Waves

This Devil May Cry 3 review was written for Poopgang back in 2005 (or thereabouts). Unfortunately I’ve lost the original images I made for it (I liked to use thin vertical slices of image back then, to break the chunks of text up), but I’ll pop a few relevant ones in, just so it’s not a fucking massive block of text.

Enjoy.

Devil May Cry 3

Format – Playstation 2
Developer – Capcom
Publisher – Capcom
Release – March 2005

This Dante figure is amazing. I will own it one day

Those who forget the mistakes of the past are condemned to repeat them. Although it would be easier just to forget Devil May Cry 2 ever happened it’s a good job that Capcom kept it in mind. Devil May Cry was, and still is, a momentous and ground-breaking game. Fusing swordplay and marksmanship, it was a revolution to the genre. With its tight, enclosed spaces, extraordinary depth of combat and unparalleled atmosphere it quickly became a hardcore favourite. Devil May Cry 2, developed by a different team to that of the original, featured poor characterisation and a broken combat dynamic. To be fair, it did introduce a lot of useful and interesting techniques such as dual targeting, horizontal wall running, and the powering up of firearms, but lacked that magical something, that indescribable element of focus. With the original team back behind the reigns, Devil May Cry 3 has a lot to live up to, and make up for. Does it succeed?

I’ll start with your avatar in the world of Devil May Cry 3, the main protagonist, Dante. Half demon and half human, our white haired hero is the spawn of a human woman and a Devil, The Legendary Dark Knight Sparda. Raised by his mother, Dante is a hyperactive and good natured wannabe rock-star, and sees his gift of super human strength, agility and resilience as a responsibility to keep the World free of demons. Cool, cocky, and confident, he has a carefree attitude that lightens up every bad situation with a cheesy one liner, or witty remark. From the opening scene where Dante kicks a fallen chair into its correct standing position, lunges onto the chair, thumps his feet onto the adjacent desk which launches the ringing phone into his hand – all in one glorious sweeping movement – you just know that this guy has style. When surrounded by demons he instinctively reaches for a slice of pizza, not his handgun. His twin brother, Vergil, couldn’t be more different. Whereas Dante uses a heady mix of swords and firearms, Vergil disapproves of such methods, instead choosing to exclusively wield a katana given to him by his father.

Dante's trademark red jacket swings around, exaggerating his movements

Aloof and serious, he wishes to open the door to Hell that was sealed two millennia ago by his father, and rule the Earth alongside Arkham; a mysterious, sinister man with his own nefarious motives who preaches damnation instead of salvation. The fourth supporting character is the enigmatic schoolgirl, Lady. A skilled demon hunter, proficient with pistols, sub machine guns and her custom made bazooka, Kalina Ann, she has her own agenda for getting involved in the scenario. Holding her fury under her every breath, you sense the venom waiting to be unleashed; you see the anger in her mismatched eyes. With one brown eye and one blue, her visage is not dissimilar to that of Arkham, who also shares this peculiar ocular trait. And finally there is Jester, a bizarrely clothed individual, who seems intent on not only leading Dante up the correct path but also conversely littering the path with obstacles. The twist is so obvious and transparent you want to shoot yourself when it’s revealed and you are utterly, utterly shocked by it. The way this mix of distinctly different characters interact with each other throughout the games 20 missions is handled superbly, each played with a professional level of conviction by the voiceover actors and the motion capture department.

But what of the interactive meat that hangs on the passive plots bones? The crux of the game, the combat, is exciting and surprisingly deep. Over the course of the game Dante will obtain ten diversely different weapons; five melee – which range from Dante’s standard sword, Rebellion, to a succubus possessed scythe-guitar; and five projectile – including the default dual handguns Ebony and Ivory, the series stalwart shotgun and an armour piercing sniper/railgun. Each weapon has a range of moves and techniques that are not only mostly unique to them, but also incredibly useful for different scenarios. Some excel at controlling crowds of demons, some are most useful against single foes, and you never find yourself neglecting a move because there are others more valuable, as each technique has its place in your arsenal. Moves are easy to perform, too, as any move can be performed at a whim with minimal practise. No move is unachievable in the heat of battle where split second timing is essential for survival. Four weapons can be equipped simultaneously, two of each discipline, and this really opens up the potential for some truly outlandish combo attacks.

