History YMMV / DevilMayCry4

* ContestedSequel: Perhaps the most divisive game in the series, in part to the game's TroubledProduction, ''4'' is held in a split between fans who consider it among the series' best alongside ''3'' and ''5'' and those who consider it one of the weakest titles alongside ''2''. Detractors don't like the title mainly due to Nero being a ReplacementScrappy for Dante at the time (before the former came into his own in ''5'') and due to the high amounts of {{Backtracking}} and {{Recurring Boss}}es. Fans, especially more advanced players, hold ''4'' in high regard thanks to the gameplay tech that's only found in this game due to the depth that mechanics such as Nero's Exceed and Dante's Style Switch and Weapon Swap provide.

* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: ''4'' was released near the beginning of [[Platform/TheSeventhGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames the seventh gen]] but still looks really damn good, on top of running at 60 FPS in an age where people would rather ignore playability and performance for the visuals.

* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: ''4'' was released near the beginning of [[UsefulNotes/TheSeventhGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames the seventh gen]] but still looks really damn good, on top of running at 60 FPS in an age where people would rather ignore playability and performance for the visuals.

* UnnecessaryMakeover: Lady was changed from an appropriately moody teenager with a ''slight'' tomboyish Catholic Schoolgirl-esque moe look (due to purple spandex shorts and her 'skirt' being made of ammo for her guns) in the [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening third game]] to... just another busty woman with a NavelDeepNeckline and flawless skin, having her dress less modestly than ''Trish'' in the [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry4 fourth game]]. Her minimal role in the fourth game's story didn't help either, so fans were surprised at her ''[=DMC4=]'' role focusing more on {{Fanservice}} appeal. Fortunately, this is [[AuthorsSavingThrow rectified]] in ''[[VideoGame/DevilMayCry5 DMC5]]'' where her proportions and clothing style return to what they originally were in the third game.

* ScrappyMechanic:
** The Dice Game is a mini-game that you are required to play in two missions, but it becomes tedious because of the RandomNumberGod nature in rolling the dice and the length of the mini-game itself. Even if the player knows how to [[EasyLevelTrick manipulate the dice using Nero's Buster]] and force a specific number to come out, the length of the mini-game (which takes in factors such as the animations and the board size) is still a concern because the overall completion time is counted in your mission ranking. It's telling that when Creator/HidekiKamiya (the director of ''Devil May Cry 1'') used ''[=DMC4=]'' as a [[InspirationForTheWork research material]] for ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'', he Tweeted that the [[https://twitter.com/pg_kamiya/status/922081504053805056 "Dice thing is SHIT."]]

** The all-black PaletteSwap MirrorBoss of Dante fought on the 101st floor of Bloody Palace is believed to be a [[TheCameo cameo]] appearance of [[LivingShadow Doppelganger the Deathvoid]] from ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening''.

** Collecting Red Orbs now counts towards your ranking. Problem is, completion time is still a factor, meaning you have to juggle between finishing the level as quickly as possible and scrounging around to collect as many Red Orbs as possible.

* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: Nero's battle theme, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLBAFJWbd30 "The Time Has Come"]], sounds rather similar to Music/RobZombie's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPuHCzSqR6U "Reload"]], which appeared on the soundtrack to ''Film/TheMatrixReloaded''. Fitting, as both franchises and the artist came into prominence in the early [=2000s=].

** Nero's hair is thick enough to almost cover his left eye. Dante's appearance in ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry2'' also had some PeekABangs that almost covered his right eye. That's quite a bit of a mirrored [[StrongFamilyResemblance resemblance]] considering the fact that this game mentions Nero as a [[spoiler:descendant of Sparda]]. Then in ''[=DMC5=]'', V, the new character who has a thick hair with bangs, is actually [[spoiler:Vergil's human half, while that game finally confirmed Nero as Vergil's son]]. This caused fans to [[https://www.reddit.com/r/DevilMayCry/comments/q7dam3/emotional/ retroactively compare]] V and ''[=DMC4=]'' Nero's hairstyles then realize that [[spoiler:the son looked like the father]] in a very specific way.

** The all-black PaletteSwap MirrorBoss of Dante fought on the 101st floor of Bloody Palace is believed to be a {{cameo}} appearance of [[LivingShadow Doppelganger the Deathvoid]] from ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening''.

