Pretty far in, I'm backtracking a lot for collectibles so I'll easily exceed the six hours everyone else is reporting.
Before I start I should mention that I was a pretty huge hater who was going to have nothing to do with this game and wanted Capcom to go broke for making such a stupid decision to fund / develop a project like this
and I think I really like it (for what it is).
It's a fun game, the combat is nice but it reminds me of the jump between MvsC2 and MvsC3 - in that the mechanics are simplified but it results in a much more accessible and inviting game. It's very apparent when I recognise moves that I pulled off in previous DMC games in DmC however notice that I am pressing significantly less inputs and timing is much more lenient.
The art direction is fantastic, much better than I was expecting and performs rather solidly. Just for fun, I turned on Motionflow to get a "true" feel of 60fps with this game but it felt weird and way too delayed. I guess that's Motionflow's fault though, not the game
Generally speaking, I think it's a great game and Dante is growing on me. My biggest problem? It's way too fucking easy to get a SSS and way too fucking easy to complete levels without dying. I'm up to Mission 10 already and I haven't died once, used any items and have yet to receive a ranking below S. I don't think this should be a standard for someone playing through it the first time. Red orbs are essentially useless for me now as I never use items (unless there are other things that I can purchase that I am overlooking) and the new upgrade system further dumbs down the role of the red orbs.
I mean yeah, I finished all of the previous games on DMD and all that jazz, as well as all those other action games (ie. NG2 and Bayonetta) so this would naturally be easier for me, but I do wonder what these "hardcore" players they apparently focus tested the game with were thinking. To me it's just too much of a cakewalk.
For anyone not feeling it, the moment it all clicked for me and I really began to appreciate it was during the Succubus boss battle. Really fun and high octane stuff (though not threatening as previously mentioned >_>). I also ran into a few glitches where enemies would just stop attacking and I would have to reload my checkpoint (which are very generous :/) in order to progress.
Vergil's implementation, thus far, is pretty awful. He needs to be colder and more bad ass
I like the idea of Kat being a witch and them making her "modern" by putting her potions in spray cans. It's such a unique and weird idea.
I think it has potential to sell quite a bit, but I am waiting for another action game that is a little bit more in depth. I'm sure Platinum will deliver the goods come MGR and Bayo2