Fantastic. Have Capcom redeemed themselves? Hell-yes.
The story of DMC3 is a decent one. The plot is fairly linear, but it does have a few twists and turns to keep the player interested. The plot revolves mainly around Dante and his quest to stop his twin brother Virgil from opening a gate which will allow demons to enter our world. Most of the main story is told through numerous cut-scenes (there are loads) which are satisfying. The bulk of the story isn't anything special, but it does have a strong ending. In a nut-shell - Great opening, mediocre middle, and a strong finish. The gameplay in Dante's Awakening is stylish, and crazy. Dante has more moves, more weapons, more upgrades, more combos, and you can pick from several styles which alter the way you play. It can take a while for you to get used to the controls though, as well has "how to play" but once you do, you'll be cruising. Essentially it's all about you beating the crap out of demons in stylish fashion. The action is thrilling -killing demons has never been so fun. One criticism could be that the combat isn't as "free" as one might like it to be due largely to the severe difficulty of the game. Sometimes you need to really play it safe, or you're dead.
DMC3 looks and sounds great for the most part. The voice acting is a little "exaggerated", which can get annoying. Dante is a prime example of this, and it doesn't help that he has a wide selection of cheesy lines. In the end, Dante's Awakening is simply one of the best action games available for the PS2. Capcom has proved that they know how to set things straight. Fans of the action genre, I strongly recommend this. I can assure fans of the series that this game is a must have, and they will not be disappointed. If you're new to the series, this is a fine place to start. After all it's a prequel, isn't it? ;)
-Gam