The Stinger is an invaluable attack

As an example, you can rush an enemy with your twin elemental swords, Agni and Rudra, and slash away, then perform the High Time move and knock your opponent into the air. With Ebony and Ivory a mere button press away, you can unload several shots into your target, holding him aloft, before jumping up to meet him with Rebellion and slamming him back to Earth under your sword. Looking stylish has never been so easy. Defeated enemies produce red orbs, which can be exchanged for new moves or abilities to extend your repertoire, quite simply, the more stylish and varied your combos, the more red orbs released. Another way of extending your collection of moves is building up stylish points which level up your chosen vocation. There are initially four to choose from, and each can deliver a wholly different playing experience.

The circle button is key here, as any style specific moves are assigned to it. For those of you who like to get close up and in the face of your enemies, there is the Swordmaster Style. Extending the uses of your melee weapons, or Devil Arms, this is definitely the way to go when facing a new level for the first time, or impressing friends. Prefer ranged combat? Then Gunslinger is for you. Enabling you to do lots of damage at a distance, this style is essential for making full use of your guns. Trickster Style is a nod to Devil May Cry 2, and fans of that episode will relish the wall running, air dashing qualities it brings. Widely accepted as the expert playing style, Royal Guard requires a cool head at all times. With timing and tactical thinking, you can negate all damage from an enemy with a deftly timed, last second block. Using this style it’s possible to get through the entire game without taking one hit. Adding another layer to this is your nigh invulnerable Devil Trigger state, where, for a limited time, you move faster, hit harder and look cooler. With its regenerative abilities, sometimes it is wise to use it out of battle while you take a breather and let your health bar refill without interruption.

The DMC3 review was so long it needed to be split into two posts so WordPress could handle it. Brilliant! I’m posting part 2 first so that if you read from top (latest) to bottom (oldest), this part is below part 1.

2,500 words is far too long for anyone to waffle on about anything…

Charging up

The enemies you project all this violence toward hark back to the original, where they all had distinct looks, or peculiar traits that made each one different to fight. For example the bread and butter Hell: Pride are slow and cumbersome, but have a deadly sand projectile move if you give them enough time to muster it, whereas the Hell: Lusts are speedy and agile, always lunging backwards before attacking with their large reaping hooks. Hell: Wraths are another example of the assortment, immune to sword attacks; they carry the hearts of larger demons on their backs that explode when shot. Anyone familiar with the rules of Chess will know what kind of thing to expect from the statues modelled on those infamous pieces. The Pawns, while weak, can over power you with sheer numbers, the Rooks attack in straight horizontal or vertical lines, Bishops have nasty fire attacks that spray diagonally. Destroy the King, perform Check Mate, and they all fall, the game is yours.

This level of creativity also carries over to the bosses. From the first you encounter, the Hell Vanguard with his ability to teleport around the map and carve you up with his glowing magical scythe, up until the last, not one of them is filler. Initially feeling like tests of patience and stamina, the battles can drag on with you doing miniscule damage to them, but only until you have discovered and exploited their weak spot, their Achilles heel. Often requiring you to put Dante in a highly exposed, dangerous position, but offering incredible damage returns, hacking away at their vulnerability is a first-rate example of the risk/reward mechanic. Each Boss character bestows a new weapon or ability upon you, for example defeating Cerberus, the three headed guardian that has control over ice, rewards you with a set of three pronged ice nunchucks. Upon perishing, the electrically charged opera singer Nevan rewards you with the aforementioned “electric” guitar/scythe. Defeating your shadow late in the game unlocks a novel, yet ultimately confusing two player mode.

Love the charged Shotgun visuals

Visually, the game impresses on many levels, one area in particular is the lighting, which also plays an integral part in a Boss confrontation late in the game. Another area is the spot effects. As you fire your handguns the empty bullet casings fall to the floor, bouncing with an element of realistic randomness. Swiping away at an enemy with Beowulf’s Ifrit inspired Gauntlets leaves a trail of light, and causes sparks of energy snaking through the air. These may sound trivial and non-essential, but the amount of character they add to the game is immeasurable. The same engine is used to not only power the game itself, but also the cut-scenes where the plot is unravelled, which helps keep the two areas together, and not have you fall asleep while the next section loads.

