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GuardianE9999
129,439
TA Score for this game: 2,925
Posted on 21 April 12 at 19:47, Edited on 24 April 12 at 04:05 |
This review has 15 positive votes and 0 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
Every once in a while, a title comes along that re-defines the future of gaming. It's a turning point in game development, and spawns hundreds of budget clones that try to cash in while it's hot. In 2001, DMC was one of those games. It single-handedly invented the action game genre as we know it. DMC3 invented true Stylish Action- with weapon switching, extensive mobility options, and over-the-top attacks.
The ports are really solid. I had some concerns after reading about the problems with other HD collectiosn recently, like the Silent Hill HD Collection. Visuals are crisp and clean, and the games look excellent considering their age. DMC1's textures hold up surprisingly well (shows how far good art direction can go) aside from the pixelated skybox or so. DMC3 looks absolutely gorgeous. They added some anti-aliasing, and the motion capture looks impressive even by today's standards. The only gripe that some people might have is that various menus and cutscenes (the ones that are full motion video) are still in 4:3 ratio. This isn't a dealbreaker for me, and recreating these videos would have been pretty impractical.
Some people are saying that they stretched the aspect ratio of the games to fit the widescreen. This is totally erroneous. They actually widened the viewing area to 16:9, which makes some of the camera angle griefs much better.
Of course, the entire series runs at 60fps for buttery smooth combat. No hiccups or framerate issues. No technical glitches or bugs. The gameplay is pretty much flawless.
As for extras, the Vault comes with a collection of never before released pre-production concept art. One of the other reviewers on Amazon said that this is all stuff you can get on the internet, but it's simply not true. There are several pieces of art from back when DMC1 was a Resident Evil title. These never made their way to the general public. There's also a nice selection of music from each of the three titles. This is, unfortunately, incomplete, but it's still a nice touch. Throw your favorite track on while you peruse the gallery.
DMC2 is a throwaway title. It always has been. Don't let that discourage you because DMC1 and DMC3 together are worth well more than the $40 asking price. Even so, it looks as good as it ever has.
If you have ANY interest at all in action games, maybe you want to see what all the hubbub is about, or if you want to revisit these incredible titles with gorgeous visuals, you owe it to yourself to pick up this collection.
EDIT: As someone pointed out, I failed to address the achievements in the game. Sorry about that! There are 99 achievements, and some of them are pretty difficult, ensuring a nice, healthy TA ratio. They're pretty exhaustive (completing difficulties, beating bosses, maxing characters). Be prepared to complete the Bloody Palace modes and Dante Must Die if you want 1000/1000. Frankly, they wimped out a little because they don't force you to S rank all missions in all difficulties, like in DMC4.
About half of the achievements can be earned just by playing through each game once, though.
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Marc Pilkington
78,777
TA Score for this game: 2,292
Posted on 27 May 12 at 00:15, Edited on 27 May 12 at 12:11 |
This review has 8 positive votes and 0 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
As someone who had only ever played Devil May Cry 4, this was a new experience for me and so that aspect will be mirrored in this review as someone 'new to the old' as it were. I wanted to see what all the hub-bub was about and boy was I in for a treat.
Ever since its original release in 2001, Devil May Cry has been an extremely popular series. It was just a long time coming until Capcom would release the three original games in a package like this. As someone who played these through from scratch, it was a very fun experience!
DMC1: The first game of the series was an instant classic. It introduced new fighting mechanics which brought along a whole new genre in itself. The combo/hack and slash fighting style was fun and fresh back then, and it still feels just as good as ever now. I felt that it was a very good introduction to the series. It presented a challenge, but this challenge was definitely doable. The characters of Dante and Trish were well thought out and the stories behind them were interesting and engaging. The combos and skills available do not seem as extensive as in the later games (3 and 4), but that is understandable considering its age. I felt that it wasn't too hard to pull off good combos but at the same time I felt quite skillful when doing so. A good balance in that respect. The bosses were interesting, and it was actually quite fun and nostalgic looking at the cutscenes and suchlike. The HD graphics seem well suited to the game and it has set the scene for a great series.
DMC2: I can see why this was seen as the weakest of the series. In a way Capcom went down a step with how they presented the game. The over-the-top combos and fighting of the originals seems almost non existent due to the 'casualising' of the whole game. You're able to chose from Dante and another character called Lucia. Both of them are automatically given all the skills like double jumping from the get go and the only things to spend orbs on is items and leveling up weapons. It is quite nice to be able to not worry about what skills to purchase constantly, but it takes away the challenge somewhat. The fact that the fighting is fit for casual gamers and so is basically a button mashing fest with a bit of dodging (from the B Button) doesn't help. It still does feel like Devil May Cry though thanks to the ever so crazy monsters and bosses that you face. It's a bit of a shame though that the campaigns of both Dante and Lucia are so short. Playing through both of them still adds up however. I was a bit miffed that the main story from the first game was not even there. Instead we followed Lucia's story of trying to stop a power crazed man called Arius in basically becoming the ruler of the world or something along those lines (as well as some dotty old woman helping you along the way). Regardless of all this though, I still did have fun fighting through the missions due to never experiencing the game before. (perhaps I was one of the few?)
