However, that said, it of course is not all bad. In fact, compared to any other action game on the market, this game pretty much blows them away. I think that it is a situation where it’s not that Devil May Cry 2 is really a bad game, but more that the original Devil May Cry was outstanding and even revolutionary in its own right. There are a few things done better, but more done worse as compared to the original; this will be explained in greater detail later in the review. I will also be making the reference throughout the review that is very true and can’t be denied - Devil May Cry 2 is better than any action game on the market, but it doesn’t stand up to the original, which is precisely what people were hoping.
Unfortunately the story aspect does not hold up very well in the game, and players will see this from very early on. Dante has appeared in France (supposedly) after an unknown time span from the previous game. This time a mysterious figure, who on one hand is a business mogul, is controlling the demon world with some demonic powers he has - again this is unexplained and will probably leave the player clueless as to why he is playing the game. You have also met Lucia, a red haired knife-thrower, whose mother was part of a clan that worked with Dante’s father, Sparda.
It is a complex story, but not in a good way. Most of the time I was puzzled as to what I was doing in a certain mission and why, and this certainly doesn’t help the atmosphere of the game. Still, it’s just fun to run around and blast everything in sight, even if you don’t know why you are doing it. Overall, it is a disappointing story that could have been reworked and overhauled, to be at least on par with the previous game, which was rich in story - this richness I believe, also helped the game considerably, in that it was more fun to play when you knew what lay ahead after a certain mission.
Graphics is one thing which I think has improved from the previous game, but again only in some places. Usually the landscapes are dominated by bland textures, and generally a low amount of detail, but some are beautifully detailed; for example the marble floor in a building in the later stages of the game. Enemies are quite detailed, and both Dante and Lucia are very smooth and constantly detailed regardless of their situation. Gunfire, enemy fire, devil triggers and sword distortion are all also done very well.
I have witnessed, when there is a considerable amount of action on the screen at one time (multiple enemies running around, and gunfire for example), that there is some slowdown and slight deterioration of detail but it recovers quickly to a constant framerate. The 60Hz mode makes a big difference and is greatly appreciated, as Dante runs as fast as he did while in devil in the original, and Lucia even faster normally.
The mission mode from the original Devil May Cry is carried through into this one, with a considerable amount of missions for both Dante and Lucia to work through, and an overall grade given after every mission - it is a shame that some of these missions consist of a boss only, and nothing else. The ranking criteria is strict, giving you sub-grades for categories such as ‘time’, ‘orbs’ (you get orbs from killing enemies, and with these orbs you can buy new items and upgrades), and ‘stylish average’ which rewards you for carrying out some stylish combos while thrashing enemies. As from the prequel, this game offers you a chance to save after every mission.
In terms of your actions in-game, the game is basically organised into collecting swords, guns, items and amulets. Amulets give you special abilities while in devil form, swords and guns can be used regularly in game, and items are collecting for progressing further into the game. Devil May Cry 2 sees a departure from the elemental swords and gauntlets from the original, and instead replaces them with normal swords of different strengths and ranges, while the rocket launcher has joined the collection of available guns to acquire (Lucia has a different arsenal, however). Each amulet is very useful, with some giving you speed and strength, while others give you quicker healing and elemental attacks. The in-game pause menu is not so user friendly, but is workable. To change swords or daggers you must go through a number of menus, but changing guns is very easy with the use of the L2 button - a handy addition. There is also a new option to restart or quit the current mission, which is quite handy although I never needed to use it.
The gameplay, in my opinion, still retains the flair and charm of the original Devil May Cry. You can now run up walls for a limited time with the circle button, and link this into other useful and downright cool combos. You are able to hit the enemies up, thrust them forward, or just shoot them up into the air and keep on shooting, leaving them suspended in gunfire and helpless. It is very easy to get into the feel of the gameplay, and it is fun right until the very end. With Lucia it is the same story, but her swiftness and agility make zipping around and throwing daggers at the enemies a joy, and not a chore.
One major complaint I have about the game, though, is the targeting and camera system, which was designed to help, but just gets in the way all the time. The targeting system is such that your sword and dagger attacks are directed towards the nearest enemy, shown by purple crosshairs. The problem with this is if you want to take care of a more important enemy, or hit a special switch instead of dealing with enemies, you can’t since your sword attacks go always in the direction of the nearest enemy. One solution, you might think, is to just go right near your enemy of priority to switch targets, but when there are groups of swarming enemies, this does not always work very well. The camera system is often more aggravating than helpful, as sometimes you can’t see the enemy that you’re killing and often you fall off platforms because of the constantly changing aspect of the camera. This of course can be very annoying during boss battles (and there are a lot of them), in which you can be constantly hurt by flying projectiles and not know where they are coming from.
Again, nothing special in this department either. Some nice gothic/rock blends here and there for bosses, but the main missions are dominated by thickly-layered dark overtones. The original Devil May Cry was known for a stellar soundtrack, and this game is just about on par with the original in that department.The music is a great help, though, for knowing when enemies are about to attack you, since it changes from the normal stage music into some mild rock music which does indeed suit the gameplay.
It is clear that this game has irrevocably lost flair in its transition to different development teams at Capcom from the original. Dante has lost his rebellious streak and now seems more like a senile man, and Lucia seems to have a mix between American, Russian and French accents. The story needs reworking, the graphics call for a bit more detail, and another aspect of the game greatly needs to be improved - the difficulty. Granted, there are ‘hard’ and ‘Dante Must Die’ modes to challenge you, but first you must pass the incredibly easy ‘normal’ mode, which is so little of a challenge that it almost bores you. Most enemies and bosses, unfortunately, may have their own special weakness, but all of them can be defeated with simple and consistent gunfire - this makes this game more into a button masher than anything else, and even more experienced demon hunters may find themselves repeatedly pressing the square button as their only option to winning.
That said, Devil May Cry 2 is a solid and enjoyable game. Some areas of action will leave you grinning and wanting more, and the aerial capabilities in devil form make the game much more enjoyable in some aspects from the original. There’s nothing that much wrong with the game, it just needs a lot of improving if it wants to be the true successor to the excellent Devil May Cry. It is definitely the best action game on the market - that is, behind its own prequel.
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