Although the story of one man’s quest to prevent an apocalyptic outcome is slightly clichéd and has been seen hundreds of times before, it neatly punctuates the hardcore fighting action, and provides ample motivation for the characters in the next scene. Starting off in the grimy office of Dante’s demon killing agency, the game then progresses through darkened rubble strewn streets, a dusty, quaint bar and a nightclub decked out in flashy neon, all just the right size for the hordes of enemies that appear, intent on impeding your progress. Then it is onto where the majority of the game takes place; The Temen-Ni-Gru tower. Created as a door between Earth and Hell, it was sealed off and buried deep underground two thousand years ago by Sparda in an act of selflessness for mankind, an act of rebellion against the inhabitants of Hell. Now it has been erected again by one of Sparda’s offspring no less, and atop the tower stand Vergil and Arkham, trying to decipher the code that will unlock the door to Hell.

I love this game so much

The traditional and effective Devil May Cry scheme of having fixed cameras returns, but some rooms do offer a slight element of control on the right analogue stick for navigation reasons. The environments drip with personality and individuality, some rooms ornate and luxurious, some functional and bare, some dark, dank and dirty, all perfectly suited to the purpose of their existence. Later on in the game, familiar rooms will lead to unfamiliar locations, when the core of the tower rises, and the ability to rotate the centre of the tower combine to not only enable the designers to re-use old rooms, but also enhance the players knowledge of his surroundings. Maybe re-use is too harsh a phrase, as the majority of rooms visited after said event have been cruelly cut in two, or are in an unrecognisable state of disrepair. While some may see it as a way of re-using earlier backgrounds, I found it to be a major architectural miracle. These rooms and corridors that played such an essential and coherent role on your first trek through them are now just as important and pivotal after they have been rotated, raised, lowered or decimated and crucially, still make both logical and logistic sense.

Also making a welcome return is the Hellish music style. When exploring, the audio is quiet and brooding; deep organ melodies are being played in an undisclosed far away location, echoing through the corridors and bouncing off the walls. However as soon as your exits become blocked off by eerie red barriers and enemies shift into your dimension, the game steps up the pace and launches the series trademark of heavy industrial beats, screaming vocals and electric guitars turned up to eleven. Then, when the last blow is struck the barriers disappear, and the music is gone, making you wonder if it was created by the adrenaline rush of combat. The loosely termed “puzzles” are simply a matter of taking a mysterious artefact from one place to another in order to open the path to the next mysterious artefact, but anything more complicated would detract from the straightforward and honest nature of the game. While the obscene difficulty of the game has been criticised, it is merely a matter of learning the enemy’s personalities and fighting styles, and deciding which weapons to use accordingly.

Devil May Cry 3 is the epitome of the hack and slash genre. With style and substance it stands head and shoulders over the rest of the genre with the cocky attitude that no-one will ever better it. Accomplished, polished and complete, for fans of the genre it will provide the ultimate roller-coaster ride of thrills, spills, action, revenge, betrayal, deception and, the defining element of the series, family values. Devil May Cry 3 takes everything good from the original game, and its sequel, refines and repositions them, whilst adding new elements that fit in the series schematic like pieces of a puzzle. Capcom outshone themselves in creating or recreating everything at its most fundamental, basic level, then building on them with a diverse range of conflicting characters, deep and satisfying combat with imaginative weapons and over the top manoeuvres, inspirational and challenging set pieces and that familiar, overbearing Devil May Cry style and flavour. There is only one word to truly sum this game up. And that word is “Complete”. [10]

I remember how bad this game was. I remember how hurt I was. It still hurts.

Format: Playstation 2
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Release: March 2003

Lucia and Dante. Click to enlarge

A good sequel will add new aspects to the original. New techniques, new weapons, new characters… Devil May Cry adds all these things in the form of Lucia, an alternate playable character with new techniques and moves, and she even gets a separate disc for her escapade. While Lucia does have different weaponry and moves, for example instead of guns Lucia throws small daggers, and instead of a sword she uses twin short swords, they are merely cosmetic changes as both characters feel similar. You get 2 discs, 2 characters and 2 mildly different adventures. Unfortunately, the unique dynamic only ever gets as far as each character approaching a mission from the opposite direction; it could have been implemented in a far more innovative way.

Someone once said “Dante could quite possibly be the coolest guy in videogames, ever”. But when it comes to Devil May Cry 2, that statement couldn’t be further from the truth. He still looks like a bad-ass demon slayer, but has been stripped of all the personality that made him so likeable in the first place. Gone are the witty one-liners. Gone are the scathing put-downs. Gone is the gung-ho, all guns blazing attitude. This Dante silently stalks through the game, offering little more than angry looks in cut-scenes.

