10/06 Update: Since we no longer write for the Edmond Sun, this section is temporarily housing our podcast links for our iTunes feed. All of the columns are in the archives menu if you feel like exploring.

These columns (as well as the 'releases') come from weekly content that we write for the Edmond Sun, out of Edmond, OK (though we live in Chicago). This page contains the archives for said column, many of which are in their pre-published, unedited state. Some titles and editing by Brendan Sinclair.

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Devil May Cry 3 review
Tuesday, March 15, 2005

Despite being one of the best 3D action games made this generation, Devil May Cry 3 suffers from far too much style and not nearly enough substance. With the near perfect Ninja Gaiden already on the market for a year, I was hoping Capcom would bring the meat for the third incarnation of the popular series. Despite all the good things it has going for it, it just makes me wonder what this game could have, and really should have, been. If you like your games violent and full of nasty hell beasts, you can’t do much better than DMC3. Just don’t expect the second coming of Gaiden.

It’s hard to write a review without mentioning the look at some point, so I’ll ignore my indifference to graphics for a second to give you a quick rundown. As with just about everything in DMC3, you’ll have to balance the good with the bad here. On one side, you have low quality textures and some lame character models. Dante looks like he was pieced together from parts from a mad scientist’s sale. I guess Capcom focused on a streamlined look (how’s that for a marketing buzzword?) to keep the game running fast throughout. I don’t know much about frames per second, but I do know this game never slowed down. If I had to chose, I would much rather have a game be smooth and ugly than be riddled with jittery movement in a gorgeous world; but I wouldn’t have minded a little more life breathed into this dank and morbid game.

Moving on to something important: the combat system. Ultimately, this is the only thing that actually matters, and just like the graphics, you’ll have to take the good with the bad. DMC3 offers up four unique fighting styles, along with a couple more you need to unlock, that keep the game fresh. My favorite technique is the classic Sword Master, proving once again that nothing quite tops a poke with a three-foot killing tool. For those advocates of the 2nd Amendment, there is Gunslinger. Fire off rounds John Wayne style as you stay as far away from enemies as your yellow heart will allow. The other two techniques available from the onset are much more defensive. Trickster gives you more maneuverability so you can dance away from you enemy until you feel like slicing them. Royal Guard instantly turns Dante into a turtle. It’s the only technique that actually lets you block.

Even with all the cool moves at your disposal, the combat system is actually fairly simple. The vast majority of battles only require you to rapidly hit the triangle button to attack with a few well timed dodges thrown in for good measure. What’s really annoying is how Capcom handled dodging. In Ninja Gaiden, you can dive out of the way by hitting a direction on the right analog stick. The compromise is you can’t manually control the camera, but in a title with non-stop action this isn’t really a problem. DMC3 uses the right stick for camera movement which means you have to use a combination of R1, X and a direction to dodge. Considering the camera is still pretty bad, I would have preferred more control over my movement.

The enemy types, though varied, can all be defeated in the same manner. While another Capcom title, Viewtiful Joe, made you figure out the weaknesses of every bad guy, DMC3 just lets you use the slam-wildly-on-the-controller style for everyone you encounter. This really disappointed me. With all the cool moves, such as being able to swing around a strip club’s pole or surfing around on the backs of fallen foes, I would have liked to see an actual need for these maneuvers rather than the stylish eye candy they actually are. So the fights are always awesome to look at, but with so little depth they can get repetitive after awhile.

Speaking of repetitive, for a game that touts challenge as a main selling point, the game isn’t really all that hard. Oh, I died plenty, don’t get me wrong. But it was more a result of cheap game design rather than overpowering enemies. For some reason, there are no checkpoints placed throughout levels. And while you can blow your hard earned cash on free guys, they are so expensive you won’t be able to upgrade your moves or weapons. So if you die at any point, you have to trudge through an entire level again. While most sections aren’t too long, ten minutes is fairly average, it can get monotonous playing the same areas over and over again, only to die at the boss because you haven’t learned his patterns yet.

Ultimately, the good does outweigh the bad. But DMC3 is merely a good action title rather than a real combatant for the throne. After seeing just how good Capcom can be with Viewtiful Joe and RE4, I was disappointed by a lackluster attempt with DMC3. I certainly recommend this for fans of the genre, but the overly simplified combat system keeps this from being a surefire bet.

- Tom


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