parent nodes: Devil May Cry | Martin Davis
WARNING: This page contains non contemporary information
Devil May Cry is a PlayStation 2 series by Capcom (it can be argued to be a survival horror game, but it lacks a mostly powerless protagonist). It is a third person action game with some exploration elements. The game has a dark gothic tone to it, but is contrasted with its heavy metal music and bad-ass & trash talking protagonist, Dante Sparda, a laid back devil hunter who is surprisingly half devil himself. There are two released games, with a third in development at this writing.
Gameplay focuses primarily on fast and stylish combat, rewarding the use of quick multiple strikes, special moves, and avoiding damage. Dante's signature weapons are his dual pistols and a large broadsword, and he finds other firearms as well as devil arms, weapons infused with the power of devils. Dante is also capable of unleashing the power of his devil blood, called Devil Trigger, making him faster and stronger, as well as enabling him to use special DT exclusive attacks. The game also features some puzzle solving and exploration elements evident in the survival horror genre.
Throughout the game, orbs of different color (red being the most common, representing the blood of the slain) are collected by exploration, killing enemies, or by purchasing from Statues of Time.
The first game, actually first developed as a Resident Evil game and changed direction because of its total difference from the franchise, of the series became a popular hit with players because of its beautiful visuals, engaging fighting system, and awesome music, despite its relatively short gameplay.
The relatively minimalistic story revolves around Dante and his devil hunting agency called Devil May Cry, in the hopes of eventually finding the devils who had taken his mother and twin brother, Virgil. After a less than proper introduction, a woman named Trish convinces Dante to kill a powerful devil named Mundus due to her striking similar appearance of his lost mother.
The game used red orbs to "purchase" new moves for Dante, increasing the variety in his fighting style, as well as other orbs to make him stronger. The firearms of the game include the default pistols, named Ebony and Ivory, a double-barreled shotgun, and a grenade launcher, as well as an automatic needle gun for underwater use and an energy cannon of demonic origin. Devil arms include his default Force Edge (a momento broadsword from his devil father, Sparda), the lightning broadsword Alastor, and the fire gauntlets Ifrit, as well as true form of the first blade, a demonic looking transformable blade, Sparda.
The Devil Trigger enables Dante to transform into the elemental devil infused in his weapon, changing his appearance, increasing his strength and, with Alastor, faster, allows miniscule healing, and enables him to execute special DT-only attacks. The Alastor DT also enables Dante to fly. The DT state lasts as long as there is power in his DT Gauge, which increases by attacking enemies in the normal state and decreases by attacking in the DT state and using DT-only attacks.
The sequel to the hit was a poor game in comparison to its predecessor, despite its use of larger environments, new abilities, and a second female protagonist.
The sequel revolves around Dante, seemingly older and more serious than his previous incarnation, given a job by the elder of an island being harassed by a mining corporation.
DMC2 features a new playable protagonist, Lucia, acting as Dante's contrast, being faster but weaker than the devil hunter. Her weapons include twin blades and throwing knives. Lucia has her own adventure on a separate disc, but the majority of the missions are similar to that of Dante's, but reversed, and is blamed to be a cheap way to double the gameplay.
The game uses red orbs to upgrade the devil arms of Dante and Lucia, but they were simply stronger versions of the weapons without the addition of abilities or changed appearances. Firearms and throwables also feature this same update system. Both characters have three kinds of blades of different appearances but exactly the same usefulness in battle: the default balanced weapons (Rebellion/Cutlass), the fast but weak weapons (Vendetta/Klyamoor), and the strong but slow weapons (Merciless/Zambak). Dante's firearms include his trademark pistols as well as twin sub-machine guns, double barreled shotgun, and a rocket launcher. Lucia's throwables include throwing knives, darts, grenades, and a crossbow for underwater use.
The Devil Trigger is similar to the first game. Like the last game, it transforms the character into a stronger demon with healing, but also introduces the elements into their attacks (lightning and fire, as well as the added ice element). The DT also allows a few additional attacks not available in the normal state.
Fans of the first game greatly disapproved of the sequel, blaming its inferior combat system, less than awesome visuals, and a poorly executed story (while DMC1's was simple, it was done well) and voice acting. The game's significantly easier difficulty was also a complaint from hardcore fans, although this may be a reaction to complaints from average fans, since the first game actually was difficult, even in the default Normal mode. Many hardcore fans of the first are capable of beating the sequel on its hardest mode with ease.
Capcom, stating that they've learned much from the flop of the first sequel, has announced the second sequel at E3 2004.
The next sequel is going to be a prequel to the first game, taking place before the establishment of the Devil May Cry agency and before Dante is aware of his devil lineage. There will also be more focus on the relationship between Dante and his twin brother, Virgil. Capcom has also mentioned a new female character named Lady and a new style combat system, which allows Dante to switch between different styles of combat. Confirmed styles include Gunslinger, allowing expertise in firearms; Sword Master, allowing expertise in melee weapons; Tricker, enabling agile and flashy maneuvers; and Royal Guard, for defense and unarmed combat.
Expected weapons include a standard broadsword, triple ended ice nunchaku, and lightning guitar.
The development team consists of staff from both of the previous two games. Yuji Shimomura is the action director, who also served the same position in Ryuhei Kitamura's cult action movie, Versus.
The trailer of DMC3 at E3 was well liked by DMC fans disappointed with the sequel with its return to the visual style and classic bad-ass Dante of the first game.