Yakuza 3
There are few things in life more exciting than imported Asian video games, gang wars involving the Yakuza and fist-to-face action. Yakuza has been a long heralded SEGA franchise since the last installation, Yakuza 2, was released on the PlayStation 2 in 2008. Patiently waiting for an announcement regarding Shenmue 3 coming stateside, [...]

Final Fantasy XIII
Roughly 58 hours, a shade of white paler (if possible), and a poor excuse for a fine woodsman’s beard later, I stepped out of my quaint little man cave upon completing the marathon that is Final Fantasy XIII. This was my first dance with a FF title and it was simultaneously the most [...]

Resident Evil: Desperate Escape
When playing the latest Resident Evil 5 DLC, Desperate Escape, I am reminded of the fond co-op memories of intense ammo hoarding moments, where sheer anxiety and shaky nerves crept into the gameplay. If you haven’t read our previous review of the Lost in Nightmares DLC, you should know that we were [...]

Heavy Rain
It is rare when a game puts total control in the hands of the player. Thrust into the shoes of the game’s four protagonists, emphasis is placed on every single action, thought and decision, where even the slightest button press or thought can (and will) affect the outcome of the game. As one of [...]

Aliens vs. Predator

With roots in two entirely separate science fiction IPs spawned decades ago, the life cycle of the Aliens vs. Predator IP has been riddled with cross-platform twists and turns. Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi horror flick kicked off the Alien series, while the Predator franchise started with John McTiernan’s 1987 action title. A Dark [...]

BioShock 2

Roughly two years after our first visit, we venture back to Rapture: once a utopia full of the world’s brightest thinkers, scientists, and engineers, now a dystopia ruled by gene-spliced nutters, always underwater. Freed from the flesh and bone trappings of BioShock’s human hero, BioShock 2 puts the player in the helmet of a [...]

I am Dante, damn you, damn you all to Hell: Throughout playing the title, you’ll come across souls that are trapped, where you are able to redeem them or damn them. The amazing thing about this, is that each spirit is one that is famous in history, either found in the Divine Comedy, or through biblical reference. The settings, the bosses, the epic struggle of good versus evil, you should know of these names and importance in literary reference and be impressed with the game’s collection of each. When coming across these spirits, background is provided on each, whether it be Hector, Cleopatra and Mark Antony, Cereberus, Francesca da Polenta, Atilla or even Lucifer, himself. The boss fights are with recognizable characters typically referenced in Hell and whether you’re flailing against King Minos, severing Cereberus’ heads, or staring down Death itself, you feel the intensity. The sheer collection of literary or historical references found in Dante’s Inferno prove Visceral Games and EA didn’t half-ass this title. Loosely following the poem, Dante’s journeys through the Circles of Hell, Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Anger, Heresy, Violence, Fraud and Treachery, lead him further into the pits of despair, where only the strongest of players will find refuge for Dante’s soul. Are you up to the task? Hell yes.

I want more, more, more: Am I committing the sin of greed, gluttony and sloth by wanting more Dante’s content? Damn you for judging me. That being said, the Ultimate Edition of Dante’s Inferno for the PS3 provided a number of added bonuses like the soundtrack, complete digital works of Alighieri, additional bonus features like videos and a Wayne Barlow digital art book. Both the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the title will be getting additional DLC (downloadable content) with two current pieces of DLC planned for the upcoming months. Dark Forest, a prologue level for the title is expected for release shortly, and Trials of St. Lucia, featuring cooperative gameplay, a new character, and a game-editor with the ability to create levels, challenges and share them with your friends, will be released on April 29. Beyond just this DLC, EA added an insert into both the PS3 and Xbox 360 packages showing upcoming DLC highlighting purchasable soul packs, a poet costume, animated feature film costume, new in-game abilities and the prequel level and Trials of St. Lucia pack. Having just beaten the game and only pausing to write now before jumping back into the fray, can you tell that I want/need more Dante’s Inferno? If you can’t tell, the answer is yes. Give me more Dante’s Inferno!

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What’s Bad

It does feel a bit too familiar: I can rave on and on about the controls and feel of the game, but the only real situation here is that it has all been done before. God of War paved the way for titles like Dante’s Inferno and Darksiders to be where they are today. This is no fault of THQs or Visceral Games, but at times, Dante’s felt like a direct port of GoW. Having just beaten God of War recently, I was reminded of just how much it feels similar. Every hack-and-slash title at times will share a common feel, but Dante’s Inferno nearly plays just like an old friend. Just because it is a new IP with a new story, a majority of the game feels borrowed.

