Ironically, this younger, less experienced Dante wipes the floor with his two later selves.
Besides being insanely difficult at times, this game also offers what's probably the most engaging story of the series so far. The alluring subtitle of the game, bundled with the interesting antagonist, Vergil, really inspired me to go through the hardest of tasks to get that next bit of cutscene.
Because do believe that the game will challenge your ability to hold on to the gamepad. Especially some bosses can come across as pretty unfair, forcing you to replay them a number of times before you're able to avoid some rather cheap attacks. This isn't a matter of reflexes or being good at the game, either. This is about knowing what the boss is about to do, and when, and that kind of gameplay isn't welcomed by everyone these days. If you feel like you're not up to that, then this game is definitely not for you.
Levels are pretty much the same as always. You've got some backtracking to do now and then, but the game is still pretty linear. Boss fights are rather frequent, to the point where they lose some impact, but instead they feel integrated into the game, and the lack of build up doesn't come across as odd. Overall, the game has a decidedly classic feel to it, almost old school in fact, while still being unmistakably modern.
Which brings me to the style of the game as a whole. Perhaps Capcom realised that Dante was just a bit too much of a badass to take entirely seriously in the first two games, and decided that they wanted to undercut that with some humour this time around. The result is a surprisingly appealing mix of badassness and tongue-in-cheek self irony. It's an atmosphere that separates the DMC series from all those wannabe hardcore copycats out there.
And Dante truly is a badass, and the theme of the series works so well here that in comparison, games like Ninja Gaiden appear hopelessly predictable. Because that is really Devil May Cry's main advantage. It doesn't quite offer the same sharp and varied gameplay of its Xbox ninja cousin, nor does it feel nearly as epic or fleshed out, but it's still, in the end, the more appealing game of the two because of its relentless sense of style. Let's put it this way, Ryu Hayabusa is a stuffy ninja in some kind of rubber pants, Dante is a pizza eating half devil/crazy gothic rockstar.
On Playstation 2 however, there really is no substitute for Dante's latest, and it's easily recommendable to anyone even mildly interested in the genre.