Another reason for concern is Dante’s motivation for being involved in all this in the first place. Seemingly meeting Lucia by accident in a distant land, the plot is wafer thin and ill conceived. At no point in the game is there any satisfactory explanation or reasoning given as to why a giant gorilla has just dropped through the ceiling, or why a military helicopter is composed of flesh that bleeds when cut. I would go so far to say that none of the enemies in this game have any personality or unique factors that define them as being fun, or a challenge to kill.

There are major issues concerning changes to the combat system too. Dante’s lock on seems to pick enemies to target at random, especially annoying when trying to take out the most dangerous individual in a large group of opponents, the aiming arbitrarily trains your sights not on the nearest bad-guy, or the strongest, but the one that is up on a high ledge 20 feet away. Also gone are the tremendous and surprising Boss battles of old. It can be so much easier just to stand back and let your handguns take care of things. These guys aren’t bosses, they are just bigger versions of regular enemies just with longer health bars.

Lucia in action

The changes made to the general slicing and dicing are also detrimental to the memory of the first game. Combos are now almost impossible to carry over from one enemy to the next, as Dante’s once quick and fluid swordsmanship has been reduced to a short series of swipes with a severe pause at the end. Using Ebony and Ivory as stop-gap links in the combo chain is hindered as Dante is considerably slower whilst firing. The once fresh Orb power-up system no longer buys new arsenal boosting manoeuvres, but simply makes your weapons more powerful, meaning you are stuck with the same tedious techniques from start to finish. There are no elemental weapons either, just a basic range of swords.

Larger environments sound good in theory, but awry enemy placement and the perspective shifted further away from the player conspire to make the camera perform even worse this time around, with instances of shooting at off screen airborne creatures common place. The additions to the Devil May Cry mix are logical improvements, but you are never really given a chance to use them to their potential. The wall run for instance, although it looks incredibly cool, will be disregarded in favour of the much simpler task of walking. The new system of equipping Amulets that bestow special abilities upon you when in Devil form is a neat touch, but ultimately you can skip through the game without ever having to change the default settings and swap any around.

This title does have its good points however. The familiar chaotic atmosphere and schizophrenic musical score are still perfectly suited to the Devil May Cry universe. During quiet explorative moments the moody orchestral sounds wrap around you, chilling you with their mystifying arias, then when it’s time for action the slow paced score gives way to the familiar electro gothic rock. The art direction is simply beautiful, Dante may have had his personality drained, but his fashion sense is as strong as ever. Kudos’ to Capcom’s design team, Dante and Lucia look stunning both in regular and Demon forms, with clothing company Diesel lending a hand for the secret costumes.

Devil May Cry 2: Sponsored by Diesel. Click to see their full outfits

Overall, for every improvement and enhancement that Devil May Cry 2 brings over its predecessor, it also brings faults and problems. The camera placement seems to have taken on an odd new role, with viewpoints skipping all over the place at the most inconvenient of times, even in the middle of crucial jumps. While anyone new to the series will find it hugely entertaining and very accessible, those of us who have played the original will see that although this is a great game in its own right, it is let down somewhat by the echo left by its forbearer. [6]

Today I’ll reproduce the Devil May Cry and Devil May Cry 2 reviews, then tomorrow, as some kind of finale, will be the Devil May Cry 3 review, where I gush for hours and hours.

Format: Playstation 2
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Release: December 2001

Juggling is great fun

They say that the greatest trick the Devil ever played was to convince the World that he never existed. Well, Capcom just ruined that one for him. The concept of Devil May Cry is simple. You kill things. In a thrilling, stylish, and often overboard manner. In fact, that’s the way Capcom prefer you explain this game. As Thrilling Stylish Action! Slightly over-enthusiastic? Nope, dead on. You will be thrilled and awe-struck in equal measures with Dante’s style and panache as you shoot, stab, electrocute and burn your way through the vast array of beautifully designed enemies and locations.

Dante could quite possibly be the coolest guy in videogames, ever. First of all, there’s his look. The shock of white hair, the bright red waistcoat hugging him tight under the flowing scarlet velvet overcoat, the black no-nonsense boots, all provide our hero with a stunning appearance. Then there’s his attitude. One-liners and a disregard for anything that looks vaguely non-human are common-place, with scathing put downs and taunts actually enraging enemies during play. “F*** off feather-face, or you can find out… the hard way!”

