DVD's see upgrades all the time. In fact, the market seems to thrive off them in a method that's known as "double dipping". A movie will get a bare bones release during its initial home debut in an attempt to drum up sales, and then, a few months or a year down the road, the glorified special edition will arrive that will make the fans flock to it, although a few will be grumbling that they ended up buying two editions of said film. You don't really see that type of thing in gaming, although there are examples where a game company will give a system a better release than it did on a previous console. Capcom's Resident Evil 4 comes to mind, debuting on the GameCube and then coming to the PS2 with the exclusive Aya sub-game packed in.

Now Capcom's struck again, this time giving us an upgrade to 2005's over-the-top action opus Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening. It's not like the game really needed any kind of upgrade, as that affair was certainly one to be remembered all its own. Excellent gameplay that completely overshadowed the crap introduced in part two; visuals that stupendously came to life, especially when the "neon worm" boss was introduced and the unbelievable lighting that followed; and the multiple play styles warranted frequent visits, even on the game's crazy-hard mode. So why improve upon it? Well, probably to cater to the fans, as the Special Edition has a few extras that will be right up their alley.

But, surprisingly, the game also caters to a different audience- those who felt that the original release was a tad bit frustrating. Granted, when DMC 3 came to these shores, the "Hard" setting for us was the "Very Hard" setting for the Japanese audiences, so it ate up a lot of gamers that didn't know what they were doing for breakfast. The Special Edition introduces a couple of extra difficulty modes that seem more fairly balanced, although "Easy" once again doesn't unlock until you die a few times. Once the switchover takes place, though, you'll find the game to be a little more in your favor.

This, of course, probably won't please those who destroyed the game and want it to be even harder. But not to worry, Capcom has catered to your needs as well. First off, the Special Edition introduces a new Turbo mode, which speeds up the game an additional 20 percent for even more faster-flying bone carnage. I didn't really notice it too much, but that's because the action was frenetic enough as it is. I'm sure the purists will notice, just like those who noticed the "subtle" differences between Street Fighter II and Street Fighter II Turbo. (Heh, I was just kidding- that game's freakin' fast on ten stars.)