Dante's Inferno

[Fairweather Pure]

I figured this game deserves it's own thread.

I've been played about 3.5 hours so far and I'm really enjoying myself. The depictions of Hell are great. I'm in Gluttony right now, and it's pretty disgusting! I also thought it was cool how the descent into Gluttony started with a boss fight instead of a boss ending the level as in the previous 2 levels. Combat is fast and furious. Oh the difference 60fps makes in games like this! Bayonetta also rocks 60fps and DI has the same smoothness in it's combat and linked combos. It makes combat in games like Ninja Gaiden 2, GoW Collection, and Darksiders seem almost encumbered by comparison; like fighting under water. For these types of action games IMO, it's 60fps or else the game suffers!

You cannot discuss this game without the GoW comparrison. I've played maybe 2 hours of the original and an hour of the sequel (both from the PS3 collection), and the game copies pretty much every gameplay mechanic from those games, for better or for worse. I was hoping it would improve on the things that bug me about GoW, like fixed camera viewing, but it didn't. The QTEs don't seem as prevelent in Dante's Inferno either, but they are there in abundence as well. It does give you alternate talent trees to improve your respective powers. I'm leaning towards Holy because it's kind of fun forgiving the people that God would not. Holy is the "ranged" portion of your attacks, but has some good stuns and AE in it as well, which comes in handy when surrounded by dozens of enemies. The game is moving along at a fast pace so far. This is a good thing for me because you are transitioning between the lavish themed environments at a good rate. You never get sick of seeing the same area, that's for sure!

Overall, it's better than I thought it was going to be. With so many mixed reviews it's hard to filter through the noise. Some people hate it for being a GoW clone, while others hate it for being based on the poem. None of that matters to me since all I wanted was a fun game, and that's just what I got. So far I give it a solid 8/10. The gore, boss fights, and action are top notch. I love how every step takes me deeper and deeper into this world they've created and I can't wait to see what else is around the corner.

Bayonetta has better overall action, thanks in large part to it's new and unique moves like Witch Time and Dodge Offset, but the story is so nonsensical that it takes me out of the game whenever there is a long ass cut scene. Darksider's combat was inferior, but the story and setting were so much better that I found myself playing that over Bayonetta. I'm finding the same thing to be true with Dante's Inferno. I hope a Bayonetta sequel makes the story a little more serious and focused.

60fps! I cannot say anough good things about how this changes the feel of a game like this.

[Fairweather Pure]

A couple of other quick notes:

-I'm getting plenty of gamerscore in a short amount of time, thanks in large part to it being a single player only game with a short playtime.

-This game would make a great rental, depending on how much time you dedicate to gaming in a given week. It's looking to be around 10 hours long. I will be giving this one a second playthrough at some point.

-EA is selling packets of "souls" that you use to upgrade your powers. Fucking tacky and lame.

-A prequel level will be available soon for DL.

My wife really enjoys watching me play the game. She's always wanting to see how much the game will one-up itself. She actually wants to give the game a playthrough. It's the first action based game that has ever really grabbed her attention.

[miir]

I have 2 friends who got this and they each finished it by friday.

Charging $70 for a 8 hour game with no multiplayer is fucking insulting.

[miir]

Also, I'm not sure what you mean with your comment about Ninja Gaiden.
NG Sigma 2 runs at a solid 60 FPS @ 1080p on the PS3.

[Fairweather Pure]

Well, it's neither here nor there, but Ninja Gaiden Sigma is actually upconverted from 720p, which is common on the PS3. The version I have and have played on the 360 can run up to 60fps, but frequently has slow down and is capped at no less than 30fps. It's a variable rate. I have no idea about he PS3 version, but I would hope it is a better version seeing as how it came along almost 2 years later and was built from the ground up with a new engine. I would give up a couple hundred polygons in order to lock in a solid 60fps, which is usually the types of decisions that developers face. It's my understanding that GoW3 will be keeping a variable framrate (no less than 30fps) in order to keep it's superior graphics. Of course, it also gave up it's physics based graphics as well. I'm sure I won't mind or notice for the most part.

Here is a really interesting tech analysis on the conversion and graphical differences of NG2 vs NGS2. I know you don't care about these types of things, but others may find it informative.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digit ... ff-article

My point stands that Dante's Inferno has a locked 60fps and it's smooth as silk, just like Bayonetta's. Speaking of witch (get it?), a friend of mine is working on his Bayonetta speed run, which is beating the game in 3 hours. I think he's gotten it down to 4 and is working on a few problem areas that are taking him too much time to complete. Youtube is good for those types of things.

As far as cost to playtime ratio, well, I can't help but agree that DI copies GoW too much in that regard. I hope GoW3 is at least 10-12 hours. I was really hoping for a newgame+ mode with DI, but I guess we'll wait and see how much the multiplayer DLC and level editer adds to the longevity and replayability of the game. I hope it's not too expensive. In the meantime, I was going to go through it and max out the unholy talent tree in my next replay. Lots of games are guilty of this, so I hope if it's something that really bothers people that they take the time to read reviews before buying new games. If a game is too short, I would hope it at least encourages multiple playthroughs lke Bayonetta does.

[miir]

That's awesome that they have already announced DLC for this turd.
Online co-op and challenge arenas?
What a joke.
They're probably going to charge $10-$15 for it.
EA are nothing but a bunch of fucking crooks.

[Fairweather Pure]

No dates announced yet for the DLC. It's a pretty fun game overall. I'm about 7 hours into it now and it's still fun and brutal! I'm in Anger, a level of hell that was surely made for Miir when trying to discuss Dante's Inferno!

[miir]

I'll buy the game after they release all the DLC then repackage it as a special edition and sell it for $30.
I refuse to support publishers and developers who strip content out of games.

