Devil May Cry 3 Discussion Thread (Special Edition coming in Jan. 06 for 19.95!)

[Romier S]

Ok, I officially have to ask why in the hell it took Greg Kasavin 2 hours to beat the second mission? The game is definitely challenging, of that there is no doubt. The enemies hit you very hard and you have to keep on the move constantly. If not you will die a very quick death. In that the game is very similiar to Ninja Gaiden. However, anyone that has any experience with Devil May Cry should be able to pick up the controller and do pretty well right off the bat. I got to the third mission on my first sit down for crying out loud (on Normal difficulty). The only thing that caused me any problems was the second missions boss, the bitch forced me to have to redo the mission twice but even then that wasn't impossible and I took her down on the third try. :confused:

[GreenMonkey]

Acquired.

 

Ratings were too good, combined with how much I liked the first one.

on a long food run from work.

 

My wife's a little grouchy about all the video game spending lately, but this is a busy time of year!! She spends too much money on anime to judge me, anyway

 

Will post feedback within the next couple of days.

[Tranquility]

Ok, I officially have to ask why in the hell it took Greg Kasavin 2 hours to beat the second mission? The game is definitely challenging, of that there is no doubt. The enemies hit you very hard and you have to keep on the move constantly. If not you will die a very quick death. In that the game is very similiar to Ninja Gaiden. However, anyone that has any experience with Devil May Cry should be able to pick up the controller and do pretty well right off the bat.

 

That's basically what he said. He said that once you get used to the gameplay mechanics, it becomes much easier. If you're a seasoned DMC player, you're already there right?

[Romier S]

If you're a seasoned DMC player, you're already there right?

 

Sure, but let me clarify and say the I misquoted Greg. It took him TWO DAYS to get past the second mission according to his review. Apologies but if it takes you two days of continous play to complete the second mission, you should hang up your gaming controller for the rest of your existence IMHO. You have to be a retarded monkey with a bum hand to fail the second mission for two days. You could hack and slash your way to victory for the most part and still make it to the Scythe carrying first sub-boss. I don't care if you are a Devil May Cry newbie or not.

[GreenMonkey]

I will admit, the 2nd boss was tough, as it doesn't take very many hits from the boss to kill you. The damn tutorial teaches you how to dodge (if you didn't already know) during the fight with the exploding heart thingie, right before the boss fight. He should have known to use it.

 

I will admit the 2nd stage boss gave me trouble. It became clear to me that swords was not the way to win, so I concentrated on dodging and gunfire. Any person with DMC experience knows when the scary scythe guy laughs and disappears in a cloud of evil smoke, not to just stand there. You know he is going to teleport right up on top of your ass to chop you down. Immediate dodge roll to the right, left or backward, then open fire with Ebony and Ivory. Tedious but effective.

 

Anyway, I was still dying (occasionally getting hit despite dodging). I experimented with the other styles. I settled on Royal Guard as it has a block type move that works to a point. In combination with one Vital Star I bought (and another I stumbled into during the fight somewhow) I beat him ok.

 

 

That dude must have been just not using his brain. Probably not used to enemies that you have to use a little care fighting. Playing the first Maximo was the same way - you couldn't just mash away on all the enemies, sometimes you had to think and look for an opening. He was probably trying to kill the exploderating heart thingie with his sword and it blew him up.

 

 

 

PS - Futurevoid. Do you know how to do the sword-move where he stabbs straight forward like 8-9 times ala Chun Li hurricane kicks? I did those move quite a few times during mission 3 in Swordmaster style but I didn't know how I was doing it.

[Romier S]

It became clear to me that swords was not the way to win

 

Actually swordplay is exactly the way to to go to kill the Hell Vanguard. You simply need to be good at moving in and out quickly. If you use the stinger move to lunge forward and attack you can begin a combo on the Vanguard which will cause it to reel back or move positions. Eventually it will try to attack you and your swords will end up clashing. If you time it right this will happen three times (and it will increase your combo meter like crazy). After the third clash you can roll left or right and move right in for another combo. If you want to feel safer you can also jump behind the Vanguard and slash from the back where it's vulnerable. It takes allot less time to kill it that way (using the sword that is) plus if you use the Trickster style you can run long tthe walls to dodge it's attacks easier. I can kill the thing now almost without take a hit.

