Continuing from where we left off in the previous blog. Prince of Devil had just changed the game with his groundbreaking Hell Sloth = Dead video.
DMC3: AHSID (After Hell Sloth = Dead) Summer 2005
In between this period, I graduated from college and moved in with my mother. Fueled by the criticisms I received on Art of Combat, I decided to target my weaknesses and turn them into strengths.
I played Royal Guard like a madman.
Boss battles, all combinations of enemies - attempting to guard all their attacks, and playing Heaven or Hell mode guarding attacks until I died (which was often). For those who aren't aware, in Heaven or Hell an attack one shots enemies, but one of their attacks also insta-kills Dante.
This is when I realized that enemy audio cues and Royal Guard have a connection, one that if realized can elevate your skills. Most people rely on visual signals that an enemy is going to attack and wait until that attack is near Dante to react with either guard or release. But this is a one-dimensional view in a game that provides two avenues of comprehending what's going on during combat.
Sight and Sound.
There's a deeper story here that could be its own separate blog but let's continue. Since I had moved, I had no access to be able to digitize footage. Luckily, my mom told me she was going to go by the city where my college was located, so I asked if she could drop me off.
I recorded the footage for RG Symphony in about a week on VHS and carried that with me along with a CD to burn the video on. She left me at the school and I quickly edited it in about 4-5 hours. Afterward, I walked to my friend, BIGBADWOLF's place and hung out there until she picked me up.
It was released that night.
RG Symphony is good because it showcased stylish, high-level Royal Guard uniquely. All style videos up to that point that featured Royal Guard contained music, whereas my theme was to allow the guards and releases to be the music. Various boss battle clips such as Cerberus, Beowulf, Vergil 2 and 3 are featured, as well as random enemies on DMD (Dante Must Die difficulty) and Heaven or Hell.
Our tastes for the theatrical back then led Gemasis and I to name a technique we came up with, "Orb Warp". It's basically just releasing Vergil's judgment-cut attack low to the ground, giving Dante the appearance of "warping". The video also features a rare reverse Just Release.
RG Symphony
It was received well, to the point that one of the main "pillars" of the DMC community at the time, Dahbomb (also known as ChaosAptom), called me one of the "RG Players" in his Battle / Combat Mechanics guide for DMC3 that's still hosted on GameFAQs. I didn't particularly take to the label, as my goal was to be a well-rounded player, skilled in all styles.
Meanwhile, Pokey86 decided to throw his hat into the arena and released a Swordmaster focused combo video, Welcome Chaos.
Let's Welcome Chaos - Pokey86
It's an excellent video, but similar to Hell Sloth = Dead. It's tough when a groundbreaking video like that comes out because then a lot of other videos tend to feel similar. Even during a growth process, whether it's music, sports, or even video games, it's incremental. This means that though there is an improvement, there's also a similarity that fellow and following participants inevitably display. As the saying goes, "Imitation is the highest form of flattery".
Pokey added bits of variety here and there with more Royal Guard clips and enemy variations (an Arachne combo), but overall HSID's impact is a hard act to follow.
Gemasis was impressed by Pokey, Spyda, and myself and approached us about being on the HVE squad. (DMC pro team sponsorships? What?) Spyda and I sort of already were as Gemasis had taken our Art of Combat videos, compressed them, and hosted them. In 2005, YouTube was in its infancy (I didn't even know about it, lol) and Twitch, BiliBili, etc weren't even a thing.
Back then you had dedicated sites that you put your videos on (HVE, ComboVideos.com), or you put them on a file-uploading site like YouSendIt, Filefront, or Megaupload. So when you see some of the older videos from this era on YouTube, remember that the upload date may not be the original date it was created.
DanteLinkX comes into the scene now, releasing footage from his video camera that shows lightning-fast play with a great amount of flair. We didn't call it "freestyle" as it is known today, we just called it playing the game stylishly and DanteLink did just that.
Sample DanteLink Gameplay
I wanted to connect with these players just to talk and discuss DMC. I didn't imagine that I'd create relationships that would last to this day. At the time of this edit is 18 years now and ones that would affect the game long-term. For connecting directly, we didn't use Twitter, Discord, or Facebook. As with the streaming services, all of that stuff either didn't exist or was in its infancy, so we used MSN messenger.
"...to be great at something, you must have motivation and competition to drive you."
Rivals
In my opinion, to be great at something, you must have motivation and competition to drive you. Rivalry forces you to grow. Forces you to polish ideas that you may have and execute them to a higher standard than you probably would do otherwise. The third factor is time and the fourth talent, but without the first two, it's easy to become stagnant even if you have the latter in spades.
Several players were friendly adversaries for me. Spyda12 initially, and then DanteLink and Pokey. DanteLink especially had a fire about him...he just wanted to be the best, similar to me at the time. So, he did more gameplay videos, showing how good he was, and wanted me to return in kind since I told him I was better. There was a lot of competitive trash-talking between him and I, to the point that we became rivals.
Metaphorical Dante and Vergil.
Let me explain a little of what makes DanteLink so great. At the time, most players that showcased their skill whether through combo video or gameplay video displayed a steady pace of approach. DanteLink had no care in the world about pace. His style was speed and ferociousness. But he also had a flair that not too many contained in that time period. He used whatever tool in his arsenal to obliterate enemies and he's unique.
As previously mentioned, I couldn't do more videos because I was no longer anywhere near my school and I didn't have a capture card. So DanteLink got Pokey in on his competitive notions but still wanted to include me. I was also talking with Pokey a whole lot, but more about the nuances of playing DMC3 rather than competitiveness.
Pokey was a literal sea of knowledge about the game. To give you a better idea of his DMC IQ, if you perused Dahbomb's FAQ, you'll notice that Pokey was his main resource (Co-writers credit!). There are other reasons why he's one of the original librarians of this game, but we'll get to those in due time.
Eventually Pokey in his kindness, decided to give me his old capture card so that I could record footage. He was in the UK, and I was in the US. So, not only did he give me the capture card, but he also shipped it a whole continent away and for that, he's the goat in my book.
My PC was pretty bad and had an old USB 1.0 port and the capture card used USB 2.0. So if you go back and look and some of my old videos, that's why the quality of the footage looks like DMC on a Sega Genesis (yikes!). During this time I was playing the game at that quality level, and I had a small screen to look at while recording (couldn't increase the size), and I had no sound when recording as well (Gutter trash).
All three of us would go back and forth trading footage, tech, and ideas, providing challenges for each other. It might be something as simple as doing a quick mission 2 run using a random style. Sharing tech like using invincibility frames from moves like Quicksilver's Time Lag activation or Trickster moves. Crowd control. Ground weapon switching tips. Providing critique as to what could be done to improve and more...
Most people attribute launching devil-triggered enemies and comboing them to players that we'll introduce later, but they actually evolved an idea that was started by DanteLink. He was the first to think of the concept of taking a DT'd enemy, figuring out on a basic level what it took to launch and start comboing it. You can see an example of this in his Sample gameplay video above.
Some of the techniques that were shared we may have already known and figured out ourselves, but seeing how another player utilizes them can be an eye-opener and spark ideas that cause you to evolve in various ways.
Anyways, it was such a beautiful process thinking back to it in hindsight, because none of what we were doing had been done at that point. Sometimes I think of where we could be if it was as easy to share tech as it is for players today via Twitter (X), XBOX / PSN shares, YouTube uploads, etc.
Pokey ended up doing two videos for Royal Guard. One was in the vein of RG Symphony called RG Requiem and another epic called True Blitz.
RG Requiem - Pokey86
RG Requiem is something special. Essentially, it's almost an indirect sequel to RG Symphony, but that's a testament to the essence of our budding rivalry and friendship. As the song goes, "Anything you can do, I can do better." Except that we were assisting each other to get better so that we collectively could improve.
True Blitz is a streamlined version of RG Requiem but with music. Cuts are shorter so that more guards and releases of various enemies can be shown. Both are very impressive showcases of Pokey's RG skills.
True Blitz - Pokey86
He also released an incredibly underrated and cleverly named Doppelganger video, Twosome Time. In my opinion, it's the best one-player DG video for DMC3. He was able to take the ideas introduced in HSID's doppelganger section and improve them significantly.
An idea can grow.
Of course, other videos have come out and perhaps surpassed it as far as "technicality" goes, but considering the time and what he was able to accomplish - it's amazing. The total mastery of using DG's delay technique. For those unfamiliar with this, you can change the speed at which Doppelganger executes your inputs by pressing your DT button with the style equipped.
