Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening

The Good
Devil May Cry 3 does a lot to combine and expand upon gameplay elements from the first two games. First and foremost, there are more Devil Arms now and even though some of them share moves (as opposed to Alastor and Ifrit in the first game), some of which are taken directly from DMC 1, the overall variety is genuinely delightful. At the same time, the whole combat system is still manageable and the combos never come even close to the absurd, inhuman complexity found in fighting games. Being able to switch both guns and Devil Arms in an instant (like guns in DMC 2) allows for even more varied and dynamic action, even though only two of each can be equipped at the same time.

The game also introduces further gameplay customization by so-called "styles", including a set of mobility improvements inspired by DMC 2, special gun-related abilities, a block and parry system, and - the most obvious and universal one - an entire additional moveset for each melee weapon. Each of these styles is useful in its own way and trying them out in various missions adds even more variety to the gameplay.

Another cool thing about DMC 3 is that it fully embraces its Sonic the Hedgehog inspirations. While the first two games had their minor Sonic Adventure moments that may have actually been coincidental, this prequel centers its story around a conflict borrowed from Sonic Adventure 2. The rivalry between the loud-mouthed, disrespectful hero Dante who still gets things done despite his recklessness and the focused, determined antagonist Vergil whose motivation lies in the memory of not being able to save a loved one is an almost 1:1 copy of Sonic and Shadow in SA 2. At the same time, the game has enough interesting secondary characters aided by a distinct, creative visual style to still set itself apart from SEGA's mascot and keep its own personality and atmosphere.

The boss fights in Dante's Awakening are generally creative and interesting, although not quite as much as in the first game. They are very varied both in fighting style and visual design and even though some of them cause unreasonable difficulty spikes, they're definitely another strong point of the game.

The Bad
You know how some of the problems with Devil May Cry 2 originated with Studio 1 taking gamers' suggestions too seriously and trying to simplify the gameplay to improve its flow? Well, Dante's Awakening goes too far in the opposite direction. After DMC 2's relatively low difficulty turned out to be a major complaint for many players, the team went on to make the prequel not only more difficult, but also very unforgiving.

Compared to the first game, which provided both a proper challenge and various ways to overcome that challenge (in terms of a precisely designed learning curve as well as an abundance of items), DMC 3 doesn't seem to care about the player and their ability to master the game. In the words of Jester, the player basically gets "a spanking from daddy". For some reason the game also takes a peculiar design element from classic Resident Evil games - which are generally difficult at the beginning and start getting easier with every new weapon and larger amounts of ammo - and makes it far more extreme. For plot-related reasons you start Dante's Awakening without Devil Trigger, but the difficulty curve doesn't really account for that, making several early missions painful and simply unenjoyable.

Speaking of plot and the main character's progression, there's one thing that has to be pointed out - young Dante is an insufferable jerk. DMC 1 created a perfect balance of one-liner confidence and genuine reliability for its main character, DMC 2 showed the natural evolution evolution of his personality and design, more mature and battle-worn. DMC 3 Dante, on the other hand, is one of the most annoying characters in video game history. While the game does have a specific vision for telling a coming-of-age story and showing how and why he changed over time, making your protagonist this irritating and punchable is rarely a good decision.

A minor fault in the game is its camera system. DMC 1 and 2 had entirely predetermined camera angles, which meant each and every one of them had to be designed for optimal functionality and aestheticism. DMC 3 mostly follows in its predecessors' footsteps, but gives the player some control over the camera in some areas, which makes for a more messy, less polished system that can be somewhat confusing every now and then.

A borrowing from Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 that doesn't work out quite as well as Dante and Vergil's rivalry lies in the soundtrack. Namely, DMC 3 introduces vocals to the series, which previously relied entirely on instrumentals. The thing is, it doesn't have neutral background music and its battle themes are mostly variations of each other, which makes for much more repetitiveness and doesn't even come close to SA 2's iconic soundtrack with separate themes for each location and character. I can't deny Taste the Blood is a good song on its own, but hearing the phrase "Feel free to die when you've had enough" dozens of times too many can and will get tiring.

The Bottom Line
Overall Devil May Cry 3 is a very good hack-and-slash game that brilliantly expands upon the gameplay from its two predecessors, but its issues, primarily the unforgiving and unreasonable difficulty, keep it from surpassing the first game in the series. 8/10

[based on the Special Edition (Yellow Orb mode) in the HD Collection on PC]

The Good
This is one of the greatest games I have played in years, not too many games are able to suck you in anymore quite like Devil May Cry 3. From the beginning level to the very end, Devil May Cry 3 was made for fans of the first Devil May Cry! Adding upon the series, you have a new story, new bosses, and a new combat system that works on different style of combat.

In Devil May Cry 3, Dante is now outfitted with styles of combat, there is Sword Master, Gunslinger, Trickster, and Royal Guard(with two unlockable styles later on in the game). While going through the game, the more you use a style, the more experience it will gain, thus allowing it to level up to master level which provides you with more attacks to use with that particular style.

Another great addition to Devil May Cry 3 is the compelling story. Before and after levels, the player is treated to high quality cut scenes that give you more and more story for you to salivate over.

For any gamers who like great music in their games, this game will definitely not let them down. Devil May Cry 3's soundtrack consists of high tension metal while you fight minor enemies to the bosses.

All in all, Devil May Cry 3 is one of the greatest games made, and I believe Capcom has more than made up for the unwanted child known as Devil May Cry 2.

The Bad
There wasn't anything that I didn't like about this game, but to some, this game may be too hard, mainly because this game really has no easy mode, sure, there is an easy mode in the menu, but there really is no difference between it and normal mode, but to all hardcore Devil May Cry 3 players, they'll know what to expect, and will be able to adjust to the difficulty.

If you do find this game too hard, I suggest you start with Devil May Cry 2, then move on to Devil May Cry, and then play this(that was in order from easiest to hardest).

The Bottom Line
This game is worth buying, not only to Devil May Cry fans, but also to anyone looking for a real challenge!!!