 

I highly recommend staying in the first two levels for awhile. I replayed the fist two levels for about an hour to get a nice build of red orbs happening. It's also great practice and will allow you to familiarize yourself with each style and the move sets you have available with each weapon. By the time I hit mission 3 I had acquired all but the Air Hike move for Rebellion and had upgraded my gun to Level 2. I also purchased three Yellow Orbs, two Vital Stars ,and a Blue Orb fragment. I also upgraded Swordmaster to level 2 and had Trickster up near half.

 

Do you know how to do the sword-move where he stabbs straight forward like 8-9 times ala Chun Li hurricane kicks?

 

There are two ways to do the million stab Dave. The first is to do the second combo sequence with your sword. Hit the Triangle button, then pause for a moment and hit it twice more. Dante will swing the sword around his waist and then come in for a few more stabs. In the middle of this combo continue to hit the triangle button repeatedly. As soon as Dante completes the combo he will go right into the million stab maneuver. Keeping hitting the triangle button for more consecutive hits. Then let go of the button and Dante will do one last slice and yell "Breakdown!".

 

The second way to initiate the million stab is to do the stinger move. Lunge forward with your sword and as Dante starts the animation, start hitting the triangle button. Keep hitting it to initiate the million stab right after you connect with Stinger. The rest works just the same above. It's matter of getting used to the timing but once you get it down you'll be able to execute it everytime.

 

Also in case someone didn't bother to try, jump on top of a downed enemy. Dante will do the cool enemy surfboard trick. You can point him in whatever direction you want and then hit the square button to have him fire all around you taking out a bunch of enemies. :tu

 

EDIT: Split this thread off from the pre-release discussion for those that have the game and want to discuss it in depth. Closed out the previous pre-release discussion thread.

[GreenMonkey]

Hmmm. Sounds like you have the moves and stuff down a lot more. I'm still basically using oldschool DMC1 moves.

 

If you use the stinger move to lunge forward and attack you can begin a combo on the Vanguard which will cause it to reel back or move positions. Eventually it will try to attack you and your swords will end up clashing

 

Ah, see, I didn't have enough points to get the stinger. So by the time I got close and tried to thump on him I just got guard blocked. You are also talking about running on the walls and stuff - other things I have not figured out how to do. I guess I should read the instructions tonight.

 

And I see why I started doing the million stab thing. I got stinger for Stage 3 and only started getting it when I was panicking a bit (surrounded). So I only got it when I started button thrashing.

[Romier S]

You are also talking about running on the walls and stuff - other things I have not figured out how to do.

 

You need the Trickster style to do it. Basically the O button initiates all of your "style" moves. If you select trickster or keep it as the default you can do a quick dash in any direction by pressing O. If you just forward against a wall and hit the O button, Dante will automatically right straight up the wall and back flip off of it. You can also run sideways along the walls as well. Simply run forward against the wall and hit O to initiate the wall run and then quickly change the direction on the left analog stick to where you want to run. Dante will quicly dash along the wall in that direction ending with a cool flip over and land routine which is a great place to start firing Ebony and Ivory in midair and land with a rebellion slash knocking a bunch of enemies out below you.

 

Just keep practiving Dave. Save as much as possible while your playing in those levels (hit the start button to save). You don't save your position but you do save the amount of red orbs you've acquired. Just run through and pick every style at least once and experiment with the O button.

[Big Daddy Bling Bling]

You have to be a retarded monkey

 

Now come on, I think you give Greg too much credit. I have never seen a reviewer bitch more than him about a game being 'too hard' or 'trial and error gameplay'. Whenever a game presents even a moderate challenge to him, uh oh, better call the waaaaaahmbulance.

 

p.s. Ninja Gaiden pwnz DMC3

[Romier S]

p.s. Ninja Gaiden pwnz DMC3

 

Nah, you need to put that crack pipe down Bling. I think your ho's gave you a little too much dosage this week.

