DmC is Finally Playable. What Did You Think?

Devil May Cry, or as Capcom is now calling it, DMC, is finally playable to the public thanks to a public demo on Xbox Live and Playstation Network. My enthusiasm for the game is no secret. I have found myself on the opposite side of public outcry ever since Ninja Theory was revealed to be the team behind the controversial project. My enthusiasm remains strong but there are definitely a few things that any fan of the series should know (and subsequently accept, and get over) going into this game:

• Dante is strange and familiar at the same time - Outside of the obvious visual updates to the character, Dante remains true to the character by being as cocky and snarky as one should expect. 
• DmC Runs on the Unreal Engine - While prior Devil May Cry games were designed on Capcom's sexy MT Framework, Ninja Theory has chosen to work with Unreal Engine on this project. As a result, the game looks drastically different by handling framerate, lighting, and physics differently than previous efforts. 
• On a related note, DmC runs at 30 FPS (Frames per Second) - This is perhaps this biggest roadblock for a lot of fans of the series. Ninja Theory has developed their most competent combat system to date but has failed to achieve the famed 60 FPS that the original games are known for. A bit of the fluidity and grace that the original games possessed has been sacrificed but not necessarily at the cost of fun. Many may abandon ship because of this but the game that is there is still fun to control for those who give it a chance. 
• Plot is important now - Devil May Cry has always been ridiculous. Of course, that has been part of its charm since the beginning. I love the over-the-top characters but the writing has never walked in stride with the action on screen. I can only assume that Ninja Theory was chosen because of their knack for developing strong characters and interesting plots to go with their games. Like it or not, the plot will play a bigger role in this game than previous efforts and we may even be expected to care about the characters. Not an easy task by any means but if anyone can do it, Ninja Theory can. 

I spent the better part of my Sunday toying with the combat system, finding secrets, and testing out both console versions of the demo (I personally preferred the Xbox version on both a technical and gameplay level). On our most recent podcast, I expressed my continued enthusiasm for the title despite my concerns regarding the less than stellar boss encounter. I still fully support the new visual and thematic stylings that Ninja Theory has injected into the series because it was starting to feel stale to me. The combat is fun but the continued development and complexity beyond the demo remains to be seen.

Enough About That, What Did You Think?

I asked members of the community what they thought about the demo on twitter (You can follow me @nickh0630) and here are some of the responses: 

Tony from Germany said:

"The combat feels like it has more weight to it and it actually helps, that the camera is closer to the character, compared to previous games. The new Dante is cool and more serious, I like the fresh take on the series.
Also the higher difficulties are cool, e.g. the Son of Sparda let's the enemy use different tactics."

Simon says (hehe): 

"The demo seems to suggest this will be a more than compotent action game, but it's not a Devil May Cry game. The old DMC gameplay is fantastic, and one of the main draws of the series, of course, but it's only part of an overall experience. Cut out the other important elements and replace them with something completely different, and that appeal diminishes."

Christopher says:

"As a fan of dmc 1, 3 and 4 I was one of the people afraid of ninja theory taking over.  After playing the demo, my fears have completely dissipated.  The combat is there, it feels quick enough and deep enough and I think it measures up pretty well to the predecessors.  I think the story and character/world design will be a point of contention among fans but to me it is a breath of fresh air and not the same old thing we've seen 4 times now."

Jackson says: 

"Very satisfying but the X button being the gun button kind of messed me up."

Aaron says:

"DmC finds itself in the same category as MGRising in that they are two unnecessary games that are stylistically incompatible with the rest of the franchise, very much on purpose but back it up by being high quality games. DmC's demo has shown good combat with potentially pace breaking Uncharted style storytelling and while I don't know if it will work out, it has certainly earned a preorder to find out."

Thank you to everyone who wrote in with their thoughts. The opinions have been all over the place though I am pleased to see that some of the more pessimistic people out there have warmed up to the game. If you have opinions based on the gameplay in the demo, please share them in the comments section below! DmC launches on January 15, 2013 on PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.