Genre: Action
Year: 2005
Developed by: Capcom
Published by: Capcom
Platforms: PS2, PS3, PS4, PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Switch
#288
Feeling Like: I may cry
It’s been nearly three months since I posted my Fallout: New Vegas entry. Why?
Why is Devil May Cry 3, of all games, putting me in a complete funk? This isn’t writer’s block, it’s an embargo surrounding blockade. When I reach back and try to rummage around some witty anecdote, or powerful memory, the drawer is bare.
This is ominous timing. Devil May Cry 3 is a great game. I consider my experience with it to be superior to over 200 other games, you’ll notice. So why the mental blank slate?
If you’re reading this in 2020, you probably know what excuse I’m about to use. Covid-19 doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon and, like every conscientious person out there, I have spans of disheartened dread. How long is this going to go on for? How many more people are going to get sick, or die? Will we have to postpone our wedding? I want to hug my friends, gamble at the blackjack table, go to the movies and get drunk in a pub. I want all of this to go away. Who doesn’t?
On top of that, WordPress has made a change so that it’s impossible for me to revert to the Classic Theme. I loathe when websites change anything; I know exactly where everything goes, and what everything does. This isn’t the type of thing that requires patches or major updates on a weekly basis, so why make it harder? After watching two tutorial videos on the new Gutenberg system and five separate attempts to add a little caption below each screenshot, I’m completely at a miss and fully annoyed.
I think it just highlights my inadequacies when it comes to website design. Shouldn’t I be excited to learn new things? I used to love uncovering secrets of new intellectual adventures, but I don’t know when my turn signal vanished and I decided to just keep going the same direction I always have. It’s a frightening feeling – I have less control over my life than what I’m used to thanks to the pandemic, now I have even less of it.
Is the 500 a good place to start? Should I start dedicating more time to it, honing this craft and branch out of my little bubble?
Wasn’t this supposed to be an entry about Devil May Cry 3?
It was, and is. If I need inspiration, I should look no further than the Son of Sparda. The hero’s journey is evident in Devil May Cry 3, one of many reasons it’s superior to the poorly received Devil May Cry 2. Dante begins at the bottom, working in a shabby office before getting the call, claiming artifacts, meeting allies, defeating the big bad and a full circle closes out the story with Dante returning to his business. Virgil is one of the best characters in the franchise, his stoic personality a perfect juxtaposition to Dante’s flamboyant charisma. Their hair, costumes and weapon choices both highlight their personalities and how they approach life. Their rivalry, confrontations and eventual team-ups were my favorite part of the game.
The mano e mano duels with Virgil are thrilling. Normally it’s a disappointingly dull when your enemy is just an “evil” version of you, but when the action is this frantic, requiring you to switch styles and glue your eyes to Virgil’s movements, you won’t have a choice but to have an absolute blast.
The movement feels similar to previous games, but the fighting stances are the game’s trademark and a main factor as to why fans revere this as the best in the original trilogy. By choosing “Trickster”, or “Royal Guard”, you’re able to completely change your playstyle, combat and weapons. Each has its strengths and weaknesses, but once I was able to equip a triple nunchuck from Cerberus, I never picked anything but Trickster. Zooming around shouting Bruce Lee-esque “WHAAA!” while turning into a chaotic spinball of icy wood and chain was too much to resist. I suffered by not getting much Style points, but I gained by having a lot of fun.
Still, you’ll notice Devil May Cry 3 is at 288 and most would probably have this higher. A few reasons for that.
- I played it far after release, and was already used to high definition action games with a perfect framerate. Devil May Cry 3 is not that.
- Virgil may be a terrific antagonist, but I found the rest of the support staff forgettable
- The levels weren’t nearly as captivating as the gothic castle from Devil May Cry
That’s it? That’s it. Sorry for going on a self-imposed rant of dread earlier. 2020 and all. But, like Dante, with a little help from my friends and a can-do attitude, I know I can conquer a slightly different web editor on a bare-bones website that I do for fun.
The 500 