Did you feel that Devil May Cry 4 was so busy with its own style that it neglected to actually let you play -- well, so did Yahtzee. This week Zero Punctuation takes on DMC 4, the game which pulled a Metal Gear Solid 2 on us and introduced a character who was kind of like our original hero, but totally not. Don't be upset with Yahtzee's rage DMC fanboys, take solace in the knowledge that your beloved franchise has already shipped 2 million copies.

This week's less NSFW than usual review of Devil May Cry 4 can be found after the break.

Capcom's leather-clad bender Devil May Cry 4 has shipped out an impressive 2 million units since its debut two weeks ago, making it the first game in the opulent franchise to reach the milestone so quickly and the latest feather in the cap for Capcom's now 9 million unit selling series.

This accolade is no doubt helped by the fact that the sequel, unlike those that came before it, was released for two platforms simultaneously, satiating players' thirst for over-the-top action regardless if they wave their banner over the Xbox 360 or PS3. In addition, Capcom continues to note that a PC version, for those inclined to play console-style games while tethered to their monitor and desk chair, will be released in the months ahead.

Capcom's over-the-top action extravaganza, Devil May Cry 4, has debuted at the top of the UK's all-format software sales chart, rudely bumping previous one-er Burnout: Paradise down to fourth place. GamesIndustry.biz reports that 61 percent of the title's sales came from the Xbox 360 version, a fact which is sure to make loyalists and rabid petitioners weep uncontrollably. Of course, it didn't help that the PlayStation 3 version had to deal with price gouging and an installation stigma.

In other satanic sniveling news, Capcom has announced that the Devil May Cry 4 demo has been downloaded over a million times on Xbox Live, making it the first piece of code to do so in 2008. Since appearing on the network January 24th, it's reportedly been averaging over 25,000 downloads a day.

Borrowing a bit of that white-haired bravado, Capcom has unapologetically responded to the so-called crybabies for whom Devil May Cry 4's 21 min, 40 sec PlayStation 3 pre-game installation (timed by CVG) stretches out like an eternity of wasted opportunity and nonfulfillment. "Wah! Have you ever played a PC game? At least we aren't making you shuffle multiple discs into a ROM drive, or continuously click 'Yes!' on a series of endless Windows dialog boxes," Capcom's Chris Kramer fires back at any griefer who will listen.

Once the DMC4 installation is complete (a one-time process – unless you delete the 5GB of data), Capcom claims players will experience "near-Super Nintendo speed load times," which CVG clarifies as "one or two seconds shy of those in the [Xbox] 360 [version of the game]." Whether you feel this perk justifies the initial wait-to-play (which is alleviated by a screenshot recap of the series) or not, Capcom doesn't much care. Pre-game installation is a reality for a growing number of PS3 games. It's not a bullet-point any publisher wants to list on a press release or print on a retail box, but it's a 'next-gen feature' we all need to get used to.

This week marks the North American release of Devil May Cry 4 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. To celebrate, the crew at PS3 Fanboy have written a retrospective on the series as a whole. It's a good refresher for those who haven't touched the series in a long time (or ever). It also makes for a great read while PS3 owners wade through the required installation. (About 30 minutes in length, according to PS Fanboy editor Andrew Yoon.)

Concluding the retrospective is a review of Devil May Cry 4. You can browse the retrospective via the links below and enjoy our rather extensive gallery.

• Devil May Cry
• Devil May Cry 2
• Devil May Cry 3
• Review: Devil May Cry 4

If you're not too busy playing Satan's Sudoku, you may want to lend some of your time to Beelzebub's bawling buddy, Devil May Cry 4. Though rumor had it arriving a tad later, the folks at Capcom have confirmed that a demo of the extravagant actioner is due to arrive on Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Network this Thursday, January 24th.

Demo May Cry will acquaint players with newcomer Nero, the franchise's third silver-haired, sword-wielding weirdo with a penchant for killing demons in spectacular fashion (that coat is snazzy!). Players will battle through several different locales and a boss encounter before being reminded of the full game's release on February 5th.

The above image used to be part of a widget available for download at deceiverdeceived.com and betrayerbetrayed.com, two official Capcom websites for Devil May Cry 4. In the picture for the widget, the date January 31 was given for the release of a demo for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 (via IGN).

Downloading the widget, however, revealed no such line, and it has since been stricken from the widget image. No word from Capcom about the line. Devil May Cry 4 is due out January 31 in Japan, and the following week in North America and Europe.

