With the release of Devil May Cry 5, my list of long anticipated games has gone to zero. It's a bitter-sweat moment, a game I've looked forward to for the better part of a decade is finally out, building up more hype and anticipation than anything in my life to this point, but where do I go from here?

When Devil May Cry 5 got announced, I was skeptical. I didn't mind Nero in DMC4, but compared to Dante he just couldn't compete. Having the initial trailer focus on Nero made it difficult to get excited, even with a Dante cameo at the end. It made me worry that yeah, we'll get to play as him, but similar to how we can play as Vergil in DMC3, where he doesn't get his own story, you just play through the same levels with a different character. With Dante's announcement trailer, I was finally on board and my hype reached unimaginable levels.

This game has been everything I wanted in Devil May Cry 5. Nero has finally managed to standout and have a combat style I actually enjoy playing. In DMC4, he felt so underwhelming, which was especially apparent when switching to Dante, but here his combat holds a lot more depth and he's much better equipped to deal with enemies.

I was indifferent on V at first, but I had quite a bit of fun playing as him still when I had to. It's an interesting take on combat that I wouldn't mind seeing more of; maybe even a new ip that uses his mechanics, but more refined.

Then we have Dante, who manages to become even more overpowered by the end of the game. While he was significantly more fun for me to play as than Nero in DMC4, a lot of his moves felt a bit counterintuitive and he still suffered from clunkiness as a result of rushed development. Here, he's much more polished, and crowd control moves are back in full force, one of my favorite things in DMC3.

The story really gripped me, and had me shocked and surprised many times. Each character gets enough time in the spotlight and has their own moments to shine, anyone of the three could be considered the main protagonist. It ended in a satisfying way that has me excited for the future of the franchise.

I've fallen victim to things I love being hyped up and falling short, and in post release trying to convince myself that it lived up to my expectations, but after sometime realising that it didn't even come close. I've dropped off of things that were huge parts of my life because I felt they were no longer for me, that I was now alienated from this thing that I loved so much. I've been a fan of Devil May Cry since Resident Evil Code Veronica came with the demo for the first game, and this game has strengthened my love for the franchise tenfold. With my most anticipated anything ever finally out, where do I go from here? I guess I'll wait for the netflix anime while I figure that out.