Reviewed: April 29, 2005
Reviewed by: Megan Dyer
Publisher
Capcom Entertainment
Developer
Capcom Entertainment
Released: March 1, 2005
Genre: Action
Players: 1
ESRB: Mature
9
9
9
9
9.3
Supported Features:
Screenshots (Click Image for Gallery)
Very few video game characters have the honor of owning the title "icon." Sure, there are plenty of characters well known to gamers, but not nearly as many among the blasphemous hordes of non-gamers that roam the world of the general public. Just about every clueless parent out there can spot Mario, and probably hum along to his instantly recognizable theme music. There's also Sonic the Hedgehog, the hero of time, Link, and the oddly endearing Kirby.
Another character that can now be thrown into that mix is Dante Sparda, the cocky yet charming badass star of the Devil May Cry series. After showing up in Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne as a playable character, and with rumors of possibly being a playable fighter in Namco's upcoming Soul Calibur 3, Dante has made quite a name for himself. And Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening is a perfect example of just why Dante is becoming something of the male counterpart to Lara Croft.
Dante's Awakening is a story that takes place before the first installment of the Devil May Cry series. It showcases a young Dante honing and coming to grips with demonic powers inherited from his father, as well as his dangerous rivalry with his dark twin Vergil, and the who, what, when, and why of Dante's decision to become a demon hunter.
For Devil May Cry fans, number three should be the story they've always wanted to play through since the first installment, and for those unfamiliar with Dante and his story, it's an incentive to save up some cash to grab up the first two games of the series at the local video game store.
Never has Dante been so damn cool, and after the less than stellar reception of Devil May Cry 2, Dante's Awakening should have no problem reminding gamers how this series made its silver-haired hero an icon in the first place.
In Dante's Awakening, there are four very different fighting styles to choose from right at the start: Trickster, Gunslinger, Swordmaster and Royalguard. By fighting through missions and gaining experience, you will be able to unlock different abilities for Dante unique to each style. Trickster offers evasive moves such as wall running, and in my experience, cannot be underestimated in its usefulness. Swordmaster excels at - what else? - sword combos, both in the air and on the ground. Royalguard is a technical player’s dream, with lots of blocking and counterattacking, and Gunslinger adds some kung-fu flair to the Old West archetype with impossibly fast spinning shotguns and revolvers.
Each style has its own strengths and weaknesses, and just like in the past Devil May Cry games where some abilities are unique to each weapon, you can only execute learned abilities when in the appropriate style. It doesn’t pay to switch styles often, as it takes quite a while to earn enough experience to level a them up, and you can only switch in between missions instead of on the fly. However, all of the styles offer battle options that are both fun to use (especially Gunslinger) and strategically invaluable (especially Trickster), making the incentive to play this game for weeks more than just a matter of earning a high score.
There are of course, as mentioned above, several different weapons to level up that, like in the past, that will offer the purchasing of moves unique to that weapon. For example, the ever-useful double jump is available with Dante's sword, Rebellion. Those abilities can be changed on the fly, since weapons can be switched in the middle of battle. In fact, gamers no longer have to go into the menu in the heat of battle to switch weapons. They merely have to press a button, and Dante switches his guns and devil arms in real time. There are some really neat combos to be pulled off with that little trick tool, by the way.
Levels and missions are also nicely put together. The places where you can power up and save your progress are far enough apart that there’s some real tension when fighting for your life in a pit full of scythe-wielding maniacs, but not so scarce that it becomes a chore to find the next safe spot. And, as usual, there are red orbs to be collected throughout levels, hidden in smashable objects, defeated foes, and hidden areas. As always, these are used to purchase items at save areas, such as life rejuvenating vital stars, blue orbs to increase life Dante's life bar, yellow orbs for continues, and so on. Items are expensive, and the more you purchase them, the more expensive they will become (another DMC tradition), so it's probably a good idea to only purchase consumables when absolutely necessary.
