As much as I have to begrudgingly thank this game for giving DMC5 certain ideas that would blossom into great mechanics, enemies, bosses, etc. later on, I also gotta say: fuck this game.

Just, outright. Think of any glaring problem with a game from the 7th gen - mechanically, in presentation, narratively, thematically, in interviews - and it's probably either in this game or is brought up in other reviews here. This isn't just a bad DMC game, but a bad game in general; the dated tone even for 2013, the lacking gameplay feel, the shallow (shallow =/= simple, this however happens to be both) general story, the honestly disgusting character writing, the tedious enemy and boss design, even the concept of Capcom asking Ninja Theory to make an "Americanized DMC" - even when DMC was one of their most distinctly "American" franchises to begin with - because DMC4 didn't make incredible bank (see: Resident Evil-level, since DMC4 sold 5mill which is not bad at all!). This is an absolute snapshot of what the medium was like back then, and it isn't a pretty one.

edit: okay this game's sole good aspect is the combichrist music, "what the fuck is wrong with you people" has been stuck in my head since I finished, but that is the ONE inch I will give this game and even then that song is not in the best place in game