Review: "Devil May Cry: DMC" (2013) "In A World Of Reboots DMC Slashes It's Own Name."

This reboot of the “Devil May Cry” series raises a lot of questions on whether or not Ninja theory did Dante justice by changing his look, his voice actor, and his origin by making his mother an angle instead of just a normal human. I am proud to say that they were able to pull it off bringing new life into a character and opening the doors for more games to follow. To clear the air the new Dante does not act emo… doesn’t bitch or wine about his mother’s death, he doesn’t wear makeup or talk about how much pain he is in and how futile life is.

 He is though a confused and somewhat tortured soul, he has been forced to fight demons ever since he was a little child and even had to kill all the demons in the orphanage that he was living in. Given his personality grounds as to why he acts the way he does. Ninja theory also harkens back to the old Dante as well with his witty quips to demons and his impossible feats of strength and agility in cut scenes. They also made a rather obvious statement rather early in the game when a long haired white wig falls on to Dante’s head and he looks in the mirror and states “not in a million years” meaning that this is a new younger Dante, and more importantly that this is their version of Dante.  Now while many fans of the old Dante hated the new look I personally didn’t mind it Dante needed a reboot there have been no new DMC games for 7 years when the PS3 first came out my only complaint was the change in voice actors but the new guy Tim Phillips did a surprisingly good job and brought a lot more emotion and believability into the character.

Now while we can argue about his looks all day but it’s time to move on from that and into the new combat system. The main new changes that have been made were the removal of the style changing system from Devil May Cry 4 for a newer, sleeker, and faster combat system. Throughout the game you will be acquiring 6 extra weapons after you acquire Rebellion and Ebony and Ivory. The changes that Ninja Theory makes it so that you can switch between these weapons quickly and more fluidly so that you can keep the momentum of combat moving. Also all the motion capture that the actors did have not gone to waste Dante’s moves look much more believable and it looks like his moves actually carry weight and momentum.

Another interesting addition to the combat is the ability to spend and return your upgrade points. In the game you gather upgrade points you can use to unlock combos or weapon damage, and if you decide that the combo you unlocked doesn’t fit your play style then you can simply take the point out and put it in another skill which gives the player a lot of freedom on how they want to play the game.  Now amongst all of these great positives and fun aspects of the game there are a few glaring negative I need to address and that is the awfully short play time, no replay ability, and rewarding players for barreling through levels.  On the story side it only took me about 9 hours to complete on Nephilium which was the hardest start off difficulty and while I did thoroughly enjoy myself and yes there are harder difficulties to play and beat the game on after that I didn’t find myself really wanting to go back and re beat it on a higher difficulty I had beaten the game an knew how it ended there really wasn’t anything keeping me engaged after I had done all there was to do.

Another gripe I had was the fact that the game would time you and reward you the faster you finish a level. That idea to me was ludicrous you already have a short game why encourage players to not look at all the work you put into it but instead reward them for rushing through the game as quickly as possible. What DMC will need to do for a sequel is take a note from “Darksiders” and open up its world. The mission to mission linear game play style go old a while ago, now if after I beat the game there was still a whole world to explore and secrets to find like in “Darksiders” then its replay ability would have been high. However, there is not there is only mission to mission hopping with little exploration because the developer would rather you rush through their game so you can trade it in the next day. 

Greatest Reviews gives “Devil May Cry: DMC” (2013) 4 and half stars out of 5 for its excellent combat system, good story and voice acting I would have to say try and rent it if you can because once you beat it and are not a completionist like me then you will have nothing to occupy your time once the curtain goes down. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> By: Tyler Comp

Review: "Far Cry 3" (2012) Ends 2012 With A BANG!

Let me start off by saying that 2012 had some of the best games! "WWE 13" , "Borderlands 2", "Max Payne 3". The best part of all these games where they were spread out throughout the year. But after November not much else was coming out except for......FAR CRY 3.  Let me start by saying that it should not be "Far Cry 3" is it shouldn't have a "3" in the title because it strays so much away from the others and becomes it's own amazing game! Now...I'll hand the review of to DJ are wrestling expert.

