Detractors have said many negative things about Visceral Games' Dante's Inferno. But let's keep one key point in mind -- many of them (in fact, most of them) haven't played it yet. For PlayStation 3 owners, that changes today, as the demo for the game will hit PlayStation Network as part of today's update.
The demo consists of the entire opening of the game, cinematics and all. All told, it's about 25 minutes from start to finish, and should give you a good idea of the direction Visceral have taken. You'll battle Death to the uh, death; you'll use his scythe to tear apart old-man-looking demons; you'll ride a beast and make it bite people's heads off. You know, the daily routine.
Full playthrough above, with words and a shorter clip after the jump.
Many have tossed "It's a God of War clone" accusations at Visceral. In many ways that's true, but if that's the worst thing you can say about the gameplay, then Visceral's got nothing to worry about. And when it comes to gameplay, especially in the fighting mechanics, the developer really seems to have nailed it.
The game's combos feel big and heavy, with Dante's scythe having a nice weight as he tears down (and apart) demons. The "Holy Cross" attack (which I felt was a bit weak in early builds I had played) is great for ranged attacks, but can also be weaved into scythe combos easily and effectively for some vicious looking attacks.
Also like God of War (and many other action titles that have followed), Dante's Inferno employs its fair share of "quicktime events." Enemy finishers are ripped straight from God of War, for instance -- beat certain enemies down enough, you'll get a prompt to end their miserable existence by pressing the Right Trigger (or R2).
Still, Visceral manages to keep it interesting, even beyond them looking particularly brutal; one involved me pulled both analog sticks in opposite directions to rip a beast apart. It's also interesting to note that during two separate playthroughs, I finished the same enemy with a different animation and quicktime sequence each time.
The demo also looks great, whether you're talking about the slick CG cut-scenes (which probably cost Visceral a fortune) or the in-game action which runs at a nice 60 frames-per-second clip. With detailed, impressive environment and character design, it's unlikely you'll hear anyone complaining too much about how Dante's Inferno looks.
As a fan of action games in this style, I'm pretty impressed with what this demo had to offer. So much so, in fact, that when the my 25 minute playthrough was over, I was definitely left wanting more. Based on the demo, it doesn't seem like it's reinventing the genre, and it doesn't have to -- it just needs to be a solid, brutal, and fun experience. If what I've played is any indication, Visceral is definitely on the right track.
[The above footage is my own complete playthrough of the Xbox 360 version of the demo which will hit Xbox LIVE Marketplace on December 24. It was played on a 360 test unit off of a disc, so things like load time may not be indicative of the final product. If you don't have 30 minutes to blow on watching a video, a shorter version provided by EA can be seen below.
The PlayStation 3 demo will be available today on PSN.]
I like that they're at least trying to make QTEs somewhat creative/intuitive. Nothing more generic that tapping a random sequence of buttons to make your character do something like tear off someone's head when using the joysticks makes a lot more sense, movement wise.
Yeah, why would I want to play any other FPS when we already have a good one? Why would I play Dante's Inferno when I could play God of War?
More good games, regardless of whether or not they are similar to other popular games, is never a bad thing. Game actually looks really fantastic; I'll probably rent it at the very least.
Holy fucking shit, that game looks so amazingly BRUTAL!! The fact that they used the same gameplay mechanics of God of War is so smart on their part because God of War is fucking fun. Definitely playing the crap out of this.
I think it looks great. I'm so excited about this and I have been for awhile. Obviously the gameplay isn't for everyone, but if you're a GOW fan, you'll love this most likely. Can't wait.
Already have it preordered. GoW clone or not, the game looks fun. Besides, what's wrong with enjoying both? I have GoW for kicking the crap out of the greek mythos, and this for decimating the legions of hell. Win win situation in my book.
So... he slaughters over 100 guys and then gets stabbed in the back with a dagger? Also, shouldn't Death be busy with some of those people Dante just killed?
So just playing through the demo, I enjoyed it a lot. If you're looking for a GoW fix, it definitely feels good. The scythe definitely had a different feel than Kratos' chains, which was nice.
But a lot of similarities in the demo to GoW. But it's definitely worth checking out.
Ummm holy crap. Looks bad ass. I was skeptical about this game until now , def. giving it a purchase. I'm running through the God of War collection right now on my ps3 and am not too impressed. I feel they are way over rated , this looks much better. Im still going to get GOW 3 obviously.
