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Devil May Cry 5 Review

Devil May Cry 5 Review – Written by Jose Vega

Purchased product for review.

It has been more than a decade since the last Devil May Cry game was released and the franchise would go dormant since then. Though Ninja Theory would make their take on the series as DmC: Devil May Cry, fans wanted to see what happened to the main Dante. They didn’t need to wait long. Capcom would announce the next chapter of Devil May Cry during E3 2018. A few months later, fans would finally get to experience the next chapter in the form of Devil May Cry 5. After a long wait, is this the game that returns the series to form?

Taking place five years after the events of Devil May Cry 4, Dante along with Nero must deal with a new threat called Urizen. Urizen unleashes a massive demonic tree known as the Qliphoth, bringing forth demons. Together with a mysterious individual called V, the three must trek through a ravaged Redgrave City and into the demonic tree to stop Urizen and destroy the Qliphoth. Many truths would be revealed in this journey and one will realize what’s important and obtain a power far greater.

Its story is well done, putting focus on not only the main characters but also pay tribute to the franchise. Much of the cast gets some screen time with some getting a few appearances here and there. The main characters all get equel time to shine so there’s that. Plus the game is also nice enough to provide a detailed summary of events for the entire series. It’s nice to help get people up to speed with the series so they don’t get lost. It’s pretty good and it’s also at the edge of your seat too with a few twists and turns.

Devil May Cry has always been known for it’s fast hack-and-slash gameplay and this game carries it real well. In this game, you have access to three different characters, each with varying play styles. Dante returns and he’s every bit as he was in Devil May Cry 4, having access to all four of his gameplay styles from the get-go along with his signature weapons Rebellion and Ebony & Ivory. He also has access to new weapons such as the Balrog gauntlets and can acquire new ones to boot. Not only that but he can go Devil Trigger to boost his strength while laying the smack down on enemies. Nero also makes a return, playing similar to how he was in Devil May Cry 4 but with one change: the Devil Breaker. Due to events in this game’s story, Nero no longer has his Devil Bringer arm. Instead he has access to special prosthetic arms that provide him a variety of abilities in battle. They can range from letting out a blast of energy, slowing time in a set area or even powering up the Red Queen. Nero can carry multiple Devil Bringers and can even find some on the field and can detonate them to not only damage enemies but also get Nero out of a sticky situation. Versatility is what Nero is all about,

New to Devil May Cry 5 is V, a mysterious individual who has his own unique style of play. He has access to three animal companions, or famiiars: a raven, a panther and a behemoth demon. They serve as his way of attacking enemies by either long range projectiles or close range strikes. Using the Devil Trigger, he brings out the behemoth demon to dish out major damage. Compared to the raven & panther, the third demon is autonomous and attacks whatever is in the way. But they can’t finish off enemies and that’s where V comes in. V can deliver a strike with his cane to finish them off and if multiple enemies are around, he can do it in rapid succession, building up a high rating. V prefers to keep away from battle yet he isn’t afraid to deliver the blow if needed.

Players will require to use the three characters as they trek through 20 different missions. Many missions let you play as a specific character and some missions allow you to choose who you wish to play as. Thankfully the game offers an equal amount of time for Dante, Nero and V to explore and battle foes. Much of the game is a mix between action and exploration. The action occurs when the player encounter demons that gets in the way while exploration has the player moving while finding secrets such as hidden missions or items. Boss battles are Red orbs are the game’s currency like in previous games and they’re needed to unlock new abilities for Dante, Nero and V. They can also be used to buy items such as health upgrades or Devil Bringers. Its length is as you expect from a Devil May Cry game, taking around 10-12 hours to complete. Replay value is high with multiple difficulties and it increases the length further, especially if players wish to max out the characters, acquire all abilities and obtain all the trophies. The game also rates you for how skilled you are and being at your best nets you the high S rank. It also includes not dying & the game will penalize you should it happen.

As for its presentation, the game looks great. Devil May Cry 5 is awesome to look at. Many of its levels are really detailed and expressive. Plus it rounds at a solid 60 fps to boot. The same can be said for the characters. Voice acting for the game is still top notch with people like Reuben Langdon, Johnny Yong Bosch and others help give life to the characters. The fact that they also do motion capture for them shows their devotion. Music is phenomenal with many tracks having a rock and roll feel. Some tracks have vocals and they are phenomenal to listen to.

But if there are any issues that I have with Devil May Cry 5, it’s that the game can really throw a curveball at times. Don’t get me wrong. Devil May Cry 5 is a fun game but the game can sometimes surprise you. It’s only a minor issue but players who understand the game inside and out will find it a minor inconvenience. Also the game has microtransactions but it’s mostly for those that want to have a head start. Not to mention DLC in the form of additional stuff that improves the experience.

After 13 or so years, Devil May Cry 5 is a return to form for the series. Having three different characters that have different playstyles offer a fresh experience. Not to mention the game looks and plays great. It’s everything fans can ever ask for and more. With additional content like the Bloody Palace out, hopefully Capcom can provide more for fans. Even if the company has no plans, the game is still a complete experience. What more needs to be said? Devil May Cry 5 is stylish and awesome!