[Big Daddy Bling Bling]

Nah, you need to put that crack pipe down Bling.

 

Put WoW down? NEVER!!

[Romier S]

Put WoW down? NEVER!!

 

:lmfao We lost another one.

 

Just got to Mission 7 in DMC (on both normal and easy modes). One thing I'm really liking so far is the ability to play the missions at any difficutly. Once you unlock easy mode you can go right into the mission selection area and play through the missions you've beaten on easy without having to start over. You still keep all of the orbs and upgrades and can take on the challenges as you wish. I've been spending allot of time on the early levels because I'm going back and forth on difficulty levels. I'll usually play the mission on easy first to get a bearing on what the goals are and what kind of challenges I have to face. Then I ramp up to normal. I only wish the harder modes were available off the bat. Would be great to have that option open as well.

 

There is also an Easy "Automatic" mode which is basically for those that want to hack and slash and not bother to learn the combos. The game automatically just throws in special maneuvers as it sees fit without you having to actually go through inputting the commands. I don't see how anyone could play through the game like this but it's nice that Capcom made the option available nonetheless.

[Romier S]

Here's a fun video for anyone interested in how a motion capture session is handled for a game like Devil May Cry. This is footage straight from the motion capture studio as Dante's moves are recorded (and for this video exagerrated). It's pretty funny and kind of neat to see how these moves translate into the game. Check it out:

 

Motion Capture Session

[Romier S]

For the diehard Devil May Cry fan:

 

Ebony and Ivory

 

Price is around 200 bucks for the replica guns. I'm thinking of ordering but they don't sell to foreign countries due to a contract with Capcom. I must find a workaround!

[dienekes96]

I finally spent some quality time with DMC3 today., After getting worked by the Reaper and Cerberus, I figure dout I could replay old missions for orbs. I also read the book and figured out what Yellow Orbs did (replaying every mission just to fight the boss gets old) After playing Mission 1 a few times, I got better, learned some moves, and bought some goodies. It made the boss fights a bit easier (still hard).

 

I refuse to play Easy (I beat DMC on Hard back in the day). And it's a pretty amazing game. Lots of gameplay depth. Butthard, though.

 

Take care,

Chuck

[Romier S]

I refuse to play Easy (I beat DMC on Hard back in the day).

 

It's actually worth it for the orbs Chuck. I am playing both Easy and Normal at the same time. Skipping back and forth between the two and progressing at both at my own liesure. This allows me to continually upgrade Dante's skills, weaponry and styles and playing on Easy gives you a great workout for the harder battle on Normal. It's a great difficulty to screw around in and work out your strategies without having to waste valuable items like the Vital Stars and Yellow Orbs. I simply replay the level until I get it down on easy and then move to the Normal setting using any items that I need to get past it. Also "Easy" is really not a great description cause it honestly isn't. It's quite a challenge in and of itself but not at the level that so many reviewers have been going on and on about.

 

I'm currently on Mission 15 on "Easy" and Mission 13 on "Normal". I look forward to playing through Dante Must Die and Heaven and Hell mode (the hardest mode in the game).

 

EDIT: Just as a point of reference Chuck, I have Swordmaster and Trickster style at level 3 at the moment and Gunslinger at Level 2. I plan to restart Easy again a little later and start working up Royal Guard to level 2 also that way I can accustome myself to using it. Believe me, it's worth it to play through in Easy mode, plus you'll want to fill in that slot right above Normal if you're a completist like I am.

[dienekes96]

For orbs, I've actually just played Level 1 on Hard. Over and over

 

How do you level up Styles? I'm still 1 across the board

 

Pride hurts...maybe I'll play a few Easy's. I love orbs.

 

Thanks for the tip,

Chuck

[Romier S]

How do you level up Styles? I'm still 1 across the board

 

You have to accumulate enough style points. If you take a look at the top left hand corner of your health bar there is a small meter letting you know your porgress. You can also check from the upgrade menu. Just highlight the style click on the square button for information. It takes 30,000 style points to move to level 2 and 90,000 more to reach level 3. (In other words...ALLOT! )

[EnemaEms]

Penny Arcade has a great comic on the difficulty of this game.

