Well, here we are again. Another adventure in the life of the white haired, suave and sophisticated man we’ve all come to know as…. Nero? Yes indeed, Devil May Cry 4 has done a Metal Gear Solid and introduced another character to spice things up a little, but the question is, will this new character divide gamers as much as MGS did with Raiden? Let’s have a look, shall we?

The story begins with Nero arriving fashionably late for a church meeting, but makes it in time to hear his love interest, Kyrie, sing a beautiful aria. No sooner has she finished than our hero’s right arm begins to glow, signalling the imminent arrival of trouble. The only difference this time is the enemy is none other than DMC front man Dante, who proceeds to kill the minister and beat off some henchmen, before having a one on one with our new hooded star.

From this point onwards the pace is relentless, with a nice blend of running through beautifully realised backdrops and the now standard array of puppet enemies, as well as some rather stunning main bosses to slay. That’s not to say that there aren’t the occasional puzzles thrown in as well, as there are some relatively easy brain teasers lingering in the depths of this disk, as well as the now obligatory matrix style slow-mo action sequences, but all in all, this has the feel and atmosphere of the original Devil May Cry.

There are 20 missions standing between you and victory, not including the secret ones scattered across the many landscapes that make up the game. As is now customary for a Devil May Cry game the graphical sheen is more polished than a bald man’s head and this begins to hit home just what modern consoles can do in the hands of experienced programmers and storytellers. The lighting, models and textures all feel so slick it astoundingly blurs the line between full motion video and in game graphical ability.

The audio abilities of this series have always been top notch and really get you in the mood when throwing your do-gooder around. Nothing has changed here, with that great mix of hard hitting electro-drums and massive guitar riffs create a blood pumping atmosphere. The massive sound effects when using sword, double barrelled pistol or even Nero’s Devil Bringer array of arm weaponry add profoundly to the palpable ambience. It has to be said that even the normally cheesy dialogue that has plagued a lot of Capcom’s software in the past (the infamous Resident Evil’s master of unlocking still haunts some people) is nowhere near as bad as it used to be. In fact it’s pretty damned good and can only fill people with hope for Resident Evil 5’s vocals when it rears its head later in the year.

If there’s been one thing that’s plagued the Devil May Cry bandwagon, it’s the inconsistency of gameplay. The first game set the bar very high when PS2 owners feared a survival horror hand-me-down, but actually got a very fulfilling action-fest that impressed many. But then the sequel undid all that sterling groundwork by giving us something that just didn’t cut it. Dante’s Awakening (or DMC 3 to its friends) managed to claw back some dignity from the remains of the previous title’s slightly sub standard infrastructure.

With the fourth instalment, however, we see a grateful return to form. We have our short, sharp bursts of action, with more moves than a Street Fighter 2 convention; the subtle breaks in the violence - whether it be rolling a massive dice in a game where the stakes are high; or just trying to get that final blue orb fragment to give you more health. There’s always something more than just the core blast and slash moments. When the cut scenes do come they further increase the emotional tie between player and console, making you want to help Nero (and Dante in later levels) to defeat their grotesque and menacing foes.

Some people may complain and say that Capcom played it safe and didn’t really do anything different enough to change the game for a new set of players. I don’t agree. This is a respected and cult-bolstered franchise that simply wouldn’t be the game we remembered had too many gameplay liberties been taken for the sake of expanding a demographic. The fights with Sparda or the first time you left the castle on the hill and ran across the bridge to see just how stunning this one piece of software was at the time, these were the very things that made this franchise as adored as it is now. This new addition to the series further cements just how good the characters and storylines really are. Perhaps we’ll see some new things in Devil May Cry 5, but sometimes you have to go back to go forward and if you ever need proof, here it is.

All in all this is a great addition to what has gone before and demands to be played. It doesn’t have any online frills that so many games feel the need to include these days, but that really doesn’t matter. It has a great storyline mixed with some luscious eye candy and a soundtrack lifted straight from a Goth’s iPod – and that’s more than enough.

Sure, there may be some points where you have to backtrack to point B to use or activate item A, but it’s not that often. The difficulty level is spot on and there’s also that feeling of childhood annoyance when, like a High School paper, the level ends and you’re thinking you deserve an A for being so incredibly stylish, but you end up with a C.

This game deserves a good home, so I’d recommend you get it and enjoy it for what it is, which is a thrilling experience from beginning to end.