Is DmC a good game? And do you have to play the series in order?

"Is DmC a good game?"

I personally enjoyed it a lot and it scored great in the reviews but it's a matter of preferences and many fans of the series were distraught by seeing a new Dante. Remember one thing though: DmC Devil May Cry is a re-boot of the Devil May Cry series and in no way coincides with the "classic" Devil May Cry games. So characters, relationships and the mythos will be different in many places.

"Do I have to play the first ones to play 3 and 4?"

Not necessarily. You may be left out on some references but otherwise should not encounter any difficulties as the games are not that story-heavy or rather, do not rely on much beyond what happens in the games themselves or is explained within them. Story-wise, this is the chronological order (not counting DmC of course):

- Devil May Cry 3
- Devil May Cry
- Devil May Cry 4
- Devil May Cry 2

"what I seem to be getting from the internet is that 3 was really good on the PS2, but not on the PC?"

Apparently there were a lot of issues with the controls, low-res graphics and dodgy camera in the PC port which gave that particular version a fair number of mixed or even bad reviews.

You don't have to play the series in order to understand the story. DmC good gameplay but not a fan of the story kinda of a easy game.

You don't have to play the series in order. DmC is bad, 2 & 3 are amazing. Buy them.