Too bad the devil trigger is fugly.
Devil May Cry3.
Dante.
new moves.
new weapons.
new costume.
And his twin brother.
Heheheh. Shouldn't that be enough?
Okay, fine. Review it is then.
When I first heard that Capcom was working on Devil May Cry3, My first thought was "Wheeee!! DANTE!" then, I thought "Oh, wait. DMC2 wasn't exactly all that." It may look cool, but the ability to shoot in two different directions for a limited time wasn't very useful.
Well, the usual hype surrounded this. Would it deliver on the action we got from Dante's first adventure? Or would it be as bland as DMC2 was? I'm not dissing DMC2, I just thought it was corny compared to the first game. Well, thank god for Capcom's minds. DMC3 delivers, and is every bit as exciting as the first game was. Yee-hah. The game's graphics are sweet, delivering action without any slowdown whatsoever (that I've noticed, at least.), alowing for the insane adrenaline-pumping action most action/adventure junkies like myself crave, allowing your self to blast away with Ebony and Ivory(Dante's handguns), combo with Rebellion(Dante's default sword) and not worry about and graphic breakup.
The 'style' combo system from the previous games is back. For those who don't know, the 'style' system is a system that rates your combos as you deliver them; these ratings actually affect your gameplay, giving you both bragging rights, and more red orbs. Again, for the uninformed, Red orbs, BTW, are the thingies you need to upgrade Dante's stuff and buy his moves. The Style system is a s follows:
Dope!
Crazy!
Blast!
Alright!
Sweet!
SShowtime!
SSStylish!!
Get it? If you don't, don't force it. Try not to hurt your head.
Whereas in DMC2, Dante was stoic, this Dante is the jerk we know and love to hate from DMC1. Granted, storywise, DMC3 is a prequel to DMC1, which explains all that.
DMC3's storyline revolves around the rivalry of Dante and Vergil(cheap names by Capcom, I know. But hey. It works.) the twin sons of the demon Sparda. Dante has not yet realized his demon powers(as showcased in DMC1&2) and more or less, he develops them to meet up with his bro. Check out the opening movie of Mission 8, after you first fight Vergil, and when you first get the ability to Devil Trigger. Fun. For more fun, Capcom threw in a third and fourth character, the demon slayer 'Lady', and Vergil's right hand man with his own agenda, Arkham.
Plot sound generic? Remember: It's not just the story. It's how you tell it. And Capcom delivers in that aspect.
Some of Dante's new weapons include Cerberus, an ice-casting triple-nunchaku (Sword-chucks, yo.) and Nevan, an electric guitar, that's... well.. electric. It shoots lightning. And bats. Meh. Pretty sweet, though.
Ebony and Ivory are back, and so is the shotgun. And three new guns.
However, you can only carry four weapons at a time. Two long range, Two melee. Maybe limiting, but they add to the fun of the game, being able to switch weapons on the fly and all. Speaking of which, some old moves get revamped. Stinger and Million stab are back, and Rainstorm is very sweet. And Twosome time can be done withut stopping now. Huzzah. In other words, for you trigger happy fans out there, you can just stand in the middle of the room, equip E and I, tap 0, and rotate the analog to keep those idiot demons at bay. Stylish, and effective. I still prefer the sword though.
The game also introduces a new trick: choosing a fighting style. The available styles are:
Gunslinger(duh)
Swordsmaster(again, duh)
Trickster(The default style, A style that enables you to dodge invincibly around at high speeds. Stealth dash, anyone?)
and Royalguard. (a defensive style which hajiki-issen fans from Onimusha 3 like me appreciate.)
There are also two other styles to unlock, but I won't spoil 'em. One of them makes me want to play Prince of Persia:Sands of time again.
Using these available styles levels-up said style, and in effect, increases Dante's effectiveness in said mode of combat.
The enemies are dangerous. They're not patsies, but they're not uber-tough either, unless you're playing 'Dante must die' mode. Enemies WILL attack as a group. They won't just attack one by one like they do in other games, so always keep on your toes, aand be ready to jame the O or X button. Due to the lack of a block button, evasion is a must. The game's combat system is focused on action, action, action. Or, you could just do it the easy way, and hang back and fire away with your guns. They have infinite ammo anyway, but that's no fun.
