Devil May Cry

Devil May Cry is a series of five hack and slash video games set in the modern day. The series was developed by Capcom and created by Hideki Kamiya. Originally intended to be a sequel in Capcom's Resident Evil series, Devil May Cry was such a radical departure from the series' style that it was developed into a new property entirely. The series centers on main character Dante's goal of avenging his mother's murder by exterminating demons. The gameplay consists of heavy combat scenes in which the player must attempt to extend long chains of attacks while avoiding damage in order to exhibit stylized combat; this element along with time and amount of items collected and used are taken under consideration when grading the player's performance.

The series has been a success with the first three games selling multiple million copies and being awarded the "Platinum Title" award by Capcom. The success of the video game series has led to the creation of comic books, novelizations, an anime series, guides, collectibles, publications, and a variety of action figures.

During the 2010 edition of the Tokyo Game Show Capcom revealed a new game named DmC Devil May Cry. The new game is developed by Ninja Theory and centers on a younger version of Dante.

Series origins

In 1998, after the completion of Resident Evil 2, preliminary work on a PlayStation 2 installment of the Resident Evil series began under the direction of Hideki Kamiya, under the name "Team Little Devil".^[1] Early research and development work included a trip to Spain to examine various castles as a basis for the game's environments. However, in prototype status, it proved to be a radical departure from the established Resident Evil formula and the survival horror genre in general. Rather than abandon the project entirely, the premise was changed and it eventually became Devil May Cry.^[2]

Common gameplay elements

The gameplay of the series focuses primarily on fast, highly stylized combat; gaining a high style ranking requires long attack and evasion strings while avoiding damage. In later games, the system was slightly modified so players had to actively vary the attacks used, so as to maintain the style rank. The style rank is tracked during combat with letter grades, from worst to best: D, C, B, A, S. They are also represented by words that start with the first letter of the class, "Dull" for D for example. The third game introduced "SS" and "SSS" ranks, which continues in the fourth. The player's performance on each level is also ranked using these letters.^[3]

The game also features some puzzle-solving and exploration elements retained from its survival horror beginnings, but these are downplayed; Devil May Cry games put emphasis on action.

The Devil Trigger ability enables the player's character to transform into a devil-like form with additional powers based on their current weapon, while the character's strength and speed increase and health is slowly restored.^[3] Notable weapons in the series include the swords Force Edge/Sparda in Devil May Cry,^[4] Rebellion in Devil May Cry 2,^[5] and Yamato in Devil May Cry 3.^[6] The first three games also eliminated the need to reload or reserve ammunition.

Dante is generally the lead character in the games, though in the second game Trish was available for play, Devil May Cry 2 featured another character who could be selected instead of him (Lucia), theSpecial Edition of Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening allowed the player to use Vergil, and Devil May Cry 4 features a new protagonist named Nero.

Series innovations

Each game in the series has added new elements to the gameplay.

Devil May Cry introduced the 'style!' meter and ranking, encouraging players to attack continuously while avoiding damage.^[3]

Devil May Cry 2 introduced the ability to perform combination attacks in mid-air and an evasion button. It also introduced a weapon-change button, so the player could cycle through ranged weapons without switching to the inventory screen.

Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening added a selection of gameplay styles, allowing the player to focus on their favorite techniques or weapons, whether it be swords, guns, evasion or defense. Each of the four basic styles gain experience points, which unlock more techniques and abilities without costing 'red orbs', the common currency of the series. A second weapon-change button was added, allowing the player to cycle through the character's melee weaponry, specifically known as Devil Arms, as well.^[7]

Devil May Cry 4 brings one major innovation in the form of main character Nero's "Devil Bringer" arm, which gives players the ability to pull distant enemies in to be attacked, or smash them into the ground. Nero is also armed with a sword that can be "revved" up via a throttle handle, allowing players to precharge the sword for extra damage on the next hit, or with precise timing it can be charged after each attack, for extra damage and style. As Dante, players can also switch fighting styles in mid-combat seamlessly.^[8]

Series plot

The chronological order of the Devil May Cry series does not follow the release order of the games. The first game in the time line is Devil May Cry 3 followed byDevil May Cry, Devil May Cry 4 and Devil May Cry 2. The Devil May Cry anime series is set sometime between Devil May Cry and Devil May Cry 4. The manga acts as a prequel that leads up to the events of Devil May Cry 3. DmC is a reboot and has nothing to do with previous games in the series.^[9]

