Category Navigation:
Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening
Text Review
Capcom had an unexpected hit with Devil May Cry when it first hit the PS2 in 2001. Injecting Resident Evil with adrenaline turned out to be an instant classic – the half-demon Dante and his crazy, over the top, style quickly winning me over and stealing many hours of my life. Imagine my surprise when Devil May Cry 2 was nothing short of lackluster; everything I had loved about the first entry was removed or butchered. So, when it came to the 3rd entry in the series, I was cautiously optimistic at best. Capcom must have really taken past mistakes to heart; as Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening not only manages to make a return to form, but also improves upon nearly everything that made the original great.
The first change you will notice is that Dante has lost some years. Taking place a few years before facing off with the demons at Mallet Island, our young hero is putting the finishing touches on his new demon hunting business. Vergil, Dante’s long lost brother, puts the grand opening on hold – raising the tower, Temen-ni-gru, from beneath the city that just so happens to be right next to our heroes’ new base of operations.
While this is certainly far from Shakespeare, the action-packed cut scenes, combined with an excellent soundtrack, never fail to disappoint. Dante’s character manages to blend the perfect amount of youthful arrogance with shimmers of his future self occasionally showing through. Vergil manages to be the best DMC villain to date – playing the perfect calm and collected foil to his brothers’ brash, reckless nature. Even the supporting cast manages to get a fair amount of time and development; a rare occurrence in any action game.
But this is all just background noise for the main attraction of the Devil May Cry series – stylish combat. The second you jump into combat you are greeted with the new “Styles” system, allowing you to switch between four types of combat focus; each with the ability to level up. While modes like “Swordsman” and “Gunslinger” are pretty obvious, others like “Trickster” and “Royal Guard” allow you to approach combat in either a more evasive or defensive way. As you level up the various styles, new abilities for Dante and his arsenal of weapons open up for you to use in his fight against Vergil.
These only serve to enhance the already excellent combat system. Tight controls, a variety of weapons and tough enemies create an elegant dance of skill; all while you are tracked by a style gauge that scores and rewards you for being a show off. This isn’t for casual players; easy mode will even be a rough time for those that aren’t willing to put in the time at fighting. While the learning curve isn’t horrible when it comes to the basics, some of the advanced moves can take hours of practice to master. If you plan to play higher difficulties, expect to need nothing short of near perfect skills to get through to the next stage.
While it may be a few years late, the sequel we all hoped for after the original Devil May Cry is here. This is a must-buy for any dedicated fan. Those looking for a challenging experience or a fun and deep fighting system will find exactly what they want here. There is little doubt that Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening is one of the best, if not the best, action games to grace the PS2 in its long life.
- Jared Whisenand
Developer: Capcom Production Studio 1
Publisher: Capcom
Platform(s): PC, PS2
The first change you will notice is that Dante has lost some years. Taking place a few years before facing off with the demons at Mallet Island, our young hero is putting the finishing touches on his new demon hunting business. Vergil, Dante’s long lost brother, puts the grand opening on hold – raising the tower, Temen-ni-gru, from beneath the city that just so happens to be right next to our heroes’ new base of operations.
While this is certainly far from Shakespeare, the action-packed cut scenes, combined with an excellent soundtrack, never fail to disappoint. Dante’s character manages to blend the perfect amount of youthful arrogance with shimmers of his future self occasionally showing through. Vergil manages to be the best DMC villain to date – playing the perfect calm and collected foil to his brothers’ brash, reckless nature. Even the supporting cast manages to get a fair amount of time and development; a rare occurrence in any action game.
But this is all just background noise for the main attraction of the Devil May Cry series – stylish combat. The second you jump into combat you are greeted with the new “Styles” system, allowing you to switch between four types of combat focus; each with the ability to level up. While modes like “Swordsman” and “Gunslinger” are pretty obvious, others like “Trickster” and “Royal Guard” allow you to approach combat in either a more evasive or defensive way. As you level up the various styles, new abilities for Dante and his arsenal of weapons open up for you to use in his fight against Vergil.
These only serve to enhance the already excellent combat system. Tight controls, a variety of weapons and tough enemies create an elegant dance of skill; all while you are tracked by a style gauge that scores and rewards you for being a show off. This isn’t for casual players; easy mode will even be a rough time for those that aren’t willing to put in the time at fighting. While the learning curve isn’t horrible when it comes to the basics, some of the advanced moves can take hours of practice to master. If you plan to play higher difficulties, expect to need nothing short of near perfect skills to get through to the next stage.
While it may be a few years late, the sequel we all hoped for after the original Devil May Cry is here. This is a must-buy for any dedicated fan. Those looking for a challenging experience or a fun and deep fighting system will find exactly what they want here. There is little doubt that Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening is one of the best, if not the best, action games to grace the PS2 in its long life.
- Jared Whisenand
Developer: Capcom Production Studio 1
Publisher: Capcom
Platform(s): PC, PS2
So RAD it hurts!
Sign up now! - CGR Forums
Follow CGR on Twitter - TWITTER
Writers! - Click here
eBay links! Help support Classic Game Room by buying your classic games and hardware through eBay links on our site! Every game and accessory is linked to eBay, shop ahoy!