Devil May Cry is gorgeous. It reminds me a lot of Onimusha, another of Capcom's earlier PS2 titles, only kicked up many notches. The levels are lush, dark and utterly beautiful. I found myself wandering about just trying to take in everything there was to see. It's quite obvious that a lot of time was put into rendering such enveloping environments.

Likewise, the sound effects are pretty good as well. There are certain ones that you will grow to hate simply because you hear them so often, but overall, Capcom did a top notch job when it comes to Devil May Cry's sound and graphics. Voice acting is somewhat overdone, but not annoyingly so, and the ambient music fits the dark mood to a tee.

Did I mention the gameplay was fabulous as well? The best way to describe Devil May Cry is Onimusha on crack. If you've played Onimusha, expect very similar gameplay, only more fun. DMC is more action than adventure, despite its storyline, and you'll more often than not find yourself forgetting about the quest that you are on at the moment, only to get carried away slashing and shooting. The action here is fast and furious and is pretty much around every corner, so if you don't like action, DMC may not be for you. However, everyone owes it to themself to at least rent Devil May Cry as the experience is definitely worth the price of admission.

You'll start your quest as Dante, devil hunter extraordinaire, and throughout your travels, you'll meet up with menacing creatures of all types. Fortunately, you have a number of weapons at your disposal to make your chore more manageable. Certain weapons can be leveled up a great deal to increase their power and performance, and as many have seen, it's possible to fling an enemy into the air with your sword and then unload your handguns on them. Very John Woo and a great move to pull off.

There are 23 standard missions plus 12 secret missions, some being very short and some quite long. There's plenty of gameplay jam-packed in here, even though the game itself seems a bit short. Of course, you can always play through again on Hard mode or even Dante Must Die! mode. Yikes. It's definitely good stuff.

You can choose to play the game on Normal or Hard mode, and eventually even Dante Must Die! mode after completing the game on Hard mode. But suppose you are playing on Normal mode and having a really bad time of it. Never fear, for the game will automatically adjust for this by offering you a chance to switch to Easy Automatic mode, making many of your moves automatic. This makes playing the game a great deal easier and some people may like the challenge being dialed down a good bit. Be forewarned, however, as once you choose Easy Automatic mode, you can't switch back later. As for the game itself, the difficulty is at a good level. Not so high that you fling your controller in disgust, but not boring by any stretch of the imagination. It's just right.

However, for those wanting even more help, try picking up the Brady Games' Devil May Cry strategy guide. It's invaluable when it comes to choosing strategies for defeating bosses. It's quite detailed and very well done, complete with maps, character/enemy descriptions and mission guides. Don't use it too much, now. Gotta discover some secrets by yourself.

Once again, Devil May Cry is very similar to Onimusha in the control department. The direction that you push is the direction your character goes, as long as he is facing that way. So he'll be running down a hall and the camera angle will change and then you'll start pushing the analog stick the opposite way. It sounds confusing, but after a few minutes it becomes second nature and works beautifully. The camera did stay focused on the character's face more often than I would have preferred, but it all worked quite well to create suspense without putting you in too sticky a situation.

All in all, Devil May Cry is a fantastic game. It's a blast to play and one I'd highly recommend to anyone who loves a good battle. Yes, it's by the same group that did Resident Evil. No, it's not survival horror. This game is for the action fiend, and if action is what you crave, go out and pick up Devil May Cry right now. You won't be disappointed.