Reviewed on: PlayStation 5 (PS4 HD Collection ver.)
Total play time: 18 Hours
When I played the original Devil May Cry around two years ago, I didn't necessarily enjoy my time with it, but I had great respect for it, as it birthed the entire Character Action genre.
Now, with Devil May Cry 3, I can say that this is, without a doubt, the best 'pure' character action game I have ever played. It features a robust, yet challenging combat system that consistently kept me on my toes throughout my playthrough, with tons of enemy variety and excellent boss battles to boot.
While the narrative takes somewhat of a back seat, I wouldn't consider that a bad thing. It does a good enough job of getting you from one incredible setpiece to the next, and the lack of complex storytelling is made up for by the complexity of the gameplay.
The characters themselves, however, are absolutely fantastic, oozing with personality and have some genuinely emotional moments throughout the game.
The way Dante and Virgil play off of each other's personalities has to be one of my favourite dynamics in gaming. Even the side characters, from Lady to Jester, everyone gets their own time to shine throughout the campaign.
The art direction is spectacular, blending gothic architecture and sci-fi aesthetics effortlessly. Its seriously difficult to believe this is a PS2 title because it looks so fantastic for its time.
So, after all this gushing praise, why 4.5 stars instead of 5?
....
The penultimate boss is easily the worst boss I have ever had the displeasure of fighting, to the point where I believe it is a stain on an otherwise perfect game. It is so incredibly frustrating, as the other bosses in the game rank among my favourite bosses ever. Really disappointing stuff.
Overall, this is fantastic, and you should absolutely play it (Just cheese your way through that one boss fight, and you'll be fine).
Total play time: 18 Hours
When I played the original Devil May Cry around two years ago, I didn't necessarily enjoy my time with it, but I had great respect for it, as it birthed the entire Character Action genre.
Now, with Devil May Cry 3, I can say that this is, without a doubt, the best 'pure' character action game I have ever played. It features a robust, yet challenging combat system that consistently kept me on my toes throughout my playthrough, with tons of enemy variety and excellent boss battles to boot.
While the narrative takes somewhat of a back seat, I wouldn't consider that a bad thing. It does a good enough job of getting you from one incredible setpiece to the next, and the lack of complex storytelling is made up for by the complexity of the gameplay.
The characters themselves, however, are absolutely fantastic, oozing with personality and have some genuinely emotional moments throughout the game.
The way Dante and Virgil play off of each other's personalities has to be one of my favourite dynamics in gaming. Even the side characters, from Lady to Jester, everyone gets their own time to shine throughout the campaign.
The art direction is spectacular, blending gothic architecture and sci-fi aesthetics effortlessly. Its seriously difficult to believe this is a PS2 title because it looks so fantastic for its time.
So, after all this gushing praise, why 4.5 stars instead of 5?
....
The penultimate boss is easily the worst boss I have ever had the displeasure of fighting, to the point where I believe it is a stain on an otherwise perfect game. It is so incredibly frustrating, as the other bosses in the game rank among my favourite bosses ever. Really disappointing stuff.
Overall, this is fantastic, and you should absolutely play it (Just cheese your way through that one boss fight, and you'll be fine).