Devil May Cry 3

Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening

    * Release Date: March 01, 2005
    * Genre: Action
    * Style: Action Adventure
    * Similar Games: Killzone (PlayStation 2), Constantine (PlayStation 2), Resident Evil 4 (PlayStation 2)

Game Description
This third episode in Capcom's "gothic action" saga serves as a prequel to the first two releases, set before the events of the original Devil May Cry. Though fans of the series know that Dante's supernatural powers are a product of his demonic heritage, this game introduces the hero's half-brother -- another supernaturally gifted half-demon named Virgil, who is just as dedicated to advancing the forces of evil and darkness on Earth as Dante is devoted to promoting justice and good.

Building upon the fast-paced gameplay offered in earlier editions of Devil May Cry, Dante's Awakening allows players to choose from a selection of fighting styles as they take control of the hero. The "Evasive" style emphasizes Dante's speed and dodging abilities, while the "Close Combat" style allows the hero to make good use of melee skills and the "Long Range" style focuses on gunplay. A collection of new and familiar weapons are available, including quick pistols, powerful shotguns, and even a deadly guitar.
~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide
Production Credits
Manual: Hanshaw Ink & Image; Marketing: Todd Thorson, David Riley, Jack Symon, Sarah Felbinger, Laili Bosma, Carrie Root, Robert Johnson, Nate Williams, Rey Jimenez; Package Design: Michi Morita, Corey Tran, Scott Baumann; Translation: Thomas Huston, Brian Dunn; PR: Melinda Mongelluzzo, Arne Cual, Alicia Kim; Customer Service: Philip Navidad, Robert Hamiter, Jeffrey Leung
~ Keith Adams, All Game Guide

Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening

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Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening
Dmc3box.jpg
North American PS2 boxart
Developer(s)     Capcom Production Studio 1[1]
Publisher(s)     Capcom
Ubisoft (PC)
Series     Devil May Cry
Version     1.3
Platform(s)     PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows (Special Edition only)
Release date(s)     Dante's Awakening
JP February 17, 2005
NA March 1, 2005
AUS March 22, 2005
EU March 24, 2005
Special Edition (PS2)
NA January 24, 2006
JP February 23, 2006
EU September 29, 2006
Special Edition (WIN)
EU June 28, 2006
JP June 30, 2006
NA October 16, 2006
Genre(s)     Hack and slash, Action
Mode(s)     Single-player, Multiplayer
Rating(s)     ESRB: M
PEGI: 16+
Media     CD-ROM, DVD, Steam download

System requirements     1.0 GHz CPU, 256 MB RAM, 128 MB video card RAM, 16X CD-ROM drive, DirectX 9.0c, 1.2 GB available hard disk space, Windows 2000/XP
Input methods     Keyboard and mouse, Gamepad

Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening, released in Japan as Devil May Cry 3, is an action game that was developed by Capcom Production Studio 1 and published by Capcom in 2005 for the PlayStation 2 (also ported to the PC in 2006). The game is a prequel to the original Devil May Cry, and is the first game in the series storyline's chronological order.

Set in modern times in an enchanted tower named Temen-ni-gru,[2] the story centers on the dysfunctional relationship between Dante and his brother Vergil.[3] The events of the game take place just as Dante has opened up the Devil May Cry agency,[4] and before Dante's demonic heritage has reached its full potential.[5] The story is told primarily through a mixture of cutscenes using the game's engine with several pre-rendered full motion videos.