 

DMC3 comic

 

-Dean-

[dienekes96]

The comic's from a while back, but it sums it up ("Easy mode is sounding pretty good right about now.") The game was a ballbreaker on a first playthrough. Good combat AI from the lesser and greater baddies. Mission 20 (I've only beaten it on Normal, but I orb farmed A LOT - over 23 hours when all was said and done) is a doozy. I recommend several Devil Stars and at least two L Vital Stars. It was a nine minute boss combat for me.

 

But I really enjoy the game. The variety of moves make replayability a lot of fun, and I actually feel like a badass on Easy with tons of health, a full Devil Meter, and an idea of what I'm doing.

 

I did want to praise the game for it's gothic architectural design. Definitely feels like the first game, in more ways than one.

 

Still, it raped me,

Chuck

[Big Daddy Bling Bling]

After some more reflection, I think the different fighting 'styles' are why I don't think this game matches up well with Ninja Gaiden. None of them really have anything amazing to offer and the special moves all feel like they should be part of Dante's normal moveset.

 

There shouldn't be a choice between blocking, dodging, wall-running, multi-direction shooting, and spinny sword attacks. Those are all important parts of the gameplay and should be available at will. Segmenting Dante's moves into different styles makes him feel very limited at any given moment.

[Romier S]

There shouldn't be a choice between blocking, dodging, wall-running, multi-direction shooting, and spinny sword attacks. Those are all important parts of the gameplay and should be available at will. Segmenting Dante's moves into different styles makes him feel very limited at any given moment.

 

You've touched on exactly what I LIKE about the gameplay. Choosing your fighting style prior to a level has a big affect on how difficult or easy a time you're going to have. It's going to significantly change how you take on enemies in a given level once you've upgraded your styles enough. Dante at the start of the game is indeed limited but as you progress there is no way you could even remotely call him that. For instance early on you can go in with Gunslinger style and take on Agni and Rudra. It's feasible to do so and come out on top but if you pick up Swordmaster and equip Cerberus, you'll completely rip those two a new asshole without breaking a sweat. As you move further into the game and upgrade your styles the possibilities are endless in terms of combos you can manufacture. Start out with a Cerberus combo and the switch over to Agni and Rudra to performa a Jet Stream II causing a 4-5 hit combo of it's own and top it off with a level 3 Twister and you'll fucking decimate a room. The kicker being that you actually have to have skill to pull these como's off. You have to switch weapons properly and be aware of your timing in the middle of a combo just in case you need to cancel a move to dodge an attack. This is what makes Devil May Cry 3 both a difficult and a ridiculously kick ass game IMHO.

 

Also, saying each style doesn't have anything amazing to offer makes it sound as though you are still early in the game. It's an interesting comment to make because as you progress, nothing could be further from the truth. Hell, try taking on Nevan or Beowulf with Royal Guard at level 3 and tell me that style has nothing amazing to offer when you parry thier attack and unleash your stored energy completely wiping out a huge portion of thier health with one shot. Even better, take on a room full of spiders (one of the most pain in the butt enemies in the game) with Level 3 Swordmaster. You can go from a jam session combo with Nevan right into feedback and a crazy roll. You'll tear the place up and it's all possible thanks to the 12+ skills/attacks Swordmaster affords you at a high level. I can go on with examples too for all of the them including the Doppleganger and Quicksilver styles.

 

In terms of sheer depth, moves list, and the skill the game asks of the player, Devil May Cry 3 rapes almost anything else on the market. Yes, it's a fucking hard game and it gets harder as you progress and move up in difficulty. It's also a game that requires you to replay it's levels over and over to farm the necessary orbs you need to make the proper upgrades. It's very similiar to leveling up in the RPG's of old. It's a love it or leave it affair in that regard and if that were one of the criticims being mentioned, I'd completely understand it since I personally I find that to be somewhat problematic. However, I enjoy the strategy having to choose your style and choosing what weapons to take with you adds to the game. Once you've comepleted it the first time through, you get to the deep "meaty" stuff underneath the surface. Dante will no longer be "limited" and you'll have all of your upgrades and weapons to take with you right from beginning to tackle the harder difficulties and unlock a crapload of content.

