In regards to which I favor:
1. Devil May Cry 3: DMC3 is by far the superior DMC in the series thus far. It is home to a heavily deep combat engine with unprecedented depth. The graceful combos you can pull of are near infinite.The difficulty is not as daunting as most make it. The AI is fairly agressive (but DMC1 takes the cake for me). If you button mash...you will die. The plot is far from novel worthy or that of an RPG, but decent. For engaging gameplay and replay value, I strongly suggest this.
2. Resident Evil 4: RE4 is quite possibly one of the best games I have ever played. The gameplay is linear, you should be able to adjust to it within 5 minutes (or less). The gameplay is not as deep as DMC, but the stunning visuals(Gamecube) and environments compensate for that. I can not count how many times this game has gotten me pumped when fleeing from Dr. Salvador or the Bella sisters (chainsaw guys). There is much to be discovered in this game. The story isn't engrossing, but the gameplay is so enjoyable/addicting you just won't give a damn.
3. God Of War: Not much to be said here. It's a button masher, pure and simple. I enjoyed it, but found the action repetitive and stale after playing over extensive periods. Basically: Square+Triangle=YOU WINZ! In my opinion though, this game has the best story out of all the others stated above. So at has that one thing going for it.
I would stick with either DMC3 or RE4. GOW is only fun for a brief period (unless you're the typical casual gamer. In that case, it'll be one of the best games you'll ever play.)