DmC’s Killer PC Version Will Be Worth The Wait

If you're a console-owning hack 'n slash 'n juggle fan, you've probably already got Ninja Theory's DmC on Xbox 360 or PS3. (And good for you: It's a fun game.) But if you're holding off and can wait another week, you should strongly consider waiting for the PC version, which comes out on January 25, a week from tomorrow.

 

I've been playing the game on PC for the last week, and it's a real killer. It's certainly a "port" of a console game, in that the menus and heads-up display are the same as the console version and there are no unique functions or mouse/keyboard-specific settings.

But it runs like a champ—my PC, an i5 Intel with a GTX 660 Ti graphics card, has no problem whatsoever running it at a locked 60 frames-per-second with the settings turned up to "Ultra" and the HD effects on.

You can actually set the refresh rate in the PC version of the game, though I found that I had some issues at first: I'd set it to 60Hz, which caused a lot of weird screen-tearing and flickering on my image. Often, Fraps would report the game running at more than 150fps, which seemed odd, though I couldn't tell if that was related to the issues I was having. The next time I started the game up, it defaulted to 26Hz, which actually ran the game at a perfect 60fps and looked perfect. So, 24Hz was the setting that worked for me. Your mileage may vary. I'd say noodle around with the framerate settings once you get the game to find what works for your system.

Past games in the Devil May Cry series ran at 60FPS on consoles, but the console versions of the new DmC only run at 30. The console's lower frame-rate isn't the end of the world by any means, and Evan certainly didn't seem to mind when he gave the 360 version a glowing review. But with the game running super-smooth at 1080p, it's hard to argue that the PC version of DmC is the superior version of the game.

Controls are another story—you'll probably want to play DmC with a controller and not a mouse and keyboard, unless you're a huge fan of playing imprecise action games (that don't require a reticle or any precision aiming) with a mouse and keyboard.

I've been playing DmC as what I've started to think of as a "Steam-Box Game." That is, a game that I play like a console game: On my PC, plugged into my TV, with a controller. The game is a good example of a well-executed, if straightforward, example of a Steam-Box Game. Like so many games of the fall, DmC does fine on consoles but feels a little bit next-gen on PCs. If you're okay with holding off for another week, the PC version is worth the wait.