DMC1 didn't age well

[Omega Chad]

Replaying this game felt great and all but it definitely doesn't seem to hold up great as it's future titles.

DMC1 was, let's say, the bones of the entire franchise and also where it became peak with it's awesome combat and lovable protagonist Dante.

For the most part, the graphics for the game doesn't look bad, Dante looks great, Trish is a big idk, and it certainly definitely has charm. Same goes with the soundtrack and ambience in this game. Like any DMC game, it didn't disappoint with it's soundtrack, my personal favorite being Swearing On My Father's Name.

But then you realize that the game was formerly an RE title and you're forced into Platforming sections where you just wanna yeet yourself off the room. No joke when I say, the entire game has one of the most shittiest platforming I've ever seen. Just getting Ifrit alone doesn't feel so rewarding, the camera angles don't help as well. Sometimes it'd be a father to you by looking at the opposite direction and leaving you alone as Marionettes begin to body you off screen. Almost every enemy in the games are not fun to fight, some have their gimmick of being a big bitch to your playthrough. Death Scissors lock you up in a hallway only for them to vasectomies Dante in the sewers because you couldn't move from the most claustrophobic sewers in the entire franchise. Blades have the tendency to give a very great greeting of jumping right at your face and doing a Shoryuken when you're not paying attention.

Bossess are somewhat decent and horrible to deal with at the same time. Phantom is a good skill checker, BUT NOT WHEN YOU'RE RUNNING AWAY FROM HIM IN THE MOST TIGHTEST HALLWAY POSSIBLE. Shadow had a great gimmick, if they only told you how to godforsaken beat him. Nightmare is a different story because he is n abomination hellbent on combining two things in the worst possible way Puzzle and Boss Fights. Accompanied with horrible camera, who wouldn't die from him? The only fights that were deemed worth my time is Nelo Angelo who at least does something NOT frustrating.

The dialogue also shows it's age. Do I need to explain?

“Going to fill your dark soul with LiiiiiiiGhTTTtt~~~”

They sound sorta cheesy and less impactful. But thankfully it happens near the end of the story. After they flew out of the island with a plane, seriously. There are seriously crumbs of it's RE self everywhere and I can't help but laugh at it. Even some of the community consider DMC1 as the survival horror game of the franchise.

 

[rexfenix]

But then you realize that the game was formerly an RE

Not just an RE title. This thing used to be RE4. But I feel like it's a bit unfair to be too harsh on DMC1, let alone compare it to something like DMC3 or 4.
DMC1 was simply birthed from the idea of "what if RE had action combat with combos and juggles?" and I think it carried out the experiment pretty well. It was groundbreaking for the time, and remember that the guy who directed it had some big arcade influences, so any enemy or obstacle in this game can be trivialized if you learn "the trick" behind it.
Personally I think it holds up when you understand the design and what Kamiya was going for with the levels/enemies. It's also a challenging game, which I enjoy for the most part. There are a couple of frustrating platforming sections for sure, but I never let that ruin my enjoyment of this game.

I'm not that harsh on it. I think it's a classic.

 

[Anonicus]

I remember trying this game out before when I wanted to get into it. Usually I play the first game of the series and move forward so I can have a better opinion on the game itself and also just to clear something in my backlog. Yeaaah I agree, this game is a bit rough but I feel like that may come from the fact that I never played the RE games to get a grip on the camera angles. I skipped to 3 and enjoyed the games onwards. Maybe one day I'll pick it up once again alongside 2 despite hearing how bad that game is.

 

[RockinACup]

I thoroughly enjoy this one, especially on the HD collection.

This is also hilarious to read since...well, I thought the consensus was that DMC2 or DMC: Devil May Cry were considered the bad eggs in the franchise (especially the latter.)

 

[xman8245]

I loved the platforming, it's the same problem as Lament Of Innocence. Comes with the territory of having a camera like that at all.

 

[RetroLaw]

Never loved it back then. Tried it several times through the years, never could get into it.

I played it again on Switch a couple years ago. I started looking at it not like an action game but more like resident evil with more action. And I had a blast.
I love action games and tend to learn how to actullay play them and get better, but once I started to think things like "fuck it, I'll spam missiles to kill that fucking bird", it went way smoother.

If I want an action game, I play DmC 3 and 4, or even the reboot, which I love.
Or Ninja Gaiden, the best action game ever (that's fact).

DmC 1 is just silly fun where you just go where the games takes you, wheter it's underwater shooting fish monsters, running away Crash Bandicoot style from a spider, or playing a 3D shoot em up in space.

The only parts that felt like an action game to me were the fights against Nelo Angelo and a few fights here and there.

 

[Gaz]

I haven't played it since it originally came out. Making me want to try it out now to see how it holds up against my memories.

 

[freebie#47]

You could say the same about ps2 Yakuza vs Yakuza KIWAMI!!! Both are ok, but KIWAMI!!! is just way better. It's exactly how remakes should be like. KIWAMI!!!