I give Devil May Cry a 9 out of 10. The game earns my personal Seal of Approval.

Jump Force Review

Jump Force Review – Written by Jose Vega

Purchased product for review.

Last year, Namco Bandai announced a game that would be ambitious and exciting. They said that characters such as Goku, Naruto, Luffy, Yugi and many others coming together in a manner similar to Marvel’s Avengers. As time went on, people were excited and then the game finally comes out in the form of Jump Force. Jump Force, a game that has the makings to be something great becomes nothing more than a disappointment. And even if the game was good, is it worth your time?

Jump Force’s story focuses on an organization called Jump Force and their job is to save the world from an evil organization known as Umbras. Players take control of a character they create in this game and it serves as the game’s protagonist. Many characters that you meet such as Goku, Naruto, Luffy and others serve as supporting characters. Together your character teams up with them to fight the Umbras but it ends up becoming a fight to save all realities from an evil that wishes to wipe the slate clean.

The story isn’t that great. It’s your traditional good vs. evil story but the difference here is that it follows in the veins of films like Avengers where heroes unite to save the world against evil. My issue with it is that it feels predictable, to the point where you can figure out who the big bad really is. It’s not that great and it feels underwhelming. By the time it’s done you feel like it could have been better. So yes, the story is a disappointment.

But what about the gameplay? It’s a 3D fighting game, similar in the vein of Dragon Ball Xenoverse and the Naruto games. However it follows in the vein of Marvel vs. Capcom where you choose a team of 3 characters and do battle but you can only have one on the field at a time, unless you do a team up attack. Your allies can either be swapped or used to do assist attacks. With a roster of 40 characters, players will find the right combinations to dominate the game whether online or off. Battles can be intense and it has a lot of mechanics that players should take advantage of like high-speed dodges, awakened status and team up attacks. Skilled players can be able to succeed in battles but it’s not an easy task.

As for your created character, it’s one of the good things that this game has. Not only can your character be customized on how they look but also how they do battle. Players can equip special attacks to mix and match, offering variety. They can purchase these skills and abilities in the market along with the ability to buy outfits. Abilities can also be upgraded by means of using materials and they can help provide advantages and disadvantages in battle. There are also traits and by using SP, you can give your custom character additional traits that can do a variety of things like boosting your stats, giving you advantages if your health is low, etc. Plus it has some RPG elements where you level up as you play the game. It isn’t limited to your created character but also every character in the roster. Some instances you’ll have to take part in limitbreaker missions and completing them allows you to continue leveling up until you reach 100 or so. It can get grindy but personally, it’s the one thing that I find to be good about this game.

Jump Force is mostly a mission-based game where you take part in missions whether you are progressing through the game’s story or if you simply want to have fun. There are four kinds of missions: Free, Extra, Key and Tutorial. Free comes in five different difficulties and here, you can choose any character you want and take part. Extra is where you tackle bonus missions. Key Missions are story based while Tutorial simply teaches what the game is about. It is what it is but it’s also one of the game’s many faults. Those who want to simply go in for the story, it’ll take you around 10 hours to complete. Post game extends it a lot more for those that want to complete everything and have their characters be much stronger. Plus the missions come in 5 difficulties for added length.

For all the good this game does have, Jump Force has a ton of issues. The story is unimpressive and in most cases predictable. It isn’t that great. Not only that but the presentation isn’t impressive. Sure the characters look good but in cutscenes, they don’t show much in terms of emotion. It has you wondering what happened during development. Even Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite did better in terms of its cutscenes and that’s coming from a game that is a disappointment in its own right. Music is forgettable and uninspiring. Voice acting is okay but it’s only in Japanese dub. No English dub sadly. Gameplay can be repetitive especially with the mission structure. That’s basically what it’s about: missions. It goes like this: you accept a mission, see a cutscene, load time, see another cutscene, load time, battle, load time, cutscene. It gets old really quick. Not only that but the load times are unacceptable. Load times can go up to 45 seconds and for a game like this, it’s unacceptable. Sure they did release an update that reduced load times but it’s still unacceptable. Online is at least alright and Jump Force will be having DLC in the form of additional characters. Personally I feel that they should focus on improving the game’s many issues. It’s a game that feels like an injustice to the many franchises that it represents. All these characters deserve better than this. The game is available on PS4, Xbox One and PC. PC Players will have a lot more enjoyment since people will mod the game to make everything better. Console players get the short end of the stick.

Jump Force is a game that was hyped as an epic crossover game only to crash and burn when it reaches the end. A forgettable story, repetitive gameplay structure and a not-so-great presentation mars what otherwise would have been an ambitious product. The roster of 40+ characters feel wasted on this. Namco Bandai and Spike Chunsoft should have put more time to make this game worth your while. What happened? What went wrong? The game isn’t for everyone and there is some good deep within. There are some good ideas but the execution was a major letdown. It really is.

