As I was browsing for game articles today, I stumbled upon a listing of how Dante, from Devil May Cry, was ranked from least to most favorite. Of course, the listing would require reader feedback to make it more credible, and I decided to write my own insights as each Dante is ranked. The guy with white hair who seems to just screw things around, eating his pizza, sleeping all day, listening to rock music, playing with a bunch of girls every night may not be the perfect person from your perspective but he does have a good heart. Did I mention he's half-demon-half-angel that slays demons to keep you safe?
Back to the rankings, Culture Vultures is kind enough to post an article with reader feedback, ranking the Dante's from the least favorite to the most loved. So to save your precious minutes as you might be working right now and you should get back to work after this (right?), let's begin with the rankings.
Top 5 Dante - Devil May Cry 2 (3%)
I have to agree, this would be the least favorite, besides the least dialogue (according to my observations) throughout the games, the 'sequel' Dante from the classic Devil May Cry didn't quite make it as a favorite for all. Also, what made me hate this Dante is that it was used to market a clothing line which I prefer not to mention here. You can, however, do a research, and here's a hint: it's not gasoline! Game-wise, as I played this on the PlayStation 2 - yes, kids, this was a long time ago - the game seemed too easy and makes you think it wants to beat the original Devil May Cry but just couldn't. Most people too would think that the sequel was bad but I finished the game anyway for story's sake. You can dust off you're uncle's PS2 to check this out.
Top 4 Dante - DMC: DEVIL MAY CRY (7%)
When I first saw the trailer for this, I hated it. What is this, Dante with black hair? Then I started to realize that it is a prequel, where Dante was on his late teens starting to grow white hair starting from the back of his head. Despite its pretty impressive fluid graphics and gameplay, I had to hate it since they twisted the story of Dante's mother. In the original games, the lore says she was human in love with Sparta. In this game, however, they made her an angel instead of human which technically twists the origin aspect of the story. Another thing I didn't approve of this game are the clothing the main characters wear, but really it's just me. I liked the insult part where a white mop head fell on Dante's head, making him look like a mature Dante from the original games, and said something like "No way!" in front of the mirror.
Top 3 Dante - DEVIL MAY CRY (15%)
The game that made hack and slash famous although its original concept was to rival Resident Evil, people didn't expect the game could be a hit until they found out years later. This is one of my favorite PlayStation 2 games, where my hands got all numb after each gameplay due to the demand on rapidly bashing those buttons. This is the first time I encountered Dante and from that moment, I started to dig his character. Everyone's favorite enemy, the Spider Phantom can be challenged here, and good luck with that. Also, good luck with dusting off that PS2 to start with.
Top 2 Dante - DEVIL MAY CRY 4 (24%)
This is indeed the top grossing DMC title, back in the glory days of the PlayStation3 and Xbox 360. I got this on the Xbox 360 simply because the controller is better, with the left stick diagonally away from the right. Personally, if I use the PS3 controller, my thumbs would collide - not good when playing hack and slash where you constantly control movement and camera angles at the same time.
The thing I like the most is how the analogy of religious groups and society are portrayed. If you play the game yourself you can realize that not everyone is what it seems. The people preaching about good and to do good may do otherwise when not in public. I don't want to sound anti-religious, but yeah, this is how our actual world works, well for most at least, I still do know some religiously active people who are good from top to bottom, or are they?
Some spoiler alert ahead - The plot was also complex enough that I played the game within 2 nights of straight gameplay. Another thing that I love about this game is that Dante is now matured, not to mention that mature-looking stubble on his face. He guides a young Nero on his quest to become a demon-slayer. In the end, Dante gave The Rebellion (his sword) to Nero, as sort of 'retirement' giveaway. The relationship between Nero and Dante, however, are not disclosed and was left as a cliffhanger, especially on the last part where Vergil's broken sword (probably from DMC 3) was shown in some sort of holding area. This makes you think that Vergil is a prodigy by blood. I am hoping the story for this will be continued on future games.
Top 1 Dante - DEVIL MAY CRY 3: DANTE'S AWAKENING (51%)
Clearly the score says it all. People like the Dante in DMC 3: Dante's Awakening. This game features a young Dante on his first in-game meeting with his long lost twin Vergil. This game also bears my favorite boss fight.
One thing I will disagree upon, however, is that this is top 1. This is personally my 2nd best Dante, with DMC 4 being the first one. I'm not sure if its my current age - which I now relate with the mature Dante - or other factors but what enticed me the most is his knowledge, maturity, and he seemed at peace during DMC 4's timeline. Anyway, people love this Dante, and so do I. The cocky version of Dante where he realized he needs to be 'awake' (thus, the title) to reach his full potential.
Bonus - Favorite Dante Boss Battle
My all time favorite boss battle may not include huge monsters or horrific characters in it but the essense of fighting your own blood, a twin in fact, is very intriguing. They have lots of differences despite the fact that they came from the same womb at almost the same time and even shared the same likeness. Dante Vs Vergil in Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening is indeed a glorious boss fight. Sure, kids today would laugh at how old-school the graphics look, but back in the days, this was pretty advanced and neat. It is important to note that this is not the final boss fight in the game, I favored this because this is the part where Dante "awakened". You can notice The Rebellion, his sword sort of opened its 'wings'. If you can't agree with me then that's your opinion but I would like to ask you to view the fight in HD below and rethink:
