[ Shock Value is a weekly segment which runs down inexpensive titles that are more than worth the money spent.]

  • Title: Devil May Cry 4
  • Developer: Capcom
  • Publisher: Capcom
  • Genre: Action/Adventure, Beat'em Up, Hack and Slash
  • Release: February 2008
  • Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PC (Windows 2000 / XP)
  • Pricing: PS3 New: $20 PS3 Used: $20, X360 New: $20, X360 Used: $10 , PC: $20, PC Used: $10

Rundown:

I'm not exactly sure what Capcom has up its sleeve for the new DMC series reboot, but there is one thing I am sure about and that's Devil May Cry 4. Fans had waited into the new console generation for another DMC game following the third installment.

The wait was worth it. Players take control of Dante and Nero: a character new to the series that looks like Dante with only a fraction of the undeniably stylish mannerisms. In case you're new to the series, the DMC games consist of slaughtering hordes of throbbing demon scum as cool and stylishly as you possibly can.

And within the games airtight controls, you can pull of some maneuvers so remarkable you'd swear you saw them in a movie somewhere. The action packed cut scenes feel like they were made for the big screen. The graphics are lovely, even two years after release.

It’s abundantly clear that Capcom took great care in crafting this long awaited return, and it does not disappoint. The music is ambient and spooky, with a few metal tracks thrown in for the combat themes. The architecture throughout the game is lovely and detailed.

Textures and lighting effects are rendered beautifully. As for those hordes of demons, there is a big variety. They've incorporated a multitude of baddies and each one challenges your skills and prowess in a way totally different from the last one.

The Faust will have you reeling with its long, blade fingers, and the Blitz will leave you wandering in confusion as it deflects all of your attacks and punishes you for trying. Throughout the game you'll uncover numerous weapons and power-ups, as well as earn skulls which you can use to buy techniques and items.

Between Nero and Dante, they both fight incredibly unique with Dante utilizing a multitude of weapons and Nero having access to a possessed magic arm which extends to snatch up foes from a distance.

You'll get a shotgun that doubles nunchakus, a box that turns into several different weapons, and a sword possessed by a demon. The addictive over-the-top action will bring you running back. The story mode is engrossing, but a little hard to follow at times.

Not as though that matters though, since the story will be an afterthought when you’re summoning Pandora’s Box to decimate a room full of enemies. They've also thrown in a ridiculous amount of difficulty levels and the endlessly challenging coliseum for those of us who reach a higher caliber of skill.

There is even a difficulty setting in which you die after taking just one hit! Tidbits like these show that the game was made to be played, and add an extended sense of value to it. You'll sink dozens of hours into trying to truly master the game. If not, it may master you.

In short, the Devil May Cry series was the very beginning of the stylish action genre. It paved the way for more recent best sellers like Bayonetta and God of War. Enjoy Dante before he went emo, started smoking, became anorexic, after puberty, in a long red coat and with hair as white as a full moon: the Dante we know and love.I have no idea where Capcom is about to take their beloved franchise now, but you can count on DMC4 to deliver the core aspects that made the series famous, in spades.