After being a bit put off by the crazy difficulty of Devil May Cry 3, I wasn't quite sure what to expect out of this next-gen sequel. However, it seems that Capcom has managed to take a pretty hardcore action series and bring it back down to Earth with a more manageable starting difficulty that is bound to expand the existing DMC fan base.

This time out we're introduced to Nero as our main character, with Dante taking a bit of a backseat to the action only to be controllable later in the game. Don't think of this as a complete misstep on Capcom's part though, instead Nero's gameplay ended up being the most enjoyable experience of the entire game for me, and during Dante's sections I found myself wishing that I could bring back Nero and his Devil Bringer, a new grappling hook style mechanic available only to Nero.

Nero's back story isn't really provided, so we're not given much information on how he came to be and what his motivations are outside of what is presented in DMC4's paint by numbers plot. However, this emo demon hybrid definitely knows how to fight, and in no time you'll feel yourself absorbed into the intuitive and rewarding combo system and orb collecting that the previous games have always excelled at.

However, while Nero does add a bit of freshness to the tried and true action formula of the series, the platforming elements introduced are more bothersome than fun, and a few of the puzzles end up hurting the game by breaking up the action with tedious backtracking and some slow moving statue fetch quests. Thankfully both elements aren't frequent enough to completely distract you from the fun that comes from slicing the hell out of countless demon hordes, but they can definitely be annoying when they pop up.

When you're finally given control of Dante (a little after the halfway point), a few of the level design flaws begin to show thru. The game was obviously built with Nero and the Devil Bringer in mind, so for Dante you're forced to back track thru the previous Nero levels, with entire sections cut off from access because Dante has no way to grapple from one place to another. The game does a pretty good job of pushing you to a particular path, but you can definitely lose your way here and there. Dante's gameplay is solid though, and while I definitely appreciated using Nero more, some of the more hardcore fans will fall right in line with Dante's stance switching (Gunslinger, Sword Master, Royal Guard, Trickster), and it will probably feel a bit like coming home for those players as far as the series is concerned.

The boss battles are just as enjoyable and frantic as they've been in previous entries, each of them carrying their own specific weak points and patterns that change thru the course of each fight. A few of the bosses are literally colossal in size, and with the new hardware abilities available Capcom really does a good job of selling the epic nature of Demon vs. Demon battles.

The addictive nature of the gameplay becomes enhanced with a slew of unlockables upon finishing Devil Hunter mode, including the much harder Son of Sparda difficulty, Bloody Palace (a 101 level gauntlet of enemies and bosses), and upon completing Son of Sparda you can unlock even more difficulty levels, including a 1 hit kill and die mode, along with super versions of both Dante and Nero. Combine this with a bit of leaderboard action that keeps track of total end game scores and level by level breakdowns, and you can spend a lot more time than the basic 10-12 hours the game will take to complete.

So while Devil May Cry 4 is basically a shinier version of DMC3 with a few new gameplay mechanics, it still doesn't disappoint, and makes for a strong first showing on both the PS3 and the 360. It also marks a great jumping on point for newcomers with a more balanced difficulty level and a decent checkpoint/continue system, but offers plenty of harder modes for the die-hard fans. Easily one of the best action games in recent years, and something that I can suggest picking up to everyone out there.