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Life & Arts

'Devil' will leave gamers in heaven

Players get better understanding of Vergil in new version of 'DMC3'

by DEREK LANPHIER
The Daily Cougar

Everyone remembers the head-popping goodness from Capcom’s Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening; it was amazing Capcom was able to produce a game better than the first DMC and one that made us forget about the ridiculously horrible second game. In honor of the awesomeness that is DMC3, Capcom has released Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition, but this game is more than just a rehash of a hit from last year. With DMC3: SE, it is easy to tell Capcom really cares about its fans, and those of you who haven’t played DMC3 yet, this is a perfect time to see what all the fuss is about.

As before, the incredible action returns as Dante fights through the legions of hell to stop his brother, Vergil from doing some typical bad guy stuff. Capcom’s addiction to hack-and-slash gameplay returns improved but intact. The game’s normal mode is actually normal instead of being so hard it makes your grandmother cry; easy mode is actually easy. Those changes address the problem the first DMC3 had with poorly named difficulty settings. Of course, gamers can still make the game ridiculously hard if they are into that whole bashing-the-head-into-the-wall thing.

Aside from that, Dante’s story is intact and cool as ever. However, what makes this game worth buying is it the game length has been practically doubled. Players can now assume the role of Vergil to guide him on his nefarious path. Playing the role of Vergil is so much better because it is obvious that badassery runs in the family: The character is still over-the-top cool, but in his unique way. And although Vergil’s path is similar to Dante’s, as they are both scaling a huge demon-tower, his mechanics are not.

Capcom actually took the time to make Vergil his own complete set of upgrades, which allows players to specialize what the character can do, as opposed to just making a Dante copy with a different look. This new character alone is enough to make the game worth picking up.

While playing as Vergil, players also get to fight Dante when the two meet up at various points of the story. And players are also able to experience the story through the eyes of Vergil and can learn why Vergil does evil things.

The cut scenes are still amazing, and players are treated to a few new ones through Vergil’s story. The only downside about Vergil’s story is that players have to beat Dante’s first in order to unlock it. If gamers have saved DMC3 games on their memory cards, they can access it through those, but newbies don’t get a choice of who they want to play the first time through. Of course, playing through Dante’s story is in no way a chore, so having to unlock Vergil’s isn’t that bad.

The sound is still some of the best ever in an action game. It’s outrageous and overly dramatic, but that’s what makes DMC so appealing. 

The music is a great reflection of the ridiculous things the brothers do throughout the game. Gamers might find themselves humming some of the more familiar songs as they play.

Aside from the extra story mode, there is also the Bloody Place Arena that is DMC3: SE’s equivalent to a survival mode; it’s great for those diehard hack-and-slash gamers.

Graphics have been improved a little bit. This game really pushes the PS2 to it’s limits, although DMC3 already looked great to begin with.

For those who still aren’t sold, there is one more important aspect of this game: It only costs $20. That’s right, you literally get twice the game for a fraction of the cost. It’s a great time for anyone who hasn’t played this game to jump right in and get the full experience.

In the looming shadow of the PS3, Devil May Cry 3 will always be remembered as one of the best games made for the PS2, and the special edition does a great job of reminding gamers why DMC rocks so hard.

Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition

Rated: MatureCapcom
Verdict: My $20 never rocked so hard.

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