Devil May Cry 3 for PlayStation 2 (2005)

Original ad published in the April 2005 edition 

of Electronic Gaming Monthly (no. 190). 

Press to view or download image in higher resolution.

Style and fury from the page to the screen

Back in the day, Devil May Cry was called the 3-D game series Castlevania should have been. Although that title has been supplanted by the Souls series, DMC still managed to capture casual and hardcore gamers alike with incredible production values and tight gameplay. Following that same tone, the printed advertisement campaign of the video game gave the reader a clear idea of the final product.

Dante, Capcom’s coolest new franchise of the 2000s, achieved its coolness thanks to a snappy attitude, black humor, and creative writing embedded into the three games that appeared on the PlayStation 2. But that same attitude tended to grate a lot of players that found the games too hard. Repeating the same funny dialogue for ten times looses some of its luster. Still, Dante even managed to appear in his own anime series during the height of his popularity. You can watch the series on Netflix, but, in all honesty, they leave a lot to be desired in regards to character development and cohesiveness.

Players would experience hectic gameplay from the very start of the game.

Devil May Cry 3 was a return to form and garnered critical scores. The second installment of the game alienated a lot of players that loved the original game. The sequel was a repetitive game that felt more like a shell than a deeper development of the critically acclaimed original. DMC 3 was a prequel that recaptured the flavor of the first game: intelligent dialogue, breakneck speed gameplay, super sound and graphics in a gothic ambient, and very good level design, even with a brutal difficulty setting. Fast reflexes were a must for the series. Can you believe this series was a prototype for a new Resident Evil game?

The game appeared in the latter days of the PlayStation 2, when programmers took most advantage of the system. 

Now take a look at the printed ad above. Just as the game, it exudes attitude. We see an attractive main character, well lit, detailed and framed with and American style (cropping just before of bellow the knee) over a dark and mysterious background. To the right, actual gameplay screenshots. At the bottom, we see the unique typography the series is well-know for, bright red and onyx black. Very nice. Also, take note that that Dante is not in the absolute center of the page. Following the rule of thirds, he’s on the left and the game screens are on the upper third. Leave it to Capcom to deliver high quality print material for those who needed to be convinced about their next purchase.

 

Devil May Cry 3 print ad copy

Prequel to the original Devil May Cry

Dante’s history revealed

Be the ultimate Demon Slayer with multiple fighting styles to choose from.

“…from the moment the game begins the badass meter is likely to flat-out shatter”- PSN

Devil May Cry 3. Dante’s Awakening

Raise hell-march 2005

Only on PlayStation 2

devilmaycry.com

Trickster style. Killer evasive, agile moves

Swordmaster style. Mind-blowing, sword fighting action

Gunslinger style. Blow away enemies from all angles