Devil May Cry 4

Ninja Theory is remaking its Devil May Cry game for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One - and it runs at 60 frames per second and 1080p resolution.

At first glance, it's easy to think of Devil May Cry 4 as a soulless cash-in. Between its uninspired level design, confounding camera, and new protagonist who looks almost identical to series' hero Dante, it would seem as if Capcom had drawn too often from the same well. As Eurogamer pointed out in its 2008 review, DMC4 "feels like a high-def re-skin of a 2001 game design". It's no wonder Enslaved developer Ninja Theory has been hired to breathe some new life to Capcom's flagship demon hunter.

Capcom plans to squash three top Xbox 360 titles into one retail box from 8th September in North America.

Capcom has announced that the Devil May Cry series has shipped 10 million units worldwide since the release of the first game for PlayStation 2 in 2001.

As a franchise, there doesn't seem to be much about Devil May Cry that would appeal to the stereotypical PC gamer. A series founded on relentlessly aggressive repetition, button-mashing combat and an overwhelming sense of style over substance, it should fit the expected (and, to be honest, hopelessly outdated) console gaming model far better than the supposedly more sophisticated PC crowd.

Such concerns wouldn't be so noticeable if Devil May Cry 4 had straddled the PC/console divide at launch, but when the PC version turns up six months later you have to wonder who, exactly, has been waiting for it to arrive on this format? And what does Capcom have to offer those patiently sitting in front of their monitors, joypad in hand, unable to play the game on the 360 or PS3?

New game modes, basically. Two of them, to be precise, but both seem geared towards hardcore fans who have already mastered the game and are looking for that little extra challenge. Fans, in other words, who would surely already have sought out the game in its console form...

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Capcom and DC Comics have partnered to make comic-book stories based on Resident Evil and Devil May Cry.

Capcom has popped out a PC demo for Devil May Cry 4. The game's release lags behind the console versions, but also features a number of improvements that Capcom hopes will stop you moaning.

Looks better, apparently.

Capcom plans to release Devil May Cry 4 on PC this summer and has added some extra bits and pieces to make the wait worthwhile.

What's more, a demo version will be released before that, and will include a benchmark mode for testing PC performance and waving it in the face of poor people.

The new bits in the full version are a Turbo mode to make everything go at "insane" speeds, and a Legedary Dark Knight mode to cram more enemies on to your screen at once.

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Welcome back to our ongoing critical analysis of the latest in cross-platform game development, as we take a look at another batch of games released on both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Recent skirmishes between the rival formats reveal that the Microsoft console still has a significant, quantifiable edge in terms of multi-format gaming quality, but in line with its improving sales figures, PlayStation 3 is gradually closing the gap.

For those of you who've somehow managed to avoid the last nine face-off features we've put together over the course of the last year, the basic objective of this coverage is remarkably straightforward - to provide console-specific commentary that supplements the existing Eurogamer reviews, with an emphasis on gameplay and technical differences.

The usual testing methodology is in place - the games are tested side-by-side, their video outputs losslessly captured in full 24-bit RGB precision via the HDMI ports of our PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 Elite, using a Digital Foundry HD capture system. With every single frame recorded and stored on an unfeasibly large array of hard disks, we can then pick and choose the exact same shots from each game for inclusion in our comparison galleries.

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It's almost three years since the last Devil May Cry, with its self-consciously angsty Emo shapes. Despite its awful music and dialogue, we were happy to dish out 8/10 for what was one of the best hackandslash fighting systems around. It wasn't a big step up, but it didn't need to be. It just needed better balance, and to make us forget about the awful second instalment. Refining the 2001 original into something truly fleshed out and compelling, it did the job.

That said, a lot's happened in the last three years, not least the arrival of next generation consoles with a larger, unforgiving audience, and some serious competition from two God of War games - all of which may have had some bearing on how DMC4 has turned out, whatever Hiroyuki Kobayashi says. The Capcom of old was happy to back a single-platform release, start the game's difficulty on 'hard' and expect players to admire its work, but this one has to retain its loyal following while opening DMC to a wider audience.

The first step was the most obvious: make it a multiformat title from launch day - a concept to which Capcom's been strangely resistant. Second sensible decision: make it accessible from the start rather than beating players around the head. It might irk the hardcore to see their beloved series being compromised, but Capcom's decision to offer 'Human' or 'Devil Hunter' difficulty from the off - and, gasp, a tutorial - is the sign of a developer chasing and trying to retain an audience in a mature way. All too aware of shortening attention spans, DMC4 is eminently playable even if you're a self-confessed button-masher, yet pretty challenging for series veterans, with a further four difficulties to unlock for the truly committed.

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It's been another bare week for demos. But I stood up on a surfboard in the freezing cold waters of Cornwall. That made me happy, at least until I fell off and hit my back on a rock and tried not to cry. You could say I had a bit of conflict with the water, which is interesting, as Conflict: Denied Ops is one of the new samplers to tell you about.