Fighting 20 people with schythes - No Problem!
Fighting demons - Okay!
Fighting large beastie controlled by demon - Sure!
KILLING DEATH - EASY!
Little dude with dagger = Death
Anyone else have a huge issue with the fact we are supposed to believe this man who we just met in the story was capable of killing Death? Much less someone who was just taken down with one dagger stab in the back.
The reason this is being called a God of War clone is because IT IS! Everything from the controls, the quicktime events, the combat, the story, it is all heavily influenced by God of War. The biggest issue is that the combat seemed much less interesting than God of War's. The combos grew boring after just 5 minutes of this video for me.
God of War comparisons are rampant whenever this game is mentioned, but I just played through the demo and had a blast. Constant female nudity? Yes, but still... it was just darn fun :)
It does impress, and the 60 fps is a very nice touch, although I don't know why that would cost more. The QTE was a bit puzzling for the PS3 version, I couldn't tell if I was supposed to move the joysticks or press the button.
This may very well be a great game, I'll DL the demo in a bit, but I still think EA is making the worst possible decision with the timing.
Am I wrong, or isn't coming out like 2 weeks different from God Of War 3? (which I know is only PS3, but it'll still be a huge burden on Dante's)
That would be like putting out Army Of Two 40th Day against MW2 (which they almost did!). Army could be one of the greats, it'd still stand no chance because moreso now than ever, we are in a horrible economy.
If people are lucky enough to afford to buy games at 60 dollars, the crowd is even smaller for those who can buy two 60 dollar games at the same time and these are games for the exact same crowd of the same type.
Most will need to pick one or the other or Gamefly it (which doesn't help the developers any).
They should hold on to Dante's until later in the Summer, give it a fighting chance.
God of War III hits in March, with Dante's available on February 9. I think it's a wise choice to release first, and I say this after seeing some incredible GoW III stuff outside of the E3. You'll see next month what I'm talking about. In any case, I hear a lot of people talking about this being a "warm up" for their GoW time, and with a month between the two, I think they have a chance at grabbing some sales.
Would love to hear more demo impressions from you guys; maybe you think I'm totally crazy with mine!
The demo didn't really wow me that much. It was a decent warm up and I did want to see more but for me the selling point of the game will be your time in Hell which the demo didn't include. I was hoping that the demo would unclude just a small taste of that but what are you gonna do. The gameplay is pretty standard for this type of game, upgrade weapons, magic all that jazz, the CGI cinematics that are in there are all very well done as you said it looks like they spent a fortune on those. The inclusion of an animated storytelling cinematic didn't sit that well with me because of how well the other cinematics looked. I was thinking man this looks great, then I'm suddenly watching a cartoon, didn't sit right. I think I would have prefered the game engine being used for those instead of animation. Other than the demo freezing on my initial playthrough it was good, I don't think I'll be pre-ordering, and I'll most likely wait to see some reviews before I make my final decision.
Some of it doesn't feel quite as slick/refined as GoW or the Bayonetta Demo, but its really damned close to great! Air play doesn't feel very tight and the "cross blast" is really different. I don't feel like I've had an attack that works quite that way before.
But that doesn't even matter. Visually/ play experience wise, this is SICK!
I dig the animated cuts. They're going for a style and they're hitting it.
The world feels unique. Its going down a similar design feel as God of War, but its doing it in the context of this off the wall Christian symbology: its "death metal" without the kitsch.
I haven't read/touched the Divine Comedy in like 13 years. I know its taking massive liberties, but its working just as well as GoW adhere's to Edith Hamilton's Mythology. Its fine, no gripe, imo.
Man. That was something. I don't dig on combo-brawlers too often, but I could probably play a few hours of this and really like it.
I thought it was great. Its a kick ass gow clone, but hey gow was just a kick ass devil may cry clone so who cares. I thought it looked real nice and even the gratuitous nudity is ok. The combat feels great and i love the cross attack. Its fluid, Its crunchy, and its a day-one purchase for me. I can't wait to see what visceral rips off next (i am not being sarcastic).
Okay, played the demo. hand me some pom poms because I'm on the cheerleading squad with Mr. Chester.
This was great! The graphics, the controls, animations, moves...and boobies!
Okay, sorry, had to mention it.
I'm buying this. It was fun and just that demo was better than all of Devil May Cry 4...which is saying something because I liked DMC4. Plus I've got that whole raised Catholic thing going on, so I'm digging the idea of going through Hell.
