After a disappointing sequel with no shades of the uncompromising difficulty or stylish, fast action from the original and whose only redeeming quality was a pretty neat final boss, Devil May Cry 3 came out and ripped what little nuts gamers who'd endured the first game had left off. This was a game so difficult, even people who loved it said, "Yeah, it's probably too hard." The normal difficulty in America was Japan's hard mode, to put it in perspective.

Three years later and Devil May Cry 4 hits both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The purist in me demanded I drop $500 and get it on PS3, but ultimately sanity won out and I got it on Xbox. Any worries I had about longer load times or issues with a different controller were washed away in a few minutes of orienting myself, and the ability to remap any and all buttons is a big help. The load times are barely noticeable on Xbox, so any PS3 fan-boys telling you their version is the way to go are kidding themselves to try and justify their five hundred dollar machine without any exclusives.

Instead of playing as Dante this time around, the game stars Nero, a character with his own set of unique attributes. Primarily among these is his devil bringer, which is a spectral arm he can use to grab demons of various sizes and beat them in various over the top ways. It's pretty entertaining to grab a boss the size of the building with your human sized character and watch him slam his head into the ground while saying one of several entertaining one-liners.

Nero also has a special sword that you can rev up like a chainsaw for more devastating attacks, which is sure to be the difference between pros and amateurs. You can get by without this feature, but mastering it is the key to maximizing your damage and style points. Nero feels like a character created to introduce new players to the Devil May Cry universe, but that's not to say he is without depth for seasoned players to work to master.

About halfway through the game you get to play as Dante again, who for the most part controls exactly like he did in Devil May Cry 3. He even has all his styles, which in a neat twist he can access on the fly and toggle with a press of a button. It's a lot of fun to perform a devastating combo as Sword Master and then switch to Trickster to get the hell out of dodge, and back again to serve up more damage.

In addition to his styles, Dante has something else Nero lacks: Different weapons. While Nero relies on a variety of combos and his devil bringer, Dante can pick between three guns and three melee weapons. The first two guns and swords and pretty standard Devil May Cry fare, but the third for both categories is something pretty over the top and crazy. Pandora and Lucifer are two weapons that will intimidate newcomers, but seasoned players will find more and more creative ways to use them.

Some people might decry Dante's weaponry as not being as diverse as in Devil May Cry , but I think the ability to carry three guns and three swords at once, and toggling between four (five after you've beaten the game once) styles makes up for it.

All in all, this is a fun game that will test your reflexes and intrigue you with a pretty interesting story. The difficulty seems toned down to a more reasonable level, something a casual gamer could jump into. As you progress to the higher difficulties, the challenge ramps up so if you've played the previous games and feel this one seems too easy, unlock the harder modes and you'll regret thinking that.

Some people might have an issue with Nero, feeling like there's a bit of Raiden from Metal Gear Solid syndrome going on, and that the sections with Dante were tossed in to appease series-long fans. I personally enjoy playing as Dante way more than Nero, but as someone who beat Devil May Cry 3 on all difficulties, I'm very familiar with the entirety of his moves.

Nero never bothered me the way Raiden did, I didn't spend the entire game as him wondering when I'd get to play Dante, though when you switch from Dante back to Nero for the last two levels I was a little let down. Nero manages to hold his own, however.

One thing I will say is the game seems a bit easier on the whole, even on the harder difficulties. Of course, loading up the Bloody Palace mode changes all that. It's a 101 level series of battles that pits you against enemies with no healing items and no continues, though you can be healed by enemies who drop instant healing orbs. The bosses in this mode seem to have their AI adjusted to just under Dante Must Die difficulty, making it a challenge to make it all the way through.

I'm still making my way through Dante Must Die mode, trying to get higher in Bloody Palace, and torture myself by unlocking and attempting Hell and Hell mode, where you get killed by a single hit regardless of its severity. I can say with certainty fans of the series won't be disappointed.

Those interested can check out my Xbox Gamercard below:

My Gamer Card: http://card.mygamercard.net/m1keu.html