Those of you who own both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 might want to take note that Devil May Cry 4 is ten quid cheaper on the latter than it is on the former. Bargain!

Let's get this straight: of all the hackandslash games of recent years it's been the Devil May Cry games that have best held my attention. I like their ambivalent tone and their over-designed world: the baroque-modern towns with magic swords and buses. It's a grand contemporary fantasy, and it doesn't falter. It's also a mechanically pleasingly fighting game. Guns and swords: it's all about how the fighting looks, and you have to respect that in a game. Devil May Cry 4 certainly doesn't get shy on that front: savaging multiple enemies with a giant, blazing sword and a gigantic, ammo-free pistol is once again the central beat of the game. The frenzied demon-killing doesn't seem to have lost its touch.

Halt; Capcom Europe has told Eurogamer that European Xbox 360 gamers will get the Devil May Cry 4 demo the same day as their American counterparts - January 24th.

Capcom has plans to release PS3 and Xbox 360 demos of Devil May Cry 4 this week.

Devil May Cry 4 demos could be out as soon as the end of the month.

Devil May Cry 4 producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi thinks it's actually best that game developers keep their eyes on their own work and don't play competitors' games.

Capcom has revealed plans to release a Special Edition of Devil May Cry 4 for 360 and PS3 and launch.

It ended with a bang. At the first Capcom Gamers' Day to be held in Europe - our own fair capital of London, to be precise - it looked for ten excruciating seconds like the big reveal of an extremely lengthy press conference really was going to be the announcement of a PS3 version of Lost Planet. But we should have known better.

Hiroyuki Kobayashi is a producer of many talents, having worked on everything from Resident Evil 4 to the original Devil May Cry to, er, Blinx 2. We managed to catch a few minutes with the man in Leipzig as Devil May Cry 4 finally nears release after recent delays, and talk about his approach to taking the series forward.

Capcom has unveiled its line-up for the upcoming Tokyo Game Show, taking place from 20th to 23rd September.

Even by Capcom's legendary standards, the Japanese veteran is taking its sweet time getting Devil May Cry 4 out of the door. Following on from the E3 2005 teaser video, we got to play the game in Tokyo last September - normally a sure sign that game's a few months off. And then, last month we got the chance to play an even more fleshed out demo at its annual Gamer's Day in San Francisco. Surely the game must be out soon? Not so. Fans have a further nine months to wait until it finally emerges sometime in "Q1 2008", our Capcom rep regretfully informs us.

Devil May Cry 4 producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi has said that Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game will be "pretty much identical".

Capcom has officially responded to allegations that it was "turning its back" on Sony by denying PS3 an exclusive in Devil May Cry 4.

Devil May Cry 4 will be released on Xbox 360 and PC as well as PlayStation 3, Capcom said overnight. The 360 version will apparently be released at the same time as the PS3 one - although a release date has yet to be determined.

Whatever else you may feel about the Devil May Cry titles, there's no denying the astonishing level of polish and style with which Capcom has executed each instalment in the series. With both environments and lead character dripping with near-fetishistic Gothic style - the former laden with brooding architecture and stained glass, the latter clad in rich leather and bondage-like straps - the series has sailed through all arguments about style over substance by simply providing so much style that you're not even sure you care by the time you get to the second clause.

Capcom will have a number of playable units of the Devil May Cry 4 on the show floor at the Tokyo Game Show next week for PlayStation 3's public playable debut in Japan.

As promised, Capcom has kicked open the door to its Devil May Cry 4 website, giving series fans a glimpse of how the game will look on PlayStation 3.

Capcom's started talking about Devil May Cry 4 in a bit more detail, with the game set to be unveiled (to some extent) when the Japanese website launches fully tomorrow.

In the meantime, reports out of Famitsu Weekly in Japan point to a game set between the first and second PS2 instalments, which those with good memories will already know.

Back then the team was mulling over a new female lead or a returning old one, according to producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi, but now they've apparently settled on Nero. Dante will be in it though, and with a beard, judging by another Kobayashi piece in Famitsu this January.

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Devil May Cry producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi has revealed more of what we can expect from the fourth instalment in the series, currently in development for PlayStation 3.

In an interview with Famitsu Capcom, Kobayashi confirmed that the Dante on display at the Tokyo Game Show last October wasn't the finished model - you can expect to see a much more mature and sophisticated figure when the game hits the shelves.

And to make sure that you're aware you're looking at a videogame character who's all grown up, he'll sport a beard. It's not just Dante who'll be looking good, either - according to Kobayashi, the finished game will look just as flashy as the TGS demo, which was running in real time.

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Devil May Cry 4 producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi has says we can expect some big changes in the series' PlayStation 3 debut but has admitted it's still very much in the planning stages.

Dante look nice.