Want to feel like a total badass? Here's your chance.
This game is about straight up action. Its main focus is putting you through intense battles from beginning to end with plenty of boss fights. However, there is a fair share of item collection related puzzles. However, they still focus around battles. Go to this room, fight these dudes, get this item, come back here and use the item, fight more dudes. Its good though, cause the fighting is awesome.
There are several styles you can choose from including: swordmaster, trickster, defender, quicksilver, and my favorite, gunslinger. I beleive theres one more I'm leaving out as well, can't remember at the moment though. No matter which you choose you'll always have a sword button along with a gun button for attacks, however, depending on your style the circle button will do something different. In sword master mode it will do a special sword attack, gunslinger mode it will do a special gun move. Get it? It's pretty cool and can allow for some awesome combos using all the moves you can learn from upgrading your style and weapons.
The game is broken down into 20 missions, the majority of which end with a boss. Between each mission you are given the option to buy items, upgrade weapons, and also replay old missions. Replaying old missions is useful if you need a couple extra red orbs to buy an upgrade or something. In most missions there is also usually a place where you'll have an oppurtunity to buy items and do upgrades.
A lot of people complained about the difficulty of this game when it came out, but I don't know why. Maybe it's because if you die on a boss you have to play the whole level again? Or maybe just no one could take it. If you ask me the game was just right, a few bosses took retrys. But I don't recall ever playing a level more than 3 times (due to being unable to complete it). I don't see the difficulty as being a worry. So, if you haven't play the game because of that, do yourself a favor and get it. It's well worth it, especially at its now budget price.
DMC3 is an outstanding game. Don't let DMC2 have you think otherwise. After your done playing this you'll just feel that much better about yourself. Don't miss it.