NOTE: Possible spoilers coming, I may be too focused on writing this to warn you, so be careful reading this.
I love Devil May Cry. I was 10 years old when the first one came out, and when I played it, I fell in love with (in this order) Dante. Guy just oozed cool. To a 10 year old, this was the man I wish I could be. Then I fell in love with the gothic style. Wandering around a seemingly abandoned castle only to be attacked by crazed puppets and giant spiders? Hell yes!
When the second one came out, I raced to buy it. Played it, and was quite...Well, disgusted at what they'd done. There was no story (as far as I could tell) and Dante seemed to have swallowed a thousand lemons, judging by the scowl on his face. The gameplay was still alright, it had everything the first had, but it lacked the style and attitude it's predecessor had.
A good few years later, when the series was out of my mind, I was surprised to find a sequel. After reading the back, I decided it was worth a buy. That was the second greatest gaming decision I had made (the first being trying Metal Gear Solid 3.) The series had found it's feet. It had a well-told story that seemed to work well with the gameplay. I was 16 (I think) at the time, and in my teenage rebellious years, so Dante naturally appealed to me. To say I fell in love with this game is an understatement.
And so, with renewed vigour, I anxiously awaited the new one. I'd read that Dante wouldn't be the main protagonist and was cautiously excited. I was intrigued by the Devil Arm mechanic and finding out just who the hell Nero was and why he looked so similar to Dante. What I got though, was an admittedly good game (anyone who says otherwise is too spoiled by the others) but one that disappointed in a good few ways. We got nothing on Nero, to this day, the best we have is vague guesses (personally, I think he's Vergil's son, who had an obsession to be like his father, and thus sired a child...Or more?)
Dante - as always - made me giggle every time he was onscreen, he was so cool, but I had become so accustomed to Nero that he felt too heavy in my hands (if that made sense.)
I could tell you my feelings on the upcoming DmC, but I feel I could better explain by headbutting the keyboard.
And that basically ends my post on my love-affair with Devil May Cry. The way I see it, the earlier in life you play the game, the better it'll be. I'll admit that I come back to DMC1 and cringe at how cheesy it is, but I can't stop loving the game, because I'd fallen in love with it when I was 10 years old.
Also, as an added bonus, I was a very big fan of the Power Rangers as a young child, and learning DMC had numerous voice and motion actors that starred in the Power Rangers just made me feel that much closer to my childhood.