Retro Review: Devil May Cry

Genre: Action/Adventure
Developer: Capcom Studio 4
Publisher: Capcom Entertainment
Released: October 2001

Now that I’m no longer on a day-to-day review beat, it’s given me the opportunity to go back and play games I never had time to experience before (or titles I liked so much that I felt compelled to play them again). I’ve also decided to create a new blog series called “Revisited”, so that I can actually give myself an excuse to go ahead and tell you about them — especially since my writing opportunities are so limited now.

Anyhow, this past weekend I went back to play one of my favorite PS2 games of all time, the original Devil May Cry — and let me tell you something, it really holds up.

The spider boss -- who could forget?

Despite being close to six years old, DMC1 looks and feels great. Though it doesn’t have the same responsiveness that Dante’s Awakening did (nor does it have the gameplay variety), it’s still among the best action/ adventure games the PS2 has ever seen. Even by today’s standards, the mass enemy confrontations are intense and the boss battles are challenging (the first big fight against “Phantom” is still hard if you’re not powered up enough).

Perhaps the most amazing thing, though, is how fantastic DMC looks (especially with PS3 smoothing turned on). Even when compared to more modern PS2 titles like God of War of Shadow of the Colossus, Dante and friends hold their own; especially when it comes to the environmental detail, which is super high-end.

Granted, there are a couple of things that bother me now more than they did in 2001 (namely the occasionally-bitchy camera, the first-person-powered underwater level, and Secret Mission #1… Damn you critical Hit!), but I’ve also come to appreciate the stage design and progression system a lot more as well. All in all, it’s an outstanding way to spend your week if you feel like going Demon-Retro.

Final Score: 9/10 (Outstanding)