Dante On iPhone! -- We Try Devil May Cry 4

Capcom wants to make games for iPhone that bridge the space between the hardcore gamer and the rest of the world. The idea is this: you play a game from a big Capcom franchise on your iPhone, you enjoy the quick, easy-to-play experience, and then perhaps you'll move on to the big-kid console version. They've done it with Street Fighter, they've done it with Dead Rising, and now this month they're set to do it again with a version of Devil May Cry 4 for iPhone.

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Like the console editions of Devil May Cry, this is a character action game. Players hack and shoot their way through a host of enemies, taking on insurmountable odds with lead character Dante's ridiculous skills. The iPhone version is using many of the same assets as the console game, and will tell the same story – albeit more in a "greatest hits" sort of way than a total port.

If you hate virtual sticks, you're going to be sad playing Devil May Cry 4. The camera centers behind the player automatically, but all movement is done via an on-screen virtual stick in the bottom left corner of the screen. Additionally there are virtual buttons for attacking, jumping/dodging, and using your demonic arm, Devil Bringer. For the more hardcore audience, there is a Normal button mode, where shooting and melee attacks are broken into two buttons, while the easy button mode will put both ranged and melee attacks into one button. In the simple button mode, the game decides which type of attack based on the distance between Dante and the targeted enemy.

Besides telling a condensed version of the original Devil May Cry 4's story, the iPhone version also changes the way upgrades work. Unlike the console edition, wherein you upgraded by collecting orbs and purchasing abilities, players simply unlock pre-set powers as they level up. The end goal of this system being that the player should always be gaining abilities to make them awesome – a core tenet of the ridiculous, fast-paced action the franchise is known for.

Devil May Cry 4 is slated to release by the end of January, and will be playable for owners of the 3GS or iPhone 4. If you're a fan, it's likely going to be priced aggressively, while newcomers can jump in and try a simple version of one of Capcom's biggest franchises. And hey, if you like it, there's always the console versions…

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