Something out of the ordinary is happening in 2010 – for the first time in some years publishers are taking a chance and packing quarter one with tons of high-profile video game releases. For RPG fans there is Final Fantasy XIII and Mass Effect 2, action gamers get Darksiders and Army of Two: The 40th Day, and adventure fans get their choice between Bayonetta and Dante’s Inferno (PS3 owners also can throw down in God of War III). These are only a few of the big budget titles that will be releasing between January and April of 2010; with so many to choose from it’s always nice to get a little hands-on time with the game before forking over the cash for purchase. Thankfully developer Visceral Games and publisher EA Games released a demo for Dante’s Inferno just this past week, on the day before Christmas 2009. Considering the subject matter of the game it’s a bit funny that the demo would come out around such a religious holiday, even so the half-hour play-through was worth every bit of the inconvenience of sending the children out of the media room.
Going into Dante’s Inferno I was very excited as I had a chance to go hands-on with a very early version of the game six months ago (read that article by clicking here) and was very impressed with what I saw. The demo is basically the first thirty minutes or so of the action/adventure title, taking players from the beginning of the story right up to the entrance of hell. There hasn’t been a more climatic demo in years and I have a feeling this one will be having mature-aged gamers chomping at the bit to get their hands on the retail version in February 2010. The Xbox 360 has always been a bit lack in terms of hardcore action titles, with Sony fanboys touting the God of War series in our faces for years. Thankfully the super talented team at Visceral Games in Redwood Shores, CA has taken it upon themselves to bring a game that is worthy of being compared to Kratos on the PS3. Personally I have to say that Dante, the main character of this game, is much more appealing to me as is the classic literature tie-ins and medieval storyline.
The opening cinematic, that most demos fail to include, introduces us to a deeply pained feature character, which has done many things in his life that he is not proud of. In a scene straight from the film Gladiator Dante learns that his wife Beatrice has been taken to Hell to pay for his sins, it is at this part of the game that the player begins their journey into the inner 9 circles of Heaven/Hell (Limbo, Lust, etc.) and the demo ends as he is knocking on the gates of the underworld. During the introduction sequence gamers will get to experience a good bit of the title’s diverse combat gameplay as well as a bit of the RPG-like upgrade mechanic. Dante’s main weapon of choice is an unbelievable scythe stolen from Death himself that looks as though it’s was created from the sick minds that brought you Dead Space (hint: it was). The weapon allows for up close combat, in the air combos, and a number of other badass techniques that will surely take the entire game to master.
About half way through the Dante’s Inferno demo we were introduced to the ultra-powerful Holy Cross, which acts as your long-ranged weapon. The two tools can be used in unison to create stylize combos and some special attacks that are sure to kill even the most devious of enemies. Other actions that are found in most action games, such as blocking with counter-attacks, lunges, quick time button events, ride-along creatures, and expansive level design are also shown on a small scale. Everything about this game feels epic in scale, the levels fall apart in front of you and the setting of the game (medieval times and depths of hell) are perfect for the genre. The demo, a couple of times, provided me with the WOW moments that the God of War series is infamous for; as well as over-the-top brutal combat action. By the time the demo was finished I was hooked, on every level, and ready to run out and pre-order Dante’s Inferno from the local GameStop as soon as I could. After playing both the GoW3 demo on my Playstation 3 and the Dante’s Inferno one on my Xbox 360 I have to say that I was shocked by the result: I am more excited for the one from EA than the game from Sony.
In this short demo preview I chose not to focus on Dante’s magic powers, character design, multiple boss battles, or one of our favorite aspects of the demo – where you choose to save or punish wandering spirits, which adds a completely new dimension to the action/adventure genre. Dante’s Inferno hits store shelves for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 on February 09, 2009 for a retail price of $59.99; stay tuned for a full review closer to launch date right here at PlanetXbox360.com.
