What a difference a frame rate makes. Say what you will about just how much

Small plot holes and a few heavy-handed moments of satire aside, DmC's story does a great job of crafting a foreboding atmosphere to back up its balls-to-the-wall action, especially when coupled with the excellent voice acting and effortless dialogue. The demon king Mundus and his mistress Lilith are particular highlights, their ruthless, profanity-filled crusade to enslave humankind being a hackneyed, yet effective way of adding a compelling goal to your hack 'n' slash antics.

DmC throws you from one action set piece to the next at a breakneck pace, only giving you time to stop and think during its tedious (but thankfully short-lived) platforming sections. But even in those sections and through its crumbling blood-red cityscapes, cavernous tunnels lined with a viscous green ooze and searing neon discos, it's hard to ignore DmC's stylistic triumphs. Its colorful, oversaturated look is not only visually stunning in its new 1080p guise but also strangely prescient of the direction that later Xbox One and PlayStation 4 games would take.

Time has been kind to DmC's boss battles, too. They're still formulaic, making you learn a boss's repetitive movements in order to land an attack, but they're seriously impressive--both visually and narratively. An early encounter with the squishy succubus is a treat--not because of the basic platforming required to defeat her but because of her incredibly foul-mouthed tirades and involuntary neon vomiting. Then there's the battle against a holographic Bob Barbas, a fight that sees you transported to the heart of the Raptor News Network and directly into its live news reports, complete with the requisite TV commentary and helicopter shots. DmC's keen sense of style overcomes much of the boss battles' shortcomings, adding to the heady atmosphere of its brightly coloured world.

I imagine there are still some people out there put off by the direction that Ninja Theory took with DmC who still haven't given the game a shot because it so drastically changed the look of the series. This does the game a huge disservice. DmC in its Definitive Edition form isn't just a lick of paint and a technical upgrade. It's a hardcore twist on already impressive game, making the hack 'n' slash action more difficult, but also more compelling than before. The numerous tweaks and upgrades of DmC: Devil May Cry Definitive Edition have made a game that isn't just a better version of DmC, but a bonafide hack 'n' slash classic.