Let me start of by saying that I am a massive fan of the 'Devil May Cry' franchise.

It's a series that always had me coming back for more and I still find myself replaying bits of 'Devil May Cry 3' if I'm in the mood for a session of masochistic mayhem.

If you're new to the series, here's a quick rundown without going into the intricacies like the timeline and plethora of supporting characters: In the first three games you took on the role of freelance devil hunter Dante — half-human and half-demon — whose sole purpose is to rid the world of all demons.

So fans were more than a little apprehensive when Capcom announced a new protagonist for the fourth game in the series. Fear not though, for as much as it was a gamble that Capcom took to introduce newcomer Nero to the franchise, it's a testament to their abilities that they were able to pull it off with aplomb.

A new character means an arsenal of new moves, fighting skills and chain-linking combos to pull off. But Capcom was also kind enough to hand the reins back to Dante for a third of the game, thereby pleasing hardcore fans while introducing the series to a new generation.

Nero, a member of the Order of the Sword, looks like a younger version of Dante. Hotheaded and short tempered, he is tasked to find and apprehend Dante, who is seen murdering the respected leader of the Order of the Sword at the beginning of the game.

The story is captivating, ingeniously letting you go off to track down the hero of the former games, who seemingly turned into a cold-blooded killer.

If you have played any of the previous games in the series, you'll know what to expect: barrages of unforgiving enemies, finger-numbing button mashing, larger-than-life boss fights that are tough as nails, and fiendishly clever puzzles.

In essence, the fundamentals here are much the same. You could argue that there is a lack of innovation from Capcom in this first "next-gen" title in the series. Yet why change something that worked so well to begin with?

And how it works!

If you're a fan of the hack-and-slash genre, you'll be in your element. The combat is fluid, responsive and while it starts off deep enough, you will only have scratched the surface. Once you have purchased all the extra moves available for both Nero and Dante, the combat system becomes a thing of beauty, with flourishing moves, precision timing, and combo-linking attacks all combining to form the basis of the gameplay. String enough combos together without being hit, and you might just get rewarded with a SSS-ranking (D being the worst and SSS the best).

Once you take the reins with Dante, you might be disappointed that some backtracking is involved. Indeed, this is the biggest flaw in the game, as you'll be traversing through previous levels — and fighting the same bosses.

Granted, Capcom has changed the structure and objectives in those levels and the boss fights will require a bit of a different strategy with Dante's fighting styles, but I do feel it would have pushed this game into classic status if no previous levels have been rehashed.

The graphics are gorgeous and the frame-rate perfectly stable with not a screen-tear in sight. In short, barring one or two scenes throughout the entire single player campaign, the game runs perfectly. Cut-scenes are over-the-top, John Woo-inspired spectacles and have left me jaw-dropped in more than one occasion.

The only flaw I could find was in a certain jungle level where the trees' shadows were strangely blocky, something that feels out of place in the otherwise flawless graphical presentation.

The sound effects are spectacular, with certified Dolby Digital surround sound, but all is not perfect. With every battle (and there are loads of them) the "battle theme" will start playing, a repetitious hard-rock theme that gets really old after slaying the umpteenth demon. More varied songs, or a custom soundtrack, would have been welcome, and you'll invariably find yourself turning down the music levels of the game.

The single player campaign will take you anything from 17 — 22 hours to complete, depending on your skill level and whether you want to find and clear all of the hidden special missions. Once you have cleared the default Devil Hunter difficulty, harder difficulties will start being unlocked, along with extra character art and special Main Menu screens.

Depending on your fanaticism, the replay value is nigh endless. You can upload your rankings to the PSN network and compare your scores with the rest of the world so, if you're up for a challenge, you can try to beat those amazing high scores nailed by our nimble-fingered Japanese brethren.

By its very theme this game is not to be taken lightly though. It's violent and stacked to the rafters with demons and all sorts of devilish content. If this kind of thing flows the wrong way up your creek, then it's best to give it a miss.

Sure, in the end 'Devil May Cry 4' is basically the same concept with a fresh coat of paint and a few new innovations here and there. But I, for one, will argue that the 'DMC' series is something not to be tampered with excessively.

It should remain true to its roots, to what made it a legend in the first place in the hack-and-slash genre — providing some of the most rewarding challenges in single player games today.