But this demo reeked of high quality all the way. I actually thought it looked even better than Uncharted 2 (since my TV is 1080p I appreciate graphics)...and anyone who played that knows how incredible that looked.
I'm going to hell in February. I can't believe this is the Dead Space guys, because that game was a generic turd.
Played it last night, and it is really good, but it's also by far THE BIGGEST MOST SHAMELESS GOD OF WAR RIP OFF I'VE EVER SEEN. Really. Like everything was ripped straight from GOW. But it was also supremely polished and enjoyable.
Guys...God Of War is my favorite game franchise of all time. Despite the fact that I have a fully backwards compatible PS3 as well as the original God Of War and God Of War II games in their cases in perfect working order, I just went out and paid $40 for the God Of War Collection.
I bought my PSP for Chains Of Olympus, and as I am staunchly anti cell phone, it almost but not really pains me to say that I bought a flip phone and got on one of those ridiculous family plans JUST SO I COULD DOWNLOAD AND PLAY GOD OF WAR BETRAYAL.
I love God Of War.
Dropping God Of War into the middle of Dante's Inferno is what's referred to as a "WIN-WIN SITUATION."
Seriously...why wouldn't you want MORE games like God Of War?? It's not like that game INVENTED hack N slash, puzzles or platforming, now...come on.
Not a fan so far. They should've included a second level or something... Maybe I'll give it a second playthrough on the harder mode, but on Classic mode the game is a cake walk. You can literally beat the whole thing by pounding x and o, outside of the quicktime events. There are health pools every five feet!
The combat is fluid, but I don't feel a sense of accomplishment from it like I do in God of War or anything else. I did enjoy some of the one-on-one fights, and I could see a rental if there are enough in the game, but for now... no sale!
It's a cool game and definitely fun; but have to agree with some of the posters here. "Killing" Death = GODDAMN STUPID. Breathtakingly so, even...
Sure, it wouldn't have been *that* much of a stretch in a Devil May Cry or God War game; but Dante and Kratos are (more-or-less) supernatural beings in mythological settings. Isn't this guy supposed to be some joe-schmo knight in the Crusades? Fighting the humans near the beginning the way he does is enough of a stretch as it is. I just thought it was a bit early for him to have superpowers. :/
Don't get me wrong, the demo is darn good fun; but it hasn't changed my outlook on the game being a 'dumb-as-they-come' action game that could do without connecting itself to classic literature at all. Ultimately, I think if you're going make an unapologetically stupid, silly, over-the-top action game, celebrate the fact! Don't try to pass it off as something smarter or more serious when it clearly has no place doing so.
hmmm. looks as unapolegtically gory and repetitive as God of War. im sure its more fun to play than to watch tho. that said it does seem to do enough to differentiate itself from GoW.
the setting helps, and the fact that Dante is a lot more likeable than Kratos, mostly cuz he doesnt yell and kill everything he sees and actually shows some emotion.
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Contest:
2:00 PM on 12.10.2009
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gonna play my god of war collection
@nybeast24
...Because it's a different game?
More good games, regardless of whether or not they are similar to other popular games, is never a bad thing. Game actually looks really fantastic; I'll probably rent it at the very least.
I cannot wait to punch Satan with my digital Jesus-fist!!!
Holy fucking shit, that game looks so amazingly BRUTAL!! The fact that they used the same gameplay mechanics of God of War is so smart on their part because God of War is fucking fun. Definitely playing the crap out of this.
Because, while the cutscenes look super cool, the gameplay looks a bit meh.
This game looks decent.
I'll sit this one out, thanks.
still buying. Visceral made a fan of me after Dead Space.
"Dante's inferno! I'm really happy for you and I'ma let you finnish, but... well, you know the rest
But a lot of similarities in the demo to GoW. But it's definitely worth checking out.
Fighting demons - Okay!
Fighting large beastie controlled by demon - Sure!
KILLING DEATH - EASY!
Little dude with dagger = Death
Anyone else have a huge issue with the fact we are supposed to believe this man who we just met in the story was capable of killing Death? Much less someone who was just taken down with one dagger stab in the back.
The reason this is being called a God of War clone is because IT IS! Everything from the controls, the quicktime events, the combat, the story, it is all heavily influenced by God of War. The biggest issue is that the combat seemed much less interesting than God of War's. The combos grew boring after just 5 minutes of this video for me.