* ContestedSequel: Perhaps the most divisive game in the series, ''4'' is held in a split between fans who consider it among the series' best alongside ''3'' and ''5'' and those who consider it one of the weakest titles alongside ''2''. Detractors don't like the title mainly due to Nero being a ReplacementScrappy for Dante at the time (before the former came into his own in ''5'') and due to the high amounts of {{Backtracking}} and {{Recurring Boss}}es. Fans, especially more advanced players, hold ''4'' in high regard thanks to the gameplay tech that's only found in this game due to the depth that mechanics such as Nero's Exceed and Dante's Style Switch and Weapon Swap provide.

* AuthorsSavingThrow:
** The PC version of ''[=DMC3=]'' was a PortingDisaster as a result of Capcom outsourcing the porting job to another developer. Capcom learned their lesson after that, resulting into the PC version of ''[=DMC4=]'' being a PolishedPort.
** The Style System in ''[=DMC3=]'' was a ScrappyMechanic for some players because it limits options instead of having all styles available at once. Thankfully, ''[=DMC4=]'' gives Dante access to all of his styles and allows the player to swap them in real-time whenever they want, even in the middle of a combo. Lastly, the upgrades no longer require grinding for experience points. These changes make the system much more interesting to exploit, [[DifficultButAwesome even if it's tricky to master]].
** The Special Edition of this game revamped the save system so that it consolidates all your progress across the Nero/Dante, Lady/Trish, and Vergil campaigns into a single file. This is well-received because you don't have to re-obtain some collectibles, upgrades and unlockables when you switch between the characters. It's a step up over the old slot-based system in ''3:SE'' where your progress in Dante and Vergil campaigns are independent from each other. This is also seen as a response to a GameBreakingBug in ''3:SE'' where a separate Vergil save file can leak into and corrupt the data of a Dante save file.
** [[AndYourRewardIsClothes Alternate costumes]] exist in all of the previous ''DMC'' games, so fans were understandably disappointed that the original version of ''[=DMC4=]'' lacked any cosmetics (The Super Costumes for Dante and Nero only provide gameplay benefits, they don't change the two characters' outfits). The ''Special Edition'' solved this concern by giving unlockable outfits for all five playable characters.

* PolishedPort: The original PC version, which not only runs very smoothly on a wide array of systems and has some adjustable graphics options, but puts higher-end systems to the test with the "[[IdiosyncraticDifficultyLevels Legendary Dark Knight]]" mode, which [[ZergRush fills the screen with enemies]]. Unlike the PC port of ''[=DMC3=]'', this is quite the breath of fresh air for PC ''Devil May Cry'' gamers when it comes to port performance.

* ContestedSequel: While not considered as bad as ''2'' and the fans are forgiving of its flaws considering the [[TroubledProduction game's development suffered from insufficient time and resources]], ''4'' isn't held in as high regard as ''3'' or ''5'', mainly due to Nero being a ReplacementScrappy for Dante at the time (before the former came into his own in ''5'') and due to the high amounts of {{Backtracking}} and {{Recurring Boss}}es. Whether these qualities are mild annoyances that don't detract too much from the experience or bring the game down is a point of debate, especially since ''4'' is still well-regarded by the more advanced players thanks to the gameplay tech that's only found in this game.

** In the ''Special Edition'', Vergil's expanded moveset and mechanics actually [[MythologyGag take some cues]] from his ''[=DmC=]'' counterpart, such as his [[FlashStep "Trick"]] techniques [[TeleportationWithDrawbacks now requiring]] the target to be impaled with a Summoned Sword beforehand, and his [[SignatureMove "Judgement Cut"]] now having a stronger [[JustFrameBonus "just frame"]] variant. However, not everyone realizes this tidbit and thus assume the "Perfect Judgement Cut" originated from ''[=4:SE=]'', for instance. This is pointed out in a [[https://youtu.be/a8HgEJAQSmU?t=1712 retrospective analysis video]] of ''[=DMC4=]''; it's not an easily-known fact likely because it's from ''[=DmC=]'', a controversial entry in the franchise.

