Devil May Cry 4

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Devil May Cry 4

Developer(s)	Capcom
Publisher(s)	Capcom
Designer(s)	Hiroyuki Kobayashi (producer) Hideaki Itsuno (director)^[1] Yuji Shimomura (cutscene director)
Engine	MT Framework ^[2]
Release date(s)	^JPN TBA 2007 ^NA Autumn, 2007 ^EU Autumn, 2007^[3]
Genre(s)	Action
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	ESRB: RP (Rating Pending)
Platform(s)	Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC

Devil May Cry 4 (デビルメイクライ4, Devil May Cry 4^?) is the second sequel (Devil May Cry 3 being a prequel) to the Capcom horror-action game Devil May Cry. It was announced in March 2007 that the game would be released simultaneously on PS3, Xbox 360 and the PC platform.^[4] It is being developed by the producers of Resident Evil 4 and the original Devil May Cry.^[5] In the game, the player controls Nero, a new character, in addition to an appearance by series lead Dante, fighting demonic enemies in close combat using firearms, swords and a variety of demonic weaponry in a gothic setting. Also joining the cast is a new female character, Kyrie.

1 Presentation
2 Nero
3 Gameplay
4 Next-Gen improvements
5 Cross-platform move
6 External links
7 Notes and references

[edit] Presentation

A teaser trailer was shown at E³ 2005, depicting Dante traveling through snow and quickly performing some fast, stylish moves. A more substantial second trailer was shown at that year's Tokyo Game Show, where it showed a more rugged and older Dante in a city-like setting. These two teasers showed very little detail of the game itself.

At the 2007 Tokyo Game Show a more complete trailer debuted, along with a playable demo featuring the character Nero.

Images in the issue of Famitsu released March of 2007, show what appears to be Dante as a playable character.

[edit] Nero

Nero, the new main protagonist, and Kyrie stare as Dante makes his entry.

On September 6, 2006, Japanese video game magazine Famitsu reported that series star Dante will not be playing the main role in Devil May Cry 4. Instead, a new character named Nero, voiced and motion captured by Johnny Yong Bosch, will take the lead role.^[6]

Nero resembles both Dante and his brother Vergil, and is part of the Kyo-dan Kishi (Order of the Sword), a group of warriors who worship Sparda.^[7]

Nero's attire consists of blue jeans, a long blue coat, and a red vest. He wields a revolver named Blue Rose which has a distinctive under-and-over double barrel and a decorated single-edged sword called the Red Queen. In the trailer, Nero views Dante as a villain after witnessing Dante murdering members of the Order.

Nero's right arm seems to resemble a demon's and glows supernaturally, and is the source of his "Devil Bringer" power. He apparently was not born with his arm in this state and hears voices demanding more power.^[8]

His name is Italian for "black", which is part of the translation of Sparda's title of "Legendary Dark Knight" when written in Italian: "Cavaliere Nero Leggendario."^[9]

[edit] Gameplay

Nero's weapons shown in the trailer and gameplay videos are his sword the Red Queen, his revolver the Blue Rose, as well as the powers of his "Devil Bringer" arm.

Red Queen is based on the swords used by the Order of the Sword, and Nero has upgraded his to make it much stronger. When Nero twists the motorcycle-like handgrip, a propellant is released which adds to the force of the sword's impact. Blue Rose's over-and-under double barrel allow it to fire two shots at once, and is strong enough to penetrate armor. The Order normally looks down on guns as dishonorable, and only Nero uses one. His arm's "Devil Bringer" power adds a third element of gameplay (in addition to guns and swords), allowing Nero to grab distant enemies, pull them in to be attacked, push them away, or slam them into the ground.^[10]

Producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi indicated that he's focusing his optimizations on gameplay so that controlling characters is less difficult and accessible to all players. Director Hideaki Itsuno also noted that the game will have a more forgiving learning curve than Devil May Cry 3, but will eventually ramp up to that game's level and that players, "won't be able to go back". He further stated that Devil May Cry 4 will feature more weapons, maneuvers, enemies, locations, music, and cutscenes than all the previous releases combined. The October 2006 issue of GameInformer also said some form of multiplayer play was being investigated by the development team. DMC4 looks to continue the series' tradition of huge bosses, as the demo features a battle between Nero and a gigantic fire monster called Variel, which shares its name with an angel mentioned in the Sefer Raziel HaMalakh ("Book of Raziel the Angel").^[11]

[edit] Next-Gen improvements

Itsuno said in the Famitsu article that the visuals attempt to deliver a satisfying feel of being in the air, and that the actions of Nero's right arm could not be done on then-current generation consoles, and only on the PS3.^[12] This may be contradicted by the announcement of the game coming to the Xbox 360 and PC, assuming each version will share the effects.^[13] Gameplay visuals, shown at TGS 2006, demonstrate this game mechanic in action.

[edit] Cross-platform move

On March 19, 2007, Capcom announced the game would not be a PS3 exclusive, as had been first announced, and would also be released for the Xbox 360 and the PC. In a thread questioning the move on the official Capcom message board the company's senior director of strategic planning and research, Christian Svensson, responded to the negative reaction by saying that they were moved by people's strong feelings about the decision, but that it was the best decision for the company and consumers.^[14]