The levels are designed to be interacted with, more so than in previous DMC games. In addition to smashing dumpsters, statues and other inanimate objects for orbs, there are some fun interactions as well. There is, for instance, during the first mission, a situation where Dante fights through a destroyed bar and strip club. Of course you will be able to smash bar stools and jukeboxes and whatnot for red and green orbs, but there's also a stripper pole that Dante can grab onto and swing himself around, kicking enemies as he goes. Not exactly pole dancing, but funny nonetheless.
Something that does take some getting used to, is the difficulty curve of Dante's Awakening. You might think you’ve played a difficult action game before, but nothing short of Ninja Gaiden for Xbox could prepare you for this. The regular enemies, while tough and clever, can eventually be mastered, once you get “in the zone” with Dante’s move set, but the bosses are incredibly challenging. Gone are the twelve-second wins from the first game. One early boss has such high defense that even a dozen shotgun blasts at point-blank range barely register on its life bar. Sometimes, the high difficulty impedes enjoyment of the game (five hours of leveling just to beat one boss?), but the fact that you’ll actually improve in skill the whole time definitely gives you some bragging rights when the deed is finally done. Just don't expect to smash buttons and get very far. You'll get stuck indefinitely.
Despite the increased difficulty, the battle system is much tighter than in either of the previous DMC games. You’ll learn early on which enemies to fear, which ones to avoid and which ones to close in on early in order to get them out of the way before they overwhelm you. Capcom is digging deep into their bag of tricks to come up with some new twists on old mechanics for DMC3, and even a fair number of entirely new abilities, though some of those are really only there to look cool (take the slow-motion sand, for example). However, the fact still remains that even with a lot of freshness on the battlefield, many of the fiends Dante will fight are just new versions of old foes.
All in all, this game looks, feels and plays like DMC, with plenty of new stuff that somehow doesn’t get in the way of the now-classic returning elements of the series. It can be a bit too tough at times, even with plenty of practice, but that’s why there’s an Easy mode, right? Despite the occasional tired moment where I found myself yawning mentally and wishing for a more innovative enemy to fight, the vast majority of this game is pulse-pounding, high-stress action goodness at its best.
As usual with any Devil May Cry title, this game's graphics are gorgeous. I personally have never been much of a video game watcher; I'd much rather have the controller in my own hands than sit back and watch someone else have all the fun. Dante's Awakening is an exception to this, however. It's just a blast to watch.
Granted, Dante's always been fun to watch when he engages in battle with his demonic enemies, but never has his moves been more over the top and flashy. When he dashes, a blurry after image follows him, giving the illusion of incredible speed; when he powers up his weapons, they crackle and spark with energy. A certain move in Gunslinger style even allows him to whip his shotgun around like a nunchaku, firing shots in every direction at his enemies. Dante's stunts and attacks really go over the top in DMC 3, and there's is nothing cooler than watching him take on an endless horde of demons as though it were as easy as rolling off a log.
Character designs are another plus. Dante looks like Dante, although he's much more of a cocky punk ass kid, rather than the cocky, slightly more serious adult Dante we are used to, and it shows. His white hair is a bit shaggier and unkempt, he seems to possess an everlasting smirk, is a bit thinner, more boyish, and no ladies, he doesn't wear a shirt under his signature red trench coat. The developers at Capcom did a nice job of presenting a young Dante that still looks like Dante, and still holds true to the image of the demon hunter that we all know and love. It's also cool to see so much more of Vergil. With his cool demeanor, blue jacket, and spiked hair, Dante's twin manages to make gamers think, "whoa. If Dante were even remotely serious..." Yep, that's Dante's opposite. Weird, huh?
One thing that is slightly disappointing in the graphics area, is the rehashing of old enemies. Don't get me wrong; I very much like to see the return of old enemies that I look upon with nostalgia from the first DMC games. Still, there is little variation with the enemies in the beginning, which kept me from being completely blown away in the graphics department. On the upside, it's quite forgivable with the awesome boss designs that Capcom's come up with. For example, the legendary three-headed guard dog of Hades, Cerberus, has probably never had a cooler presentation in a video game than as the first main boss in Dante's Awakening. And it keeps getting cooler from there on out; believe me.