The only branching out I’ll be doing is when I quit playing: The story is laid out for from the beginning. Save the girl, save your soul, win. No complaints here. However, from the second you enter the play, you are locked in a path heading straight to your final maker. There is no variation in paths you can take, no hidden passages, keys to skip sequences or even the ability to generally skip in-game cut-scenes. Your ass belongs to Lucifer and he is going to make you take the road often traveled, at least that is if you play the game twice. I’m excited to try the game again playing Holy, with the ability to utilize my previously gained abilities in Resurrection mode, but I do know going in I’ll be following the exact same paths, facing the same monsters and utilizing all the same techniques. No real variation in the game, which can lead to some frustration and perhaps putting the title away until the add-on DLC comes out. This is highlighted by the Arena mode of Hell found after you beat the title. Wave after wave of enemies will come and your task is to survive the onslaught, but also build up additional time by not losing health, or redeeming or damning souls. I played through about 45 waves, roughly an hour or so of gameplay, and finally realized that this was boring and I wasn’t really enjoying it. I let my character get killed, simply because there is no real reward for getting further, other than collecting more souls to buy abilities. I can gain those from playing through the game again, which is better than holding off dumb waves of the same enemies over and over. Mix it up a bit Visceral!

This camera work is pissing me off: As much as I loved the title, the camera angles frustrated and bugged out enough to frustrate me into putting the game down for a few hours. You are limited in when and where the camera will shift, so at times, you’ll die specifically from the camera not moving quickly enough with your character. That is crazy! Enough effort was put into the graphics, that they couldn’t just added the ability to adjust the camera around your character, or at least span the camera in situations where you don’t feel locked to your determined locations and paths. You are also looking for hidden routes to find additional condemned souls and they don’t really make it easy for you to find all of them unless you wildly guess and jump, at times to your death, in random locations. Fix the cameras, get a near perfect score from me.

I feel like I’ve pushed these buttons before: As I mentioned in my Darksiders review, I tend to play to my strengths in games. If I want to beat something quicker, I’ll find my favorite combo and exploit it to the point where I’ll be so overpowered, the enemies won’t touch me. Fun if you’re wanting to blow through a game, but not fun when you’re mashing L2 and Square over and over, or LT and X nonstop. The fights became repetitive where additional waves come pouring out of the ground or from the sky and it isn’t until you’ve spent three minutes or so fending them off that the next path opens up towards another Circle of Hell. Mix up the combat, add in additional combos or combos that combine scythe and cross attacks and you’ve got a whole new dynamic.

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Worth Remembering:
Dante’s Inferno is a journey into what is enjoyable about hack-and-slash titles. You guide a hero, or anti-hero at times, through the bowels of despair where only you can determine your own fate. Coming across amazingly gorgeous CGI/Anime style cinematics that tell the story of Dante’s twisted path towards damnation, you feel engrossed in the story from scene 1. The game delivers on the core fundamentals of action titles, building off of a classic tale of good and evil, and by the end you feel a part of the history when facing off against Lucifer.

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Worth Forgetting:
The game feels repetitive at times and levels have their own pitfalls that might frustrate, disappoint and downright piss you off, but it should all be taken with a grain of salt. Looking past the claims of copy-cat and uninspired story-telling, which don’t ring true after completion of the title, you’re left with a solid title. The only real gripe one can have is if you own only an Xbox 360 and have to pay the same price as PS3 owners, but don’t receive any of the perks that the Divine Edition is loaded with. Why marketing decisions like this get made are beyond me, but 360 owners should have equal access, as well. Luckily I have both systems…

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Dante’s Inferno is easily one of my top titles for the year and I can safely say I will be enjoying it for months to come. The storytelling, artwork, graphics, cinematics, voice acting and gameplay all awarded the player, me, with a game that I’ve been telling friends and family about for days. The journey through the title is a rewarding one and upon completion, you feel like you should do it all over again. My hat is off to EA and Visceral Games for taking and recreating an idea as famous as the Divine Comedy and making it something original and special. Having been originally told to Go To Hell, I guess I’ll be heading back now for a second dip in the lava. Our suggestion? Go buy it for PS3 or Xbox 360, you won’t be damned if you do.


*This title was purchased for review on the PlayStation 3 console. All images are property of EA and Visceral Games

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Dante’s Inferno
With the gates of Hell opened, Dante must enter a struggle far more deadly and sinful than even the Crusades that landed him in his eternal damnation. Dante’s Inferno is the new IP of EA and Visceral Games, a wonderful mixed breed of action/adventure and hack-and-slash set in the retched underbelly of the nine [...]

MAG
As the latest in a long line of First Person Shooters, MAG steps up to the plate as the new game on the block. Does the future look good for Zipper Interactive’s MMO shooter featuring up to 256 players at a time? This review will set the record straight and let [...]