...

Finally, I'm giving a go this legendary saga after years of neglecting them despite having enjoyed DMC4 when it launched and DmC, which yes, I also enjoyed… maybe because I didn't played the OGs? Only Sparda knows

Devil May Cry 1 - More like Resident May Evil

This one has STRONG Resident Evil vibes. Like, a “Resident Evil but cooler” vibes. It feels a more relaxed experience, as having a whole arsenal of guns and swords helps, and even have a precursor of the whole “combo system” that really pushes you to fight every demon or ghost that gets in front of you. And I've digged it for the entire playthrough.

The only thing that really got me to never get into the series was the camera. Oh boy, the camera. I'm sure that this has been talked through the ages, but fixed cameras surely got its time and really worked for the Resident Evil saga, but for a fast-paced game like DMC? Hell no.

But this time I'm older, wiser and, most important, PATIENT. And it really paid off.

Anyways, the short missions thing really got me to keep it playing also, as it's the perfect system to get some playing time in breaks or when you have a bit of spare time. You can expect a good 10-15mins for each mission, and really worked for me.

I'm glad I got to play this AFTER the DMC Netflix series, but even I could tell that something was off in that show…

Devil May Cry 2 - Soul Crushing

Now I can understand why it is the most hated and disliked entry of the saga.

The story is thrown in your face as if you know what it's about and you really have 0 idea, and the main plot isn't crazy either. They give you a little explanation at the beginning and then hahas now stick you against hordes and hours of... possessed? demons? infected? A little bit of each, but Dante doesn't have much to say about it either.

Enemies don't have the personality and presence they had in DMC1; here they're a mere formality, a light and shadow show that, also thanks to the weak combat system, remain pure smoke to get you through. Such combat, even if you try to engaged with it, constantly reminds you that why get close if you have two guns.

Also, I've missed Dante's insights when inspecting things as, even if it only gives more information about what was happening or the background of it, you could get a little bit into how Dante sees the situation.

And as for the cinematics, we don't even talk about them… little flavor, and a repetition of traits like the coin flipping that, even if in the end it made a little sense at the end, if we're being honest they don't make sense. Long gone is the impressive cinematic in which you get Alastor in DMC1... Now there is only a trail of continuous violence without any flavor to move from one mission to another, with the occasional loose cinematic that does not say too much.

Dante's outfit is fire tho.

Anyways, I'm not going to spend more time on it than it took me.

Devil May Cry 3 - The Sauce

This is what I'm talking about. Finally after the short suffering of DMC2, the one and only, the incomparable Devil May Cry 3 Dante's Awakening has arrived.

Dante's personality finally shines, and perfectly complements the tone of the game. A Dante kinda bad-mouthed, argumentative but good-hearted. A ladies' man. His chemistry with Lady is maintained throughout the game and brings out his human side as opposed to the demon he becomes when it's time to fight. Virgil and the man who accompanies him as villains can sin of simply being very bad and wanting power, but in this game I don't ask anything more of them. Interesting dialogues, occasionally deep, and with the perfect dose of cinematics advancing us what happens on the side of the villain during the missions. The perfect ingredients to get into the sauce.

I know I've already played three games, but I really love the fact that the game is divided into missions. Also, in this third installment, although the time per mission increases, it doesn't feel heavy at all. Correct puzzles, decent pacing and we once again have a reusable environment like the mansion in the first one (but without the Resident Evil elements that plagued that installment). Getting familiar with the environment is easy and it helps a lot to know how to move through a tower that at the slightest questionable decision could become a labyrinth.

The combat feels very refined, with a system of styles as if they were the classes of an RPG that gives life to the progression of combat, since beyond getting new weapons as in the first games, here we can also advance fighting and getting more skills by leveling up these styles. The only weak point for me of this system of styles is that to level up to the maximum one style has required almost the entire adventure, which does not leave much room to try and level up others while.

Trickster has been my choice throughout the game because I like the dodge, double dodge and even TRIPLE dodge; it gives a lot of movement and after two games being either a dante whose bangs don't let him see much or literally an automatic turret, it's appreciated.

The Good, the Bad and the Devil

I think Devil May Cry as a whole is an experience that everyone that are into the 4th and 5th part should get into.

Yes, it's a process. It takes some time. But they are VERY short games that could be completed into a evening session or two. Knowledge is power, and experiencing the beginning of this beautiful saga is bound to enrich you.

Playing bad games is a must sometimes, just to appreciate the journey.