Video games: Nero's Inferno

I'll just get this out of the way: Nero is awesome. Any reservations fans may have about the young upstart replacing Dante as the main hero will evaporate in the first hour of "Devil May Cry 4." Nero delivers all of the combo-driven action you would expect from this series, but he also opens the door for new mechanics that will make it difficult to go back to previous installments. Dante established the stylish combat at the core of the "DMC," but Nero is taking it forward. At the center of this evolution is the Devil Bringer. Nero's demonic arm may appear to be a gimmick at first, but it opens doors to the most thrilling and intricate combos you can imagine. By bringing enemies to you, the arm minimizes travel time between foes and increases your opportunities to unleash barrages of sword slices and bullets. Whether you're in mid-air or on the ground, it's remarkably easy to ensure you always have something in front of you to kill. When you face larger or tougher foes, the Devil Bringer's grab maneuvers become an integral part of your strategy, either as set-ups or as the killing blow. Every encounter becomes a personal challenge to take your skills to the next level.

Once you've gotten a handle on Nero, "DMC 4" throws you a curve ball; control switches over to Dante for the second half of the game. It's great to see him back in action, but without the Devil Bringer, his gameplay feels a bit outdated when compared with the tricks up Nero's sleeve. To compensate, he acquires a crazy arsenal that is devilishly entertaining (especially the multi-purpose Pandora), and all of his weapons and styles are selected on the fly with triggers and the d-pad. You have Dante for only seven of the 20 missions, so it may take a few times through to fully appreciate his options.

Nero and Dante both make strides forward, but not everything about "Devil May Cry 4" is an improvement. The pure combat mechanics have evolved, but there is one big design problem that pulls down the whole second act of the game: backtracking. As Nero, you spend the first 11 missions fighting through such areas as a city, a castle and a forest. Once Dante is playable, you just go backwards through those same areas, which are barely transformed by minor modifications. You even fight the same bosses in reverse order. This lame recycling stands out as an incongruous oversight.

I also wanted to know more about the characters and the plot, but it is ultimately a good thing that the game's focus on combat never wavers. The expertly tuned balancing is better here than any other entry in the series; it isn't as punishing as the third game, and the difficulty gradually increases to ease you into new challenges. A seasoned "DMC" veteran will have no problem with the early missions, but a couple of the boss fights rank right up there with those in "DMC 3."