DEVIL MAY CRY 4 (M)
Rating: ****
Capcom
Xbox 360
Well, Dante’s back, and he’s kicking ass as usual and…wait. That’s not Dante. Sure, he has white hair, but he’s wearing a black leather trenchcoat over a red shirt—not a red leather trenchcoat over a black shirt. This guy’s name is Nero, although it’s clear he shops at the same stores and has the same stylist as Dante. But more importantly, he has all new moves, like the devil-bringer, which sucks distant enemies to him for awesomely devastating mid-air combos, and is destined to be your preferred choice of attack.
The first half of Devil May Cry 4 is truly amazing, bringing that same combination of frantic thumb action and daunting boss battles the series is famous for, without the punishing difficulty that made gamers cry through Devil May Cry 3. The second half wanes a little, when you finally do take the reigns of series regular, Dante, only to repeat Nero’s boss battles, which were a thrill the first time through, but kind of a chore during the sophomore effort. Some of those bosses even show up a third time. Come on, Capcom. Even dual albino demonslayers like variety.
TUROK (M)
Rating: ***1/2
Touchstone
Xbox 360
After its Nintendo 64 heyday, it seemed the Turok series was destined to be as extinct as its prehistoric villains. But here it is again, resurrected, without so much as fossilized DNA pulled from amber. The plot, which hints at accelerated evolution in dinosaurs, fails to evolve itself and succumbs to something of a storytelling ice age. But, with its decent first-person shooting and serviceable multiplayer, this game is still perfect for gamers who only want to prematurely prepare dinos for their eventual skeletal displays in the Smithsonian.
TWISTED METAL: HEAD-ON EXTRA TWISTED EDITION (T)
Rating: ***1/2
Sony Computer Entertainment
PlayStation 2
Normally, I’m not a fan of PSP to console ports, but if it’s going to be done, Twisted Metal does it right. Head-On was a fairly good launch title for Sony’s handheld platform, but usually, a transfer to a larger screen would only highlight the game’s faults. Fortunately, Sony has thrown in a bevy of fresh content, from new levels to behind-the-scenes featurettes. It’ll only win over the most nostalgic players, but let’s face it—if you’re still playing PS2 at this point, you thrive on nostalgia.
WIPEOUT PULSE (E10+)
Rating: ****
Sony Computer Entertainment
PlayStation Portable
The belle of the PlayStation Portable launch ball finally gets its sequel, and it’s kind of wearing the same dress. But despite Wipeout’s faux pas of repetition, one has to admit that Wipeout Pure looked pretty damn good to begin with. And Pulse does wear the sexy added accessory of impressive online multiplayer. So, racing fans, if you like techno music and attractive visuals, you might want to dance with Wipeout Pulse.
When Las Vegas Weekly contributor Matthew Scott Hunter realized his career as a lab technician was seriously interfering with his gaming, he pink-slipped himself into a successful career as a freelance writer. Bug the hell out of him at [email protected]