Devil May Cry 2
Videogaming's biggest badass returns, but can anything really top, "flock off, feather face"?
Published: April 4, 2003
Sequels have always been tricky to judge. In a gaming sense, they're expected to improve upon the first game of the series, and in a way, broaden the horizons of its predecessor. Now for the most part, Devil May Cry 2 utilizes the basis of the first Devil May Cry, yet adds to it a good amount of new material. On the other hand, DMC2 falls short on some of the key gameplay elements that enabled Devil May Cry to be such a masterpiece. Devil May Cry 2 may be a solid sequel to the first game, but does it rank among the top action games on the PlayStation 2?
The storyline was never a big influence in the first Devil May Cry, and the same can be said for DMC2. This time around, an evil cooperation-president known as Arius is attempting to run the world using demon power, and has no problem with letting satanic monsters run unhindered in the streets. As the man behind the Devil May Cry business, Dante is brought to the task of eliminating Arius and the demons populating the world, but not without a little encouragement from a sexy heroine named Lucia. You see, after Dante saves Lucia from a storm of attacking birds in the game's opening scene, she introduces him to her mother who happens to offer him a deal. If Dante succeeds in saving the world, as well as stopping Arius' evil reign, she promises to enlighten him on the story of his heroic demon-slaying father, Sparda. From here, the quest begins, and the real heart of the game comes into play: the butt-kicking action.
So how exactly does Devil May Cry 2's gameplay play out? Think Resident Evil 2. That's right, just as Capcom enabled you to venture with two different characters (Leon and Claire) in the two-disc RE2, the same has been done with DMC2. In this installment, you have the ability to play as either the bad-ass Dante with his gun and sword combo, or the agile knife-throwing Lucia. Luckily enough, Dante and Lucia are two totally different characters when it comes to fighting. Dante is the powerhouse, while Lucia has speed on her side. Similarly, these two devil-hunters both defy the laws of gravity with amazing off-the-wall jumps (literally), as well as the ability to pull off mid-air attacks. Devil May Cry 2 features the famous combo ratings (made popular by the first DMC), which range from a weak "Don't Worry!" combo, to a "Showtime!" rating when you're really cooking. Without a doubt, you'll be getting all of your DMC2 kicks from the game's hack-and-slash action, which becomes truly rewarding as you progress in mastering the combo system.
The fast-paced action is where the real fun in Devil May Cry 2 lies, although along with it comes a few noticeable problems. Primarily, Capcom does a mediocre job of creating two separate stories, because you'll find yourself playing through very similar levels, no matter which character you choose. Almost all of the same bosses appear for both Dante and Lucia, and although the two heroes are suppose to be heading in two different directions, the only difference in their stories is very miniscule (a few different stages, an original final boss for each, and that's about it). The two may be on this quest for different personal reasons, but the same objective is in mind for both characters: eliminate evil. While the bland storyline in Devil May Cry 2 should be not be much of a letdown to fans (since it's really all about the action), the gameplay setbacks should. It seems that Capcom has eased off the difficulty this time around, and it really is a shame for a game that is famous for its ingenious gameplay. While the hoards of enemies should keep any gamer happily occupied, the game's bosses aren't as challenging as they should be. And although the game is filled with a variety of intimidating bosses, beating them is like solving a 2-piece jigsaw puzzle. Sure, there's a difficult way to fight these bosses (by charging towards where they're attacking), but most of them simply require you to keep your distance and fire away. Which brings up another good point. While Devil May Cry 2 does offer a selection of highly useful weapons and guns (the Submachine Guns take the cake), these weapons come with a rather useless upgrade system which, in all honesty, enable no noticeable improvements to the weapons you're using. Devil May Cry 2's action is definitely unmatched and truly innovating when compared to competing titles, but these few yet rather important setbacks sadly restrict the game to taking baby steps in the gameplay category, as oppose to the much-needed leaps.
The evident graphical style of Capcom stays true in Devil May Cry 2. It features the traditional still backgrounds and striking enemy designs, yet does contain impressive-looking cutscenes. Characters and enemies are, as always, fierce and detailed looking throughout the course of the game, yet the in-game camera does pose a problem. You'll often be caught in a situation where an off-screen enemy is attacking and you simply don't know where to fire back at. Perhaps a moving camera would be a reasonable solution, but Capcom doesn't seem to want to break away from such traditional in-game features. Thankfully, though, you will hardly ever (if ever) notice a slowdown in the game's framerate, which is quite an accomplishment considering the extreme and constant action that is the basis of DMC2. Nothing stunning here, but the game's graphics are still solid looking and totally appropriate for the dark mood accompanying Devil May Cry 2.
