Common Sense Media Review
By Marc Saltzman
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
A hack-'n-slash gothic game for mature players.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 18+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 3 parent reviews
Based on 14 kid reviews
Kids say the game features a mix of mild violence and light profanity, with blood mostly limited to the opening cutscene, while the gameplay is enjoyable with stunning graphics and over-the-top action. Many reviewers find it appropriate for older kids and teens, suggesting that it can be enjoyable for parents and children to play together despite some concerns about suggestive character designs.
- mild violence
- light profanity
- great graphics
- suitable for teens
- enjoyable gameplay
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's It About?
Played from a cinematic third-person perspective, DEVIL MAY CRY 4 is a hack-and-slash action thriller which introduces you to Nero, a mysterious new demon-killing machine. Nero not only has a number of weapons of mass destruction at his disposal -- including guns and enormous swords -- but he also sports a glowing "Devil Bringer" arm to knock creatures into next week.
With this powerful right arm, Nero can yank a nearby creature toward him, hurl it into the air with superhuman strength and then plug two dozen bullets into its body before it falls to the ground. A variety of attacks and combo moves can be mastered throughout this 20-chapter game while playing as Nero as well as his nemesis, Dante, the white-haired, half-human half-demon who starred in past Devil May Cry games.
Is It Any Good?
If Devil May Cry 4 was rated on first impressions alone, it would not fare well, as the Sony PlayStation 3 game took more than 22 minutes to load before playing for the first time. Fortunately for fans of this Gothic action series, it just keeps getting better after this disappointing start, and this problem isn't found in the Microsoft Xbox 360 and PC versions. If PS3 owners can get past the excruciatingly long load time when first playing Devil May Cry 4, you'll find a deep, immersive, and stylized action thriller worth playing to its climactic conclusion. Capcom deserves kudos for this entertaining sequel with high production values, but it's too bad we must wait so long before playing.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether waiting more than 20 minutes for a game to load (for the PS3 version) can ruin the experience before it even starts. Or are players forgiving of this wait as the game will load faster in between levels? Do you like the ability to play as two different characters?
Game Details
- Platforms : Xbox 360 , PlayStation 3 , Windows
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Not available online
- Publisher : Capcom
- Release date : February 5, 2008
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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