Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition

"A toast to one of the best action games ever"

Devil May Cry 3 is like fine red wine: it tastes better with age, but the initial bitterness may be a turn-off for those that prefer something a little bit lighter. DMC 3 also packs a hell of a punch and, with the Special Edition release, plenty of bang for your buck.

Dante's not your typical demon-human hybrid. He doesn't dream of ruling the world or bringing about an apocalypse; Dante would rather chill in his shack with a slice of pizza after a hard day's work - which usually involves smacking all kinds of demon *****es across town. However, his twin brother Vergil is not as laid-back. While Dante's keeping it real, Vergil plans the grand re-opening of the portal to the demon world - previously closed by their not-so devilish father. Thus, with the gears of Armageddon set in motion, Dante has no choice but to bring his brother and his goddamn ugly tower of terror back down to earth.

Dante starts out with a massive blade and dual pistols – his trademark weapons – but he'll soon be wielding everything from an electrifying guitar to frost-spewing nunchuks, a jacked-up shotgun and a multiple-missile launcher. He also boasts an arrogant ego: Dante is a brash individual who thinks he's the man – and he is. Most heroes would be content with a solid canned string or two, but not Dante: he can slash at you multiple times from virtually every angle, uppercut you into the air and give chase with an aerial flurry, slam you back to the ground with a skull-splitting strike, give you smack-talk while you're kissing the gravel, before proceeding to jam the back end of a missile launcher into your mangled body and stepping on the trigger to send half a dozen homing missiles spiralling into your terrified face. And that's only about 2% of what he has to offer.

New to DMC 3 is the Style system. There are six to choose from and they all unique, each one with their own strengths and weaknesses. Keen melee fighters may opt for the Swordmaster style which bolsters your already impressive array of weapon strikes with more stylish moves; if you prefer to go guns ablazing, Gunslinger will enhance your myriad firearms with rapid fire capabilities, whole-screen splash damage effects, charge-up shots, and more. There's also the defensive Royal Guard stance, the evasive Trickster, the time-bending Quicksilver, and the shadowy Doppelganger – which spawns an image of Dante that fights alongside him and can even be controlled by a second player. Couple the signature style modifications on Dante's existing arsenal with his already impressive range of arts and you've got a near limitless amount of ways to cause pain – and they all look very, very cool.

DMC 3 takes fighting very seriously - so much so that the controls are nearly of the calibre typically seen in a competitive 3D brawler. He can cancel many strings into others, and execute skilful dodges milliseconds before an adversary's scythe comes crashing down to the spot where he was just standing. Some of his weapons are direct and powerful, like the Beowulf gauntlets (my favourite Devil Arm), while others are more suited to crowd control. It is difficult to predict which gear would serve you best in upcoming missions – you can only carry two melee weapons and two firearms at a time – but they are all very well balanced and there's never an impossible moment – so long as you're good enough!

Weapon switching is a breeze – a tap of a shoulder button is all it takes – and fast too. This enables Dante to react accordingly to any situation without hesitation. It also allows him to perform those massive, long-winded custom combos talked about earlier with such graceful fluidity that most spectators would think were completely CPU driven!

Enemies are varied and extremely dangerous, especially when they present to you en masse. It's easy to dodge the slow telegraphed swings of Hell Prides, the demonic grunts of the game, but when you've got teleporting Hell Sloths, web-spinning giant spiders, and rock-solid casket-wielding guardians all joining the party, it's just crazy. Sometimes the fixed camera angle makes it even tougher: enemies can hide in your blind spot and whack you at the most inopportune moments. On the harder difficulty levels – where the hell spawn can power-up and combo you to infinity – it sucks to bite the dust due to a cheap hit out of nowhere. This flaw isn't new to the series, and isn't a game-breaking one by a long shot, but here's to hoping that the next instalment will finally amend the only real problem with the combat.

Admittedly, there are other areas which aren't as well-developed as Dante's brutality. The level design can be rather monotonous at times with poorly-explained goals and pointless key hunting – remnants of its Resident Evil inspiration - especially in the early stages. The difficulty is also somewhat unbalanced. Hard (the real "Normal") poses quite a challenge and most gamers will die a couple of times. The problem is that when it's game over you have to start at the very beginning of the mission, going through the mediocre platforming aspect all over again, unless you have a yellow orb which can only be purchased at increasingly exorbitant prices. It's all very much trial and error. Normal/Easy is just, well, too easy: you rarely have to plan your actions and most of the bosses can be spammed to death. What I'm trying to say is that the first run-through can be a pain in the butt if repeat attempts are not your thing.

(The Special Edition also has a more forgiving Gold Orb system which allows for continuing on the spot - making the revision much more noob-friendly than the original.)

However, on subsequent play-throughs, when you know where your next destination is so that you won't have to blindly search for your next ruckus, DMC 3 is brilliant. As I have already emphasized, the combat is extremely fun and exciting and it offers a lot of freedom for creativity; the boss fights are just as excellent with some of the most creative designs and intense patterns ever seen in a 3D action game – Agni and Rudra, twin elemental goliaths who wield their decapitated heads with attached razor-sharp spinal cords as weapons, not only look gruesome, but they play dirty, too, with both of them taking you on at once to make for one of the most enjoyable boss fights I've ever fought.

Stylish Crazy Action – that's what the Devil May Cry series purports and that's exactly what it provides. If you want mercy, you can go to hell. However, if you think you are tough enough to crack this nut, inside you'll find a treasure that exudes an aura of brilliance which shines with incredibly deep combat mechanics, stylish action sequences and enormous replay value (Special Edition features a grand total of 5 difficulty levels; a Turbo Mode which speeds up gameplay by about 20% (this option is NOT available for PAL versions, though!); a complex, extensive dungeon that is the Bloody Palace; a whole new character (and fighting style) with Vergil, the antagonist of the main game; and more!) It's not for the faint of heart, nor those who are necrophobic. If both of those things don't apply to you and you're up for a challenging, yet highly rewarding experience consisting of plenty of swordplay, gunplay and smack-talk, what are you waiting for?

VERDICT – 9.5/10 The more you play, the more there is to like – and soon love.

This is now officially one of my Top 10 Games, ever.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 12/25/07, Updated 03/03/08

Game Release: Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening Special Edition (EU, 09/29/06)