At the beginning of Devil May Cry 3, our favorite white-haired demon slayer is attacked by a nasty gang of hell-spawn. With their swords planted in his torso, he casually strolls to the jukebox, slaps it into operation like the Fonz on steroids, and decimates every vile creature in the room while simultaneously enjoying a slice of pizza. I walked into DMC3 with Dante's same brash confidence. Tutorial screens? Blah, blah. Combo lists? Just point me to the melee attack button. Then I died. About 40 times by the end of Level 2. Expletives ensued. At that point, I did something no action game has ever made me do. I asked, What were those combos again?
Lots of games offer combos, but few offer incentives to use them. Mastering the various upgrades of DMC3's four fighting styles means the difference between a heavenly gaming experience and damnation on Level 2 for eternity. For the determined, Dante's Awakening rocks. I walked into it a lazy button-masher, but when I finished, I was Dante, and not just because the experience left me with a few more white hairs.
YS: The Ark Of Napishtim (T) (3.5 stars)
Konami
PlayStation 2
Some believe there's a lost world where dinosaurs and old-school RPGs still roam, unaffected by the passage of time. YS comes from such a place. The adventures of Adol Christin have remained relatively unchanged since the Super Nintendo Age, without modern aggravations like quasi-programmable, AI-controlled teammates. Just hack, slash, repeat, enjoy.
Constantine (M) (2.5 stars)
THQ
PlayStation 2, Xbox
If you were to trade Devil May Cry 3's high production values for the likeness of a big-name star like Keanu Reeves, you'd get the generic, third-person shooter, film tie-in Constantine. Both games feature demon hunters, but where DMC3 has awesome graphics, a compelling hero, and an abundance of style, Constantine has ... Keanu Reeves.
Winnie the Pooh's Rumbly Tumbly Adventure (E) (2.5 stars)
Ubisoft
PlayStation 2, GameCube
What is it with Winnie the Pooh? The Hundred Acre Woods are so unimaginably dull, they'd turn even the most hyper person into Rip Van Winkle. Nevertheless, children (the most hyper of all people) love it. This game doesn't have much compelling content, yet kids will inexplicably be mesmerized by its cuddly visuals. But adults best stay away, lest they become more suicidal than Eyeore off his Zoloft.
Matthew Scott Hunter has been known to mumble, "Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start" in his sleep. E-mail him at
[email protected].