DANTE'S INFERNO
8 out of 10

As gamers, we all know the term “button masher” and at first – that’s exactly what I thought Dante’s Inferno was, but it actually follows through as a lot more than just a typical “button masher”. Expanding on the success of such games as God of War, Dante’s Inferno looks into literature and pulls out a very compelling back story for a visually stunning and exciting game. The game sends you through the nine circles of hell outlined by the Divine Comedy. The fighting engine is very similar to God of War but what grips you here is the story which simply comes down to a man, dealing with his demons (both figurative and literal) in an effort to save his beloved from eternal damnation.

In the very first fighting sequence, I decided to see if this game was a true button masher – but I quickly learned that there had to be some strategy or I wasn’t going to get far at all. I died twice before I decided to plan an attack – and sure enough – that was the key. Dante’s Inferno has its moments, the graphics are top notch, the voicework is good, the story and cut scene animation is engaging and the battles are challenging. At the normal difficulty level, I found myself having to constantly figure out different strategies just to get through different layers of particular battles. The other part of this game, the puzzle levels, are also very challenging, taking thought to make it through. One particular puzzle using multiple dimensions and camera angles – took me a few hours to decipher, after that – the game had me.

For fans of the God of War series, you will be happy with Dante’s Inferno. It’s a fun, well thought out experience that pulls you in with the graphics, but wins you over with the game play. The game is fast and you don’t find yourself spending a lot of time looking at loading screens and re-playing levels toward a certain save point. The casual gamer will enjoy it, the hard core gamer could become bored in certain parts, but all in all –Dante’s Inferno is well worth owning and just a lot fun to play. 8 out of 10.

Andy