Woot I have just playtested the recently released Devil May Cry 4 demo for the PC and I must say it’s quite a blast. You start out with two modes. The first of which is Exterminator, where you are allocated ten minutes to play through a single mission, presumably the one after the attack on the cathedral. Now, depending on how fast you get through the mission, you can possibly complete the entire mission in a single play through. This mode basically showcases the gameplay mechanics of Nero and the Devil Bringer, a demon arm nero uses to make mince meat out of his enemies. If you have played the previous games in the series, then you will fit right into dmc4. You get trapped in an area, whacked off a couple of poor foes, barrier disappears and repeat process. It is a formula that has been the hallmark of the dmc series, although it is showing its age, with games like ninja gaiden and god of war upping the stakes with far more innovative gameplay mechanics and compelling stories.

The second mode, aptly named Executioner, pins you against several ice creatures before unleashing this fire demon called Berial which apparently suffers from ADD. Those ice guys are a bit tougher but as long as ya keep spamming the devil bringer ya should be fine. The difficulty comes when Berial comes marching along. Just keep jumping and slashing away at him and use the devil bringer when he’s done. Take advantage of his stupidity and collect all the green orbs that lay in his wake.

The demo also comes with a performance test which ya can use to determine whether your rig can run the game. The graphics are pretty much similar to the console versions but will take quite a chunk of power from ya system. Personally I use an 8800GT but even that is not enough to run it on Very High. I had to settle for High and it still looked just as great. My only complaint are the controls. It’s god awful to play using the keyboard. Use a controller. Both the xbox and ps3 controllers are compatible with the PC. If you are a dmc fan, chances are you would already had completed the console version. If you are just looking for an excuse to try out some hack and slash action game, dmc4 is for ya. You can download the demo here .