Capcom has been showing us some superb talent this year, with Devil May Cry 5 showing us some of the most impressive character models of this generation, along with some surprising performances from the console generation.
With the RE Engine showing us some impressive graphics and performance in the Resident Evil 2 remake, Devil May Cry 5 seems to want to go beyond and really push the lengths of the current generation of consoles.
No matter which console you play these scenes on the differences are almost impossible to see – they are consistently good across the board.
Performance has been prefaced in gameplay over style, with the character models not being as detailed during the gameplay segments – this is impressive with the cut scenes all in the engine. Each version of the game does its best to bring the true style and look of Devil May Cry 5 to fruition (60 FPS).
[referenced url=”https://www.kotaku.com.au/2019/03/devil-may-cry-5-the-kotakureview/” thumb=”https://www.kotaku.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/03/i8ad8di6pounpkjg1j0y-410×231.png” title=”Devil May Cry 5: The Kotaku Review” excerpt=”Devil May Cry 5 is a wild mess of demonic magic, blood, brooding twinks, butt rock music, kung-fu homage, and joyous gameplay. By the end of it, I had killed literally thousands of demons and watched struggles of Biblical proportions. The experience itself is a blur, but I know two things for certain. The first is that while there’s nary a drop of romance in the game, every one of Devil May Cry 5’s sexy trash protagonists has absolutely fucked. The second is that every bone-splintering, blood-splattering moment I spent with them was a goddamn blast.”]
During the cut scenes neither the PS4 Pro or the Xbox One X can maintain 60FPS, instead hovering around the high 30’s to low 40’s. The PS4 Pro, which runs at a reduced resolution, holds an average of 42 FPS, while the Xbox One X hits an average on 39 FPS. (This is a 25 per cent better performance on average.)
This continues with the PS4 vs Xbox One S, with the same gap appearing. (The PS4 actually manages to out perform the Xbox One X in this regard.) This is of course how the cinematic cut scenes go for the majority of the game, where as in the actual gameplay we see some different variables.
Performance on the Xbox One X is a consistently smooth 60 FPS, with an occasional blip now and then. This means that the Xbox One X hits that cap most of the time, where as the PS4 Pro has longer periods of frame drops, dipping down from the smooth 60 FPS it can maintain for bursts at a time. Both versions average out to just above 59 FPS – in one scene however.
During a more stressful scene set in a library we get some more performance issues, thanks to some destructible environments and volumetric lighting. The Pro seems to have issues when the camera is too close to the action or when there is too many alpha transparencies near the camera the frame rate is going to drop.
The are some significant drops, but only for a brief period of time. The Xbox One X has exactly the same issues, dropping frames in the same way as the Pro in these circumstances, but can experience even bigger FPS drops.
PS4 Pro: Averages out to 59.3 FPS
Xbox One X: Averages out to 58.1 FPS
The base consoles are actually a surprise, with the base PS4 holding a perfect 60 FPS in the same first test scene. The Xbox One S couldn’t match that level of performance, constantly dipping and never evening out to 60 FPS.
In the library the PS4 follows the same performance as the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X, as the Xbox One S struggles to maintain any kind of stable FPS.
Loading times have both been improved from previous DMC games, while still being a bit of a let down. Chapters are completely seamless, being loaded at the start. However the downside comes down to using the character progression or load out menus – which all require a loading screen. This goes for changing gear or switching between load outs.
While the environments are not quite as detailed as the character models, they are still well above most games currently being released. Unlike Capcom’s other series Resident Evil, Devil May Cry 5 likes to have more open areas – with the setting in a broader cityscape falling into demonic ruin.
The camera is pulled back from the character models and allows for that space to breathe more, with the dynamic lighting of each area (be it night or day) using a pre-calculated solution along with volumetric lighting enhancing the mood, each area has it’s own unique look that contributes to the overall aesthetic of the game.
These light sources and sunbeams made with volumetric lighting looks great across all the platforms. Where as water physics, objects that can be destroyed and debris across the game still looks a bit ‘game-like’, but still works well overall.
[referenced url=”https://www.kotaku.com.au/2019/03/the-cheapest-copies-of-devil-may-cry-5-in-australia/” thumb=”https://www.kotaku.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/03/devil-may-cry-5-1-410×231.jpg” title=”The Cheapest Copies Of Devil May Cry 5 In Australia” excerpt=”It’s been a while since Nero and co. sliced and diced their way through some demons. Let’s fix that this week.”]
Leave a Reply