Devil May Cry: HD Collection

Game Info

There are some people out there, they know who they are, that often argue the futility of re-releasing video games.  They probably say the same thing about movies.  Do we really need a Blu-Ray copy of Reservoir Dogs?  The answer is yes, and I have it.  But I can see their point.  Wouldn’t it be better if these resources would instead make brand new games for us to enjoy and we can just replay our old standard definition and 4:3 aspect ratio copies?  I guess you could say that it depends on the game.  Some may say they were super excited for an HD collection of the PS2 series Ratchet and Clank.  I would not.  But I would argue that the Devil May Cry series is definitely a series worth some polishing and revisiting.

It’s no secret that DMC 2 is definitely the black sheep of the family.  And choosing between which is better, number 1 or 3, is usually split 50/50 with the DMC fans.  I’d have to say that after replaying part 2, it’s not as bad as I remember.  And I do miss its hero-and-playable-female-companion-through-the–same-levels-but-in-reverse dynamic that everyone didn’t even bother to mention.  Hell, everyone loved it in Resident Evil 2!  But if I had to say which of these three games is my favorite, I’d have to give the nod to the third title.  It’s got the most modern version of the series hero, Dante, with his cocky attitude, greater weapon and enemy variety, over the top martial arts acrobatics and utterly outrageous cutscenes, like Dante riding a rocket propelled grenade like a surfboard.

Without a doubt, this is the best way to experience these three action game classics, but it’s not without a few caveats.  Oddly enough, there are some missing graphical effects, such as the swirling orange sky effect in the demon world stages in part 1, which is rather lamely replaced with a generic orange glow: a very puzzling omission.  And during combat, I ran into a few instances of floating or flickering blood splatters.  Also, not all of the cinematics have been given an HD facelift and on an HD screen they stick out like a sore thumb.  Game menus also suffer a similar fate.  Still, these complaints are relatively minor and shouldn’t prevent anyone from giving these three games a shot.  As for new content, the only extras that weren’t in the previous releases are an extensive art gallery and a game soundtrack mode that you can play while looking at said art.  Astute players should check out the concept art for DMC1 and see the games obvious inspiration: Castlevania.  Some of the artworks look like they were taken directly from a Castlevania title, and that’s what most reviewers said about the game.  It’s basically a 3D Castlevania with guns.  And no whip.

Gameplay-wise, these titles have held up really well.  There are a few issues that most modern gamers would have a beef with.  Most notably, would be the almost complete lack of camera control.  DMC3 had a few stages were the camera could be spun left or right, but other than that, it’s basically a 3D version of the old Resident Evil titles with some rather jarring camera shifts that can cause your character to change directions completely.  Another major problem is the frequent use of backtracking, especially near each game’s conclusion, which is also where you’ll run into another problem: recycled boss fights.  Now, the boss fights themselves are great and are always a high point for the series, but after the third time of fighting the same boss, it gets old- especially when they throw multiple recycled boss fights in a row.  Hopefully Ninja Theory’s reboot of the series will eschew this tradition in favor of fresh, invigorating boss encounters each time.

Which leads me to my closing remark: Action game lovers, buy this collection! Support the Devil May Cry brand so that the series stays alive and well.  And when the new DMC comes out in January of next year, go ahead and pick that up, too.  I know.  I know.  They changed Dante’s hair color.  Boo-hoo, and all that.  Seriously people.  It’s hair color.  Get over it.  The gameplay looks solid and I already have my copy pre-ordered.  Do yourself a favor and do the same.  You’ll thank me for it later.