Developer: CAPCOM | Publisher: CAPCOM | Released: 8th February 2008 | Price paid: £29.99 | Bought at: Amazon.co.uk

With established series' like Devil May Cry it's hard not to compare each new game to past games in the series. Devil May Cry 4 is a great game in it's own right though, and tries to add a few new things to the series, almost all of which work incredibly well, so I will try to keep the comparisons to a minimum for the sake of those who have never played any of the other games.

The first thing that most people will probably notice upon putting the shiny new disk in your console of choice is how great the game looks. It runs at a constant 60 FPS, never dipping below it no matter how many enemies or over-the-top effects are flying about the screen, and it's not an average-looking game at all either. All the character models, lighting and effects are top-notch. The only thing that lets the game down is the shadows, which appear incredibly blocky even from a distance, but it's probably a sacrifice worth making to ensure that the rest of the game runs so perfectly.

Now the biggest addition to the game comes in the form of the new character, Nero, who you could probably quite safely say is the main character of the game. The gameplay is weighted slightly more towards Nero, with the game switching control to Dante (The half-demon veteran of the series) just after halfway into the game, and then switching back just before the end. At first Nero feels quite slow and a bit restricted in his moveset, but after a bit of time with him you'll soon learn to link together various attacks for combos that suit your own play style. If you want to fight more defensively you can knock enemies away and then shoot them from a distance, or alternatively you can pull enemies in from far away to give their faces a good smashing.

Along with the long running Devil Trigger, which for a short amount of time boosts your character's attack and defense as well as replenishing a small amount of health, Nero's right arm acts as a weapon named the Devil Bringer, which can be used to pull enemies in from long distances or throw them in various ways to deal large amounts of damage. Learning to link these moves in with other combos becomes an art, and the style system (Which rates your performance from D to SSS level) encourages you to use a variety of different moves to earn more points. Each enemy, including bosses, also has a different way in which you can throw them and some of which can be used to damage other enemies, so it's a good idea to test it out on enemies and see what works best in different situations.

As for Dante, fans of the series will be pleased to know that not much has changed since the last installment. He attacks in much the same way as in previous games, and has a far greater range of guns and melee weapons to attack with, all of which can be switched between at any moment to allow for complete freedom in battle. Dante's Style system is also back, with 4 main styles now being instantly useable by simply pressing a button on the D-Pad. Each one opens up different moves to suit your own play style, for example Swordmaster adds several extra moves for Melee weapons for those who like to get up close, while Trickster gives far more freedom of movement, allowing Dante to quickly dodge in any direction when on the ground or in the air. Changing between them in the middle of battles can get a bit confusing, but after a while you become used to it and the amount of options it gives you is immense.

It would impossible to say which of the two characters is 'better' than the other, as they really offer very different gameplay. Newcomers to the series might prefer Nero, as his Devil Bringer perhaps makes it slightly easier to keep combos going between enemies and can deal large amounts of damage quite quickly, while veterans may prefer the classic gameplay and amount of options given when playing as Dante through his large arsenal of weapons. This game is also probably quite a bit easier than the previous games, but there are always the higher difficulty levels if you want a bit more of a challenge, and the easier default difficulty may help to grab people who were previously put off by the high difficulty level.

Overall, people who were just expecting Devil May Cry 3: 2 may be a little disappointed, but the additions and changes that have been made work incredibly well to refine a game which was already one of the best action titles around. The storyline is still the sort of over-the-top and nonsensical affair you should have come to expect from any game with the word CAPCOM on the cover, but it's all in good fun (It would be incredibly difficult to pick out a line of dialogue before the ending cutscene which isn't an incredibly cheesy one-liner) and anyone who still takes CAPCOM games seriously is probably a very silly person indeed.

The game is a little short, but certainly not too short (Around 13 hours), and there's a survival mode and higher difficulties, all with online leaderboards, for those who want more. The game is now out on pretty much every format, so no matter what you have, if you're a fan of fast-paced action, crazy effects and cheesy storylines (And installers if you own a PS3) then Devil May Cry 4 is the way to go.