Something that fans seem to really appreciate about the Devil May Cry series is that its developers are very much aware of the fact that it's an action game first and foremost. Story, character development, and all that deep stuff take a back seat to kicking ass, and that's okay. That's why it's a pleasure, not a pain, to hear the god awful, cheesy, and wholly ridiculous lines that characters (especially Dante) spout off. And they are cheesier than ever this time around.
Like Dante's moves, his lines are way over the top. If it were trying to be a serious story, I would cringe. Instead though, I laugh, and that's what developers probably expected and wanted. Dante's voice actor sounds like the snotty little bastard that he should sound like, delivering line after goofy line with the precision of a true brat. It's fitting, it's fun, and very well executed.
On the flipside, Vergil's voice actor doesn't go overboard and silly like Dante's. He retained a cool, unemotional, and eerily calm tone to his voice, that gives the game the serious edge it needs to keep the feel of a true Devil May Cry game. All in all, voice acting is perfect for the characters, silly or serious when it needs to be, and expertly put together.
And what would Devil May Cry be without some good metal music to accompany Dante in his battles? Well fret not, because it's all there, complete with vocals this time around that reminded me (quite fondly) of the song played in the CG movie of the Zanarkand blitzball tournament in Final Fantasy X. Quite fitting. Music in the dungeons in between the battles also stays true to Devil May Cry tradition, with moody ambient melodies that sort of creep along and create the eerie mood. Nothing incredibly new for this series, but I like that in this case. The sound of Devil May Cry remains a bit fresh and new with different voice acting talents, while keeping with tradition in the music department. A good recipe, if you ask me.
When I said that Dante's Awakening is much more difficult than the previous two Devil May Cry games, I meant it. I really, really meant it. Not only is it a challenge for a DMC game, but for a video game in and of itself. And since it took me a good five hours of leveling up to conquer the first boss on normal mode (I'm too hardcore for easy mode, you see - yes, that was sarcasm), I'd say this isn't exactly a game that you can just breeze through unless you are insanely adept at action games and have spent the last decade doing nothing but working up button sized blisters on your thumbs and going blind staring at a screen. Yes, I'm talking to you. Get out a little more often. Yeesh.
I remember beating the first Devil May Cry in a measly seven hours the first run through. Granted, that was without finding hidden goodies, leveling up my devil arms and guns to maximum power, and fighting through extra missions. My point is, you used to be able to breeze through this series by half mashing buttons and half using skill. Not anymore. Gamers should more than get their money's worth through the sheer time it takes to gain some skill.
Then there're still weapons to max out, several fighting styles to master, and hidden missions to shoot and slash through. When all is said and done, Dante's Awakening is a satisfying game to play that doesn't feel anywhere near too short, nor too long. It does take some patience, but still remains fun instead of frustrating, since you can actually tell that you are getting better with each level, and yes, after each game over. And there will be game over’s, mind you. It's all a part of the challenge that Dante's Awakening offers its gamers, and it's a challenge that will keep you occupied for quite some time.
If it isn't obvious by now, I'm a Dante fan. I hold a little place in my heart for this character right next to Luigi and Link. That's because, like Zelda and Mario games, Devil May Cry is one of those series of games that simply got it all right. It has everything a good action game should have: mind-blowingly awesome action, gameplay that is a blast, beautiful and unique graphics, an interesting storyline that engages the imagination, and a charming and likeable hero that remains interesting, even if he’s a bit clichéd.
Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening is all of that in one package. It has also managed to gain back some of the old charm and magic of the first DMC, while throwing in plenty of surprises to keep the series fresh. If you love this series, pick up this game. If you were one of the gamers disappointed with the second installment of the series, pick this game up and regain your faith in it. And if you've never played Devil May Cry, what the hell is wrong with you? Pick this game up, and you won't be disappointed.