Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition

"Raise Hell!"

Almost a year after the release of "Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening" comes out the special edition version of it. The original release was an incredible and very difficult game, many loved this aspect of the title, many did not. If you are one of the people who gave up on the original release then most definitely pick this one up, it's an easier version of the title. And those who have conquered the original should have no problem with getting this one as well. Why you ask? Well, remember Vergil? Dante's brutal and bad ass twin brother, the insanely hard boss at the end? Well, he's a bonus playable character in this one, and he's just as vicious, if not more so than Dante. You also get a bonus boss battle and some new modes included, let's bust out the shovel and dig deeper into this game.

The game-play in this title is nothing short of amazing, seriously. You will never have more fun beating, shooting or slashing the crap out of demons with any other game. The combos will make your eyes pop out of your skull in awe and if you decide to play on Hard, you will have no hair left from pulling it all out. But stick through it and you'll just keep getting better, and you will feel as though you can take on anything that is thrown your way. The controls are extremely responsive and tight, when executing combos and such, it is very fluid and precise. Playing as either Dante or Vergil (You must beat the game with Dante or upload a completed save file from the original to play as him) is a blast. The two are twin brothers, but they both play and act different, this is a plus, considering Capcom could have gone the lazy route and made Vergil a clone of Dante with his own trademark blue outfit. Dante plays as he normally does in the "Devil May Cry" series, he is fast, agile and strong, tearing enemies to shreds with bullets or swords with him is fun as all Hell to play and stunning to watch at the same time. Vergil himself is no exception either, although he prefers to not use guns, as he feels that is not the way of a real warrior. He sticks to swords and his fists and feet to unleash havoc on his enemies. The game utilizes a nice upgrade system as well, when collecting red orbs from defeated enemies, bosses or other places, they add up and you can purchase unique upgrades and attacks for your weapons. These orbs are also used to buy vital stars (Health) and many other things. Also, like I said prior, the game has been reduced in difficulty from the original release, which to some can prove to be a disappointment, but to others, complete joy. In this version there are two modes to select: "Gold" mode and "Yellow" mode. Gold mode allows for infinite continues from a checkpoint if you happen to die, so no more worries when playing a mission close to a half an hour or so, only to be killed by a boss and having to start it all over again. Now for the hardcore players, when selecting yellow, you need to find or buy a yellow orb to continue from the last checkpoint you were at.

The story is the exact same as the previous version. Several thousand years have passed since the Demon Warrior Sparda used his legendary sword for the good of humans and sealed away the demon world. Dante, with blood from the Demon hero Sparda and a human mother, is trying to set up shop in a small corner of town. Only to find a gigantic tower rise up out of the earth practically next door. Standing on the very top of that tower, lit by the faint light of the moon, is his older twin brother Vergil. Mysteriously, Vergil had seemingly disappeared from the face of the earth years ago. Surrounding Vergil are countless demons, although both Dante and Vergil share the same blood of Sparda, they have completely different goals. And so Dante heads off towards the tower, to settle things once and for all with Vergil. Meanwhile, the devil hunter Lady is also making her way toward this mysterious tower, with a score of her own to settle. And so, the wheels of fate start to turn for the humans, demons and men who are both.

The graphics in this game are beautiful, plain and simple. This is one of the best-looking titles on the PlayStation 2 console. Environments are highly detailed with Gothic statues, decrepit walls and so on. The characters look awesome and the actions they perform are done without flaw, same goes for the weapons. However, on a certain occasions, I did encounter slowdown, but this only happened about once or twice.

The music here ranges from good to bad, I liked some of the softer melodies as opposed to the corny Rock music blaring when fighting. Now, I'm a huge fan of Rock music, don't get me wrong, but this just got me annoyed, it also had a Techno-type voice added to it, which would make my ears cry if they could. The voice acting was top-notch, the voices fit all the characters well and the dialogue was equally impressive.

The replay value, ah the replay value of this game. To put plain and simple, astonishing...there are so many things to unlock here it's downright criminal. With each difficulty level completed, you unlock something new, whether it be new costumes or bonus art, it's all here. There is also a mode called, "Bloody Palace" which consists of 9,999 levels littered with enemies, and once finished, something special is unlocked. You can also view the cut-scenes of the game now as opposed to the original where you could not. And as we all know, Vergil is unlockable, so that is a big plus, this game is insane when it comes to replay value.

If you have never played a "Devil May Cry" game before or you are just looking for a solid action title, look no further than this game. It has incredible replay value, amazing game-play and a variety of other goodness. Even if you own the original release, pick this one up for the new special features and Vergil, it's worth it. Plus, it being a mere $19.99 won't kill you, this is without a doubt, a must-have video game, buy it and have fun.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 02/06/06