Devil May Cry has been revered for it's Ballsy/Stylish combat and crazy characters since 2001. Alot has happened to the series since then(exept for camera :P) for better or for worse. Devil May Cry started the trilogy(not chronologically, but you get the picture) in the year 2001. You had your protagonist, Dante who was half demon and the antagonist Mundus. Dante had to hack n slash his way through 20 missions all inside a huge mansion. This game had awesome graphics but seemed a bit resident evil-ish(with exeption of RE4) with the camera consistantly changing as well as the pre rendered backrounds. The over-hyped sequal, Devil May Cry 2 came out in 2003, two years after the first one released. This game strived to add a darker look on the story and characters as Dante is much more mature and shows little emotion in the face of a demon. This game was a mixed bag because it was not the best the series had to offer and it really was not the devil may cry people knew and loved. The areas were open and there were alot more enemies, but the atmosphere just seemed absent. Two more years passed and the godly Devil May Cry 3 released. This told the story of Dante before the events of DMC1 as he is younger. This game also introduces alot of interesting characters such as Lady or the infamous Jester. The combat is said to be the best in the game's history as well as the crazy weapons(Dante can even weild a gutiar that shoots magical bats when played or can transform into a scythe). It also took DMC1's difficulty and skyrocketed it so you started off on normal mode, you had to earn easy mode by completing a few missions or by dying too much. By far one of the most anticipaited Devil May Cry games was Devil May Cry 4, and it almost lived up to that hype too. The combat was taken from DMC3 but you didn't play as Dante the entire time. You got to control Nero, a Dante look-alike with a possesed arm that can slam demons faces with great force. The arm(devil bringer) opened new ways to kill enemies and it allowed Nero to reach places that he cannot normally acess with a jump. However this game was probably the most repetitive in the series because, when you got control over Dante you had to go through the places Nero visited but backwards. This really pissed off the fans but it was still saved by an improved combat system and Dante's ability to eventually weild pandora, one of the greatest weapons I have ever seen in gaming history.

The series has had much ups and downs in each of the games for better or worse. This raises a question, which Devil May Cry game was the best in your eyes? Personally I enjoyed Devil May Cry 3 because of its major depth and addictive gameplay.

I chose the first one because the game balance just works the best for me. The game had really nicely designed areas and super awesome boss fights. I haven't played the first one in years and i still remember most of the boss fights in that game.  Also, when you revisited areas of the castle it hardly ever felt repetitive.The game had the feeling of a cheesy television show like Supernatural. Even though the story and actors were covered in extra helpings of cheese, I still really liked Dante. I sort of lost that loving feeling i had with the sequels.

Never played DMC2 but I hear it sucks. I had DMC3 but I actually didn't even play it for some reason I don't know myself. I loved DMC1 and I have beaten the first 6 levels in DMC4 so I'm not that far in it yet. I can't say which one I like more, DMC1 or DMC4 but both are great. I really wish there would be an adventure game (like Zelda) with gameplay as good as Devil May Cry's.

You're the worst thing Capcom has ever done.

Also man, it's not Aweakening, it's Awakening.

sorry :o

Never played DMC2 but I hear it sucks. I had DMC3 but I actually didn't even play it for some reason I don't know myself. I loved DMC1 and I have beaten the first 6 levels in DMC4 so I'm not that far in it yet. I can't say which one I like more, DMC1 or DMC4 but both are great. I really wish there would be an adventure game (like Zelda) with gameplay as good as Devil May Cry's.

*gasp* u should play DMC3! your missing out!

Have to say Devil May Cry 3, but it's actually the only game in the series that I've played (I'll be getting DMC 4 soon though). I agree with DS about the lack of an adventure aspect. If more exploration and adventuring would be involved, the game would feel a lot less linear. I wish the games were a little more similar to Resident Evil 4 and the Zelda series.

I guess I'll say 4 since it's like 3 which was my favorite but I had more fun with Nero in it than I did with Dante in 3. I just wish the second half wasn't just pretty much playing the game over in reverse with a different person. But even that didn't bother me as much as it does some people because Dante was damn fun too once you realised the new things you can do with him now that you always have all his Styles.
Still it would have been much better if that had given Dante new bosses and places to go.

For me it's Devil May Cry 3 for sure. In fact I think DMC 3 is one of the best games I've ever played. Even though 4 has more advanced fighting sys, better gfx, etc. I simply love the story and general over-the-topness of 3rd one. I don't really have any issues with DMC 4, only I miss Dante riding missiles and playing guitar. Also Dante vs Vergil is a lot more engaging than some random geezer.

I've also played the first one but don't really remember much, it was a great game, but still 3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3..


EDIT: I don't really understand the complain of repetitiveness in DMC 4, people don't realize that Dante was running the same hallways in DMC 1 and 3 too? (never played 2) Only in DMC 4 it's more obvious because of the linearity of stages and the character swap. But even so stages in 4 are way more varied than in earlier games.

DMC1, because it's the only one where you get to fight with your hands (Ifrit Gauntlet?) and I'm a sucker for hand to hand fighters, In any game, they're always in my team (and default hero if possible )