Devil May Cry 4

Devil May Cry 4 was the first entry in the series to also release on PlayStation 3, and Capcom clearly put effort into it. The game takes place in the town of Fortuna, where a religious order worships the demon Sparda, and it opens with Dante bursting into the cathedral and killing the order's high priest in front of everyone. The main character, though, is the newcomer Nero, a young member of the order whose right arm has been overtaken by demonic power. That arm is what makes him a distinctive fighter: the Devil Bringer can pull enemies toward him or pull himself toward them, bringing constant motion to the combat system and letting him keep an opponent airborne with almost no interruption.

The second layer is the Red Queen sword with its throttle trigger. Rev it at the right moment and the blade heats up, boosting the attack, so even a basic combo depends on precise timing. In the second half of the game you take control of Dante, who can switch on the fly between four combat styles and several weapons, sharply raising the complexity. A style rating at the end of each fight pushes you not to fall back on a single attack and to seek out the most varied chains possible. That's really the core of why people keep coming back to the fourth entry today.

Technically, it was the flagship showcase of Capcom's engine at the time. The game ran smoothly, with detailed models, rich cathedral lighting, and striking demonic designs. The music blends metal with orchestral elements and ramps up dynamically during fights, reinforcing the sense of pace. Reviews were very good, with the main complaint being a second playthrough of the same locations in reverse order and a few repeated bosses. Today, Devil May Cry 4 still plays great. The combat system has aged only slightly, and for many players it remains the technically deepest thing the series has ever offered, even if it isn't among its best-structured entries in terms of pacing. For newcomers, it's also a good entry point into the series, since Nero is simpler to control than Dante, and the game offers several difficulty levels plus a training mode.