A NeoGAF thread regarding Devil May Cry 3 reminded me of how amazing this game it is and actually in my top 5 of best PS2 games in existence. After the disappointment that was DMC2, this franchise looked like it was done for, but Capcom decided to try again to bring it back to when it was good with the first game and succeeded. Taking place before DMC1 was arguably the best idea they came up with having a younger and cockier Dante take down his brother Vergil for his pursuit of the Sword of Sparda. This is also the first time in the storyline Dante gained his Devil Trigger powers and becoming the badass that he is opening up the "Devil May Cry" shop. In addition, it has been known that the original DMC3 was one of the hardest games in recent memory, but the challenge is good enough and so satisfying once you beat the game on the default difficulty or harder.
I actually never played the first game and started with the second, which was probably a mistake in the end. This third game exceeded everyone's expectations as it is filled with badassery from the beginning to end despite the difficulty. It pushed style to its limits at its time in the action genre as DMC3 introduced specific styles like Swordmaster, Gunslinger, Royal Guard, and Trickster. At that time, I preferred Trickster due to being more evasive against the opposition while each style catered to certain players who prefer swords, guns, or defense. Even the bosses were crazy and difficult, but very beatable. I can honestly say that the beginning of the game was pretty hard because you had limited abilities, but once you got Devil Trigger, it was pretty much on from there. All the boss battles with Vergil, you felt like you want to kick his ass so bad and once you do, it feels as satisfying as beating other memorable bosses in similar games.
Even though the story could be laughable, it is the badassery that counts and that's all you need. Also, the various weapons are very memorable from the standard Rebellion sword, the twin elemental swords, the guitar that spits out electricity, and the Beowulf gauntlets that has moves that remind you of the Street Fighter games. I would like to also the rockish soundtrack especially the theme song that to a point you're motivated to own the opposition. I even bought the Special Edition to play this awesomeness again which made the game easier and Vergil was playable despite its limitations, but still fun to play as like Dante. Despite Devil May Cry 4 being somewhat of a disappointment to some people like me because it didn't really recapture the magic DMC3 brought on, DMC3 was truly a special game for the genre at the time before God of War came around and westernized the genre. It is still nice to appreciate two styles of this genre whether by a Japanese direction with challenge or a westernized approach. Personally, my favorite memory of this game beating Vergil for the last time after many attempts shouting really loud that he deserved it. Now I'm reminded of this amazing game again, I kinda wish Capcom can bring it back to this current generation of consoles, but maybe its best it stays where it shined, which is on the PS2.
