Demon-slaying serious business in Devil May Cry 4 (+photos)

Hard-to-fault Devil May Cry 4 has exceeded its own high standards.

It's no wonder

Devil May Cry 4

has already sold over two million copies worldwide in the short time it has been out.

This latest addition to the highly-rated action series is by far the most wicked-looking - and its gameplay is far beyond expectations.

And considering the enviable reputation of this long-running, mega-selling series, it's high praise in deed. But the difference between the other three versions - starting back in 2001, and already hard to fault - is vast.

It's the first of the new breed of video games from Capcom in a switch from tradition, DMC 4 is out on multiple platforms hitting the next gen consoles (I played it on Xbox 360) with a charged fist.

Dante, the tall half-man/half-demon monster-hunter, is back doing what he does best - but you start out playing roughly half the game as Nero, a chainsaw-sword-wielding warrior with cool combo moves and brutal weapons that can inflict heavy damage including the powerful "Devil Bringer" demon arm.

The upgradable swords and weapons include basic combat abilities like the advanced dodging and mid-combat maneuvres we've seen in the past.

What we have not seen is the "Devil Bringer" weapon type, which acts more like a utility and can snap-pull his enemies to him and beat the demon crap out of them.

His giant sword has a handle and throttle, which can be revved up before leaping into a devastating attack on an enemy. He's a great character with a 'don't care' attitude unlike the suave Dante with his calm exterior Nero is all-out gung-ho intensity, even during the plot twist at Gran Album Bridge where his girl Kyrie gets taken by the Order demons.

It's the open combat system and the in-depth detail of those fight combo's combined with the stylish hi-def graphics that produce the wow factor when playing this game.

Those combos will trigger dynamic and explosive action scenes and take the fight to the skies with weapons such as the Yamato sword, Blue Rose and the Red Queen, but Dante's weapons take the cake!

There are almost no gameplay slow-downs, and load times are hardly noticable making this game a satisfying winner.

MadGamer's Rating: 9 / 10

Check out the trailer on

YouTube.