"A Devil CAN cry!!"
While it helps to be good at the game, there are many aspects that you should attempt to master so that you can obtain more power and make combat less difficult. If you only obtain D and C grades, you will be unable to upgrade as much, ( both powers-ups & upgrades ) and thus by the middle of the game ( When Dante makes his first playable appearance ) you will have a much more difficult time getting through the game.
How to make the Devil Cry
DMC4 pretty much follows the same principles of the any other DMC game (except DMC2). The game takes place within one giant world, in this case Fortuna, and you must traverse through it killing demons in order to progress to the next area, occasionally fighting a dreaded boss to obtain weapons or power-ups. This is the essence of DMC4, although there have been some considerable changes that have been received with mixed opinions. It is these that dictate your strategies and some of these changes you embrace in order to ace this game.
New character 'Nero'
One might be skeptical about Nero, as he has no devil trigger, and his only possessions are that 'Harley Davidson' red queen sword, a duel barrel 6-shooter revolver call blue rose, and and demonic arm called the devil bringer used to dish out punishment to his foes. Once you learn the order in which these weapons must be used to counter, attack and stun enemies, you will start to be grateful for their abilities. In other words, Nero is one of the easiest characters in the game to master and is one of the most capable of attacking enemies.
Nero's load down:
The Red Queen: The red queen is Nero’s only sword, it is only one edged but don't make that sway you as his combos are lethal and deadly. Here is its combo list:
Combo A: sword X 4 (a combo that is standard), quick and finishes with a stunning hack, good for starting combos or linking to others
Combo B: sword X 3, then, sword (hold), a more powerful variant of combo A, the stunning hack becomes charged and hits harder.
Combo C: Sword X 2, then Sword X 3, a speedy radial combo, great for when you get cornered or need a style meter boost
Combo D: Sword X 1, then Sword X infinite, a rapidly vicious attack great for singled-out enemies, also good to max-act
High roller: alt, pull back and sword, a attack that take the fight to the sky, allowing for more powerful attacks to follow.
Shuffle: alt, push forward and pull back then sword, a difficult attack to master and establish into combo, mainly and counter attack.
Streak: alt, push forward and sword, a devastating attack for power and range, great for clearing enemy cluster and getting up close.
Air rave: (in air) sword X 4, speedy sword attacks in the air
Roulette spin: (in air) sword X 3, then, sword, a attack that allows you to gain altitude, great for prolonging aerial assaults
Split: (in air) alt, push forward and sword, a powerful attack from air to ground, great combo finish.
Calibur: (in air) alt, pull back push forward and sword, a streak in the air, okay move for bosses and angels.
Rainbow: after speed engages, taunt, a attack that isn't widely known, good starter to battles.
exceed: rev up your sword to deliver more powerful versions of, split, calibur, shuffle, streak, high roller
Max-act: immediately after an attack press 'rev' to max out your exceed meter.
The Blue rose: This is Nero's only gun, a dual barrel six shooter (? WTH). It is good at delivering rapid attacks and is quite powerful, however its true function is known when you charge up the shots, their are three levels, each get more powerful as you hold it down, but when and where you use this weapon is crutial to evading some really powerful attacks.
Charge shot 1: hold shoot till arm glows blue, a quick shot that knocks an enemy of its feet, or if already knocked of its feet, flings them into the air. also good at countering some attacks
Charge shot 2: hold shoot till arm glows pink, a more powerful shot that ignites small enemies and can damage multiple enemies, good against mephistos or Fausts.
Charge shot 3: hold shoot till arm glows red, the most powerful shot, hits enemy with small shock wave (invisible) and damages surrounding enemies, after a 3 second delay sends enemy sky high or stuns them.
The devil bringer: Nero's trade mark and source of his natural magical power, a versatile tool that makes combo stringing easy when mastered.
Grab: press arm button, an uppercut that grips enemies, is followed by a throw or hold.
Hold: press and hold arm after a grab, allows one to use and enemy as a shield, difficult to find appropriate areas of use, but good for immobilizing some enemies.
Throw: press after a grab, allows one to deliver a powerful finish to an enemy, throws are different for enemies great combo finisher.
Snatch: alt and arm, a versatile trick, launch a ghost arm at an targeted enemy and yank them towards you, can be performed in air, good for starting combos
Devil trigger: Nero's ghost arm animated into a ethereal samurai, adds double slashing capability, and extends bringer throws.
Maximum bet: alt, pull back, sword and arm button simultaneously, a attack that surround you and attacks enemies, good for extending your combos into SS ranks after a good combo.
Ultimate Showdown: alt, push forward, sword and arm button simultaneously, a attack that performs a set combo of extreme lethality, great for catapulting a combo even further on medium sized enemies or ground based bosses.