Knowing this and being able to creatively use it in combos as well as being aware of how weaponswitching affects everything is no small task. Pokey also is able to incorporate jump cancels while controlling DG.
When looking back at it, going into the True Style Tournament phase, Pokey was on fire when it came to releasing great videos.
Twosome Time - Pokey86
While we were exchanging ideas and Pokey was releasing his follow-up videos, we noticed a trend I spoke of earlier. A lot of people at the time, (and still to this day), thought that combo videos were the end all be all of judging whether a player was good or not. Even though Prince of Devil had never released stylish gameplay footage and never did to my knowledge, he was still crowned king based on the popularity of his iconic combo video.
So that became one of the main motivations for creating the True Style Tournament, to show that there are other measures to being stylish besides combos. We also wanted to show off and celebrate the fact that different ways of playing DMC3 could be absolutely wonderful - from DanteLink's fast and oppressive approach to Pokey's brainiac and more methodical style. Annnnnd, we wanted to finally prove who was the best. So DanteLinkX, Pokey86, and I created the True Style Tournament.
DMC3: Mid to Late 2005 - The True Style Tournament
For those who don't know, the original TST was a tournament that we decided should be viewer-oriented. Meaning any and everybody in the community could be a judge and they could vote for whoever they wanted and for whatever reason they wanted. Voters posted who they voted for, and could if they choose to, give a reason. This ended up being a staple of style tournaments to come.
At the time the tournament was held on two boards/forums, which were the IGN DMC Boards and the Gamefaqs DMC3 forums and we broke the tournament down into sections. Those sections were based on the styles, as this was pre-style switcher (obviously) and on Dante's Awakening (Vanilla DMC3), so Gunslinger, Swordmaster, Royal Guard, Trickster, Quicksilver, Doppelganger but no DarkSlayer (Vergil).
To preserve the purity of gameplay, there was no editing allowed - not even music. However, an exception is sometimes made for DanteLink since his audio was quite bad due to recording his TV with a video camera.
Back then we were worried about people being able to download the files quickly. Again, this was when YouTube was in its infancy. We didn't want each video to drag on too long going from place to place which would rack up filesize, so we decided to use Mission 1. Videos were hosted on a file upload service, YouSendIt.com, if I recall correctly. We gave people about a week to vote and then tallied up the votes on both boards and the person with the most first-place votes won the round.
The tournament took several months. We all were juggling real-life situations like part-time jobs in addition to trying to record that perfect run, which if you've participated in a tournament before, I'm sure you understand. So, there were some instances where some needed more time and for the most part, everybody was flexible about it.
Sadly, due to how old the tourney was, currently, no footage of it is available. However, I remember the results of it very clearly because I used this tournament to help me grow further.
Remember, motivation and competition are stimulants for growth. The seed that is an idea can begin to develop when watered.
Gunslinger
I honestly didn't take Gunslinger seriously, because I thought I would win it. But rule number 1, don't underestimate your opponents, or as Vergil says..
"Don't get so cocky."
DanteLinkX came through guns blazing literally and shredded the competition using the style better and more frequently than Pokey or I. He implemented more Twosome Time, Fireworks, and Charged Shots. And even though we were all on the same game speed, he still seemed to be faster.
Both boards agreed and DanteLink won this style in a landslide victory
Result
1st) DanteLinkX
2nd) Pokey86
3rd) Tatsumarublack
Swordmaster
I also thought I would take this style, since I was better than Pokey and DanteLink at jump canceling, even on Dante's Awakening, which had no turbo.
You may ask, why does the speed of the game matter?
Turbo speeds up the timings for jump cancelling which in turn makes it possible for you to utilize it more frequently and fluidly. Although it takes a lot of practice at first. So mastering jump canceling on both speeds is a feat.
Swordmaster is the style that is the greatest benefactor of the technique because it increases the number of airborne melee attacks Dante has, but another lesson was reaffirmed. Stylishness can be interpreted in different ways.
Pokey ended up running away with this, simply because he used Ice Age (a Cerberus Swordmaster move) on the Hell Wraths. Remember, Ice Age grants invincibility at the same time setting the Wraths off, leaving Dante untouched. It's basic, but as I've mentioned a good bit now, it looked cool and that's what true style is all about.
Looking cool. Expressing yourself through your own unique style.
For Swordmaster, we had an extra competitor, Darkoaz, who was also an AMV editor.
