Devil May Cry 4 Demo Review

Capcom's Devil-Slasher series "Devil May Cry" will be released on Feb. 5, 2008 for the PS3 and Xbox 360 - but you can play the demo now.

Last Thursday Capcom made a "trial" of the game available on the Playstation Network and Xbox Live Marketplace.

Download is complete, the demo has been played, and a review follows:

(note: this review represents the version as available thought the Playstation Network)

Four words sum up the demo of Devil May Cry 4: More of the Same.

Fans of the series will immediately feel right at home with Devil May Cry 4 - almost too much at home.

The same artistic scheme, control scheme, musical arrangement, and overall feel of the demo feels almost exactly like Devil May Cry 1 though 3.

Updated and wonderfully rendered visuals are a welcoming addition considering the horribly muddled visuals of Devil May Cry 2 will only minor improvements in the game's previous installment.

This is a visually appealing title with wonderfully well crafted cinematics. In addition, realtime rendered character movement and combat is distinctly fluid with a traditional control scheme that feels just as natural.

The addition of special moves from the "Devil Bringer" option allow you to create new combinations with the circle button as well as an option to charge your sword by "grinding" with R2. Sadly, the demo does not make much use of the "grinding" function as it does with the "Devil Bringer" commands.

The somewhat out-of-place heavy guitar riff musical score during combat still feels out of place at times. Yes, it does give you some motivation to kick as much butt as possible to rack up a huge style score, but it just does not match the rest of the game's feel.

As for the game's overall storyline and plot, little is added in the demo of Devil May Cry 4 but newcomer Nero appears to be the highlighted character. I say appears because, series hero Dante and Nero are designed so closely together that it is hard to distinguish from the two. Perhaps there is a connection in association with the plot? You never know.

Nevertheless, the demo allows you to either rush through a 10-min section of a city landscape slashing enemies or battling through two bosses.

The bosses are pretty sweet. The second include a huge fire demon named Berial, Balrog anyone? (Yes, I made a Lord of the Rings reference).

Your battle with Berial is one suspenseful and fun encounter. It is literally a beautiful mess of flailing swords, arms, legs, and tails all encompassed in a glorious ring of fire.

Lets hope that when Devil May Cry 4 actually hits shelves next week that we see more of that.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed - Tech Demo

Check out this sweet video detailing some of the technical aspects of Lucas Arts's upcoming Sith-speriance:


Too bad no official release date has been set.

GTA IV and Super Smash Release Dates Changed

Release dates are never a tell-all for video games.

The last week has proven a such.

Just in case you have been living under a rock lately, Super Smash Bros. Brawl has been official delayed (again) to March 9, 2008 according to the game's official website.

Lets hope that is the last of the delays for Nintendo's desperately needed title.

In another severe case of desperation, Rockstar released an official press release today hailing their "official" launch date for Grand Theft Auto IV:

April 29, 2008.

The game that was supposed to compete heavily with Halo 3 as last Fall's top-selling title was initially to be released last October, but was delayed under rumor of developmental problems with the Playstation 3 and add-on content for the Xbox 360.

Nevertheless, this is much sooner than many had expected.

Lets just hope that both of these games will be released on time.

The ESA Turns Special Interest Group

A surprising article in the New York Times reports that the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) will be supporting U.S. political candidates by establishing a political action committee (PAC).

What this means is that the association that represents major video game publishers will be financially supporting political candidates who are favorable to the gaming industry.

The federal restriction on the amount of donation says that the ESA may not donate any more than $5,000 to any campaign, but the mere fact that the ESA is using financial backing to coarse candidates justifiably labels them as a special interest group.

However, the benefits for the industry and the consumers may result in fewer disputes over game content and the viability of restriction.

The NY Times article does an excellent job of illustrating previous conflicts between Congress and the video game industry; nevertheless, the First Amendment has upheld in nearly every case that undo restrictions are not justified.

Another potentially positive outcome of this new action by the ESA may result as the identification of video games as a major form of mass media.

Total earning have surpassed that of motion picture industry and show no sign of slowing. Media content of video game related issues such as Congressional disputes as well as major console released have gathered national attention.

