
Players are awarded a bonus of red orbs for completing a mission, and this is increased on harder difficulties. At the end of each mission, the game will account all factors necessary to give you a proper ranking. These factors are:
- Completion time - Style achievement - Orbs gained - Amount of deaths - Damage factor - Number of items used - Devil hunting rank
Completion time is the time it took you to complete the mission. Style achievement is the amount of Stylish ranks you achieved relative to the lower ranks. Orbs gained tells you how many orbs you gathered throughout the mission. Amount of deaths counts the number of times you died. Damage factor calculates the amount of damage you received. Number of items used counts how many items you used. Devil hunting rank counts how well you followed the mission objectives (that is, not entering a room more times than the mission requirs you to) and if you escaped any time during any battle with enemies or bosses.
Once these factors have been calculated, a Devil Hunter Rank will be given: D, C, B, A or S.
Trivia
The English voice track is used in all releases of Devil May Cry, including the original Japanese release.
Dante is in the Playstation 2 game Viewtiful Joe as a playable character. A character in the game named Alastor is also loosely based on the Devil Arm "Alastor".
After completing a mission, if you top the factors of the mission, you will receive a special bonus rank. This is one of the game's harder objectives.
The style ranks are: Dull, Cool, Bravo, Absolute, Stylish. The A-rank is in fact, Absolute, and not Awesome as many have come to believe.
Alastor (lat. pl. Alastores) is a demon in Greek mythology and is also known as The Executioner.
Ifrit (Ifreet, Efreet) is a Djinn from Arabic mythology, and is a demon from Hell.
Ebony & Ivory is the title of a song composed and performed by Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney.
i know none of you really cared but i thought it was awesome to describe it that much and i was a little bored before i'm off to play Devil May Cry.
The first game of the series developed quite a powerful fan-base, and although not the only one, it became an important killer app for the PlayStation 2; this was because it was released in an early stage of the console's lifetime. This led to disappointment when the second installment failed to be as different from the first as the first was from existing action games. The third was billed as a return to the formula of the original and, thus far, has been well received.
History
In 2000, after the completion of Resident Evil Code: Veronica, Capcom began preliminary work on Resident Evil 4. However, in prototype status, it proved to be too different from the Resident Evil series and the survival horror genre in general. Rather than abandon the project entirely, the premise was changed and it eventually became Devil May Cry. Although the characters in the Resident Evil 4 prototype were all new, some of the monsters bore resemblance to previous Resident Evil creatures. For instance the armored reptilian creature "Blade" is similar to a Hunter. The Marionettes were zombies constructed from various body parts. The Kyklops creatures are similar to the large mutated spiders from Resident Evil. Dante has face model are in a small degree similar to Leon Scott Kennedy.
Devil May Cry became a popular hit with players because the game represented a return to the gameplay of frantic 2D action games of the late 1980s and early 1990s, arguably the first game of its generation to reach this level of intensity. Since these game elements were now represented in 3D with some innovation, a storyline and a terrific soundtrack, Devil May Cry became a game in its own class.
Storyline
The game revolves around the P.I. (Paranormal Investigator) Dante and his one-man devil hunting agency "Devil May Cry", which he runs in hopes of finding and killing the demons that killed his mother. Dante also has a brother named Vergil, who we learn very little about during the course of the game. The story alludes to The Divine Comedy in the game's areas (roughly resembling and representing inferno, purgatorio, and paradiso) as well as in some of the character names; however it is purely an aesthetic similarity, and indeed the game borrows from a very wide range of sources for inspiration. After a less than proper introduction, a woman named Trish, who bears a striking resemblance to Dante's mother, convinces him to help her defeat the Emperor of the Underworld Mundus, who is the leading antagonist of the game. The duo then sets off to Mallet Island, where Mundus's resurrection is about to take place, and where the majority of the game plays out.
Gameplay
Gameplay focuses primarily on fast and 'stylish' combat; gaining a high Style ranking (from worst to best, D, C, B, A, S) requires using Dante's firearms and Devil Arms in a combination together in long strings while avoiding damage. Game controls are simple: one button makes Dante jump, another makes him take a swing with whatever firearm he's equipped with, and the third makes him discharge his currently-equipped firearms (all firearms have infinite ammunition). The simple learning curve makes the game easy to pick up, but racking up stylish combos is another matter. While Devil Arms are more often than not preferred when chaining to a high Style ranking, the use of firearms will not less than a lot.