David "Dj" Duarte's thoughts:

Farcry 3 is a rare breed of games that offers a little bit of something for everyone. There is a very solid single player, an in depth mulitplayer, and a co-op mode for those couch gamers like me. In this review I will be touching upon those 3 key aspects to the game, here goes. Starting with the simplest, the co-op can be played via 2 people locally or 4 people online. The story of the co-op is rather silly in nature and leaves much to be desired, however the gameplay is equally as solid as the story so its not all lost.

My biggest problem playing the co-op was you a given a set load out at the beginning of every chapter, (which there are 5 of ranging a total of about 7 hours) you are allowed to steal weapons from fallen enemies however they don't carry over should you die or complete the chapter.

The story gives you some insight into the world of the island, prior to Jason Brody arriving which is the main character of the game. I would say out of the many aspects of this game this is the weakest, that being said I still spent many hours on it, weakest doesn't always mean bad.

Second on the list is the multiplayer, because every good game needs a mulitplayer right? The hands on time I spent with the multiplayer reminded me a great deal of "Call of Duty" dare I say it. The simplicity of customizing guns and kill streaks rely heavy on themes from other popular shooters, however there are little things that make this multiplayer stand on its own " tattooed feet". First is after grinding out levels you can make your own tattoo design to further customize your looks, a tad silly yes but still its new. Secondly an ability called "Warcry" its an area effect that can range from healing, damage resistance, fire proof etc, it adds an additional layer of skill to an otherwise basic fps. Thirdly and lastly is the endgame. Once a match is won the top 3 from the winning team and a player from the losing team have a little cinematic. The cinematic is based on 2 different groups "humiliation" and "mercy".

If you've ever played a first-person shooter  you should know your never gonna see the mercy, watching someone kick another pirate in the junk is funny the first couple of times but really shows the immaturity of the people your playing with. That being said, it is an in depth multiplayer with loads to see and do and with plenty of rewards for people willing to play through and find them, but don't be mistaken this isn't a wild take from the norm its there for multiplayers sake so if your expecting a big change id advise to stay away.

Here is the biggest most expansive portion of the game, the main reason to show any interest. The game starts out with a very well done cinema to show you the insanity of the island and the frailty of the main character Jason Brody. The games main point in the beginning (without any spoilers of course) is to rescue your surviving friends and get off the island. Seems simple right? With an insane man named Voss attempting to thwart your every attempt, it sets the stage for what promises to be a roller coaster of a story. As the game progresses, Jason becomes more obsessed with killing Voss the man who as made his life hell.

Jason's character development in this game really stood out for me, the way he goes from a typical rich kid on vacation, to a "Bonfide Badass" warrior really sets the tone for what proves to be a very dark game. Rambo without the muscles of course!

The story never leaves you wanting, with every triumph comes another problem. Leading to  a almost insurmountable opposition, there is never any shortage of action. Mix this all with a very rewarding skill tree set up you won't be disappointed. This is all without listing the wide breadth of side missions such as finding lost relics scattered about the island, liberating outposts for the rebels unlocks the ability for fast travel, climbing abandoned radio towers unlocks new weapons as well as that section of the map, hunting allows you the ability to craft ammo pouches or bigger wallets, racing leagues, knife throwing and sniper completions all offer you a chance to earn some more money. So there is plenty to dissuade you should you find yourself needing a break from the story.

My final review of the game; Greatest Reviews gives "Far Cry 3" (2012) 4 stars out of 5. The only thing keeping it from a perfect score is co-op leaves much to be desired and the multiplayer is a shadow when they could have done so much more with it. With that all being said I thoroughly enjoyed my time with all the aspects this game has to offer, and would highly recommend it to anyone with the time and patience to dedicate themselves to a world all its own.