[Via X3F]

The German version of GamePro (via NeoGAF) has published its review of Devil May Cry 4 and revealed some interesting features for the PlayStation 3 - namely, achievements. Similar to the Xbox Live counterpart, you'll be able to perform certain actions and earn recognition, which can then be seen by your friends.

From what we gather, this is only for DMC4, however, and not a console-wide feature, so don't expect to start bragging about your PSN gamerscore anytime soon. The idea of PS3 achievements, rumored once to be called entitlements, were denied by Sony leading up to the console's launch.

The review also confirmed Sixaxis functionality in the form of tilting to adjust the camera, and noted a 5GB required installation before you can play the game. The 1UP podcast this week also confirmed this, saying it took 25 minutes to complete the installation process, so don't expect to play the game as soon as you get home from the store.

[Update: Upgraded emphasis on 5GB installation]

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

We've been impressed by the footage we've seen of Capcom's newest demon slaughtering simulator, Devil May Cry 4. It has all the elements we've come to expect from the DMC series: acrobatics, dismemberment, and extreme cases of early-onset leukotrichia. However, after paying attention to the jaw-droppingly beautiful opening cinematic for the game, we are left with one major question: What is Nero listening to on those headphones? Sure, high octane techno-rock is a pretty safe bet, but we guess it's possible that our crimson clad protagonist can't juggle baddies unless he listens to ABBA. Guess we'll find out when the game hits U.S. store shelves in February '08.

Getting gifts and embarrassing ourselves while under the influence of copious amounts of alcohol are reasons enough to count down until the new year, but Capcom has given us another reason to continue to mark through days on the kitchen calender, announcing plans to release a free playable demo of Devil May Cry 4 over both the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Store in early 2008.

It's unclear exactly what will be included in the demo, with Capcom saying only that the download will serve to introduce the game's new hero, Nero, and feature levels "chosen to showcase Devil May Cry 4's varied locales and allow gamers to familiarize themselves with Nero's unique abilities." The demo will also include in-game instructions on how to use DMC4's Exceed sword charge system and various superhuman abilities, made possible by Nero's "Devil Bringer" powers, and will be capped off with a fight against a surly boss named Berial. We hope the boss has insurance, because players have been waiting a long time revisit Devil May Cry, and we imagine Berial is going to buried many times before the game's February 5, 2008 release.

Update: In last night's frenzied blast of news posts and inundation of press releases, we grabbed the wrong Devil May Cry 4 trailer and, on top of that, made some extremely noob-ish observations. Here is the correct one, embedded above, showing new gameplay footage.

Capcom's latest financial report, which also revealed the less-than-spectacular Lost Planet and Dead Rising sales in Japan, has a curious absence from their lineup for the upcoming financial year: Resident Evil 5.

Unless the publisher is planning on making a surprise announcement, it is unlikely we'll see the sequel until next fiscal year beginning April 2008. We have contacted Capcom for an official statement.

The report listed Devil May Cry 4 and both Resident Evil Wii titles (RE4 and Umbrella Chronicles) as upcoming major release, with DMC4 expected to sell 1.8 million units worldwide.

[Via EuroGamer, PS3 Fanboy]

Some of you wept over Devil May Cry 4's multplatform ambitions, but we welcome the fall of another console-specific franchise. (Well, some of us remember a simpler day.) We've picked this action game's trailer for tonight's video.

We tried the game late last year, but rational analysis aside, we're sold on all of Dante's different grunt and attack sounds. Can we get a remix? See the video after the break.

At least "as far as current plans go." So says Capcom's senior director of strategic planning and research, Christian Svensson, posting on the official Capcom forums in the midst of a Devil May Cry outcry. When asked by fans whether the company's new mulitplatform strategy would extend to their pair of successful Xbox 360 titles, Svensson explains that "Dead Rising and Lost Planet are not slated to appear on Wii or PS3," noting that the reasons for the continued exclusivity "are quite convoluted" and are bound by a slew of suspicious non-disclosure agreements.

He goes on to say that Capcom's current approach -- which sees Resident Evil 5 and Devil May Cry 4 coming to both PS3 and Xbox 360 -- is for future titles and isn't meant to be applied in a "retroactive" manner. Of course, this comes just days after Svensson used the forum to respond to sulking petitioners and their disdain for Devil May Cry gracing multiple platforms.

"We are certainly moved that people are so passionate about our products that they would go to such extremes," he said in a seperate thread. "At the same time we feel that allowing more people access to our content pleases far more people than it displeases (after all, we're not denying DMC4 to anyone that was already going to get it). It really is the best decision for the company and for consumers."

Apparently, Dead Rising and Lost Planet simply missed the multiplatform boat.

[Thanks, mocoworm]