Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening is a PlayStation 2 game from Capcom. A special editon of the game was later created at a reduced price. The American version of Devil May Cry 3 was changed significantly from the original Japanese release. The hard difficulty in the original release was changed to the normal level for the American release.IGN: Devil May Cry 3 Review

Devil May Cry 3 is a prequel to Devil May Cry. Much of the story is told through cut-scenes and full motion videos. Dante's brother, Vergil, and Arkham are working together to steal Dante's amulet in order to reactivate the portal between the human and demon world. In the special edition, players could choose to play as Vergil.

The game retains much of the original mechanics of the first Devil May Cry. The game has been acclaimed as one of the hardest games for the PS2.GameSpot: Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening Review There are a total of 32 secret and standard missions players can complete. The special edition game includes a survival mode castle that includes 9,999 levels. Towards the end of the game, a second player can play as Vergil and fight alongside Dante. Players also have access to four different styles of play:

1. Trickster - dodging and agility
2. Swordmaster - extra abilities for swords
3. Gunslinger - extra abilities for firearms
4. Royal Guard - defense based on well time button pressing

These styles determine the moves that Dante can execute. In Demon form, Dante has two other styles:

1. Quicksilver - slows enemies while character attacks at normal speed
2. Doppelganger. - creates a double to fight alongside Dante. A second player can control the shadow.

The Devil Trigger is not available to Dante in the beginning of the game. Each style has different techniques depending on the experience level of the style. IGN: Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening Review Players have the ability to level up the various fighting styles to create a Dante that fits their own playing style. Players also have five different guns and devil arms to choose from. Each weapon has their own pros and cons. Like Devil May Cry 2, weapons can be easily switched out with the L2 or R2. The weapons can be switched out at anytime during gameplay. Each mission is graded based on completion time, red orbs collected, and style. The score ranges from D to SS with SS being the highest score. Players can increase the style meter by completing a chain of combos and avoiding attacks.GameSpot: Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening Review