Developer: Visceral Games
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Release Date: February 9, 2010
Genre: Action/Adventure
# of players: 1
System(s): PlayStation 3 (& Xbox 360)
ESRB Rating: M
//Story// 9/10
You play the part of an ex-Crusader named Dante, as he journeys through the nine circles of Hell on a quest to save the soul of his beloved Beatrice from the clutches of the fallen angel, Lucifer. To succeed, he must fight his way in and out of each eternal chamber of sin and punishment until he is able to confront the Morning Star, himself. The story is loosely based upon the first part of Dante Alighieri's "Divine Comedy", an epic poem written in fourteenth-century. So it has outstanding reference material to work with. Of course, many liberties were taken when turning the tale into an adventure for gamers. Purists of the book might end up enraged.
//Sound/Music// 8/10
The sounds in this game add to the over-all flavor, everything from his cross attacks to the menu buttons, give off sounds that some how added to my enjoyment, I don't even completely understand how they pulled that off. As for the music, it's very dark and cathedral, you can hear the choir harmonizing while the organs drone. It helps place this game in it's locations, I doubt going to Hell has ever sounded this beautiful before. As for the battle music, it does what it should, takes the background music, pumps it up, speeds it up, adds bass, giving you a rush as you fight the Damned. As you climb deeper into Hell, the screams and out-cries of the punished will actually change depending on which circle of sin you are currently located. Tho let me not forget to mention, the voice acting can range from pretty-good to very good, especially when it comes to the voice of Satan.
//Graphics// 7/10
As I look closely to the detail of the characters and enemies through out the game, I realize that the graphics themselves are average. But the designs and style of the locations you are in can be so overwhelming at times, you can really tell somebody was taking pride in their work. Mind you, I'm referring to in-game graphics. When it comes to the pre-rendered cut-scenes, it can be so surreal, made me wish that they had done more of the game's story telling through this method instead of their low-budget 2D flashbacks which were compressed and quite pixelated at times.
//Gameplay// 9/10
Initially I had this to say when I reviewed the demo: "Call it theft or call it inspired, but this game plays like and includes God of War tactics everywhere, from how you play in-battle, to Quick Time Events, and even a completely familiar "jump on top of the huge guy, stick a weapon in it's head to make it beat up the little baddies below". Heck, you even open health items in practically the same fashion. Tho, what keeps it from being a complete rip off, is that it also takes a little from Devil May Cry with it's weapon use, you're pretty much wielding Sparda. Thank goodness for that cross and use of magic to pull it further and further away from being a God of War clone. That being said, it does take all these elements and some of it's own, making for wicked fun." Now, after completing the retail version of the game, I still feel the same. As for glitches, I didn't experience anything game shattering, but on my first encounter with Death, we both went spiraling through the area floor. Happened once, and the game ran smoothly from then on.
//Longevity/Replay Value// 4/10
Despite the depth of the story, this title is very short and can be beaten in roughly six hours, this includes finding all the collectibles and item hunting. A second run through is only required for Trophy/Achievement Hounds, like myself, that want to fully upgrade Dante's abilities and grab anything you might've missed on your initial play-through. Upon completion, there is an Arena Mode unlocked that is a 50 round, timed, survival, cage battle that adds more time to your clock as you complete each round. Tho, from my experience, this mode wont keep you coming back to the game. --Note: As of this review, the DLC that will add online multiplayer challenges and a custom arena building feature has not yet been released for consideration.--
//Last Words/Final Score// 7/10
Honestly, I wanted to give this game a higher score, but a 7 isn't bad, it's above average... I just expected more out of the replay value. Oh well. I can see a title like this having some serious moral conflicts with people that follow Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran, and so on. But if you play video games, you're already going to hell, so you might as well give this title a whirl. Keep in mind, this game is strictly intended for adults. It can borderline on an AO rating, but what game doesn't these days.
//Buy/Rent/Skip//
At it's launch retail price of $59.99, I wouldn't recommend it. That's why I categorize this title as a Rental. Maybe, if you can find a copy around $30-$20 or less, a purchase would be justifiable.
//Downloadable Content// Dark Forest
This DLC comes with a useful little relic, which lowers the cost of your magic, to use in-game and a "Disco Inferno" alternate costume for Dante. I think the title of the costume is self-explanatory. Aside from that, you also receive a prequel story that has you play as Dante during his trip through the Dark Forest to head home to Beatrice. Tho truth be told, it all seems very thrown together. The Dark Forest is supposed to be a maze you can loose your way in if you do not follow the correct path, but there is only 3 ways you could possibly get lost: 1) You're curiosity got the better of you and you took a wrong turn on purpose. 2) You accidentally go down the wrong path because you weren't paying attention. 3) You're a moron. Ok, that last one might be a bit harsh, but this game is for adults, not kids, and the best puzzle they could come up with to find the correct path through the forest was "Head east from where the moon shines", and then the next puzzle is "Shine a light to the west from where the moon shines". That's it, this DLC is a waste of time. If you have a free voucher for it, by all means, download it, the relic is good and the costume is funny, but if you were questioning buy this, I hope you will take my suggestion when I tell you to skip it.