Upon release, Devil May Cry 3 was widely criticized for its high level of difficulty,[6][7] but was praised for improvements over its predecessor, and a return to the challenging gameplay of Devil May Cry. A manga prequel to the game was first published in Japan in 2005.[8]

Gameplay

Gameplay in Devil May Cry 3 consists of levels called "missions", in which players must fight numerous enemies, perform platforming tasks, and occasionally solve puzzles to progress through the story. The player's performance in each mission is graded from D at the bottom, up through C, B, A, with top ranks of S and SS, which have the strictest requirements. Grades are based on the time taken to complete the mission, the amount of "red orbs" gathered (the in-game currency obtained from defeated enemies), "stylish" combat, item usage, and damage taken.[9]

"Stylish" combat is defined as performing an unbroken series of varied attacks while avoiding damage, and is tracked by an on-screen gauge. The longer the player attacks without repeating techniques and evades damage, the higher the gauge rises.[9] The gauge starts with no grade, becomes "Dope" after a minimum number of attacks, and peaks at "SSStylish"; if the character receives damage, the style rating resets. The game's battle system allows the player to chain attacks together, with each weapon having a number of unique attacks. Although the game mainly focuses on an aggressive approach to battle, the player must employ some strategy as the enemies have a wide variety of artificial intelligence tactics, and will respond to a number of events.[10]

The Devil Trigger ability enables the player's character to change into a demonic form. This alters the character's appearance, increases attack and defense, slowly restores health, and enables special attacks. The Devil Trigger state lasts as long as there is energy in the Devil Trigger gauge, which is refilled by attacking or taunting enemies in the normal state, and decreases when using the Devil Trigger transformation or other abilities which draw on Devil Trigger power (such as the Quicksilver and Doppelganger styles discussed below).[9] Devil Trigger mode is not available to Dante until one third of the way through the game, while Vergil (who is playable in the Special Edition) has the ability at the outset.

The major difference from previous Devil May Cry titles is the combat system, which allows the player to choose one of six different combat styles with different special techniques related to the style's focus. Style selection is available at the start of each level, as well as during gameplay at checkpoints. The styles available are: Trickster, for dodging and agility; Swordmaster, with extra abilities for swords and other melee weapons; Gunslinger, which has more techniques for firearms; Royal Guard, which allows the player to repel attacks with a properly-timed button press, and thereby charge energy for retaliation; Quicksilver, which slows down enemies while the character attacks at normal speed; and Doppelgänger, which creates a shadow double that fights alongside Dante. A second player can also control the shadow double by pressing "Start" on a second controller. A two-player mode, similar to Doppelgänger style, is accessible while fighting against Arkham.[11] In the special edition of Devil May Cry 3, the character Vergil has one style called Dark Slayer with techniques similar to Trickster.

Plot

Devil May Cry 3 opens in Dante's as-of-yet unnamed shop as a mysterious man named Arkham appears to offer an invitation from Dante's brother Vergil, in the form of a brutal demon attack.[12] After Dante defeats the enemies inside and outside his shop, an immense tower erupts from the ground a short distance away. Sensing Vergil atop the structure, Dante takes the situation as a challenge.[13]

At the tower's entrance Dante encounters Cerberus, defeats him and claims the monster's soul, which transforms into a new weapon.[14] In what becomes a recurring game mechanic, the souls of some defeated boss monsters are transformed into new weapons for Dante's arsenal. Dante is then attacked by a woman on a motorcycle, whose name later becomes Lady. It is revealed in subsequent cutscenes that Arkham is working for Vergil and they plan to take Dante's half of the amulet their mother gave them, and use its power to reactivate the tower's ability to connect the human and demon worlds.[15] It is also revealed that Arkham is Lady's father, that he murdered her mother, and that she is pursuing him to seek revenge.[16][17]

After numerous battles, an encounter with a being calling itself Jester,[18] and another run-in with Lady, Dante attains the tower's summit and battles Vergil. Vergil soundly defeats Dante, steals Dante's amulet, and departs. As a result of his defeat Dante's dormant devil powers emerge, and he sets off in pursuit. He eventually catches up in the control room located in the tower's basement, where Vergil is having no luck reactivating the tower. The brothers battle again and seem evenly matched, until they are interrupted first by Lady and then Jester. Jester reveals that he is in fact Arkham, and has been manipulating them all to reactivate the tower. Arkham's plan is to cross over to the demon world and steal the Force Edge, the dormant form of Sparda's original sword which contains the bulk of Sparda's old power, and use it to rule over a demon-infested Earth.[19][20] The tower then transforms as the spell is broken, carrying Arkham upwards to the summit, while Vergil vanishes in the confusion.

