I have fond memories of playing Devil May Cry 3 on the PlayStation 2. I remember it being really fun, and I was really into the flashy action and style of the franchise back then.
It's 2022 now, and the action is just as flashy, but the game as a whole is a little disappointing. I expected more.
The main draw here is obviously the combat, which is great in parts, but the game design doesn't allow it to shine. Players are given so many weapons and skills, but absolutely no incentive to use them. I had this same problem with Ratchet and Clank (2021), where the game gives you a lot of weapons, but does not incentivize you to use any of them aside from the "cool factor". Why should I try out new arms for Nero when the first one is serving me just fine (and the chapters aren't even long enough for me to give the others a fair shot)? Why should I try new weapons for Dante when I've barely had enough time with his regular sword? And why switch anything up when it doesn't matter to the enemies anyway?
I have a problem with games that give you options, but at the end of the day, enemies can be defeated with your most basic arsenal. Why aren't certain enemies resistant to certain weapons and vice versa? Why don't some areas require me to use specific weapons to get through them? These are such simple ways to incentivize creativity with the weapons and tools. And it's not even like this is a revolutionary idea; games have been doing it for a while now, a notable example being God of War (2018).
Another thing that felt like a poor choice was the fact that there are 3 protagonists in this game. What a terrible idea, especially since one of the protagonists (V, obviously) has gameplay that doesn't belong in an action game. God, chapters which required you to play as V were some of the worst moments in gaming in recent history. Absolutely terrible.
But even with Dante and Nero, both of which have great combat mechanics and gameplay, switching between them hurt the overall experience. Every time I'd get comfortable with Nero's controls and skillsets, I'd have to switch to a different character and have to relearn things. In Dantes case, this was made worse by the fact that his kit changes twice during the game and needs to be partly relearned. This, coupled with the chapters being short, means you never really get fully immersed in the gameplay for a character before its taken away from you. I wish I got to play as Nero or Dante for the entirety of the game. I would've enjoyed the game much more that way.
I know the target audience of this game is people who enjoy replaying this at higher difficulties so they can spend more time with the arsenal and find ways to get that SSS rating. I'm definitely not the target. I just wanted a good action game for a single playthrough.
I don't have anything good to say about the story. Not that DMC is known for its storytelling, but this one was so mundane and predictable. Hell, I predicted what was going to happen at the end before I even finished the first chapter. It's ridiculous. Video game writers don't need to be writing games like The Last Of Us every time, but geez they gotta do better than this.
On top of that, I hate how Trish and Lady were treated. Not only did we not see them in action, but their only purpose was to be appear nude for a few scenes. How are devs still getting away with this in 2022?
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Despite these issues, I don't want to say the game was terrible. It was just disappointing. There's potential here.
It felt good to be back in the Devil May Cry universe though, and see all these characters in next gen graphics. It's been a while.
And now, time for my most controversial opinion: I think DmC (2013) is a great game and was hated on because DMC purists didn't like the redesign for their favorite characters. I will even go as far as to say DmC is the best Devil May Cry game.
The combat for that game is maybe some of the best combat I've seen in a video game. Players were clearly incentivized to make use of their full arsenal, and enemies were really well designed. The environments were so well done too. I love that between the action we got to do some platforming and interact with some really creatively designed levels.
On top of that, the world and theme of that game was so much more compelling than just "demons from the underworld are killing people". Oh and the soundtrack! Such a great OST, I still listen to it sometimes.
Please bring back DmC!!!
It's 2022 now, and the action is just as flashy, but the game as a whole is a little disappointing. I expected more.
The main draw here is obviously the combat, which is great in parts, but the game design doesn't allow it to shine. Players are given so many weapons and skills, but absolutely no incentive to use them. I had this same problem with Ratchet and Clank (2021), where the game gives you a lot of weapons, but does not incentivize you to use any of them aside from the "cool factor". Why should I try out new arms for Nero when the first one is serving me just fine (and the chapters aren't even long enough for me to give the others a fair shot)? Why should I try new weapons for Dante when I've barely had enough time with his regular sword? And why switch anything up when it doesn't matter to the enemies anyway?
I have a problem with games that give you options, but at the end of the day, enemies can be defeated with your most basic arsenal. Why aren't certain enemies resistant to certain weapons and vice versa? Why don't some areas require me to use specific weapons to get through them? These are such simple ways to incentivize creativity with the weapons and tools. And it's not even like this is a revolutionary idea; games have been doing it for a while now, a notable example being God of War (2018).
Another thing that felt like a poor choice was the fact that there are 3 protagonists in this game. What a terrible idea, especially since one of the protagonists (V, obviously) has gameplay that doesn't belong in an action game. God, chapters which required you to play as V were some of the worst moments in gaming in recent history. Absolutely terrible.
But even with Dante and Nero, both of which have great combat mechanics and gameplay, switching between them hurt the overall experience. Every time I'd get comfortable with Nero's controls and skillsets, I'd have to switch to a different character and have to relearn things. In Dantes case, this was made worse by the fact that his kit changes twice during the game and needs to be partly relearned. This, coupled with the chapters being short, means you never really get fully immersed in the gameplay for a character before its taken away from you. I wish I got to play as Nero or Dante for the entirety of the game. I would've enjoyed the game much more that way.
I know the target audience of this game is people who enjoy replaying this at higher difficulties so they can spend more time with the arsenal and find ways to get that SSS rating. I'm definitely not the target. I just wanted a good action game for a single playthrough.
I don't have anything good to say about the story. Not that DMC is known for its storytelling, but this one was so mundane and predictable. Hell, I predicted what was going to happen at the end before I even finished the first chapter. It's ridiculous. Video game writers don't need to be writing games like The Last Of Us every time, but geez they gotta do better than this.
On top of that, I hate how Trish and Lady were treated. Not only did we not see them in action, but their only purpose was to be appear nude for a few scenes. How are devs still getting away with this in 2022?
--
Despite these issues, I don't want to say the game was terrible. It was just disappointing. There's potential here.
It felt good to be back in the Devil May Cry universe though, and see all these characters in next gen graphics. It's been a while.
And now, time for my most controversial opinion: I think DmC (2013) is a great game and was hated on because DMC purists didn't like the redesign for their favorite characters. I will even go as far as to say DmC is the best Devil May Cry game.
The combat for that game is maybe some of the best combat I've seen in a video game. Players were clearly incentivized to make use of their full arsenal, and enemies were really well designed. The environments were so well done too. I love that between the action we got to do some platforming and interact with some really creatively designed levels.
On top of that, the world and theme of that game was so much more compelling than just "demons from the underworld are killing people". Oh and the soundtrack! Such a great OST, I still listen to it sometimes.
Please bring back DmC!!!