The plot of the series begins with Devil May Cry 3 in Dante's as-of-yet unnamed shop as a mysterious man named Arkham appears to offer an invitation from Dante's brother, Vergil.^[10] An immense tower erupts from the ground a short distance away from the shop and Dante takes the situation as a challenge.^[11]Following numerous battles Dante arrives at the tower's summit, Temen-Ni-Gru, and battles Vergil. Vergil defeats Dante and departs. He eventually catches up in the control room located in the tower's basement. The brothers battle again until they are interrupted by Lady, then Arkham, who has been manipulating them all to reactivate the tower. Arkham intends to steal the Force Edge, Sparda's sword.^[12][13]

Dante crosses over to the demon world and catches up with Arkham, and he and Vergil work together to bring down Arkham. Dante and Vergil battle, and Dante is victorious. Returning to the human world, Dante meets Lady outside the tower where she coins the phrase "devil may cry" while trying to comfort Dante over the loss of his brother. They form a friendship and the beginnings of a partnership in demon-slaying, and he names his shop "Devil May Cry".^[14][15]

Devil May Cry begins with Dante being attacked in his office by Trish. He brushes off her assault and she claims that the demon emperor Mundus is planning a return.^[16] Dante explores Mallet Island, encountering a variety of demons, including one named Nelo Angelo.^[17] Dante is defeated but Nelo Angelo flees. Other encounters with Mundus' demon generals serve to indicate Dante has become even more powerful than his father since his initial awakening in Devil May Cry 3.^[18] Nelo Angelo attacks twice more in later missions, and is eventually revealed to be Dante's brother, Vergil. Dante enters the underworld in search of Mundus, where Trish sacrifices herself to save him. Dante releases the power of Sparda that Vergil sought in Devil May Cry 3.^[19] Dante and Mundus then battle on another plane of existence. Trish returns and lends Dante her power. Dante then defeats Mundus.^[20] Dante and Trish escape as the island collapses, and later work together in the renamed shop, "Devil Never Cry".

In the Devil May Cry anime series, Dante is hired as the bodyguard of a young girl named Patty. While initially skeptical of his personality. Patty winds up growing attached to Dante and spends most of her time at his shop, often cleaning it or decorating it in girly fashion, much to Dante's dismay. While Dante's main job during the series is to protect Patty, he spends most of his time doing odd jobs he receives at his shop (which has been renamed back to "Devil May Cry" sometime after the events of Devil May Cry) which often end in him killing demons that harass the city. Lady makes a return, working as a Devil Hunter herself, to hire Dante in order to pay off a huge debt Dante owes. Trish soon shows up as well, and it's revealed that she has been working away from Dante for some time in order to try and establish a solo career as a Devil Hunter. Lady and Trish meet for the first time and do not get along right away. Despite this, the three wind up working together to take on certain difficult jobs. Near the end of the series it is revealed that Patty's mother is the descendant of a human sorcerer, who once sealed away the power of an ancient devil lord, Abigail. Eventually the demon Sid comes out as the villain of the series and reveals his evil plot involving the sealed away power of Abigail. While Lady and Trish fight off demons summoned by Sid, Dante fights and kills Sid himself. Sometime later, Dante, Trish, and Lady all get hired on the same job and take bets on who will win. Patty comes into Dante's shop to clean, showing that the two continue to have a somewhat father-daughter type of relationship.

In Devil May Cry 4 Lady visits Dante's shop (still renamed "Devil May Cry" again, and not "Devil Never Cry") to investigate The Order of the Sword, a cult-like group that worships Sparda and has been collecting Devil Arms. Dante is originally uninterested, but Trish (who appears to have given up her solo career and is working under Dante again) goes on ahead and takes the Sparda sword with her. Later, Nero witnesses Dante crash into an Order meeting and assassinate the leader, Sanctus. Nero attacks Dante and awakens his Devil Bringer arm, only to find that Dante was not taking their fight seriously. Nero pursues Dante, and along the way comes to realize that the Order is opening gates to the demon world in order to harness its power. Sanctus is revived through demonic power, and he sets in motion a plan to have Kyrie, Nero's love interest, kidnapped. Nero pursues and fights against Sanctus, but is captured by him and used together with Kyrie to form the core of The Savior, a giant demon in the form of a god. Dante steps in and destroys all the Hell Gates that the Order has opened, then fights against the Savior. Unable to destroy it from the outside, he leaves that task to Nero to defeat it from the inside. Nero kills Sanctus and rescues Kyrie, and ultimately destroys the Savior. Dante gives Nero the sword Yamato that formerly belonged to Vergil (the Order had found it, broken, and Nero had restored it and used it in his fights as his own Devil Trigger). Later, at the Devil May Cry shop, Lady pays Dante and Trish for their work; however, Trish is unhappy with the amount. Dante avoids dealing with the situation, and as a customer with the password phones in, the three head out to take on another mission.

