Despite a decent stab at multiplayer, however, Devil's Third isn't even average. The game represents at least six years of development, but over that time the concept has been mangled.

Devil's Third has had a protracted and curious road to the Wii U, with notable gaps between regional releases and the peculiarity of an upcoming free-to-play online version for PC.

Devil's Third is awful. The story is horrible, despite trying to laugh at itself, and the gameplay is much worse. The controls are clunky and laughably outdated, it really does feel like a mediocre PS2 game, and it doesn't look much better, matching up to early Xbox 360 games at its best.

+ It is playable; technically

- Controls are clunky; - Gameplay awful; story terrible; - Very ugly; - Core mechanics are broken; - Shocking AI / bosses

Many people have written this game off due to the biased reviews from critics. Right from the outset, they bashed Itagaki and his new game in the previews which lead to other previewers agreeing with their sentiments.

Recent history has proven to us that Nintendo platforms aren't traditionally the best stomping ground for ‘mature' titles. Yes, there have been a couple exceptions throughout the years but the general consensus is that if you want a shooter filled with blood and guts it is better to look elsewhere.

Solid; simple and fun online

Camera angles | Framerate issues | Entire single player campaign

There's no denying that Nintendo have been at something of a quandry when it comes to third-party support so it could be seen as ironic that a game from Tomonobu Itagaki by the name of Devil's Third would end up being released almost exclusively for the Wii U almost as if it's some kind of omen.

Solid single player campaign; Unique combat mechanics; Comprehensive multi-player; Kills are ludicrously fun

It will only gain a cult following; The micro-transactions are unnecessary

Devil's Third is by no means a terrible game but is it great, either No, just average at best. The gameplay style focuses on katanas (swords) and guns in third person and it can be decent at times but eventually both of these styles just get tiresome as you end up seeing the same animation.

If it were not for the Wii U's considerable lack of third-party support, Devil's Third would effortlessly slip underneath the radars of Wii U owners, never to be heard from again. Sure, it may have been crafted by the once-capable hands of Tomonobu Itagaki, most notable for his acclaimed revival of...

Online multiplayer threatens to be fun

Horrendous performance issues; Unsuccessfully blends three different genres; Woeful level design; Embarrassing protagonist; Inconsistent shooting; Under-utilized melee combat; Laughably poor visuals; Tags