Gameplay - 2/5
Dante can equip 2 devil arms and 2 guns at any given time and you can
switch between them instantly, in mid-combo if you want to. The devil
arms are all unique and interesting, with the exception of the
throwaway guitar one, and lead to a huge variety of possible combos.
The guns, on the other hand, are all fairly generic and do negligible
damage to enemies, even when upgraded. As you may have heard the game
is extremely difficult, but not because of aggressive enemies or
creative bosses. The game is hard because the lock-on is inconsistent,
the bosses have wildly inflated stats, and the game punishes you
unreasonably for every death.
To top it all off, the camera is horrendously stupid (and only
occasionally movable). Example? If you walk into a new room, the camera
will often shift to a view facing Dante. So if you were holding the
left analog stick forward (which I'll assume you were, in order to walk
into the room), forward now becomes backward and you'll promptly walk
back out of the room. This will happen to you so often you'll want to
snap the disc in half by the time you finish the game.
Story - 5/5
The storyline was thoroughly enjoyable and the only reason I persevered
till the end. The characters are realistic, the dialogue is natural,
and the game is full to bursting with style and attitude.
Graphics - 4/5
Devil May Cry 3's graphics give it great atmosphere, with dark
environments and imposing Gothic architecture to help suck you in to
the setting. The long cinematics that tell the story show off some
skilful animation and dramatic effects. During battles though, the game
lacks visual clarity, and too often you'll lose track of what's going
on in the mess of attacks and particle effects.
Sound - 4/5
It's a pity that Capcom didn't match their graphical setting with a
decent background score, but this category was saved by the
consistently top-notch voice acting in all of the cutscenes.
Lasting Appeal - 1/5
When your only motivation for slogging through the game is the
storyline, there's not much reason to play it through a second time.
Overall - 3/5
