Nearly a week on from the release of Devil May Cry 5, I think it’s fair to say that the game has lived up to the hype!
Ever since last week, the reviews have been coming in thick & fast with the majority of players really liking this addition to the series. With a current metacritic score of 87 and many reviewers going close to full marks, it begs the question; is this the best Devil May Cry game in the series to date? Hell, could this even be the best video game that Capcom has released to date?
Before I begin to try answer these questions, check out what we here at Respawning thought of the game (Spoilers, we love it!) with William’s review here and by watching my first impressions in the video below.
The first question to address is the obvious; is Devil May Cry 5 the best in the series to date? Some may not agree, but I think this one for me is a resounding yes! As controversial as this may be to Devil May Cry purists, I really enjoyed the Ninja Theory reboot, and although I would always count the original DMC on PS2 as my favourite of all time, I was always more likely to go and replay the latest reboot than dust off the old classic… And that’s what I love about DMC5 – Being on the current generation of consoles means it of course brings a more modern feel to its combat along with stunning visuals. Unlike the reboot, it is of course the latest entry into the classic run of games, meaning the characters and stories we love from the older titles are all back, essentially giving us the best of both worlds! So for me, that is why this entry is easily the best in the franchise to date and is also an early contender for game of the year as things stand.
So with such high praise, it of course begs the following question.. Is DMC 5 the best game that developer Capcom has released to date? This one is a much tougher question without a doubt. Capcom have a very impressive library of titles, from all the Resident Evil games (Remakes and all) to their classic Street Fighter games, all the Mega Man games, Monster Hunter, Capcom Vs Marvel, Dead Rising… You get the point. So with a library as impressive as theirs, its makes it very hard to say that this latest release is their best work to date… Especially when you consider that many gamers see the Resident Evil 2 remake, released earlier this year, as the best game that Capcom have developed. Side note: Capcom are having an incredible 2019! Others see Resident Evil 7 as their greatest achievement for what it has done for the PlayStation VR – The fighting game fans out there will likely make an argument for one of the Street Fighter games or Marvel vs Capcom; platform lovers will say Mega Man… What I’m saying is, there is no definitive answer here and it comes down to what genre of gaming you like the most. For me, Devil May Cry is my favourite Capcom franchise so yes, DMC 5 is probably the best game they have made for my taste, but it feels unfair to say that with such certainty given the quality that has come before.
Whether or not you agree with me that Devil May Cry 5 is the best game Capcom have ever released, you cannot argue how impressive it is that we are even having this conversation. Let’s not forget, before DMC5 came to be, the franchise was not in a great place… Yes, the Ninja Theory reboot was a lot of fun, but the negative buzz it generated around the legendary name that is Dante didn’t do anybody any favours. Even before that, Devil May Cry 4 which I loved, as did many others, caused a bit of a stir by having the player play the majority of the game as newcomer Nero, not letting us control Dante until way too far into the game where even then, you were just backtracking over Nero’s steps. It didn’t stop it being a great game but it felt like a lot of fans didn’t exactly get the game they were after.
So with all that in mind, it brings me so much joy to hear DMC5 talked about with such high praise. Nero and newcomer V don’t feel like they overshadow Dante and the three playable characters feel perfectly balanced. Dante is Dante again and the whole game feels like classic Devil May Cry revved up to the max for current gen consoles. Is it the best of the series? Is it the best game Capcom have ever developed? Could it be Game of the Year? I don’t care because I have my Devil May Cry back, better than ever and I couldn’t be happier.