DMC3: This was definitely my favourite of the three, even of the entire series. The awesome story and new fighting system that was introduced reignited lost hope of fans after the overall disappointing DMC2 back in the day. It serves as a prequel to the first game, explaining what was behind Dante's amulet, and the feud with his brother, Vergil (now he is quite a character). Dante has a very funny and cocky personality, and it is prevalent throughout the whole game. It never gets old though because the lines always stay fresh. The new and fleshed out combo system is what pushed this game to the top. Here we have the fantastic stylish combat that makes Devil May Cry so unique. As you fight with the multitude of weapons at your disposal, you're constantly striving for that elusive S rank and trying not to get hit. The changing of weapons at just a touch of a button makes this all the more fluid. From 1 minute Dante can be using his sword, Rebellion, to slice through the enemies, the next he could be using the dual wield weapon, Agni and Rudra, to lash out at those demons. This one took me the longest to complete as I felt it was the most challenging and had the most on offer in terms of content. The bosses all look great in HD form and I had fun from beginning to end. Getting through that infamous Dante Must Die difficulty is going to take all the skill I have. The other 2 games will also be fun to go through again as well.
Achievement wise there is a lot to be done. There are a total of 99 achievements to get and they are spread evenly over all 3 games. To be able to get the full 1000 you pretty much have to get everything out of each. This includes beating all difficulties, beating all bosses, upgrading skills and weapons, and completing different challenges (secret missions, S ranking, not dying etc). It will be a long and potentially tough one to complete, but will definitely be fun and worth it.
Overall I feel that Devil May Cry HD is an absolute gem. Capcom have given us the chance to experience a series that has changed the face of gaming in shiny HD and all on one disc! It's a bit of an annoyance that you have to dashboard if you want to switch to a different game in one session, but it's nothing too game-breaking. As a newcomer of the originals, it has widened my knowledge of the story of Dante, and I have had an immense amount of fun so far. As I write this review I still have a lot to do, but I look forward to every minute of it! I would have given 4 stars, but as a complete package it has definitely earned a top score from me.
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Liam Rising
184,012
TA Score for this game: 2,925
Posted on 16 April 12 at 10:30, Edited on 17 April 12 at 08:21 |
This review has 11 positive votes and 4 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
Ok since devil may cry HD did not have a review i thought i would try and write on for it. Please note this is my first review so be nice.
Anyway devil may cry was a smash hit game series on ps2 and ps3 then we got dmc4 and because of that the HD collection also went to Xbox. the hd collection is all on one disc and are ports of the original ps2 versions of dmc1, dmc2 and dmc3 special edition which lets you play as both Vergil and Dante although requires one play through of Dante to be Vergil. the game lets you select which one of the 3 games you want to play but once you select a game unfortunately you have to dashboard to switch to another which is a bit annoying but not too much.
Graphics
The graphics are the same as all other HD remakes the blurriness is gone, better pixel quality and a sharper image. all 3 devil may cry’s look so much better in hd compared to the originals which is a good thing though a few things still look like they were forgotten health bar for example.
gameplay
If you have played devil may cry 4 before then it may seem like a step backwards because of the vast differences. The game play itself is a hack and slash with a lot of combos to learn and abilities to master. The controls remain the same throughout all 3 games with a few changes and additions. The difficulty is everything you expect from a hack and slash. Normal is standard, hard is well hard and Dante must die will challenge even veteran players of the series. It also has a lot of secret unlockables and characters along the way.
story
in devil may cry 1 Dante is approached by a mysterious women called Trish and told the prince of the underworld is resurrected and takes him to mallet island to fight him just as his father sparda did 2000 years ago.
In devil may cry 2 Dante and Lucia both take a journey to stop the evil sorcerer Arius from opening the demon world and becoming a god. Dante continues to follow in the footsteps of his father sparda.
Devil may cry 3 is a prequel to one and focuses on 3 characters twin sons of the demon knight sparda Vergil and Dante. Both equipped with mementos from both their mother Eva and farther sparda they both take different paths. Dante hunts demons just like his father while Vergil wants the ultimate power his farther sparda had sealed away. Also a mysterious women also shows up with a family tie in the story
achievements
The game has 99 achievements. Yes I said 99 considering its 3 games it is not too bad. Most of the achievements worth 5g are easy to acquire while some which are 20g-40g are either time consuming or quite challenging. Anyone looking for an easy 1k better look elsewhere otherwise the list is quite rewarding for your effort.
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