Even look at all the blogs devoted to this stuff...

Furthermore, one major goal of THIS particular blog is to identify that video games are not solely a child-oriented toy, but a lucrative, serious, and profitable medium.

That is what is meant in Video Game Freedom.

Even More Super Smash Characters

The official website of Nintendo's beat 'em up soon-to-be blockbuster hit "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" still has a knack for letting very little details trickle through.

The newest of the updates include the addition of "Pikmin and Captain Olimar" from Nintendo's "Pikmin" series.


The site also includes some detail into what this character is able to do.

Lets hope to see more before the game's scheduled release on Feb. 10.

Star Wars Meets Soul Calibur; Resistance 2 Revealed

Two minor stories wrapped into one:

First, in the newest installment of the Soul Calibur series - "Soul Calibur IV" - players will be able to play as their favorite characters from the Star Wars universe - as long as they are either Darth Vader or Yoda.


1up.com reported that the game's expected summer release will feature Darth Vader and Yoda as playable characters.


However, much like how Soul Calibur II teased us with console specific characters, these characters will also be console specific with Vader on the PS3 and Yoda on the Xbox 360.

In other news, Gamespot.com recently reported that the February edition of video game magazine "Game Informer" will include a feature story boosting exclusive coverage of the sequel to the uber-successful PS3 launch title "Resistance: Fall of Man."


Not much in the way of details in known about the game, so keep an eye out for Game Informer's new edition.

Xbox 360 May Go Blu-ray

After all the hub-bub of CES 2008, a recent article released by Reuters suggests that Microsoft's Xbox 360 may begin to support Sony's Blue-ray high-definition disc player.

After the recent announcement that Warner Bros. will now fully support the Blu-ray format beginning in May and with looming rumors that film-giant Paramount may also follow suit, it seems likely that the gaming giant may abandon Toshiba's HD DVD format.

This represents an interesting implication within the console war in that Microsoft may support a digital video format originated by Sony, thus creating an interesting cross-competition support agreement.

Another question is if Sony would allow Microsoft to include the drive built-into the Xbox 360 consoles or if only an attachment (much like the HD DVD drives now) would be the only viable option?

And if so, how much would Sony charge for access to the hardware?

It seems that this generation's format war may also provide some implication and guidance to whom this generation's console war victor may be.

5 of the Best Games You've Never Played

Since there is not much happening in the gaming world aside from CES and Warner Bros. going Blue-Ray exclusive, lets look at five games that are totally awesome and that very few have ever played:

Jet Force Gemini










This diamond of a game was one of the few outstanding title in the waning years of the N64. This is also another one of Rare's best produced games. Third-person shooter action mixed with an amazing soundtrack, co-op mode, amazing graphics, and hours of replay value due to the games numerous collectibles make is one of the stand-out titles of the generation that nearly no one played.


Beyond Good and Evil












This action-adventure title had everything going for it. Excellent gameplay, a great story, a wonderful soundtrack, awesome characters, and an overall lengthy experience. This is one game that could have launched a series that could have surpassed that of Rachet and Clank and certainly Jak and Daxter. You've never played it and is available for the PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, and PC.


Pong: The Next Level









Don't let Gamespot's horrible review fool you, this is one fun game. You never thought that Pong would be so fun. You can grab the ball and throw it, make it larger, and manipulate the defender paddle in various ways to make the game just that interesting. Lots of fun and two player modes make it all the better.


Pinball Quest









Another new twist to an old classic, except this one was on the NES in 1990. This pinball-palooza included three classic style pinball level, but also featured an adventure style pinball story. You faced bosses, collected keys to unlock doors, and even read text for a storyline! How weird is that? Nevertheless, this was one quest that no one played, but is a ton of fun.


Bubble Bobble










One of my personal favorites as a child - Bubble Bobble the original game where the cute dinosaur guys from Bust-A-Move originated. But in this game you shoot bubbles from your mouth to trap enemies and then jump on them to turn them into delicious fruit. The game's 100 levels provides one of the hardest challenges in video game history. If you don't get the chance to play the original NES version, you can pick-up the GBA revival which comes complete with an updated version of the game.