Devil May Cry Anthology Pt. 3

Developer(s): Capcom

Publisher(s): Capcom
Distributor(s)-Special Edition: Ubisoft (PC), EU CentreSoft (PS2)
Platform(s): PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows
Release date(s):
PlayStation 2
 March 1, 2005
Special Edition
 January 24, 2006
Microsoft Windows
 October 16, 2006
Genre(s): Action, Hack, Slash
Rating: Mature

Despite the success of Devil May Cry 2, fans remained disappointed by the game’s features and, overall, Dante’s lack of charisma. The Devil Hunter remained almost mute throughout the game and showed no signs of his cynical charm as he did in the first game. The open world exploration was another downer for DMC fans as was the ending which presumed to be the end of the Son of Sparda. As mentioned in my previous installment, the enemies were set too far apart to build any good combos and the challenge was more than lacking. After listening to the grumbles of disappointment from fans, it was back to the drawing board for Tsuyoshi Tanaka and Capcom. It was decided to develop Devil May Cry 3 in the same manner as the series’ first entry.

Once again, Dante’s character design was changed, reflecting a young version of the Son of Sparda who is just starting out as a hunter for hire. This incarnation is cockier and more arrogant than in previous games, depicting a reckless youth. Devil May Cry 3 was given an overhaul from the first two entries. The new combat system allowed players to control the weapons in new and “stylish” ways. This included different fighting styles for Dante which are upgradable through experience. The more you use these “styles”, the more experience the “style” gains. Four styles are available initially. You gain two more as the game progresses for a total of six. The inclusion of these new abilities made Dante more versatile than in DMC2. The “action button” used in the second game activates these new abilities. Trickster style gave Dante more mobility, allowing him to dodge attacks via a dash maneuver. He still has his regular dodge from the first game. Couple this with the dash maneuver of Trickster to weave your way through multiple enemy attacks. Swordmaster focused on melee, giving Dante more versatility in his attacks with his weapons. However, melee wasn’t limited to the ground. Dante can use High Time to launch an enemy into the air and continue the combo in mid-air with the Swordmaster style ability Aerial Rave.

Remember how shooting in two directions was only available when an enemy was sneaking up on Dante? Yeah, I thought it’d be cool to shoot in two directions anytime at that time too. Well, Gunslinger style gave the ability to shoot both Ebony and Ivory in different directions without special conditions and what was really cool is that you were able to control which directions the guns were fired. But the crème of the crop was the versatility given to the shotgun. Before, it was just used for stopping power but in DMC3 in Gunslinger style, Dante twirls the shotgun around his body, firing it in all directions. In Gunslinger’s later levels, he can perform the Stinger move with the shotgun. Now, we all know how touching enemies in the series warrants no penalty. However, there were instances where Dante couldn’t attack them. Remember the Fetish puppets from the first game that blocked your attacks? In the third game, Dante was given the chance to return the favor thanks to the Royal Guard style. This style minimized damage dealt to Dante. Time it right and you can keep a combo going. Two more styles are acquired by defeating certain enemies. Geyron bestowed upon Dante Quicksilver, which has the same time-altering abilities as the Bangle of Time from the first game. Doppleganger style was awarded after the demise of the Shadow Devil.

The new styles and weapons were received well by fans and truly showed Dante’s versatility, which was a huge step up from the previous titles. However, the real big hit with fans was that Devil May Cry 3 was brought back to the claustrophobic mayhem that made the first game a success. The enclosed combat was what truly made DMC a survival horror game. The feeling of fighting tight area was what was lacking from the second entry and the focus point of many fans disapproval of that game. Another thorn was the lack of difficulty. DMC2 was easily passable even on “Must Die” mode. According to Tanaka, the difficulty in DMC2 was toned down to reach a wider audience in Japan; unfortunately, this move ran the risk of losing fans on the larger market. Learning from this mistake, Devil May Cry 3 was released with a lower difficulty in Japan while rest of the world enjoyed the game with same craziness and difficult challenge that fans have come to love from the series. A Special Edition of the game was released which allowed players to take on the role of Vergil. Unlike his twin, Vergil only had one style type—Darkslayer, which feature attributes from the Trickster and Swordmaster styles. At higher levels, Darkslayer grants Vergil more evasive maneuvers as well as more moves with his swords. He’s not as flashy as his brother but Vergil makes up for it with stronger attacks.

As with the two previous titles, Devil May Cry 3 introduces a new female counterpart for Dante in the form Lady. Like Trish, Lady attempts to kill Dante with a shot to the head. She immediately discovers that Dante is part demon when he survives the injury and things don’t go so well between them. They later form a mutual partnership which doesn’t last long as Lady’s job is to exterminate all demons including Dante. Unlike the two previous ladies in the series Trish and Lucia, Lady is not playable though fans wanted this to happen. Plus, she served as a boss in the game. Still, it would’ve been really cool to have her as a playable character.