The bosses are just right. Difficult, but not overwhelming. Fighting them can be a thrill, since bosses will actually change their patterns, so fights never get stale. Except for Cerberus, since you can be cheap against that doggie.
The puzzles are simple enough; not solvable on first glance, but thankfully not frustrating enough to make you throw your controller against the wall...well, most at least. And since hell has a sense of humor, one particular mission has you running around a huge spiral staircase just to get a bloody cage to work. Eurgh. I was stuck on that one for quite a while, I can tell you.
That said, the game is not the cakewalk it was in DMC2. This is the DMC I enjoyed to bits. Granted, for newbies, the learning curve is extreme. The game starts of in media res, meaning you have no warm-up mission; learn to swim, or drown. And since you get no continues on the translated version of the game, you'd better hope that you got the japanese version, ne? The difficulty of the game can be insane at times, since you have everything happening at once, and you with no invincibility.
Once you learn the ropes however, the game's fun factor doubles, and the difficulty... well... still difficult, but at least you don't die every twenty minutes anymore.
If you want to play this thing without coninuing, you had either have a) insane reflexes, b) fast fingers, c) played lots of similar games on Hard mode or higher, or d) played the first two DMCs under the same conditions.
Quick note: the american version of the game's 'normal' mode? It's actually the japanese version's 'hard' mode. Explain anything? Bleah. Go figure. Whichever genius at capcom thought of that idea deserves a stinger to the head.
The soundtrack of the game rocks. I especially love the game's title song: 'The devils cry' by Tetsuya Shibata, Shootie HG, and David Baker. The fight music is fun.
The fighting system is fluid, switching weapons on the fly, delivering combos with Cerberus, juggling enemies with Rebellion, delivering lead into an airborne demon with E and I, then sending them flying with the shotgun feels like second nature after the first couple of missions. Each style of course, adds to the fun. Aerial Rave in Swordsmaster and Rainstorm in Guslinger are just a couple of the stunts you can pull. There are the new moves of course, like Free Ride, where Dante jumps on the body of a fallen enemy, kicks off like a skateboard, and spins around the room like some psycho-thrasher with a living board, guns a-blazing. Personal fave move just because it looks cool, is 'Fireworks' with the Shotgun. Dante swings the shotgun around like nunchaku, firing in multiple directions around him.
Some moves are a hassle, though. For me at least. Delivering Million Slash consistently for me is still pretty hard.
A notable new move with Dante is the ability to taunt. Tapping select on the controller makes Dante taunt the enemy. No notable benefits; It's just a taunt. However, I've noticed something. Remember the combo ratings I gave earlier? try taunting directly after a combo. The taunt may change. From the classic "Bring it on!" taunt(Dope!) to "Whatever.*shrug*"(Sweet!) to "Who's your daddy?!?"(Stylish) It's just really funny to taunt when you're surrounded by a roomful of enemies. One of my most cherished moments in DMC3 is comboing Vergil, Taunting him, then Hitting him with a Stinger just as he's about to dash out of the way.
Again, there's no point to taunting. It's just for show. But hey, It's fun.
I suggest you pick up the japanese version of the game. You can change the language to english anyway, but the major advantage is: in the japanese version, you can continue after dying. In the American version, you can't unless you have a gold orb. Meaning, if you die, you have to start the game from scratch. Which, as Shinobi players can attest to, is crappy as hell. There's nothing as frustrating as playing through a mission, losing to a boss, then having to start again from the beginning. Bleah. Unlike Shinobi however, this bloody game's bosses do not consist of a whole mission. here, mission then boss. Bleah. Go get the game. And get the Japanese version, it's less frustrating. Whoo.
If you have a PS2, I definitely recommend this as a must-have.
"Go out with a demon? You must be joking."
"Excuse me?!? I make it a point not to go out with women who shoot me in the head!"
-Lady and Dante, while shooting the crap out of a bunch of demons.
Dante models his new gloves. Just before he shoves them down this demon's throat.
Devil May Cry3:
Dante's Awakening
by Capcom
Action/Adventure(I think, it's not survival/horror to me)
platform:PS2
screenshot courtesy of: www.1up.com
Dante.
new moves.
new weapons.
new costume.
