The Best Damn Action Game to come around in a long, long time.
User Rating: 9.6 | Devil May Cry 3 PS2
Let me start this review with the words most spoken by first time players of this game: "OMG!!! WTF!?!" Yes. This describes this game quite perfectly. From the steep learning curve to the unforgiving continue system, this game has difficulty down perfectly...if perfect is the right word. First off, let me stress that this game is not for everyone. Not everyone wants to punish themselves with the difficulty, complete the game 100%, or unlock ever single little secret. Because of this, the game will be very picky when it comes to who really enjoys this game to it's full potential. There is an Easy mode that is unlocked when you get your ass handed to you enough times, but then again Easy Mode ironically isn't that easy, either. The gameplay is tight and the controls are very responsive, fans of the original will instantly notice that the default control scheme from DMC1 has had a small change. The jump and melee button has been swapped, but you can either change the scheme to one of your liking or stick with it. The continue system will surely frustrate a lot of gamers. Basically, if you die and you don't have a yellow orb, you're screwed and you'll have to redo the ENTIRE mission all over again. Some may call this cheap, but then again, they're missing the point of the game. Which is to keep you on your toes. Does any sane gamer really want to reach a boss after a long mission only to be defeated and start it all over again? Of course not. Thats why you have to be careful with your moves and your dodges. So, how do you get those precious yellow orbs? You'll have to earn red orbs to purchase them with, red orbs are earned by keeping your style bar full, which in turn force you to think up some very sleek combos. All this can easily be pulled off with the "On the fly weapons switching". Basically you choose between two devil arms [swords, melee weapons] and guns [handguns, projectile oriented weapons], this may seem somewhat simple, but it adds some very sweet comboing potential. Another thing I'd like to point out is the fact that the ordinary enemy's AI tends to be simple. The only real strategy they have is "DIE, DANTE, DIE!" they come at you, you'll have to kill them. The thing that screws most people over is the sheer numbers that the enemies come in. This of course, can be delt with by timing yourself and evading the attacks as they come with either a jump or a roll. Sounds simple, no? Well, it is. Now, this game doesn't only accel in gameplay, either. The presentation is very good, actually. From the atmosphere, the music, to the surprisingly interesting characters. This game has a story that'll make most people try to beat a mission simply to know what happens next. The cutscenes are as over the top as they come. Example? Missile Surfing. Enough said. The story revolves around the two Half-demon brothers Dante and Vergil. Vergil, the eldest of the two is the antithesis to his hot-headed brother. Vergil's personality is calm, level headed and precise; whilst Dante's is cocky, arrogant and revolves around shooting anything that moves and has something to chop off. Fans who have followed this series since the original Devil May Cry will find a lot of fan service here. There are also a lot of foreshadowing involved in the storyline that'll tickle your fancy. Of course the supporting cast, Lady and Arkham have their share of the spotlight as well and don't ever seem to be in the background. Another character, Jester, offers his own brand of comedy relief as well. Devil May Cry 3 also sports something new to the series. The Style System. These can be catagorized as the following: Trickster, Swordmaster, Gunslinger and Royal Guard. There are two more unlockable Styles as well. The styles all seem identical when first starting out, but I guarantee that after you've leveled up each style a bit, they'll show their strengths and weaknesses. Theres a style for pretty much every type of gamer. Trickster focuses on evasion. And is regarded as a newbie style for beginners. With this you can practically dodge anything thrown at you by air dashing, teleporting or good ol' multiple ground dashes. Gunslinger is for the projectile fanatics. The guns can be charged and special abilites for the projectile weapons are unlocked such as 360 degree cover fire and richochet shots. It works well in large battles. In short: Crowd Control. Swordmaster is exactly what you think it is. You slash things and get up close and personal. This is an offensive style that can take large chunks of health from enemies. You'll be able to melee in midair and you'll be able to use the special abilities of the melee weapons such as forming an ice barrier around yourself or throwing your sword across the room and through an enemy's chest for continuous damage as long as that sword is left impaled. Royal Guard focuses on defensive measures. You can either hold onto the block button for a standard block that minimizes damage. Be aware, however that bosses and certain moves can break the block. For the more daring, comes a maneuver known as 'Just Block'. Basically, you tap block at the right moment and you'll block, and recieve no damage, this in turn leaves the enemy open for some payback. Theres 'Release' that can send out all the damage you've blocked all at once. Royal Guard moves can also be used for other things besides defense. Such as recovering health, dashing through attacks, and getting into just the right position for an attack. Now onwards to the camera, which as expected, is improved, but still suffers some problems. While most enemies won't attack from off screen, the ones that do are the annoying ones. This of course will only get to you if you can't listen. Every attack in the game has a visual and audio cue, this helps greatly reduce the frustration from off-screen attacks, mainly because a simple jump can evade most of the things coming your way. Graphically speaking, this is Devil May Cry 3's weakest point. It has it's good moments that are a treat for the eyes, but most of the time, there are jags mostly everywhere you go. Sound-wise, this game contains perfect sound effects, from the gunshots to the sword clanging against an enemy's blade. The music fits the game's hardcore gameplay well, but doesn't suit everyone's tastes. There is some good variety to be had, however, from ambience, majestically orchestrated pieces, action music beats, some techno reminiscent of the original, to metal. My only gripe with this is the fact that the battle music will get overplayed. It'll change halfway through the game, but it's still annoying hearing the same thing everytime you get into a fight. Now, the bosses are the stars of the show. They are the most colorful bunch ever to grace a game. Theres a big variety of bosses to be had here, from a Demonic Coliseum Stallion, a Giant Demonic Flying Whale, a Light infused Gargoyle with anger issues to a Electrified Succubus. the bosses are intriguing, yet cool in their own way. Some more harder than others, but all will put the skills you've EARNED to the test. The voice acting is very solid. The voices totally match the characters they are meant to portray. Sometimes it's hard to hear what they're saying since the music sometimes overshadows the voices, but thats not as irritating as it sounds. Get it? It's a pun...nevermind. It's kinda sad that a good game like this is so underrated, misunderstood and overshadowed by other killer apps such as Ninja Gaiden. I'm sure that if you love a challenge, adore mind numbing combo possibilities and the easy to use interface...or if you loved the addictive, yet challenging old-school games back in the SNES days and have grown tired of games that hold your hand and give you plenty of mercy without making you feel like you did something yourself, then this game is perfect for you. 