Dante battles his way back up the tower, and eventually fights Lady for the right to pursue Arkham. Dante wins, and Lady lends him her most powerful weapon. Reaching the summit once again, Dante crosses over to the demon world and catches up with Arkham, who has assumed Sparda's demonic form. Overwhelmed by the power, Arkham transforms again into a blob-like creature and battles Dante. Halfway through the fight, as Arkham is gloating that Dante has no chance against his father's power, Vergil reappears and the brothers work together to bring down Arkham. Arkham is thrown out of the demon world in a weakened state and lands atop the tower, where Lady kills him. In the demon world, Dante and Vergil battle over ownership of the Force Edge and the amulet halves. Dante is victorious. As the portal closes, Vergil decides to stay behind and vanishes into the darkness with one half of the amulet.[21]

Returning to the human world, Dante meets Lady outside the tower where she coins the phrase "devil may cry" while trying to comfort Dante over the loss of his brother. They form a friendship and the beginnings of a partnership in demon-slaying, and he names his shop "Devil May Cry".[22][23] A scene after the credits reveals a weakened yet determined Vergil, still in the demon world, where he charges into battle against his father's old foe, Mundus.[24]
Development
Kazuma Kaneko's design of Dante's Devil Trigger for the game

Following the mixed reception that Devil May Cry 2 received, Capcom decided to develop Devil May Cry 3 in a manner closer to the successful first game. Gameplay elements such as the size of environments and the game’s battle engine were reconsidered. Other criticized aspects of Devil May Cry 2, such as Dante’s character and the game’s difficulty, were brought more in line with the first title.[25]

The game's production was handled by Capcom Production Studio 1, the same studio that developed Devil May Cry 2.[26] According to a pre-release interview with the game's producer Tsuyoshi Tanaka, the thrust of the game's design was the creation of a new battle system allowing the player to control weapons in new and "stylish" ways. This went along with the design of a new type of in-game camera designed to keep the character in focus to avoid disorienting the player in crowded battle scenes. According to Tanaka, the difficulty of Devil May Cry 2 was toned down to get wider acceptance in the Japanese market, but this move made the game lose support in other markets. To deal with this situation the Japanese release of Devil May Cry 3 had a lower difficulty than the North American and European releases. Dante’s attitude was emphasized to reflect a younger and more arrogant character than in previous installments.[27] Capcom also produced a second version called the "Special Edition", which was released on January 24, 2006 in North America. A personal computer version of Devil May Cry 3, with slight graphical changes, was developed by SourceNext and published by Ubisoft on June 28, 2006 in Europe and on October 16, 2006 in North America.

Capcom promoted Devil May Cry 3's release with a multi-million dollar television campaign, as well as with prominent ads in video game magazines. The marketing campaign focused on the game's plot and its multiple fighting styles.[25]

The Devil Trigger forms for Dante and Vergil were designed by Kazuma Kaneko, who previously worked on Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner, Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne and Persona.[28][29]

Devil May Cry 3 was highly successful commercially, becoming the eighth best-selling game in Japan during the first week after its release.[34] The game sold over 1,300,000 units worldwide, thereby earning Capcom's "Platinum Title" status.[35] Devil May Cry 3 scored 84/100 at Metacritic and 84.2% at GameRankings.[36][37] It was also included in Game Informer's "Top 50 Games of 2005" list and later received a "Game of the Month" award when the Special Edition was released.[38]

