From Zero To Nero: Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition

We might have missed out on the Definitive Edition of DMC: Devil May Cry on PC but the Special Edition of 2008's Devil May Cry 4 is coming our way. It'll arrive on June 24th, a few days after the console release, but will include all of the same goodies. Those goodies include a new "Vergil game mode", allowing players to control Dante's devilish brother, as well as a mode that replaces the original game's controllable characters (Nero and Dante) with Lady and Trish.

Demon hunter Lady has never been playable in a Devil May Cry game before and it'll be interesting to see if her ludicrous weaponry (rocket launcher named after her mother with a combo bayonet/grappling hook) will lend itself to a unique playing style. Alternative costumes for Lady and Trish will be included, although possibly only in preorder copies. It's unlikely they'll be any dafter than the original costumes.

It's been a long time since I played any of the four original Devil May Cry games, although I thoroughly enjoyed spin-off/blasphemous addition/reboot DMC. I enjoyed the first, was bored by the second, enjoyed the intensity of the third and found the fourth quite bland. That's probably unfair and I'm actually excited to play the new version. Flicking through reviews, it appears there was criticism of backtracking and recycling of environments and that may be the cause of my dismissal all those years ago. The spectacle in spectacular brawling games often keeps me interested even when the actual combat system is beyond my abilities.

The original version of Devil May Cry 4 is available on Steam but if you've waited this long to play, it seems sensible to wait for a couple more months and take the special edition for a spin. And the new modes are probably pitched at experienced players - I'd be surprised if they don't ramp up the difficulty.

If I listen to the rumour mill, I cannot help but hear bickering and squabbling beneath the grind of the gears. It seems that segments of the various camps of Devil May Cry fandom have decided that the DMC: Definitive Edition and Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition are in conflict with one another, and that Capcom will pay attention to the sales of both re-releases before deciding to commission a sequel. If I were Capcom, I'd feed that rumour and turn the sales race into an X Factor voting type situation.

But I'm not Capcom. I don't have any control over these matters - although I am tempted to buy a few copies of the PC release in the misguided hope that strong sales might encourage Bayonetta to magically appear on PC.