Devil May Cry 3
- November 08, 2004 00:00 AM PST
Here's a dollar, Dante; go buy yourself an undershirt.
The Sons of Sparta are coming to bring the pain in Devil May Cry 3, a prequel to the original game that further reveals the arcane back story revolving around Dante's demonic bloodline and the fate of his enigmatic twin brother, Virgil.In keeping with the Devil May Cry timeline, a much younger and cockier Dante has just set up his investigative agency and hasn't yet been awakened to his demonic powers when a mysterious tower appears in the middle of the city, spewing forth hell spawn that are searching for the twin amulets of Sparta--massive combo action and one liners ensue.
The Game of Death
DMC3 is a welcome return to the original title's gothic, arcane style and features a revamped graphics engine and numerous gameplay augmentations. As Dante has not been awakened yet (although the preview version's Control Setting screen still maintains a designated button for Devil Triggering), the game starts out with a new customizing system--dubbed "My Dante."
Players can choose from several "style" categories, including Trickster, Swordmaster, and Gunslinger, each with their own exclusive set of upgradeable moves. Trickster style enables Dante to run on walls and dodge more readily, while Gunslinger and Swordmaster styles augment Dante with a couple new nifty attacks.
It's Party Time!
The preview build sported two complete levels that featured new graphics with enhanced visuals, better camera angles, more compact level designs--which lead to a lot of frantic, close-up combo moments--a wider variety of moves, and an easier combo system. While the new changes are extremely welcome when compared to the less-than-stellar Devil May Cry sequel, a few problems did arise with the hands-on version.
The tweaked camera engine always stayed either behind or to the side of Dante, giving players a better chance to face their foes. However, when backtracking in a level, the camera position became extremely squirrelly. Also, the early build had a miniscule amount of slowdown when there was an inordinate amount of action onscreen. If these deficiencies can be dealt with, DMC3 may be at the top of its genre when it comes out this February.
