I would have enjoyed the smoking gimmick to have stayed.
Apparently, according to the supposed "hardcore" Devil May Cry fans, smoking is for "losers."
"Winners don't do drugs! But you're a loser! So why don't you just give up and do some drugs!"
Also, I wouldn't have minded slower paced combat with finishing moves including the car throw or the sadistic scene where Dante sticks a lit cigarette into a demon's eye, had it been complex and diverse.
The series cannot keep the same combat system from Devil May Cry 3, nor mimic it any further.
When that happens, we may ultimately have a successor to Devil May Cry 3.
DmC could have been that, had the fans and Capcom allowed Ninja Theory to press forth.