 

Having spent damn near 30 hours with Devil May Cry 3 and beating it on Easy and Normal (working through Hard at the moment and then onto Dante Must Die), I simply find it to be the more enjoyable and (again) "meaty" of the two games. I do enjoy Ninja Gaiden quite a bit. Apparently not as much as everyone else though.

[GreenMonkey]

OK

 

I just spent about 3-4 hours with DMC3 again last night. Trying to beat the 3rd mission. The icy cerebus thingie keeps kicking my ass. My hands hurt, bad, from stubbornly trying to beat it. I almost beat it with 2 vital stars and a continue. Almost. Just a sliver of health and it kicked my ass.

 

I mean, I could buy like 4 vital stars and beat it, but that would screw me over in the long run.

 

I've even got most of its attacks down, but I hate going out to range to fire guns at it - because its ranged attacks are scary.

 

So it turns into a close-in fight, alternating from side to side...when I occasionally take his legs down, his head always has ice on it again.

 

I had the best luck with Trickster, as I could run up the wall and thus stay out of range of the attacks, given the right timing. Royal Guard - defending still takes off life...Swordmaster didn't seem to really benefit...although I wasn't trying the air-combo special. Gunslinger seemed to work well, as I could do the guns in the air special to stay in the air longer, but it didn't seem like they did any damage from range (besides blowing the ice off him).

 

 

 

I mean, sometimes

[Romier S]

It's honestly the easiest boss fight in the game. I know it's cliched for someone to come in and say that, but once you become accustomed to how things work, you'll be able to decimate the Ice Cerberus in less than five minutes.

 

Sword Master is the style I'd recommend to go in with. Especially if it's at level 2 since you'll get some nice attacks with your sword at that point. If you're not at level 2, I would still keep it regardless as the spinning sword attack will knock down the ice at his legs pretty quickly (as will the air strikes at the heads). (you could continue replaying the first two levels and build it up to level 2 but that's entirely up to you).

 

The one thing to remember is to keep on the move with this boss. His range attacks are crap (though I know you think they are tough right now) and easily dodgeable if you teach yourself to use Dante's side to side rolls. You can easily avoid his ice shards falling and his ground flurries. Hack at one leg to clear the ice and when he catches on, switch to the other and fire at his heads to clear one or two of them of the ice. If things get hairy, fall back and start firing at his heads with your pistols (though if you do things right you won't need to). When he falls, go in for the kill and when he starts to get up, back off to make sure he doesn't take a swipe with his claws, then move in again.

 

Midway through the fight he's going to start charging forward at you and using his ice breathing/Range attacks a bit more (he especially loves the Ice shards dropping from the cieling on harder difficulties). If he hits you dead on with his charge, it will hurt. Though you should be at his sides almost the whole way through the fight anyway so this shouldn't be a concern.

 

Keep at it Dave. You will put him down. You'll get to the point where you'll kill him without barely being touched. Keep in mind that you can save in a level and it will save the amount of orbs you have and the items you have. I tend to keep practicing a fight so that I don't use any vital stars at all unless I terribly need it.

 

Ironically this fight is easier once you have the Cerberus (the Ice Nunchuku) which you get by killing him.(and you'll be refighting him again on harder difficulties so keep that in mind)

[GreenMonkey]

I think it's that last half of the fight I was having trouble with. I got his patterns down to beat him down to about 50% without too much difficulty. Trickster was nice to run up the wall...as none of his attacks hit while I am running up the wall...but occasionally I land in one if I jump/run up the wall too early.

 

None of my styles are level 2 (not even sure how they get to level 2). I did replay mission 3 over and over enough (and with saving now) I did get Air Hike, Stinger lvl 2, and the other Triangle skill (forget what it is called).

 

I will go back to Swordslinger for a while and try using the spinny attack more as I tend to forget about it.

 

It's not fair, he hits you like 3 times with any of his decent attacks and you're dead.