May 15th, 2011
By otto454z

Genre: Action
Systems: Playstation 2
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Release Date: Fall 2011

Dante, the spawn of one of the world’s most badass demons, returns in this stylized (pre/s)equel. Those afraid that the demon slaying magic of the series has faded over time may rest easy, as Capcom promises more action, along with a rich back-story to enhance the gameplay.

What is interesting is that this game is actually a prequel to the first two “DMC” games, taking place in a time period before Dante was aware that he was a partial demon himself, son of the legendary Sparda. Therefore, Dante will not have immediate access to all of the cool special moves, such as “double gun toting while shooting in opposite directions,” and “demon mode,” as he did at the beginning of the first two games.

This makes it necessary for the gamer to level up Dante’s abilities after completing levels, a game mechanic, which will be similar to those found in the series previous two installments. The system, entitled “My Dante,” allows players to choose from various categories, which then contain different abilities to assign points to, a system reminiscent of “Dungeons and Dragons.” Gamers are advised to choose wisely, however, since experience with previous “DMC” games has taught that both a strong gun and sword are necessary in order to defeat some of the game’s later minions, and that it is not always possible to defeat an evil hell spawn from a distance, making it necessary to get up close, or vice versa.

In a shocking twist, gamers learn early on that Dante had a twin brother, Virgil, who transforms into a demon in front of Dante’s detective agency. Remaining within the spirit of the game, the two obviously clash, in an event, which looks to be one of the most dramatic battle sequences since Grey Fox sacrificed himself in order to save his friend Snake in Hideo Kojima’s “Metal Gear Solid.” Since this is a prequel though, why does Virgil not appear in any of the other games? Let’s hope that unlike Grey Fox, Virgil does not sacrifice himself at the end of the game in order to save his brother.

Fans of the first “DMC” game may also rejoice, due to the fact that wide open spaces, such as those found throughout the second installment in the series are less common, a throwback to the near claustrophobic conditions of the castle found at the beginning of part one. This leads to more demons in smaller spaces, allowing combos to reach even higher levels. A new graphics engine should also help up the awe factor of the game, elevating gameplay to new heights.

Set for a release date of Fall 2011, “Devil May Cry 3” is poised to make a big splash in the videogame market. Undoubtedly, Capcom has some more tricks up its sleeve that it is not yet revealing… maybe it will be “coincidentally” released on Halloween?