 

[RetroLaw]

You could say the same about ps2 Yakuza vs Yakuza KIWAMI!!! Both are ok, but KIWAMI!!! is just way better. It's exactly how remakes should be like. KIWAMI!!!

Well except for the spongy bosses with that mechanic of using a specific style heat action to actually deal some damage.

Aside from that it was pretty damn good.

I also hate Majima everywhere but that's subjectivite.

 

[Ian Naxieas]

This is making me really want to replay the game, it's been way too long. I did play a bit of it before 5 was released and combined with what I remember, I do agree with most of your complaints. Especially the bad platforming. I just don't like platforming to begin with and it gets even worse when it's in a game that wasn't designed around it. Also see Xenogears. The camera was always a problem too, which is what stopped my boyfriend from playing it much not too long ago, boooo. I won't make any excuse for the Phantom chase either. It's always sucked.

I never had much trouble with the bosses or enemies though, except the Sin Scissors/Scythe and Griffon. Though in my case, it's hard to separate myself from my established knowledge of how to handle enemies and bosses. I honestly do not remember how I handled them my first time through the game, but I do know I didn't use a guide or anything like that. Just lotsa trial and error. x)

I can't really defend the plot and dialogue either. The plot was never particularly good in any of the games, though it's probably best in 3. The dialogue and voice acting is of it's time, but it's not too bad for a 2001 game.

Ultimately, yeah it's a bit rough around the edges. I think it came out pretty well for being one of the many iterations of RE4 and it was without a doubt a classic game that made a huge impact on action games and basically birthed a genre. First is (usually) not best, though.

 

[Inkingsama]

I tried this game since i liked DMC3, there was no way that i wouldn't like this one. Too bad i've been conditioned to jump with the X button my whole life so i didn't even get past the first mission.

For real, why jump with triangle? For what purpose?

 

[RIK-C-137]

This was the title I committed to after hooking my slim up. I too wasn't much of a fan back in the day. After the first 8 (12?) missions a couple weeks ago, I'd say it's an okay 3d beat 'em up. The RE derivation was obvious, puzzles in a mansion from capcom. Never picked up on it back then. See if I get to the second one...

vv- Totally been in my awareness lately. The early 3d era was messy, even in that second generation.

 

[ZombieFish]

Coming from a completely emotional place here, but for me the clunkiness and experimental stuff that doesn’t 100% work transports me back to those early PS2 days, and I kinda cherish it for that reason. Speaking of, this thread has prompted me to dust off my copy and attempt to finally beat it, so thank you.

 

[Stingy Perry]

Not just DMC1 but a lot of series entry games tends to not age well, but it shouldn’t stop you from revisiting them for an ultimate nostalgia trip so DMC1 I’m diving in

 

[Yousef]

A lot of games didn’t age well.
Next question.

 

[Anim8rDude]

Replayed this like a month ago so the experience is still pretty fresh, & maaan I'm in the exact same boat as you.
Like, we remember the game being good (& it's still is pretty damn solid!) & obviously going back to PS2 era we expected some degree of jank, but DMC1 is a lot more jank than I remember. Never even knew the PS2 version used triangle to jump! That was a real treat.

And I basically agree on a 1:1 ratio about Death Scissors in sewers, the Ifrit acquisition platforming (& the following bird boss fight) & final form Nightmare. The platforming kinda shows it's jank as early as mission 3 where it's easier to throw yourself into the ocean rather than platform across chunks.

Coming hot off of some Nioh 2 I was ready to conquer DMC1 but literally died on the first mission. DMC1 is a different beast for sure! But still a good one, and short enough to do second playthrough back-to-back.

“Going to fill your dark soul with LiiiiiiiGhTTTtt~~~”

lol

 

[ct9983]

Not just an RE title. This thing used to be RE4

Interestingly enough, DMC1 and Haunting ground were both made directly from early builds of RE4. And I have also seen a claim that clock tower 3 used an engine and maybe some assets from another RE4 build (i can't confirm that one though)

Capcom used to do this all tie time. "cancel" a game, but still make it a few years later with some alterations.

 

[CardcaptorEd2019]

This is also hilarious to read since...well, I thought the consensus was that DMC2 or DMC: Devil May Cry were considered the bad eggs in the franchise (especially the latter.)

I would say that DMC1 is a good game if you think about it having come out back in 2001.With that being said it is incredibly dated. The first DMC game I played was DMC3 and going from the platforming in that game which was a bit rough to DMC1 is not great.

As for DMC2, that game is just not fun. The only redeeming things it offers are that it adds styles and it has Majin Trigger which are cool, but then you would have to play the game and DMC2 is just a boring game that will get repetitive incredibly quick. I haven't played the DMC reboot, but I heard that the combat was good with the only negatives being the story and the character of Dante

 

[faceless0man]

Honestly i didn't liked it sole reason because it felt too "horror" while trying to be hack and slash combat, imagine leon Kennedy grabbing a metal pipe and start hitting the shi@ out of dr.salvador like cj from san Andreas ,it doesn't feel right basically