** In the ''Special Edition'', Vergil's expanded moveset and mechanics actually [[MythologyGag take some cues]] from his ''[=DmC=]'' counterpart, such as his [[FlashStep "Trick"]] techniques [[TeleportationWithDrawbacks now requiring]] the target to be impaled with a Summoned Sword beforehand, and his [[SignatureMove "Judgement Cut"]] now having a JustFrameBonus effect. However, not everyone realizes this tidbit and thus assume the "Perfect Judgement Cut" originated from ''[=4:SE=]'', for instance. This is pointed out in a [[https://youtu.be/a8HgEJAQSmU?t=1712 retrospective analysis video]] of ''[=DMC4=]''; it's not an easily-known fact likely because it's from ''[=DmC=]'', a controversial entry in the franchise.

* OlderThanTheyThink: Nero's stylish reloading trick with the Blue Rose is remembered as the series' "first" instance of the UnorthodoxReload trope. While it's easily memorable (likely due to it happening in Mission 1), Lady performed an UnorthodoxReload in ''[=DMC3=]'' as well, using [[https://youtu.be/QgDcaKjz9ks?t=3137 several guns and magazine clips falling from mid-air]].

* UnnecessaryMakeover: Lady was changed from an appropriately moody teenager with a ''slight'' tomboyish Catholic Schoolgirl-esque moe look (due to purple spandex shorts and her 'skirt' being made of ammo for her guns) in the [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening third game]] to... just another busty woman with AbsoluteCleavage and flawless skin, having her dress less modestly than ''Trish'' in the [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry4 fourth game]]. Her minimal role in the fourth game's story didn't help either, so fans were surprised at her ''[=DMC4=]'' role focusing more on {{Fanservice}} appeal. Fortunately, this is [[AuthorsSavingThrow rectified]] in ''[[VideoGame/DevilMayCry5 DMC5]]'' where her proportions and clothing style return to what they originally were in the third game.

* WordOfSaintPaul: Before ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'', the question of whether or not Nero was [[spoiler:Vergil]]'s son was a matter of much debate. Prior to that game, this had been [[AllThereInTheManual confirmed by an official artbook]] (''3142 Graphic Arts''), the official ''Deadly Fortune'' novelization by the lead writer of ''[=DMC4=]'', and a statement by a translator, but [[{{Foreshadowing}} only strongly implied]] in-game. Because the ''Deadly Fortune'' novel deviates from the plot of ''[=DMC4=]'' at multiple points, it was treated semi-canon at best, and [[BrokenBase a part of the fanbase]] vehemently opposed the idea until ''[=DMC5=]'' [[TheReveal settled the matter permanently]]. Though, not all aspects are confirmed--such as exactly who [[ImpliedLoveInterest Nero's mother]] was.

** Creator/DanSouthworth, Vergil's voice actor, provides the motion capture work for Credo in this game, and Nero is the one who canonically defeats Credo. [[spoiler:This practically foreshadows Nero and Vergil's battle in ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'']].

** In ''Devil May Cry 3'', Dante rides Lady's motorcycle to rapidly climb up the Temen-ni-gru tower while killing some demons along the way [[CarFu using the bike itself]]. Unfortunately, the bike explodes towards the end of the cutscene due to Dante overloading the engine. It looked like the developers were slowly making progress for a concept that mixes "motorcycle + weapon" from that point onwards, as Nero's Red Queen in this game is a sword with a handle that can be revved like a motorcycle, and ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'' would later return to this concept and implement it in actual gameplay with the Cavaliere Devil Arm, a motorcycle that has the added bonus of being able to [[BifurcatedWeapon split into]] [[ChainsawGood two chainsaws]].

* CommonKnowledge:
** The ranged [[SwissArmyWeapon Devil Arm that transforms into different weapons]] is officially named "Pandora", yet many players still think that it's named [[PublicDomainArtifact "Pandora's Box"]]. The weapon's default briefcase form is pointed out as the source of confusion.

** The game is usually criticized for having recycled levels on all the "latter half" or "Dante's portion" of the main campaign. However, these statements are a bit inaccurate considering how out of the 20 missions, only 8 missions (Missions 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20) recycle the previous levels; Mission 18 can be considered a unique segment because Dante fights The Savior on floating platforms above the city. Another related misconception claims that Dante's levels make up exactly half of the game, but there's actually just 7 where you get to play as him (from Missions 12 to 18).