By
Michael Palisano
Released last year, Capcom's Devil
May Cry 3 represented a return to form for the series, which seemed to
have lost its way with its somewhat disappointing second installment.
Taking place before the events of DMC 1, the game's streamlined plot and
back-to-basics approach pleased many gamers, though the increased
difficulty was problematic for some. Now, the game has been re-issued as
DMC3: Special Edition for the PS2, with extra features, bonus play modes,
additional content, and a few minor tweaks. Join us as we take a look at
this special edition and find out whether its worth picking up the second
time around.
The
third installment in Capcom's gothic action adventure Devil May Cry takes
the series back to its roots and smartly refocuses the plot on Dante, the
main protagonist from the first game. Shedding much of the excess baggage
that saddled the second game, the streamlined approach once again
emphasizes action with some puzzle solving to return to the series'
original formula. This time around, the plot focuses on Dante's battle
with his twin brother Vergil, with both locked in an eternal battle. Dante
has taken the role of demon-hunter out to protect humanity from the dark
forces, while Vergil has taken on the side of evil and is looking to
destroy Dante for good. The gameplay should be relatively familiar for
those who played the previous games. You once again have the option of
using either your guns or a powerful sword to attack enemies, both attack
styles have their own effect and style, and players can select which of
these fighting types they want to emphasize before each round. As you
begin the game, you have a basic pistol and sword, but can earn or take
additional items as you progress through the levels. During each round,
you'll also come across a variety of orbs which you can use to increase
either your health or power gauge, with different colored orbs
representing different power-ups. Once you begin the game, you'll find
yourself constantly surrounded by hordes of foes, who attack you
relentlessly. You can use your weapons to defeat them, and can also use a
variety of special moves to evade their attacks, such as a running dash
move which allows you to fly past them.
Dante can also run up the sides of walls
and can evade some of the lesser enemies by simply standing at a safe
distance. Some of the enemies will cause damage if you are too close to
them, so you need to be careful not to get to close. The game also
includes a number of different puzzles you'll need to figure out. These
usually involve locked doors and you usually need to go to another
location in order to find the item to unlock them. Exploring all the
levels throughout the game is a key element in unlocking some of the
game's puzzles. Most of the action takes place inside a large, complicated
tower, where you have to traverse many long hallways, unlock doors and
explore different rooms on your way to the final confrontation with your
evil brother. There are many types of demons on each level, and each
requires a different technique to defeat. Firing or slashing at them
manually means you can inflict some damage, but in order to maximize your
attacks, you can press the left shift button and auto-target them, making
them much easier to kill. Some can be sliced through with little effort,
while others are trickier and require multiple shots to kill. You'll also
need to be on the lookout for several enemy types which can only be
damaged using one type of attack, and others where you need to use both in
sequence to destroy. This usually requires you to shoot them, which stuns
and then slice through them with your sword. However, the real key to the
game's appeal lies in its multiple weapons, which you can cycle through
adding some depth and strategy to what is otherwise a shoot first, ask
questions later premise.
Dante
doesn't just earn points for mindlessly killing foes, he has to do so with
style as well. Similair to the system seen the previous games, elegantly
defeating a sequence of enemies creates a combo move, indicated at the
side of the screen, which increases the number of orbs they release when
they're killed. The longer your combos and more stylish your attacks, the
more orbs you earn. Most of the creatures are fairly easy to defeat
one-on-one, though this time around the AI seems to have been increased,
making them more aggressive since they attack in groups. There are also
several boss battles in the game, and these can be quite intense and last
quite a bit longer than you'd expect them to, making it essential to save
your health orbs for these points so you can survive the duration of their
attacks. DMC 3's pacing is fairly excellent throughout, with plenty of
action but also several puzzle areas which allow you to catch your breath
and plot your next move. The gameplay is fairly straightforward and
doesn't diverge too much from previous installments in terms of mechanics
and approach. DMC 3 takes place from the third person perspective, with a
fixed camera angle used. Players can reorient the camera to a behind the
character view if they get lost. Additionally, there are some areas where
you can change your viewpoint manually. This system works well for the
most part, allowing you to focus on the action, with fairly smooth
transitions between viewpoints during normal battles. However, problems
occur when your are battling multiple foes because the camera has a
difficult time keeping up with the action. It's frustrating to find
yourself being attacked from an off-screen enemy, and taking the time to
correct the viewpoint and target a foe means you take damage needlessly.
From a visual standpoint, DMC 3: SE's
design is superb with an impressive graphics engine that displays an
impressive level of detail throughout. The environments are dark, yet
beautiful with effective light sourcing that creates an appropriately
somber mood. Each level consists of multiple rooms with each giving off a
different feeling and distinct flavor, the standout being the inner
corridor of the tower, with a dizzying array of interwoven staircases that
immediately brings to mind Escher and Geiger, though the game's overall
horror-theme pervades. These evocative atmospherics bring the netherworld
of Devil May Cry to life vividly, and allows the player to truly feel
immersed in Dante's parallel universe. The game's creatures and demons are
impressively designed as well, and float, attack and move with an
ethereal, menacing motions throughout. Excellent voice acting brings the
characters to life, with Dante himself giving off an attitude of
confidence, while his brother is the other side of the coin and brings
arrogance to the game. The soundtrack offers players a mix of
gothic-industrial tracks and the occasional classical piece to create a
haunted vibe that permeates the action, giving DMC 3's overall look and
feel a solid level of cohesion and believability that makes for an
appealing, immersive experience. .
Devil
May Cry 3: Special Edition is essentially the same title that was released
last year, the developers have added a few extras that add even more value
to this value priced package. There are several new gameplay modes,
including a new turbo mode which speeds up the action, a new extra hard
mode is designed for with hardcore player in mind and lives up to its
billing by offering an almost seemingly impossible challenge. From a
gameplay standpoint, the developers have added an extra boss battle with
the annoying Jester character, which doesn't add as much to the game as
you'd think it would. Most importantly, there's now a new mode where you
can play through the game as Dante's brother Vergil, which is enjoyable,
though doesn't diverge much at all from the main quest, making it slightly
disappointing. Sadly, Capcom didn't fix some of the camera issues which is
also a bit of a letdown. Fortunately, these are very minor issues and
don't make the game any less enjoyable than it was the first time around.
While these changes are interesting, the value to gamers who already have
the original DMC 3 release is a bit low, but those who missed out the
first time around will definitely want to check out the Special Edition,
especially at its lower retail price.
