In the mood for… demons
Feeling the horn? These games show PlayStation at its most devilish
1 STREET FIGHTER V
The Satsui No Hado is a dark energy which Ryu had to struggle against lest it awaken Evil Ryu within him. But just as he purged this side of himself, it created a new demonic entity, an even more evil Ryu called Kage.
2 DEMON’S SOULS
The title says it all. FromSoftware’s opening entry in the Souls series (superbly remade by Bluepoint Games) is all about killing demons that have taken over the corrupted kingdom of Boletaria. But it’s not just the big horned fellas who count as demons; technically everything in this world is one – even the benevolent Maiden In Black in the Nexus.
3 DOOM
The original demon slayer made a blazing comeback in 2016. Suited and booted as the Doom Slayer, you blast away hundreds of horrible hellspawn, from one-eyed, spherical Cacodemons to ginormous Barons Of Hell. The best part of Doom 2016 is finishing them off with a gory up-close glory kill.
4 CATHERINE
Poor Vincent is having nightmares about climbing a tower to escape his many demons, from commitment to the prospect of parenthood. Then there’s the fact that he’s cheating on his girlfriend Katherine with the titular blonde beauty. It’s a bit more complicated than that though as – spoiler – cutie Cath is actually a succubus. That still counts as cheating, though.
5 DIABLO 3
Blizzard’s hack-and-slash dungeon crawler is all about blitzing hordes of demonic foes. While the huge bestiary is not filled exclusively with demons, the most memorable is The Butcher at the end of Act 1, who comes at you with his big cleaver, uttering his immortal line: “Fresh meat!”
6 AFTERPARTY
Friends Milo and Lola have somehow died and wound up in Hell to be tortured for eternity. Their only chance of escape is to outdrink and outparty Lucifer and his brethren, the Monarchs of Hell. It’s not called the demon drink for nothing.
7 DEVIL MAY CRY
We can’t leave out gaming’s most badass demon hunter, who made his debut on PS2. What sets Dante apart from other hunters is that he’s half-demon himself. This side of him takes over when you activate his ‘devil trigger’.
8 SLEEPING DOGS
Hong Kong cop Wei Shen has more than triads to deal with in the Nightmare In North Point expansion, when an executed gangster rises from the dead while summoning an army of jiang shi (Chinese zombie-vampires). Among these are also some more demonic-looking yaoguai, and it’ll take more than Wei’s martial arts skills to defeat them – you need a nice cup of magical herbal tea. Mmm.
9 DANTE’S INFERNO
EA’s Visceral Games spliced God Of War’s DNA into Dante Alighieri’s classic poem The Divine Comedy. This version of Dante is a ripped knight who journeys through the nine circles of Hell to rescue his lover Beatrice’s soul. Naturally, you fight hordes of demons in the process.
“WHAT SETINS DSAINDTER APART IS THAT
HE’S HALF-DEMON HIMSELF.”