Devil May Cry

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Devil May Cry (デビルメイクライ) is a PlayStation 2 video game created by Capcom. It has a dark gothic tone that is contrasted with a mix of heavy metal, industrial and ambient, melodic music. Players control the trash-talking protagonist Dante, a laid-back demon hunter who is a half-demon himself. There have been three games released in the series to date, plus a special edition of released as part of the Greatest Hits series.

The first game of the series developed a strong fan-base and, although not the only one, it became an important killer app in early years of the PlayStation 2. This led to disappointment when the second installment failed to be as innovative as the first title. The third was billed as a return to the formula of the original and has been well received.

History

In 1998, after the completion of Resident Evil 2, preliminary work on Resident Evil 4 began under the supervision of Hideki Kamiya. However, Capcom continued producing and publishing other titles in the series, both internally and externally ( was developed by Nextech Corporation under Capcom's supervision). Early R&D work included a trip to Spain to examine various castles as a basis for the game's environments. 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.

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 twin 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 relatively simple: one button makes Dante jump, another makes him take a swing with whatever sword he's equipped with, and the third makes him discharge his currently-equipped firearms (all firearms have infinite ammunition). Holding the R1 trigger and Up or Down on the joystick in conjunction with the weapon button results in one of a number of special attacks. The simple learning curve makes the game easy to pick up, but racking up stylish combos is another matter. Devil Arms are more often than not preferred when chaining to a high Style ranking.

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. These Red Orbs are explained as being the "blood of demons", hence, everytime a demon is killed, its blood is used as currency.

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. 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.

Weapons

Devil Arms

Force Edge - Dante's initial equip at the start of the game. It is the basic form of the Sparda sword, which is created by merging the Force Edge with the Perfect amulet, a combination of Dante and Vergil's amulets. It becomes obsolete once Dante obtains the Alastor sword since it has no abilities of its own.

Alastor - A sword with a lightning elemental attack. Dante gains this sword after being impaled by it in the first DMC. It let's him turn into a devil. When Dante enters Devil Trigger, Alastor can gain aerial capabilities such as Air raid, which allows Dante to levitate and distribute vengeance (electricity) to enemies from a long range, and vortex, which turns Dante into a humanoid torpedo as he comes crashing down on his enemies with great force. Dante also gains the power of lighting speed.

Ifrit - Gauntlets that give Dante fire elemental attacks. When in Devil trigger, Ifrit can also have special moves like shooting balls of fire from Dante's fist and creating a wall of flame by slamming the ground. Visually, it is not unlike Beowulf in DMC 3. Dante's kicks and punches are radically more powerful and he delivers fast, devastating combos with incredible force in each blow.

Sparda - The legendary sword bearing the name of Dante's father, the moves and combos are mostly identical to Alastor, except that Dante cannot enter Devil Trigger when equipped with it until the final battle with Mundus. This sword is later given to Trish, who wields it in DMC 2 (after initial completion on the appropriate difficulty level).

Guns

Ebony & Ivory - Dante's standard dual pistols with an impressive firing rate. One appeal to them is their anti-gravity aspect. They can keep Dante in the air for a short time or his enemies for as long as he can blast them. One is for distance firing, the other more suited to rapid-fire attacks. These guns bear the inscription "By .45 Art Warks -For Tony Redgrave."(Read the novel for more information)

Shotgun - A sawed-off shotgun with spreadfire and heavy damage at close range.

Needlegun - An automatic nailgun that can only be used underwater but is crucial to certain missions being that it is the only means of offense when submerged.

Grenade Gun - A grenade launcher that fires long range explosives with a slow firing rate and sluggish recovery.

Nightmare ß(beta) - A mysterious energy rifle that can be charged to create a multiple-projectile blast which all ricochet off the walls and ceiling causing massive damage. Note that this ability drains Dante's Devil Trigger. It is even possible to use it with a weapon that does not have devil trigger powers. However, it gives the minimal charge.

Difficulty

The game has four difficulty modes:

Normal

Easy Automatic

Hard

Dante Must Die!

Ranking

• Completion time
• Orbs collected
• Damage received
• Number of items used
• Secret Missions completed

These requirements are based on a points system. Points are distributed as follows:

Time

• 500 -- Under limit
• 300 -- Over limit by up to 30 seconds
• 200 -- Over limit by up to 2 minutes
• 100 -- Over limit by up to 5 minutes
• 0 -- Over limit by more than 5 minutes

Orbs

• 500 -- Quota met
• 300 -- 80% or more of quota
• 200 -- 50% or more of quota
• 100 -- 30% or more of quota
• 0 -- Less than 30% of quota

Damage

• 500 -- No damage
• 300 -- Minor damage
• 200 -- Moderate damage
• 100 -- Heavy damage
• 0 -- Extreme damage

Item penalties

• -100 -- Holy Water
• -100 -- Devil Star
• -300 -- Vital Star
• -300 -- Yellow Orb
• -500 -- Untouchable

Secret Missions

• Secret Missions 2, 3, 6, 9, and 10 are worth 100 points.
• Secret Missions 1, 4, 5, 8, 11, and 12 are worth 200 points.
• Secret Mission 7 can only be completed between missions, and thus has no rank value.

Devil Hunter Rank

• S -- 1000 or greater
• A -- 800 - 900
• B -- 500 - 700
• C -- 0 - 400
• D -- Less than 0

Unlockables

Trivia

• The English voice track is used in all releases of Devil May Cry, including the original Japanese release.

• Dante makes an appearance in the PlayStation 2 version of Viewtiful Joe, and the PlayStation Portable game as a playable character. The character Alastor is also loosely based on the demon dante turns into in the devil trigger for Alastor(sword)
• The style ranks are: Dull, Cool, Bravo, Awesome, and Stylish.

• Alastor (lat. pl. Alastores) is a demon in Greek mythology and is also known as The Executioner. The name was used in the Harry Potter series for the same reason. Alastor Moody, known as Madeye, is an Auror, a ministery 'cop' who puts away evil wizards and their foul creations.

• Ifrit (Ifreet, Efreet) is a Djinn [Genie] 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.

• On the side of Ebony & Ivory, there is an inscription: "For Tony Redgrave -- By .45 Art Warks".

• Bosses have multiple encounters, much like the Tyrant, Mr. X, and Nemesis.
• The finale of the game involves a countdown timer.
• The Shotgun and Grenade Launcher are signature weapons of Resident Evil games.
• The text "You Are Dead" appears when you run out of Yellow Orbs.
• When one begins presses Start on the title screen of Devil May Cry 3, a deep voice says "Devil May Cry" much in the same way it was said in Resident Evil games.
• Like the ending of Resident Evil 4, you must navigate through an island about to explode on a vehicle, both being inside a cave, on the water.

See also

• Dante Alighieri
• Resident Evil, a related Capcom series.
• Onimusha, another third person action game from Capcom with similarities to Devil May Cry
• Viewtiful Joe, a cel-shaded game where Dante is a hidden character. It's also another series created by Hideki Kamiya.
• , where Dante is an enemy and unlockable party member

External links

• [Devil May Cry at Neoseeker]
• [Devil May Cry at devilmaycry.org]
• [Devil May Cry at Capcom Japan]
• [Devil May Cry at MobyGames]