Devil May Cry 2 begins with Dante entering a museum where an important item called the Medaglia is stored, where Lucia invites Dante to Dumary Island. Lucia's mother, Matier, asks Dante to help fight Arius, a businessman who wields demonic power.^[21] Dante decides to help.^[22] Lucia confronts Arius, who reveals that she was his creation.^[23] Shortly afterward, Lucia gives Dante the last of the Arcana before leaving.^[24] Dante then encounters Matier who asks Dante to take the Arcana to save Lucia from Arius.^[25] Lucia attacks Arius, though he captures her. Dante arrives and trades the Arcana for Lucia, then attacks Arius, who escapes.^[26] A large stream of energy strikes the Ouroboros (refers to an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon swallowing its own tail and forming a circle.) tower and a portal to the demon world is opened. Dante and Lucia argue over who will enter, with Dante entering the portal to deal with Argosax.^[27]

After Dante departs, Arius returns too, though Lucia goes on to defeat him.^[28] Within the portal, Dante fights and defeats the partially summoned Argosax. Finding the portal closed, Dante instead drives further into the demon realm on a motorcycle. In the aftermath of the battle, Matier insists to Lucia that Sparda returned from a similar trip. Sometime later in Dante's shop, Lucia muses about Dante and examines the coin he gave her. It shows that it was two headed. Outside the sound of a motorcycle echoes, and Lucia leaves to investigate. The player is not shown whether or not it is Dante.

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Silent Hill: Origins

Silent Hill: Origins (also stylized Silent Hill: Ørigins), known as Silent Hill Zero in Japan, is the fifth installment in the Silent Hill survival horror series, developed by Climax Studios and published by Konami Digital Entertainment for the Sony PlayStation Portable. The game is a prequel intended to explore the backstory to the series' eponymous town, and follows protagonist, truck driver Travis Grady, who finds himself becoming involved in the events of Silent Hill when he rescues a young girl from a burning house. As he tries to investigate the mystery surrounding her fate in the town of Silent Hill, he also finds himself uncovering long-forgotten truths about his childhood.

It was first released for the PSP in North America on November 6, 2007,^[1] and was later ported to the PlayStation 2, where it was first released on March 4, 2008 in North America. The initial PSP release garnered a mixed reception but was generally received well, with reviewers complimenting gameplay mechanics and good graphics for the hand-held console, while most complaints concerned the brief length of the game and overly-strict adherence to the series' past formula by the new developer. The later PS2 port received slightly lower aggregate scores, owing to lower-than-average quality graphics for the console, and some camera and control issues.

Gameplay

Silent Hill: Origins follows the same basic formula of the previous titles in the series. It is shown from a third person perspective with alternating camera angles; however, rather than an option to move the camera around, the player can now press a single button to pan it behind Travis. The game also features no heads-up display, providing no status on health without opening the inventory.^[2] However, when Travis' health is critical, the edges of the screen will throb red, and a quickening heartbeat can be heard.^[2]

The game favors fully 3D controls instead of the "tank" controls seen in past titles (excluding Silent Hill 4: The Room). This control scheme has been chosen to optimize handheld play.

Unlike past titles, Silent Hill: Origins provides a more in-depth combat system, yet it does not stray from the series' trademark exploration and the ability to outrun some enemies. Throughout the town, Travis will find a number of melee weapons including broken planks and portable TVs.^[2] All melee weapons will eventually break,^[2] and some, such as portable TVs and toasters, are one-shot weapons that break upon a single use.^[3] A relatively wide variety of firearms are available, including a .22 target pistol, a double-barreled shotgun, and an assault rifle.^[3] If no other weapons are immediately available, Travis can use his fists.^[2] A new feature allows the player to quickly switch their equipped weapon with the use of the D-pad.^[2] The game also introduces the "grapple" system, wherein some enemies may grab Travis, and certain button combinations are presented to the player in order for escape.^[2] If the player performs a successful grapple, they can avoid taking damage.^[2]

Travis also carries a flashlight and a radio with him; static from the radio alerts him to the presence of nearby monsters.^[2] He will also tilt his head in the direction of a nearby item.^[3]

Silent Hill's "Otherworld" can now be entered and exited at will by the player through mirrors found throughout the game.^[2] Often, actions performed in one world will affect the other; for example, raising a prop on the stage in the Theatre will create a similar reaction in its "Otherworld" form.