I mean bad enough that a big game like Dragon Age has DLC available to purchase on release day but when EA pulls shit like ripping chapters out of AC2 to sell later and selling co-op for Dante's Inferno it's insulting.

Seriously... fuck EA

[Fairweather Pure]

Just borrow it from either of your friends that beat the game within 4 days of release! Then you don't have to give that dirty ol' EA any of your money!

[miir]

Haha, they both traded it already.
They wanted to get rid of it before the trade in value tanked.

Most stores around me are pretty well stocked with used copies.
Best Buy has already chopped the price by $20 trying to dump the mountains of copies they have of it.

[Fairweather Pure]

I was going to ask where the hell they paid 70$ for the game, but apparently the PS3 version was only available for 70$, lol. Lame!

I got it from Amazon for less than 30$, thanks to credit and free shipping. Totally worth it!

[miir]

Full price MSRP for 360/PS3 new releases is $69.99 in Canada.
First party PS3 games are $59.99

[Animalor]

Miir - AC2 is Ubisoft, not EA but I completely agree. Pricing in Canada is ridiculous and sadly, Amazon.ca doesn't have the sweet programs that the US site has.

[miir]

AC2 is Ubisoft

Doh!
Fuck them too!

[Fairweather Pure]

Took me about 8.5 hours to beat. It unlocked some horde-type mode, insane difficulty, a new skin, developer diaries/artwork, and new game+. I'm tempted to do the new game+ and get 1000/1000 gamerscore, but instead I'm going to get back into Mass Effect 1. All I did was miss collectables, and I kind of hate hunting for shit in games. The multiplayer mode is 2 people doing co-op horde mode stuff. Yawn.

My overall rating is 8/10. Solid game. I look forward to the sequel.

[Aslanna]

Due to a pricing error at Toys R Us I basically got this for free so... I'll give it a go!

I was going to ask where the hell they paid 70$ for the game, but apparently the PS3 version was only available for 70$,

Where do you see that? I see $59.99 (US) everywhere for the PS3 version.

[miir]

Where do you see that? I see $59.99 (US) everywhere for the PS3 version.

He's full of shit.

[miir]

I'm almost tempted to pick this up for the PSP.
These types of games usually translate well to a portable format.
GOW COO is one of my favorite psp games.

Will wait for the inevitable price drop... $50 CDN is just insulting for a PSP game.

[Aslanna]

So far I'm glad I got this for free... QTEs are annoying as fuck when you're not expecting them and you only get like a half second before you realize what's going on then another half second to actually react or you're screwed and get to do it over it. Great fun!

Having never played a GoW-type game before this combat is new to me but I think Batman:AA spoiled me on how a good combat fighter should be. ie non-button mashy.

I'll continue on just because I hear it's an easy platinum trophy, as long as you follow a collectible guide while going through it so you don't get stuck playing it a second time, but I'm sure it will be over a couple weeks.

Oh and this is definitely not a game that does well with headphones imo. In some rooms the dialogue (as well as the sound effects) just keeps looping over and over again and it's enough to drive you, or at least me, insane.

[Fairweather Pure]

The QTEs in this game are actually pretty tame in my experiance. The ones in RE5 were the worst I have ever seen, just because they were so out of place and you would have to repeat too much if you lost the event. God of War has the exact same type of QTEs, just as a warning if this type of combat is a turn-off.

Button mashy games are pretty fun IMO. MU1 &2, Ninja Gaiden 2, Bayonetta, God of War 1 & 2, Devil May Cry 4, and even games like Brutal Legend and Darksiders were pure mash fests. Out of all those, Bayonetta stands out as the game that requires the most "skill" to play and offers the most rewards for not simply mashing your controller.

[miir]

The Ninja Gaiden games are right up there with Bayonetta in terms of 'skill' required.


You failed to mention the mashiest of button mashing mashfests, DYNASTY WARRIORS!
I love those games!!

[Aslanna]

Ok well didn't take as long to Platinum it as I thought it would. I'd say Greed is without a doubt the worst level in the game, at least for me, when it comes to being frustratingly annoying. If you can make it through that the second half of the game wasn't actually too bad. I completed a second play-through in under 6 hours because I missed one coin and then had to get all 30 over again which was super lame. If I wouldn't have had to search for those, along with having to reload a previous save point and lose 20 minutes, I'd say one could blow through this in under 5 hours at least on the easy setting.

As far as the combat goes, for the most part you just have to spam the circle button to launch crosses at your foes. You can get fancy with the combos and shit but there's really no reason to. Most boss fights I just did that and had them down in a couple minutes. Although again I'm sure not playing it on easy would have made them more challenging.

I also played the latest DLC Dark Forest since it was free (PS3 version included a code for it) and wasn't overly impressed. I surely wouldn't have paid $5 for it. It was basically a few minion fights along with 3 puzzles involving which of the 4 doors to take out of a room. 30 minutes tops and that's because I had to play it twice to get both trophies. However the St Lucia DLC coming in April does look more interesting mainly because they added a 'level' editor where people can design their own fights and upload them and people can rate them etc. Not something I will probably purchase but it does seem a bit more than just "online co-op". It's also something that should have been in the game to begin with rather making people pay extra but that seems to be the way publishers are going these days: Release an unfinished game (at full retail price of course) and charge people more to get the complete thing. A bit sad to see the gaming industry going from "Lets make a great game" to "Let's see how we can milk the most out of each customer". I mean it was always about making a profit but these days that's taken to a whole new level.


Overall I think I'd give this a 7/10... Maybe a 7.5/10. It certainly wasn't a terrible game but the gameplay was fairly shallow and repetitive. I'd say it's worthy of a rental, or a purchase when it hits $25 or less, at least on the 360 which doesn't have a God of War since apparently this is as close as you'll get.