As a Hard corce Devil may cry fan here what i have to say bout the Devil may cry 3 special edition !
For those that do not know about the Devil May Cry series (henceforth DMC), this is the third installement - Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening. DMC3 takes place before DMC - basically the half-demon Dante's past and what went on between him and twin brother Vergil.
Story: 8/10
The story is the same as the last game if didn't play the Last Devil may cry 3 (The story is nothing super original or anything, but is usually fairly original and awesome (albeit somewhat overly dramatic in appearance) cutscenes that make the story flow seamlessly make up for it. The story is of Dante, a half-human and half-demon's past - who one day he gets an invitation to a "party" as he likes to call it, a big huge building erects from the center of the city, and Dante goes to meet his brother (Vergil) who is awaiting him. Along the way, we meet up with Lady, a girl who has her own hidden agenda and various others. More importantly, he eventually meets Vergil atop that giant tower, and the story continues with its plot twists and wicked cutscenes and fun gameplay ).
Graphics: 10/10
DMC3's Special editon graphics are amazing, and has all the nice gothic horror type scenery, and some memorable locations. Some very interesting architecture in the game is a strong point, giving it a nice feel to match the game. Definitely some of the best on the PS2. The animations are well done, and the effects are brilliant. The cutscenes are beautifully animated, and are detailed to every little nice and violent point if need be. The originality feeling from the first is generally here with all its detailed structure. The characters are just as well done, and have all the nice effects making them realistic.
Sound: 10/10
I just can't get over how much I love the music for the game. It's just plain cool. The music varies from the title screen which is all mysterious, to metal for the fighting, creepy tracks, and nice ambient sort of tracks for the background music when you are just running around missions along with some combination of mysterious/synagogue type and metal that play during cutscenes. The music always matches the game perfectly, and you couldn't ask for anything more. The sound effects are equally as good, and sound accurate and entertaining sometimes. Some effects from the previous games seem to be re-used, and the monsters sometimes seem to be remixed, but it doesn't change the fact that that is just what works, and what we come to expect is that laws of the world didn't just change between games. Another final point to mention here is the voice acting - it's excellent! Whether you have the Japanese version, or the North American version, (and most likely the European version) the voices are still the same, and are in English either way. You just choose the subtitles you would like. No real complaints, everyone's voices add up to their character (I especially find Dante to be a perfect match) sometimes Vergil sounds a bit awkward, but even he is still well done. And everyone else from bosses to the other characters are great.
Gameplay: 9/10
The game is the same as the first Devil may cry 3 expect for Vergil has own story mode if didn't play devil may cry 3 : Truly the best part about the game, everything from DMC has been made a hundred times better. With the addition of the "Styles" system, additional weapons, guns, etc. the fighting can always become entertaining, and never get stale. The nice thing is the Styles system in which you can choose your style, and have advantages in that area. If you like using guns - use the Gunslinger style, if you like dashing around like Shinobi, and dodging things - use the Trickster style. Those are just some of the style options; the others are swordmaster, royalguard and two others that are hidden. The game retains all its style and more, and is built around having fun killing your enemies - while doing it in style! The ability to solve puzzles is required, but they aren't stupidly obscured like Resident Evil can be sometimes, and are usually conveniently placed so you don't have to back track too far if at all and just think a little. The bosses in the game are harder than those in DMC, thankfully, you can now continue from the closest room point. Some of the bosses require quite a bit of skill to beat, but figuring out their weakness is usually the key. The main aspects from DMC are still intact, like the ranking system, etc. The gameplay in DMC3 is what makes it stand out against all the others in its genre. What can I say? It's just fun playing for the sake of having fun making sweet combos!
In conclusion, this isn't a game that you should rent; it's a game that you should buy! There are 20 missions, plus 20 mini-missions, tons of unlockable extras, and different difficulty modes. The game will keep you I busy for a very long time for the sheer fact of you needing to keep coming back for more excellent and fun game action! Devil May Cry 3 Special editon is a must have for all Playstation 2 owners. It 20 dollers now & it a must buy ! If you have never played DMC (DMC2 excluded, it wasn't all that great compared to the first, and took a major drop) or don't usually play games in this gothic styled stylish action/adventure type genre, there is a little bit for fans of all types of games here.
FINAL SCORE: 9.7/10