Beating the game will cause the player to receive "Accolades", depending on various possible accomplishments.^[3] Different accolades can unlock special items or different outfits for Travis to wear.^[3]

Plot

Silent Hill: Origins follows protagonist Travis Grady, a seemingly ordinary trucker who suffers from haunting nightmares that have an odd sense of familiarity to him.^[4] Out on a job near the town of Silent Hill, he sees a figure walking out in front of his truck and collapsing, forcing him to swerve and nearly crash his truck; though he initially has no luck finding the girl, he ultimately sees her run off ahead, and so chases after her, thinking she might be hurt.^[5] Instead he finds a burning house, and upon first seeing a woman on the side of the house vanish then hearing a scream, enters to rescue the occupant; he pulls a young child from the fire, and collapses outside, waking later in Silent Hill.^[6]

Wondering about the fate of the child, he heads to Alchemilla Hospital, but finds it almost deserted; here he finds Dr. Michael Kaufmann, who denies that any girl with burns is a patient there.^[7] In another room, he finds a large mirror that contains a horrific reflection, a twisted "Otherworld" version of the room; the girl appears in the reflection and prompts him to touch the mirror, upon which he finds himself in the Otherworld.^[8] He eventually finds a strange, triangular object before passing out and returning to the normal hospital, where he meets Lisa Garland, a nurse who informs him the girl he rescued, Alessa Gillespie, died.^[9] They both leave for the Cedar Grove Sanitarium; here, Travis meets Dahlia Gillespie, who informs him that it was her house and her child that were swallowed by the fire, before leaving.^[10] Travis also finds files and has flashbacks that suggest his mother, Helen Grady, attempted to kill both him and herself years ago, after becoming angry with his father; he collects another triangular-shaped object before returning to the sanitarium lobby.

Travis continues to find clues that lead him first to the Artaud Theatre and then to the Riverside Motel, and which ultimately see him locate another triangular piece.^[11] The girl continues to appear in the mirrors he encounters, but is unable to get answers from her before he wakes back in the hospital, where he locates the final triangular piece and assembles them to form the Flauros, an unusual device used by Harry in the first game of the series, which works to increase Alessa's power and free her from Dahlia's spell.^[12] Finding a map drawn by Alessa as a child, he heads to the cult's ritual grounds, and sees cult figures, including Kaufmann, surrounding the burnt body of Alessa. Kaufmann incapacitates Travis, who is transported into a dream-like state to fight the final battle with a demonic creature; he defeats the monster, and seals it back up using the device.^[13]

Three endings can be accessed in Origins. The Good ending sees the Flauros create a newborn baby that contains half of Alessa's soul, and Travis returning to his truck as Alessa carries the baby out of town. Through radio static, the player first hears that Harry Mason and his wife find and adopt the baby, naming her Cheryl, and then that Kaufmann and Dahlia plan to use a summoning spell to draw the other half of Alessa's soul back to the town, even though it may take a great deal of time (specifically, seven years).^[14] The Bad endings sees Travis awaken in a dark room tied to a metal table, and injected with an unknown substance. In a series of frenetic, dream-like visions, Travis is made to believe he killed a woman he mistook for his mother, as well as his father and a hotel receptionist. He is then seen kneeling, looking at his bloodied arms in despair before his form is briefly replaced by a monster resembling the Butcher. Travis is left struggling on the metal table, with his fate unknown.^[15] The UFO ending, a tradition returning from past entries, sees a grey alien and a dog step out from a UFO to greet Travis; they invite him to join them, and Travis accepts, leaving in the UFO.^[16]

The "Good" ending is heavily implied to be the canon ending to the game, as it explicitly describes the plotline for the first Silent Hill title. Additionally, an older Travis makes a cameo appearance inSilent Hill Homecoming during the course of the game's normal storyline, driving Homecoming protagonist Alex Shepherd to Shepherd's Glen.

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