Reviews typically praised the game for avoiding the mistakes of the previous title, as well as for the storyline, options for customization, "over-the-top" gameplay and new combat engine. The style-based combat engine was thought to produce fighting sequences that made those in other games, such as Ninja Gaiden and Prince of Persia, appear unimpressive.[39] Other aspects, such as the camera and controls, were also reviewed positively.[7][31][40][41][42]

However, the first North American and European release was criticized for its difficulty even in reviews that gave it a high score. Reviewers took issue with Capcom's decision to turn the Japanese version's "Hard" mode into the North American and European "Normal" mode.[30][33]

The Special Edition release (see following section) was ranked 9th in GameSpy's Game of the Year selection for the PlayStation 2 in 2006, and was praised for re balancing the difficulty. Other aspects of the game, such as the inclusion of a survival mode called "Bloody Palace" and the addition of Vergil as a playable character, received positive reviews.[40]

The PC version was widely criticized for being inferior to the PlayStation 2 version. Issues included the game engine, which was considered rough and under worked, the controls, and the inability to save the game anywhere on a given level and restart from that point in subsequent "loadings", a convenience afforded by most personal computer games.[43][44]
Other releases

Following the release of Devil May Cry 3, Capcom released merchandise based on the game, including a manga written by Suguro Chayamachi and published by Tokyopop in North America, as well as a Dante action figure made by Revoltech. A source book entitled "Devil May Cry 3 Material Archive - Note of Naught" was released in 2006, containing previously unreleased production and CG artwork, storyboards, and a UMD video disc for the PSP with trailers and videos (region 2 only).[45] A three-disc Devil May Cry 3 soundtrack was released on March 31, 2005 shortly after the game's release, with Tetsuya Shibata and Kento Hasegawa credited as the producers.[46] The lyrics for the vocal songs from Devil May Cry 3 were written, and the rough vocals performed, by Shawn "Shootie HG" McPherson of heavy metal band Hostile Groove, with David Baker performing the more melodic vocals.[47]
Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition

At the 2005 Tokyo Game Show, Capcom announced there would be a special edition of Devil May Cry 3.[48] It included a number of gameplay changes and additional content. Most notably, players could now choose to play as Dante's twin brother, Vergil. Other changes included an added survival mode called "Bloody Palace" with a total of 9999 levels; a new boss fight early in the game, with optional fights later; a "Turbo Mode" for 20 percent faster gameplay; and a continue system which can revive the character instantly, or allow the player to restart the fight they just lost as many times as they like. The game also has rebalanced difficulty.

Vergil has only one style, "Dark Slayer" (similar to Dante's "Trickster" style), which includes evasive maneuvers, and can be leveled up twice, just like Dante's initial four styles. He has three weapons: his sword called Yamato, the Beowulf gauntlets and greaves, and the Force Edge broadsword. He has only one ranged attack, "Summoned Swords", which creates magical swords that can be used for a variety of effects.[49]

The new boss is a character from the first version, Jester. In the first edition of Devil May Cry 3, Jester was a plot-important character who was encountered several times during cutscenes, but never actually fought. In Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition, Jester is a semi-optional boss (insofar as the first fight with him is mandatory but the later encounters can be skipped) who can be fought three times.

Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition was released on January 24, 2006 for $19.99 as part of the PlayStation 2 Greatest Hits Collection. It was later confirmed that the PlayStation 2 version of the game would also be released in Europe.[50]

On February 1, 2006, Ubisoft announced that they would be publishing a PC version of the game developed by SourceNext.[51] The European PC version was the first to come out, even before the Special Edition was released for the PlayStation 2 in that region, being released on June 28, 2006. The North American version was released on October 16, 2006. The game was published in Japan on June 30, 2006.

In Europe, the PlayStation 2 version came out on September 29, 2006, for £14.99 and was slightly different from the North American version. Vergil and Bloody Palace mode were unlocked from the start, but the Turbo mode was taken out of the game.

Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition was also included in a 5th Anniversary Collection of Devil May Cry games, a collection of the first three games.[52]