And his twin brother.
Heheheh. Shouldn't that be enough?
Okay, fine. Review it is then.
When I first heard that Capcom was working on Devil May Cry3, My first thought was "Wheeee!! DANTE!" then, I thought "Oh, wait. DMC2 wasn't exactly all that." It may look cool, but the ability to shoot in two different directions for a limited time wasn't very useful.
Well, the usual hype surrounded this. Would it deliver on the action we got from Dante's first adventure? Or would it be as bland as DMC2 was? I'm not dissing DMC2, I just thought it was corny compared to the first game. Well, thank god for Capcom's minds. DMC3 delivers, and is every bit as exciting as the first game was. Yee-hah. The game's graphics are sweet, delivering action without any slowdown whatsoever (that I've noticed, at least.), alowing for the insane adrenaline-pumping action most action/adventure junkies like myself crave, allowing your self to blast away with Ebony and Ivory(Dante's handguns), combo with Rebellion(Dante's default sword) and not worry about and graphic breakup.
The 'style' combo system from the previous games is back. For those who don't know, the 'style' system is a system that rates your combos as you deliver them; these ratings actually affect your gameplay, giving you both bragging rights, and more red orbs. Again, for the uninformed, Red orbs, BTW, are the thingies you need to upgrade Dante's stuff and buy his moves. The Style system is a s follows:
Dope!
Crazy!
Blast!
Alright!
Sweet!
SShowtime!
SSStylish!!
Get it? If you don't, don't force it. Try not to hurt your head.
Whereas in DMC2, Dante was stoic, this Dante is the jerk we know and love to hate from DMC1. Granted, storywise, DMC3 is a prequel to DMC1, which explains all that.
DMC3's storyline revolves around the rivalry of Dante and Vergil(cheap names by Capcom, I know. But hey. It works.) the twin sons of the demon Sparda. Dante has not yet realized his demon powers(as showcased in DMC1&2) and more or less, he develops them to meet up with his bro. Check out the opening movie of Mission 8, after you first fight Vergil, and when you first get the ability to Devil Trigger. Fun. For more fun, Capcom threw in a third and fourth character, the demon slayer 'Lady', and Vergil's right hand man with his own agenda, Arkham.
Plot sound generic? Remember: It's not just the story. It's how you tell it. And Capcom delivers in that aspect.
Some of Dante's new weapons include Cerberus, an ice-casting triple-nunchaku (Sword-chucks, yo.) and Nevan, an electric guitar, that's... well.. electric. It shoots lightning. And bats. Meh. Pretty sweet, though.
Ebony and Ivory are back, and so is the shotgun. And three new guns.
However, you can only carry four weapons at a time. Two long range, Two melee. Maybe limiting, but they add to the fun of the game, being able to switch weapons on the fly and all. Speaking of which, some old moves get revamped. Stinger and Million stab are back, and Rainstorm is very sweet. And Twosome time can be done withut stopping now. Huzzah. In other words, for you trigger happy fans out there, you can just stand in the middle of the room, equip E and I, tap 0, and rotate the analog to keep those idiot demons at bay. Stylish, and effective. I still prefer the sword though.
The game also introduces a new trick: choosing a fighting style. The available styles are:
Gunslinger(duh)
Swordsmaster(again, duh)
Trickster(The default style, A style that enables you to dodge invincibly around at high speeds. Stealth dash, anyone?)
and Royalguard. (a defensive style which hajiki-issen fans from Onimusha 3 like me appreciate.)
There are also two other styles to unlock, but I won't spoil 'em. One of them makes me want to play Prince of Persia:Sands of time again.
Using these available styles levels-up said style, and in effect, increases Dante's effectiveness in said mode of combat.
The enemies are dangerous. They're not patsies, but they're not uber-tough either, unless you're playing 'Dante must die' mode. Enemies WILL attack as a group. They won't just attack one by one like they do in other games, so always keep on your toes, aand be ready to jame the O or X button. Due to the lack of a block button, evasion is a must. The game's combat system is focused on action, action, action. Or, you could just do it the easy way, and hang back and fire away with your guns. They have infinite ammo anyway, but that's no fun.
