I am not really a "New Game Plus guy." Usually, I finish a game (rarely at 100%) and move on to the next one. I absolutely do not disparage this way of playing; quite the contrary, I have played and replayed the same games for years on end (like the 10,000 hours spent on vanilla WoW, oops). Over time, I have increasingly wanted to explore new games from different eras and styles, not necessarily staying stuck in a comfort zone or the same genre. With Devil May Cry, I discovered another approach, another perspective on playing a game: some games simply become better in New Game Plus.

I still have my physical PS2 copy that I bought almost on the day it was released, thanks to the rave reviews of the time. Without the memory cards from back then, I can’t say how far I got, but I doubt I got past the first boss. If I’m not mistaken, GTA 3 was already announced, and I then spent a good part of the end of 2001 traversing the streets of Liberty City.

The game is simply incredible. Its gothic and cool style is unique and holds up from beginning to end with its very "cheesy" side. It's primarily its combat gameplay that is very addictive: it's both easy to get into but difficult to master.

I never would have thought I would like this very arcade-oriented type of game. As soon as I finished (with difficulty) the game in normal mode, I immediately started again in hard mode, something I almost never do.

Having tried to replay it with my PS2 copy, I highly recommend the HD collection, which fixes almost all the framerate issues.