Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition (XB1) Review

First I whip it out. Then I thrust it.

Capcom has found a new love in remastering older titles for the HD age. Their latest entry is the polarizing Devil May Cry 4. The fourth entry in the series was the last developed by Capcom’s Japanese team, and featured a brand new character named Nero. It was mostly polarized due to the fact that the game was broken into two sections, one with Nero, and one with Dante, but Dante’s missions were basically retreading what Nero had already done. Still the combat was great and the bosses imaginative, and I remember having a blast with it. This new version shines up the visuals, as well as adding a ton of new content to play around with.

Capcom has done a lot to this version to change-up some fundamentals to the game. There are several new balance changes such as faster leveling, quicker sprint speed, and even a new voice over for Lady. Fear not purists, Capcom has tossed in the ability to turn off all the tweaks with a weird code on the title screen. This switches the game back to its original balance. The work done is commendable though. Players can now remap and save control schemes per character, which is great with the addition of Vergil and Lady/Trish campaigns.

MSRP: $24.99
Platforms: XB1, PS4, PC
Price I’d Pay: $24.99

Speaking of new campaigns, players are likely wondering how the cut scenes work when playing as Lady/Trish. They are all non-canon what-if scenarios and do a good job of keeping things moving. It is clear the team put a lot of work into these sections, and playing as these new characters changes the game up dramatically. Vergil’s campaign is all canon but takes place before DMC3. Again a lot of work was put into making these characters fit, and they are all great additions to the package.

That isn’t all the new content either. There are also additional costumes and color swaps, although we all know how the world feels about Dante without the white hair. A new turbo mode that speeds the game up 20% (hint it is awesome), auto-saving, and the Legendary Dark Knight Mode from the PC version, which is essentially Dynasty Warriors: Sparda. Really a ton of new stuff for fans to pick up this version.

It all runs beautifully too. The game looks great, and runs at a blistering frame rate. My only issues on Xbox One were some unusual load times in menus between levels. Like it seemed to be locked up for a few seconds before letting me navigate. It is weird for sure.

Combat definitely took some time to get back into after spending a ton of time with DmC. I promise everyone, it is OK to like both games. The easy-automatic returns for novices to do flashy combos, but honestly it hinders what I am trying to do. So while I am not an expert in the series by any stretch, I preferred the default controls. Moves are simply to pull off, but the more complex motions insanely hard to master. DMC 4 definitely abides by the old school of the series, with almost fighting game like reflexes for the higher difficulties.

Capcom has delivered yet another fantastic HD remake. While the company has said they have begun to focus more on these types of packages, it still makes me wish we would see more new entries in our beloved franchises. Before that happens though, can we get that Onimusha HD collection along with an updated Dragon’s Dogma package for XB1 and PS4? You know, for science?

Review copy of game provided by publisher.

Good
  • Lots of additional content and tweaks
  • Still looks good
  • Frame Rate is rock solid
Bad
  • Backtracking is still lame
8.5
Great
Written by
Ken is the Editor-in-Chief of this hole in the wall and he loves to troll for the fun of it. He also enjoys long walks through Arkham Asylum and the cool air of Shadow Moses Island. His turn-ons include Mortal Kombat, Metal Gear Solid and StarCraft.