I give Jump Force a 5 out of 10.

Mega Man 11 Review

Mega Man 11 Review – Written by Jose Vega

Purchased product for review.

It has been eight years since Mega Man had his last adventure and that was a return to form. Since then, the franchise went into hibernation as Capcom shifted their focus onto other games while leaving Mega Man in the dust. Despite that, it would continue to live on in other media like the Archie comics and in various compilations that Capcom would create. Fans wanted a new Mega Man game. Mighty No. 9, meant to be the spiritual successor to the series was a massive dud. But then on December of last year, Capcom announced that a new entry in the series would come to celebrate the franchise’s 30^th anniversary. It would come to be known as Mega Man 11. After eight years, does this game deserve the honor of being part of a long-lasting franchise?

Let us start with the game’s presentation and it follows a 2.5D style. Basically it’s a 2D game but has 3D elements that affect other areas like the enviroments and characters. This was first seen in Street Fighter IV back in 2009. Capcom did well in keeping the game grounded in 2D while giving everything else a needed facelift. In addition, this game has voice acting and unlike Mega Man 8, it is much improved. All the voice actors did a good job and this game has both English and Japanese voices. For those that prefer one or the other, there you go. Music is really well done and many of the songs are real good like the main theme. It looks and feels like a Mega Man game and with it, a return to form for the series. I also like how Mega Man looks in the game. It’s the same Blue Bomber we always know but Capcom updated his look and it’s just perfect. He does have a similar look to how Mega was in Smash Bros. 4 but hey, it’s good for me.

As for gameplay, if you’ve played any Mega Man game then you will feel right at home. It’s easy to pick up and get into and you can modify them at anytime. Even something like the slide can be set with a button and it makes the game better. Mega Man 11 also has multiple difficulties. The harder the difficulty, the more challenging the game is with Superhero being the hardest. Like in previous entries, Mega can collect screws that can be exchanged for items and parts. It offers players an incentive to stock up and acquire parts and is a necessity especially in harder difficulties. The bosses are challenging but since they do follow the Mega Man formula, finding the right weakness helps alleviate things. Fortunately every weapon that you get in the game is useful in one way or another. Also this game has the option of letting you use the right analog to switch weapons on the fly. Nifty. They also do get dangerous due to one of the game’s new features.

One of the biggest additions to the game is the Double Gear System. This gives Mega Man 2 different enhancements. Power Gear boosts his strength and his charge shot can be either 2 blasts or a full power shot. Power Gear also enhances special weapons though. Speed Gear slows everything around Mega Man allowing him to either use the time to take down an enemy or escape a dangerous situation. Each of them offers something new and thankfully it isn’t broken. There is a cool down that occurs after use so using it wisely is your best option.

Speaking of which, the game’s plot has Mega Man trying to stop Dr. Wily yet again. This time around, Wily has a new tool at his disposal: the Double Gear System. After using it to obtain eight new Robot Masters, Mega takes it upon himself to stop him and save the captured robots. The plot also delves into both Light and Wily and how their differing views and ideals drove them to follow different paths. It’s pretty nice and I like it. It helps add more to the game and the lore.

Mega Man 11 is not a long game. If you plan on beating the game normally, it’ll take you 2 to 3 hours to complete. Skilled players can complete it in under 2 hours. Replay value is high with the multiple difficulties and the game has other modes. The game has challenges, giving players a chance to test their skills in various modes. Leaderboards are also here too so any challenges you complete, you can share it with others around the world. Achievements are also in the game and trying to get them all will require players to pour a lot more time into it. Some are harder than others but still. The Switch version of Mega Man 11 has Amiibo support and using a Mega Man amiibo can provide you nifty items but you’re only limited to once a day.

For a lot of good that Mega Man 11 has, there are some faults. Length being one of them but I will give it a pass because this game is released at $30. If it were a full priced $60 game then that would be another story. Also the game is challenging. It isn’t an easy game but it’s not hard either. Having multiple difficulties is nice for players to choose but even with that, the level design can throw people off. Some levels can have a lot of bottomless pits where one mistake and you will lose a lot of progress. It can be really upsetting. Also the hardest difficulty, Superhero, will really test players and it doesn’t help that you don’t get any life or weapon capsules. Not even extra lives. It is a true test for players and anyone who beats it should feel rewarded. Despite the negatives, the game is fun and a return to form for the blue bomber.

After 8 years, Mega Man is back once more and this time he’s here to stay. Mega Man 11 is everything you would expect from a game in the series and then some. A fresh coat of paint with 2.5D graphics, familiar gameplay with new additions such as the Double Gear system, good music, replay value and a fair amount of challenge. There are some issues but it shouldn’t dissuade anyone. It’s as if Capcom realized they screwed up and decided to make amends to all they drove away with this and it worked. I hope that this will lead to more down the line and hopefully a return for the Blue Bomber.

I give Mega Man 11 an 8.5 out of 10. It is a must-buy and a fun game to enjoy.