DmC: Devil May Cry: The Prodigal Son Reboots Company: Capcom Oh, fanboys. They are so closed-minded. When DmC: Devil May Cry was first revealed a few years ago, they went absolutely apesh*t, calling it a travesty, an abomination, and other assorted horrible things. This mainly had to do with the new look of the series. Dante no longer sports his trademark white hair, and he's an awful lot younger-looking now. Everything about this game is new: the developer (Ninja Theory), the characters, the environments, and even the story. Say what you want about this reboot, but I personally think this franchise was in dire need of a reboot. Devil May Cry 4 was a huge disappointment to me; it was tired and riddled with horrible Japanese storytelling clichés. But now, a Western developer has taken the reins, and if the recently-released demo is any indication, DmC: Devil May Cry just might be the first must-have of 2013. It doesn't take more than a single glance to notice that DmC: Devil May Cry aims to take the series in a fundamentally new direction. While previous games in the series seemed to offer a quasi-futuristic-apocalyptic vision, DmC seems to be going for something a bit more modern. Take the story, for example. Not much is known yet, but the setup is intriguing as all get out. A cocky young punk named Dante wakes up to find himself in Limbo City, a bizarre cityscape that is controlled by demons. Their level of control is frightening: cameras on the streets monitor everything, Virility soft drinks poison those who imbibe them, and the media is theirs to command. Dante finds himself enlisted by The Order, an organization established for the sole purpose of fighting the demons. It is led by a man named Vergil, who, unbeknownst to Dante, is actually his brother. The demo for DmC: Devil May Cry is nice and meaty, offering two levels with which to play around with. This was a great decision by Capcom, as they need to let the game speak for itself, and by extension, counter the unwarranted backlash. "Under Watch" is your traditional Devil May Cry level. Shortly after it begins, Dante is dragged into Limbo, a sort of parallel dimension where the city itself tries to kill him. Walls explode outward, floors break and separate, and the whole architecture of the city goes all Inception on Dante. It seems to be all scripted, but it's still thrilling to fight through it. Speaking of fighting, we're going to wait for the official review to get into it, but rest assured, it's promising. The second level features one of DmC's boss battles, titled "Secret Ingredient." Here we get a glimpse at DmC's ridiculous and oh-so-very-M-rated sense of humor. The dialogue uttered during this brawl is so blue that it rivals Bob Saget's stand-up routine. DmC: Devil May Cry will be the first major release out of the gate next year: it's due out January 13. Check the demo out and head back here once the game drops for the full review. -FenixDown, GameVortex Communications AKA Jon Carlos Related Links: Pre-Order DmC: Devil May Cry on Amazon