Devil May Cry 3

Devil May Cry 3:Dante's Awakening comes very close to topping the original. It's a compelling adventure that will keep your hands glued to the controller.

You play as Dante who has proved throughout the first two Devil May Cry games that he is an all around bad-ass. From fighting enemies while impaled with their weapons to simply blowing' $%&@ up, you got to be tough to top this guy. Well now we see his younger days, and guess what, he's as tough as ever. At the beginning Dante is around the age of 20 ( my guess, not official)and his youth shows. From shouting cheesy one-liners to being obsessed with parties, Dante is not yet the battle hardened, disciplined warrior of the first two DMC games. Yet that doesn't in the slightest mean that he's a wimp.

Throughout the games fantastic cut-scenes Dante appears even more invulnerable than ever. Fighting enemies with giant blades stuck in his chest, arm, and leg, while eating a slice of pizza is one of the most memorable things I've ever seen in a video game (or even a movie for that matter).

The story ( which was definitely not a plus in the first two games) holds up surprisingly well. While it doesn't really twist and turn or mess with your head that much, there are still a few surprises to be had. Just like with Star Wars episode 3, things will get gradually get more and more familiar and you'll start to see the connections with the first game.

Now lets finally get to the game-play. You have the choice between using a mêlée weapon (sword, nun-chucks, guitar) and a ranged weapon (handguns, shotguns, missile launcher). You can run around with only two mêlée weapons and ranged weapons at a time. But you can switch each with the press of a button, mid-combo even. Fling an enemy into the air with your sword, keep him suspended in the air with your handguns, let him fall down just in time for you to bash him with nun-chucks, right before you blast 'im in the head with the shotgun. Hard sounding combo's like these are made easy with the slick control system.

You also get a choice of combat style's. Swordmaster allows you to use all your mêlée weapons to their full potential with more combo's and special attacks. Gunslinger (my personal favorite) does the same thing with your firearms (such as targeting multiple enemies with your handguns). Trickster enable's you with better mobility as you avoid attacks by running up walls or somersaulting out of the way while you wait for the opportune moment to attack. Royal Guard gives you defensive abilities, blocking and pushing away enemies, attacking only when it's safe. There is also Doppleganger and Quicksilver which allow for duplicates and control of time, but are more like special items than styles of combat.

I know just about everyone I talk to about this game says it's just this side of impossible, but from where I'm standing that just can't be true. I am by no means a expert at gaming. I almost never go above the Normal difficulty setting for any game. So I stayed away from this game for a long time. When I finally decided to try it, I ended up completing it over the weekend (and I do not mean the full 48 hours). Yes the game is hard but once you get the hang of the great controls it will definitely get easier. Besides, that is why Capcom allows you to replay missions and collect more orbs and experience points. It might just be me, but I honestly don't think it's that hard of a game.

What can I say, this is just a great game. If I truly have an actual can't-deal-with-it problem, it's Dante's frat-boy attitude. You get really sick of him talking all the time like a complete brat and wish he'd just be more quiet like he was in the other games. If you can except that, you have one great gaming experience on your hands. In Dante's favorite victory quote: JACKPOT!

The best in the series & one of the best games on PS2, top-notch gameplay great plot/characters exciting bossfights and soundtrack.

Many people will tell you this game is too hard. I will tell them they don't pay enough attention to the game. I beat Normal mode in under 9 hours for the first time. Easy mode is insanely easy.

The key to beating this game is paying attention, avoiding then attacking, and not mindlessly button mashing. This is the main reason people whine about this game being too hard.

The story is much improved compared to DMC1 and VASTLY improved since DMC2. The gameplay has evolved and fighting is intuitive and creative. The combos that are possible to perform are endless.

The boss fights are amazing. They aren't cheap, but they are difficult if you don't pay attention and expect to hack your way through without thinking.

This game is for people that want a real action game. There's no way to get through the game by button mashing.

For new players: Don't play Easy Automatic. Easy Automatic is worse than playing on normal. It makes you lose control of your character.

Don't complain about the difficulty on Normal mode, if you just listen to the game, you'll hear most of the attacks coming.

For you people that misunderstood the title. I am not saying Capcom F'ed up with this...I just wanted to yell because they should go back to making triple A titles like this again. The game follows Dante in his younger years and how he defeated his brother Vergil, stopped the end of the world and how he got the name for his office.

The gameplay is your standard hack n slash with a mix of swords and firearms and the game...holy crap it's difficult. This game is not for the person who wants to breeze through the game. Sure, there are pros out there who probably sees this and thinks "What do you mean difficult?". But for the general person, this game is not easy...yet there are multiple difficulties, even easy is very challenging. but the gameplay is otherwise good.

The graphics are pretty average for 2005 when this came out. They look really neat though.

The soundtrack is a nice mix of orchestrations and metal music. Favorite track for me probably goes to the one and only battle theme for the first part of the game simply called "Taste the Blood".

In general, this game is good, one of Capcoms best. But I do not recommend to people who only want to breeze through it or hates challenges. Otherwise, it is a great game.

Easily my favorite hack n slash game ever made. I love Ninja Gaiden Black and Bayonetta immensely, but DMC3 is simply the king. I can't think of a category that matters where DMC3 doesn't come out on top in regards to the genre. From the combat system to the way the game just carries itself. Some things may be hit or miss with some people, most commonly criticized on its unforgiving difficulty. And while it certainly is challenging it just makes the reward so much sweeter when you finally master something. And it's so addicting that you might find yourself driven to SS rank every mission.

Now that the HD collection is out, if you haven't played it yet and you're a fan of the genre. Do yourself a favor and dive into this masterpiece.