Adding to this are Dante’s weapons of choice. A pair of .45 cal pistols, with infinite ammo, of course, and he’s even named them Ebony and Ivory. Which is handy, as one’s black and one’s white. Later, you get the choice of wielding a Shotgun instead of your trusty side arms, and man, it is certainly one of the most satisfying things you will ever kill virtual demons with. The explosive crack it makes when you squeeze the trigger, the way the enemies fly backward in a cloud of gunpowder, hit the wall with a heavy thud and flop uselessly to the floor in a heap.

Devil Trigger activated

His sword, the Force Edge, while quickly replaced in an early mission, is exquisite and ornate, and a joy to use. What is it replaced by? Alastor, a sword that constantly crackles and hisses with electricity, and can enhance Dante’s powers tenfold by activating his “Devil Trigger”. Once in this state, Dante is constantly regenerating health, has limited flight abilities and is powered up beyond anything you had seen at that time in videogame history. The usual three hit sword combo becomes a five hit behemoth, capable of killing even the strongest of adversaries in mere seconds. The gunfire from Ebony and Ivory becomes a constant stream of blue haze, cleaving the air as it whistles through the possessed bodies. And I’ll leave the enhanced Shotgun to your imagination.

Combining the blade and bullet couldn’t be easier thanks to the way that Capcom have created a system where they both have their distinct uses. The array of swords and gauntlets are for causing serious damage close up, and launching your opponent’s prone bodies skyward where you are free to join them and bring them down to earth with a slice or three. The fire arms, which all come with infinite ammo as standard, are for attacking distant foes, and maintaining combos if you are not quite close enough to carve them up. The possibilities for interchanging each move at different points of a combo are immense, but you have the freedom to choose at all times. When you launch that bad guy into the sky, do you follow him up there and cut him several more times? Or do you choose to wait on the floor, filling his body with hot lead as the automatic targeting is tracking his carcass back to the solid ground?

The gorgeous gothic architecture

Now, it’d be no fun if the things you and Dante were directing all this aggression toward were lifeless, one dimensional punch bags, would it? No sir. Good thing all the enemies in Devil May Cry have their own distinct personalities and characteristic touches then. Even the basic enemies, the sword fodder that litter the levels are entertaining to tussle with. The Marionettes, the first enemies you meet, are life-size dolls that have been possessed by the main adversary. Far from being the stereotypical dumb foot soldiers, the Marionettes will gang up on you en mass, or try to surround you, or when near death back off and launch projectiles toward you. Before they throw these knives however, as a handy early warning system, they rotate their wrist joint which produces a sound akin to nails being dragged down blackboards. The trick is to get to know your enemies, so you know how to dodge and counter their attacks in the most stylish and thrilling way possible.

Then there are the Bosses. Not one to rely on tradition, Devil May Cry could spring one on you at any moment. On an early mission, just after having thought you vanquished Phantom, the oversized demonic lava scorpion from hell on the preceding level, he suddenly comes crashing through a 5 foot thick wall of mortar and marble. Beforehand, having to dodge his streams of magic in an open plan room was child’s play compared to being pursued down a narrow corridor by the aforementioned remarkably angry giant insect. Some bosses shifted the games dynamics from an arcade style hacker and slasher to, for example, a shooting gallery type affair, whilst other bosses relied on the risk/reward mechanic; Get close enough to inflict maximum damage potential, but run the risk of being sucked into the netherworld and have to scuffle with previously slaughtered bosses.

The atmosphere throughout is simply magnificent, the cold, lonely, gothic mansion where the game is situated is beautifully realised, both in terms of look and sound. Wind screeches through the large, empty courtyards, ruffling the torn banners and flags of yesterday’s battles. Solitary candles light up the stone walls, giving movement and bustle to the eerie, ink black shadows. Glowing ancient runes indicate the hellish nature of your quest. The dark and foreboding musical score reacting to calm and chaos. When rushing through a lonely corridor the music is orchestral and baroque, but in combat it transforms into fast paced heavy techno death-metal. Perfect for demon slaying.

To conclude, if you like your games to offer you a serious challenge and the necessity to use technique over button bashing, then this is for you. The difficulty curve is perfectly judged, and fighting enemies is always a joy, never a chore. Devote some time to mastering the deceptively simple controls and really get in there and show off. Some slight camera niggles sometimes annoy, but its never enough to make you throw the pad down in disgust. Devil May Cry is a rare breed. A fluid, entertaining and energetic romp in a world of clunky, tedious bore fests. [9]

I’m very pleased I found all the original images for this one.