Result
1st) Pokey86
2nd) DanteLink
3rd) Tatsumarublack
4th) Darkoaz
Royal Guard
Among the 3 of us, it was a general consensus that I would have the advantage with this style. But I had learned my lesson and wouldn't underestimate my rivals again. Plus by underperforming in the first 2 rounds, the pressure was on for me to get a better result.
Remember, Pokey had just released RG Requiem and True Blitz, which were both excellent showcases of his skill. So, even though I was perhaps the "favorite", I could've still just as easily lost.
Royal Guard was DanteLink's weakest style, partly because his style was based on high-speed combat which Royal Guard doesn't necessarily lean towards if you're going to show it at its fullest capability.
To simplify - you actually have to let the enemies attack (lol).
I put a lot more effort into my entry and was able to come up strong.
Result
1st) Tatsumarublack
2nd) Pokey86
3rd) DanteLinkX
Trickster
DanteLink was initially thought to have the edge for Trickster. But I was confident that I could have a good result and it would be a toss-up, due to being better at jump canceling. (Confidence and Cockiness are different..) Jump canceling benefits Trickster the second most out of all of the base styles, since it resets the aerial mobility options of Dante.
DanteLink used Agni Rudra / Rebellion and I used Cerberus / Rebellion. Agni and Rudra overall are better for SS ranking Mission 1 with Trickster since it does more damage from canceling Aerial Cross, Sky Starring away, and tricking back to the enemy - rinse and repeat.
But Cerberus being weaker and very versatile in the air gives you more chances to utilize the style. Although it's tough trying to be stylish with Trickster and SS rank that mission, I was able to get a perfect run doing that.
Trickster was probably Pokey's weakest style, as he's very analytical in his approach. He had some neat ideas that he never really fully realized. Once again increased effort ended up with a good result.
Result
1st) Tatsumarublack
2nd) DanteLinkX
3rd) Pokey86
Quicksilver
DanteLink was the natural front-runner for Quicksilver. If you checked out the Sample Gameplay footage earlier in this blog, you'll understand why.
However, once again a surprise happened and who "should've won" did not. A lot of people ended up voting for Pokey for a simple reason. His use of Time Lag. For those who aren't aware, Time Lag is the activation of the Quicksilver style.
During the activation, you're granted invincibility frames and an extra bit even after the initial activation. Pokey used this to avoid damage from the Wraths and damage from Lusts and Prides littered throughout mission 1.
I gave it my best effort, but I was attempting to do things that hadn't been done yet and at that time it was mostly overlooked. I used Cerberus and Beowulf and focused on pushing jump canceling further as well as double free rides. I got the only Sweet Baby recorded in the tournament :P, but didn't get the S for time so that affected my rank. IIRC, I only got one first-place vote and that viewer appreciated the effort. Forgot his name, but if you're reading this. Thanks. :)
Result
1st) Pokey86
2nd) DanteLinkX
3rd) Tatsumarublack
Doppelganger
Pokey was hands down the "man" for Doppelganger and SHOULD'VE won it, thus being the overall winner of the 1st True Style Tournament at that point, but there was some behind-the-scenes collusion going on. Not by us, but by persons high up in the community. These people used their influence to get other people to vote for DanteLink.
Neither DanteLink nor I compared to Pokey when it comes to Doppelganger. However high community members wanted the tournament to end in a 3-way tie so that the tiebreaker could be had with the "DarkSlayer" style as Vergil had recently been announced as a playable character in Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition. And they sort of got what they wished.
Results
1st) DanteLinkX
2nd) Pokey86
3rd) Tatsumarublack
The tournament concluded in a 3-way tie between DanteLinkX, Pokey86, and myself. There was no "Freestyle" round for the first tournament. I can't speak for Pokey and DLink, but as for myself, this tournament helped me grow into a better player. Because of it, I was able to improve my skills significantly which would be important in the coming year. If you're a DMC player and you want to improve, I highly recommend entering a tournament. It will certainly push you to grow into the player you want to become, whether you win it or not.
As mentioned before, Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition was announced towards the end of the tournament and everybody was hyped for Vergil and for turbo mode. And this leads us up to 2006. Hopefully, you've enjoyed the read and can see how the second half of the first year in the "forgotten" era helped evolve the meta of DMC3. Fantastic videos were released, the game grew, and through friendly rivalry - a tournament was born. Read Part 3 here.
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