The game also features some puzzle-solving and exploration elements retained from its survival-horror beginnings, but these are downplayed; Devil May Cry puts emphasis on action. The puzzles are rarely more complex than finding a key-like object and then carrying it to whatever door it opens. It also involves examining in order to find various items and orbs that will help in Dante's quest as well as some trivial information found throughout the island should the player wish to gain some background to some of the phenomenas in the game.
The game's currency is represented by red orbs used to acquire new combat powers and abilities for Dante, as well as purchasing various items that will aid him in his quest. The firearms of the game include Dante's hand-made pistols Ebony & Ivory, a double-barreled shotgun, and a grenade launcher, as well as an automatic needlegun for underwater use and an energy cannon of demonic origin, the Nightmare Beta. Devil Arms include his default Force Edge (a memento broadsword from his devil father, Sparda), the thunder sword Alastor (a reference to Alastor from Greek mythology), and the flame gauntlets Ifrit, as well as the true form of the Force Edge: A demonic-looking transformable sword named Sparda; the name of its original wielder.
The Devil Trigger ability enables Dante to transform into the elemental devil infused in his weapon, changing his appearance, increasing his strength and defense, slowly restoring health, and enabling him to use special attacks available only during his demonic alter-ego. Alastor's Devil Trigger gives Dante increased power and speed (both in movement and attacks) and bestows him with various aerial abilities. Ifrit's Devil Trigger gives Dante massive attack power, as well as access to devestating fire-based attacks. The Devil Trigger state lasts as long as there is power in his Devil Trigger Gauge, which increases by attacking or taunting enemies in the normal state and decreases by attacking in the Devil Trigger state, using Devil Trigger-only attacks, and using the alternate "charging" mode on the Nightmare Beta.
Difficulty
The game has four difficulty modes. Initially players must play "Normal" mode, which is a balanced difficulty mode that will still give a player a good challenge. Completion of a particular difficulty unlocks a harder difficulty. Easy Automatic difficulty mode can be unlocked by being killed three times during the first two missions. As each difficulty progresses, all power-ups and items will increase greatly in cost. Enemy placements are also changed, almost always a change that brings the difficulty one step higher. Tougher enemies appear earlier in the game, enemies and bosses damage more, and exclusively to bosses is an increase of defense. Also, Dante regains less health with Devil Triggers.
"Dante Must Die!" mode is the game's hardest difficulty mode. In addition to all of the other handicaps Dante faces on harder modes, enemies can execute a Devil Trigger of their own after a while, the effects of which differ for each enemy. Bosses do not gain a Devil Trigger. Some rooms have a "Do or Die!" timer. Should the room not be free of all the enemies by the time the timer reaches 00:00, they will simultaneously enter Devil Trigger. Once this mode is completed, players are able to start a new game with a new "Super Dante" character (Which is exactly the same as normal Dante by looks alone) which has an unlimited supply of devil power; the player may Devil Trigger and use devil attacks freely.
Players are awarded a bonus of red orbs for completing a mission, and this is increased on harder difficulties. At the end of each mission, the game will account all factors necessary to give you a proper ranking. These factors are:
- Completion time - Style achievement - Orbs gained - Amount of deaths - Damage factor - Number of items used - Devil hunting rank
Completion time is the time it took you to complete the mission. Style achievement is the amount of Stylish ranks you achieved relative to the lower ranks. Orbs gained tells you how many orbs you gathered throughout the mission. Amount of deaths counts the number of times you died. Damage factor calculates the amount of damage you received. Number of items used counts how many items you used. Devil hunting rank counts how well you followed the mission objectives (that is, not entering a room more times than the mission requirs you to) and if you escaped any time during any battle with enemies or bosses.
Once these factors have been calculated, a Devil Hunter Rank will be given: D, C, B, A or S.
Trivia
The English voice track is used in all releases of Devil May Cry, including the original Japanese release.
Dante is in the Playstation 2 game Viewtiful Joe as a playable character. A character in the game named Alastor is also loosely based on the Devil Arm "Alastor".
After completing a mission, if you top the factors of the mission, you will receive a special bonus rank. This is one of the game's harder objectives.
The style ranks are: Dull, Cool, Bravo, Absolute, Stylish. The A-rank is in fact, Absolute, and not Awesome as many have come to believe.
Alastor (lat. pl. Alastores) is a demon in Greek mythology and is also known as The Executioner.
Ifrit (Ifreet, Efreet) is a Djinn from Arabic mythology, and is a demon from Hell.
Ebony & Ivory is the title of a song composed and performed by Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney.
i know none of you really cared but i thought it was awesome to describe it that much and i was a little bored before i'm off to play Devil May Cry.