Jokes aside, the demo does a good job selling the game, and this is just from watching.
Am I wrong, or isn't coming out like 2 weeks different from God Of War 3? (which I know is only PS3, but it'll still be a huge burden on Dante's)
That would be like putting out Army Of Two 40th Day against MW2 (which they almost did!). Army could be one of the greats, it'd still stand no chance because moreso now than ever, we are in a horrible economy.
If people are lucky enough to afford to buy games at 60 dollars, the crowd is even smaller for those who can buy two 60 dollar games at the same time and these are games for the exact same crowd of the same type.
Most will need to pick one or the other or Gamefly it (which doesn't help the developers any).
They should hold on to Dante's until later in the Summer, give it a fighting chance.
God of War III hits in March, with Dante's available on February 9. I think it's a wise choice to release first, and I say this after seeing some incredible GoW III stuff outside of the E3. You'll see next month what I'm talking about. In any case, I hear a lot of people talking about this being a "warm up" for their GoW time, and with a month between the two, I think they have a chance at grabbing some sales.
Would love to hear more demo impressions from you guys; maybe you think I'm totally crazy with mine!
Why?
More meaningful story.
Just played the PS3 demo. INTENSE!
Some of it doesn't feel quite as slick/refined as GoW or the Bayonetta Demo, but its really damned close to great! Air play doesn't feel very tight and the "cross blast" is really different. I don't feel like I've had an attack that works quite that way before.
But that doesn't even matter. Visually/ play experience wise, this is SICK!
I dig the animated cuts. They're going for a style and they're hitting it.
The world feels unique. Its going down a similar design feel as God of War, but its doing it in the context of this off the wall Christian symbology: its "death metal" without the kitsch.
I haven't read/touched the Divine Comedy in like 13 years. I know its taking massive liberties, but its working just as well as GoW adhere's to Edith Hamilton's Mythology. Its fine, no gripe, imo.
Man. That was something. I don't dig on combo-brawlers too often, but I could probably play a few hours of this and really like it.
This was great! The graphics, the controls, animations, moves...and boobies!
Okay, sorry, had to mention it.
I'm buying this. It was fun and just that demo was better than all of Devil May Cry 4...which is saying something because I liked DMC4. Plus I've got that whole raised Catholic thing going on, so I'm digging the idea of going through Hell.
But this demo reeked of high quality all the way. I actually thought it looked even better than Uncharted 2 (since my TV is 1080p I appreciate graphics)...and anyone who played that knows how incredible that looked.
I'm going to hell in February. I can't believe this is the Dead Space guys, because that game was a generic turd.
I bought my PSP for Chains Of Olympus, and as I am staunchly anti cell phone, it almost but not really pains me to say that I bought a flip phone and got on one of those ridiculous family plans JUST SO I COULD DOWNLOAD AND PLAY GOD OF WAR BETRAYAL.
I love God Of War.
Dropping God Of War into the middle of Dante's Inferno is what's referred to as a "WIN-WIN SITUATION."
Seriously...why wouldn't you want MORE games like God Of War?? It's not like that game INVENTED hack N slash, puzzles or platforming, now...come on.
As long as the game is good...I'm in.
The combat is fluid, but I don't feel a sense of accomplishment from it like I do in God of War or anything else. I did enjoy some of the one-on-one fights, and I could see a rental if there are enough in the game, but for now... no sale!
@Jeff Cusack:
It was probably too easy because Classic mode is the easiest mode. There are three difficulties above it.
THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU!
Sure, it wouldn't have been *that* much of a stretch in a Devil May Cry or God War game; but Dante and Kratos are (more-or-less) supernatural beings in mythological settings. Isn't this guy supposed to be some joe-schmo knight in the Crusades? Fighting the humans near the beginning the way he does is enough of a stretch as it is. I just thought it was a bit early for him to have superpowers. :/
Don't get me wrong, the demo is darn good fun; but it hasn't changed my outlook on the game being a 'dumb-as-they-come' action game that could do without connecting itself to classic literature at all. Ultimately, I think if you're going make an unapologetically stupid, silly, over-the-top action game, celebrate the fact! Don't try to pass it off as something smarter or more serious when it clearly has no place doing so.
the setting helps, and the fact that Dante is a lot more likeable than Kratos, mostly cuz he doesnt yell and kill everything he sees and actually shows some emotion.
hmm....