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Devil May Cry.
The game that almost single-handedly created the Extreme Action game. Devil May Cry is the father of other games (*COUGH* KNOCKOFFS *COUGH *) that include the popular and well created franchises Ninja Gaiden and God of War, decent games like Heavenly Sword and Van Helsing, and as some really shitty ripoffs like Conan and X-Blades.
If you think that Devil May Cry did not pave the way for Ninja Gaiden and God of War, then open your fucking eyes. Seriously. Besides one being Greek Mythology and the other being Ninjas and Tits, the gameplay is nearly identical. The weapon selection system is laid out almost identically, and all the games follow a 'Go to Point A, Get Item X, Return to Point B' mission-based play-style. God of War even directly ripped off the “Red Orbs = Cash in for Power ups” and “Green Orbs = Life” system.
In contrast, Ninja Gaiden and God of War have, in turn, effected Devil May Cry. For example, Ninja Gaiden was much more stylized than the early DMC games, and the effect can be seen in Devil May Cry 3. God of War nearly PERFECTED the Extreme Action game with its innovative use of button timed events and a more grand scale. Example: The final boss in Devil May Cry 4 almost completely ripped off the Statue battle in God of War 2.
But while the later franchises refined the new genre, it was Devil May Cry that was the genre's pioneer and establisher. DMC is the Grand-Poobah of action video games.
So enough ass-kissing, let's rip this fucker apart!
The concept behind Devil May Cry 1 is that you are Dante, the cocky, arrogant son of the great demon knight Sparta and a woman he fought legions of demons to be with. You are also the twin brother of your mysteriously absent brother, Virgil. Both Dante's mother and your brother were apparently killed years ago and Dante has since devoted his life to slaying demons in the human world.
It's kinda like Batman: He loses his family and started a personal Crusade against those he held responsible. The only difference is that while Batman is extremely grim, Dante is brash, over-confident, and basically a prick. But he's not all talk and no action.
So Dante is sitting in his little shop of horrors, an establishment called 'Devil May Cry' that is littered with pizza boxes, and mounted demon heads on the walls. Charming.
A mysterious woman named Trish enters the bar, inquires about Dante's father being The Dark Knight, Sparda, and then proceeds to try to KILL Dante by impaling him with his own sword and then throwing her motorcycle on him. Apparently there are no birth certificates or genealogists in Hell, so attempted murder has to suffice. Dante thwarts the attack and there so proves he is the descendant of The Dark Knight.
Trish, who looks strikingly like the picture of Dante's mother, reveals that a dark god, Mundus, is attempting to take over the world (OF COURSE!) and only he, son of Sparda, can stop him.You proceed through an ancient, Gothic castle on a forgotten island, taking down hordes of bizarre demons.
Along your travels through the castle and in and out of the depths of Hell itself, you find new weapons to aid you against enemies. Besides getting new projectile weapons like a shotgun, a grenade launcher, and a demon laser weapon, you also get new Devil Arms that change your fighting style all together:
Alastor – A sword that gives its possessor the ability to harness electricity. You can also use your Devil Trigger and turn into a winged monster that can rain lightning upon your enemies. More often than not, you will progress through the game using this weapon. Alastor has since become Dante's trademark sword over his default sword, the Force Edge.
Ifrit – A flaming pair of gauntlets that gives its user control over fire. With Ifrit equipped, your fighting style changes dramatically. Instead of the standard swordplay, you now use hand-to-hand combat against enemies. You punch, kick, roundhouse, uppercut, and jump kick Mortal Kombat style. Your Devil Trigger allows you to extend your combo attacks and lets you throw fireballs at your enemies. Use Ifrit if you want to shake up your fighting style.
Sparda – The sacred sword your father used. This enormous weapon can be achieved after you collect both halves of your mother's amulet.
The majority of the monsters you fight appear to be marionette puppets that look like the faggy Victorian forefathers of 'V' from “V for Vendetta”. The castle is also haunted by black banshee-like demons that wield scythes and... giant scissors? Armored lizard men are frequent in later chapters of the game, and are the more difficult enemies you will encounter. Less common enemies include insects, miniature Phantoms, ice demons, and the twisted abominations of Hell itself.
You also face off against enormous boss characters:
Phantom – The giant lava spider/scorpion from the pits of Hell. The most memorable boss because a lot of gamers got too pissed off at the difficulty and thus is the only boss they ever really saw. Still a cool design, though. Attack its back with your Alastor Devil Trigger to make quick work of him.
Griffin – An enormous demon chicken. I fuck you not. Despite being fairly difficult to defeat, the Griffin isn't that memorable. His most vulnerable part is his ribcage that will expose his heart after enough hits.
Nightmare – Lovecraft's “Shoggoth” crossed with a cannon. This shapeless mass of bile, human body parts, and technology is actually my favorite boss just because of the design alone. Killing it off is no easy task. You must trigger a mechanism in the room to force the creature to take shape, then avoid its barrage of missiles and lasers long enough to take out whatever vital part is then exposed. Apparently the boss can absorb your Devil Trigger and unleash its own massive attack, so only activate it after one of its 'cores' are exposed.
NeoAngelo – The black Hellknight that, while always trying to kill you, seems to have some odd aura of honor while fighting you. After defeating him, you find the other half of your amulet, revealing that the black knight was the enslaved soul of your brother, Virgil. Devil Trigger with Alastor and attack relentlessly, you will manage to penetrate his defenses with the last half of a combo attack.
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"Humor is reason gone mad" - Groucho Marx
 
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Devil May Cry: Animated Series Review
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