Ubisoft published a PC version of the game developed by SourceNext. The European PC version was the first to come out, even before the Special Edition was released for the PlayStation 2 in that region, being released on June 28, 2006. The North American version was released on October 16, 2006. The game was published in Japan on June 30, 2006.

Tsuyoshi Tanaka redeemed himself and the series by putting it back on a track where it’s supposed to be—loaded with all the craziness, over-the-top action and challenging gameplay that has made gamers fall in love with the Son of Sparda. With the series placed back on its pedestal in the action game genre, the time would to bid the world of Devil May Cry farewell…supposedly.

 

Devil May Cry 3 Intro

Devil May Cry Anthology Chapter 1

With Ninja Theory’s reboot of the Capcom series due out in half a year, let’s take a look back at just how Devil May Cry and its sword-swinging, gun-toting, demon hunting Devil Hunter got started. Devil May Cry was born from the Resident Evil series. After the completion of Resident Evil 2, preliminary work began in 1998 on a title for the Playstation 2. Hideki Kamiya headed the project under the name “Team Little Devil” after series creator Shinji Mikami handed it over. The intention was for Kamiya to begin work on Resident Evil 4 but during the development stage Mikami noticed that the game was moving out of the Resident Evil mold. Rather than scrap the project, he decided to develop a new series and asked Kamiya to redesign the game from scratch and change it to a new franchise. Hideki Kamiya didn’t bite at first, but after some coaxing from Mikami he relented and agreed. And one of the most popular franchises in gaming came into the light.

The character Dante was modeled after the main protagonist in the Japanese manga “Space Adventure Cobra” who was known for always being cool under pressure not matter how dangerous the situation was. Given the direction Devil May Cry was going, this seemed to be the perfect fit for Dante. One has to have a ‘no fear’ attitude when hunting demons. When we think of Devil May Cry and Dante, automatically you think red trench coat, which has become his prominent feature more so than his white hair or the massive sword on his back. But early on in his design, Dante was outfitted with a tight-fitting vest. His signature coat was not added until the very end of the development process. If you take at Dante while playing, you can see that the back of his coat is a couple shades darker than the sleeves.

Though it became a stand-alone series, Devil May Cry did not stray too far from its Resident Evil roots. It retained the puzzle solving and exploration of its survival horror origins; however, these are downplayed with the emphasis placed on action. Hideki Kamiya removed the puzzles that can interfere with the action and instead uses them to aid progression through the game. One example of this was when Dante collected the Trident after defeating Phantom and used it to active a mechanism that allowed him to travel outside the castle. Another item found later would allow him back inside. While on the subject, remember the Coliseum and how you had to search for a set of items to gain access inside. This was a pure example of how puzzle solving was set aside from the action. Yes, there were enemies to fight; however, finding the items did not cross with fighting the devils. You took out the devils and you continued on to get your items.

Another aspect that set Devil May Cry apart from Resident Evil, mainly for me, was the elimination of the need to reload your gun or keep bullets in reserve. This took away from the action in RE. You had to pause the game and manually reload your gun. If you allow the character to auto-reload, they were vulnerable to attack which was sometimes costly. Playing RE, this can be a nuisance. Devil May Cry took care of that, giving players access to endless gunfire and the added bonus of maneuverability while firing your weapons. Here’s something that couldn’t be done with Leon or Jill—shooting while jumping. Taking a page from Tomb Raider, Dante was given the ability to fire his handguns and shotgun while airborne. Devil May Cry’s other innovation was a Style Meter and ranking system that encouraged players to attack more often. However, the best feature in the game is definitely the Devil Trigger. Once activated, Dante gained more power and speed, and he recovered vitality, thus eliminating the need to, once again, pause the game and use healing herbs (hoping you have them, otherwise, you were screwed) to treat your injuries. Now Dante does has the Vitality Star to heal, but if you use Devil Trigger with the added fact that enemies oftentimes drop Green Orbs upon defeat then there really would not be a need to access your inventory except maybe during a boss battle.

The battles in Devil May Cry were intense and frenzied at times. The Marionette demons overwhelmed Dante with sheer numbers while other devils, such as Shadow or Frost, use their speed and maneuverability. Squaring off against the King of the Underworld’s demon generals was something I never experienced before in a game. Looking back at the first time I battled Phantom in the Cathedral, I remembered how difficult it was because it’s not an open area. There are the structures of this place that, at times, obscured your view of your target and you had to maneuver around to get a clear shot him. The battles with Nightmare gave you the sense claustrophobia because of the tight confines you face it in. And the battles with Griffin and Nelo Angelo were just intense.

Well I hope you all enjoyed this little trip down memory lane, experienced players. For you new gamers, consider this a look in the past at one of many games that have revolutionized the action genre of gaming. However, player, this is not the end. In the meantime, share your DMC experiences or experiences with another title. Who knows? I just might have something to say about it. Until then… See you on the next level!