We’ve seen a lot of the home console versions of Dante’s Inferno, but EA’s pre-TGS event offered some hands-on time with the portable edition. While the graphics are obviously going to take a hit, they actually hold up pretty well on the PSP.

I played a section from the fifth circle of hell, Anger, which was shown at this year’s E3 as the full horsepower edition. The first area involves pushing around a block attached to a wall that allows an elevator to rise. It’s the classic God of War maneuver of fighting dudes while trying to accomplish a puzzle task in between waves. Combat holds up well considering the lack of a second analog stick and two shoulder buttons. There’s a mix of light, heavy, and cross attacks with magic tied to the d-pad. I experimented with a couple of the spells: an electric shield and a cross that floats around Dante. These appear to be mostly defensive in nature, but it’s possible I was too busy slicing guys up with the scythe to notice the effects.

The next section involves taking out flying goons while floating across the river Styx on a suspicious lily pad. It turns out that Dante is riding on top of a giant monster’s head and I had to go through a quick time event to get off safely. The final area involves fighting demons while this huge guy is trying to smash Dante with his fists.

At the end a cutscene pops up (it was placeholder at the time) showing Satan tempting Dante’s girlfriend Beatrice to eat some evil seeds. She does and ends up transforming into a devil lady. Satan moves in for a smooch and scores, casting a sidelong glance to make sure Dante is watching. Hey, he’s the devil! What did you expect?