The bosses are just right. Difficult, but not overwhelming. Fighting them can be a thrill, since bosses will actually change their patterns, so fights never get stale. Except for Cerberus, since you can be cheap against that doggie.
The puzzles are simple enough; not solvable on first glance, but thankfully not frustrating enough to make you throw your controller against the wall...well, most at least. And since hell has a sense of humor, one particular mission has you running around a huge spiral staircase just to get a bloody cage to work. Eurgh. I was stuck on that one for quite a while, I can tell you.
That said, the game is not the cakewalk it was in DMC2. This is the DMC I enjoyed to bits. Granted, for newbies, the learning curve is extreme. The game starts of in media res, meaning you have no warm-up mission; learn to swim, or drown. And since you get no continues on the translated version of the game, you'd better hope that you got the japanese version, ne? The difficulty of the game can be insane at times, since you have everything happening at once, and you with no invincibility.
Once you learn the ropes however, the game's fun factor doubles, and the difficulty... well... still difficult, but at least you don't die every twenty minutes anymore.
If you want to play this thing without coninuing, you had either have a) insane reflexes, b) fast fingers, c) played lots of similar games on Hard mode or higher, or d) played the first two DMCs under the same conditions.
Quick note: the american version of the game's 'normal' mode? It's actually the japanese version's 'hard' mode. Explain anything? Bleah. Go figure. Whichever genius at capcom thought of that idea deserves a stinger to the head.
The soundtrack of the game rocks. I especially love the game's title song: 'The devils cry' by Tetsuya Shibata, Shootie HG, and David Baker. The fight music is fun.
The fighting system is fluid, switching weapons on the fly, delivering combos with Cerberus, juggling enemies with Rebellion, delivering lead into an airborne demon with E and I, then sending them flying with the shotgun feels like second nature after the first couple of missions. Each style of course, adds to the fun. Aerial Rave in Swordsmaster and Rainstorm in Guslinger are just a couple of the stunts you can pull. There are the new moves of course, like Free Ride, where Dante jumps on the body of a fallen enemy, kicks off like a skateboard, and spins around the room like some psycho-thrasher with a living board, guns a-blazing. Personal fave move just because it looks cool, is 'Fireworks' with the Shotgun. Dante swings the shotgun around like nunchaku, firing in multiple directions around him.
Some moves are a hassle, though. For me at least. Delivering Million Slash consistently for me is still pretty hard.
A notable new move with Dante is the ability to taunt. Tapping select on the controller makes Dante taunt the enemy. No notable benefits; It's just a taunt. However, I've noticed something. Remember the combo ratings I gave earlier? try taunting directly after a combo. The taunt may change. From the classic "Bring it on!" taunt(Dope!) to "Whatever.*shrug*"(Sweet!) to "Who's your daddy?!?"(Stylish) It's just really funny to taunt when you're surrounded by a roomful of enemies. One of my most cherished moments in DMC3 is comboing Vergil, Taunting him, then Hitting him with a Stinger just as he's about to dash out of the way.
Again, there's no point to taunting. It's just for show. But hey, It's fun.
I suggest you pick up the japanese version of the game. You can change the language to english anyway, but the major advantage is: in the japanese version, you can continue after dying. In the American version, you can't unless you have a gold orb. Meaning, if you die, you have to start the game from scratch. Which, as Shinobi players can attest to, is crappy as hell. There's nothing as frustrating as playing through a mission, losing to a boss, then having to start again from the beginning. Bleah. Unlike Shinobi however, this bloody game's bosses do not consist of a whole mission. here, mission then boss. Bleah. Go get the game. And get the Japanese version, it's less frustrating. Whoo.
If you have a PS2, I definitely recommend this as a must-have.
"Go out with a demon? You must be joking."
"Excuse me?!? I make it a point not to go out with women who shoot me in the head!"
-Lady and Dante, while shooting the crap out of a bunch of demons.
Dante models his new gloves. Just before he shoves them down this demon's throat.
Devil May Cry3:
Dante's Awakening
by Capcom
Action/Adventure(I think, it's not survival/horror to me)
platform:PS2
screenshot courtesy of: www.1up.com