Such a fast-paced game requires tight and responsive controls, and thankfully Capcom delivers perfectly here. You will be granted full control of every move that Dante and Lucia make, making it very possible to master the game's rewarding combo system. In-air attacks, gravity-defying wall jumps, and killer combos can all be fully and comfortably executed when in the midst of the action. In addition, DMC2 features the ability to switch firing weapons with the L2 button (no frequent pauses to switch weapons needed here), as well as transform into Devil Mode with a quick L1 tap, giving you the response you want when you need it most. Talk about a perfect category.
Devil May Cry 2 fares a decent outing in the sound category, but there's always room for improvement. The voice acting is sufficient in getting the storyline and game points across, but it's definitely nothing groundbreaking. Surprisingly, though, the in-game music actually does a fantastic in accompanying the action (as it did in the first). For the most part, a solemn and appropriate string-based score will play as Dante or Lucia are simply wandering, yet once a group of enemies step in, pumping metal music will fade in and rock along as you rip those demons a new one. In short, the music and voicing featured in DMC2 is pretty basic, but good enough to invigorate the in-game action, as well as deliver a rather interesting (but once again, far from brilliant) story.
With all of these ins and outs to Devil May Cry 2, it's tough to decide on an overall verdict. The game's foundation, which is of course the ass-kicking action, is innovative enough to please any gamer, that's a given. DMC2 packs enough punch to live up to its predecessor's demon-slaying action, but isn't quite as impressive otherwise. Perhaps it's the flaky difficulty or weak story plot, but something is definitely holding Devil May Cry 2 back from upping the ante of the series' first comer. In the end, DMC2 boils down to a simple result: a solid sequel, but a failed attempt in revolutionizing action gaming.
The storyline was never a big influence in the first Devil May Cry, and the same can be said for DMC2. This time around, an evil cooperation-president known as Arius is attempting to run the world using demon power, and has no problem with letting satanic monsters run unhindered in the streets. As the man behind the Devil May Cry business, Dante is brought to the task of eliminating Arius and the demons populating the world, but not without a little encouragement from a sexy heroine named Lucia. You see, after Dante saves Lucia from a storm of attacking birds in the game's opening scene, she introduces him to her mother who happens to offer him a deal. If Dante succeeds in saving the world, as well as stopping Arius' evil reign, she promises to enlighten him on the story of his heroic demon-slaying father, Sparda. From here, the quest begins, and the real heart of the game comes into play: the butt-kicking action.
So how exactly does Devil May Cry 2's gameplay play out? Think Resident Evil 2. That's right, just as Capcom enabled you to venture with two different characters (Leon and Claire) in the two-disc RE2, the same has been done with DMC2. In this installment, you have the ability to play as either the bad-ass Dante with his gun and sword combo, or the agile knife-throwing Lucia. Luckily enough, Dante and Lucia are two totally different characters when it comes to fighting. Dante is the powerhouse, while Lucia has speed on her side. Similarly, these two devil-hunters both defy the laws of gravity with amazing off-the-wall jumps (literally), as well as the ability to pull off mid-air attacks. Devil May Cry 2 features the famous combo ratings (made popular by the first DMC), which range from a weak "Don't Worry!" combo, to a "Showtime!" rating when you're really cooking. Without a doubt, you'll be getting all of your DMC2 kicks from the game's hack-and-slash action, which becomes truly rewarding as you progress in mastering the combo system.
The fast-paced action is where the real fun in Devil May Cry 2 lies, although along with it comes a few noticeable problems. Primarily, Capcom does a mediocre job of creating two separate stories, because you'll find yourself playing through very similar levels, no matter which character you choose. Almost all of the same bosses appear for both Dante and Lucia, and although the two heroes are suppose to be heading in two different directions, the only difference in their stories is very miniscule (a few different stages, an original final boss for each, and that's about it). The two may be on this quest for different personal reasons, but the same objective is in mind for both characters: eliminate evil. While the bland storyline in Devil May Cry 2 should be not be much of a letdown to fans (since it's really all about the action), the gameplay setbacks should. It seems that Capcom has eased off the difficulty this time around, and it really is a shame for a game that is famous for its ingenious gameplay. While the hoards of enemies should keep any gamer happily occupied, the game's bosses aren't as challenging as they should be. And although the game is filled with a variety of intimidating bosses, beating them is like solving a 2-piece jigsaw puzzle. Sure, there's a difficult way to fight these bosses (by charging towards where they're attacking), but most of them simply require you to keep your distance and fire away. Which brings up another good point. While Devil May Cry 2 does offer a selection of highly useful weapons and guns (the Submachine Guns take the cake), these weapons come with a rather useless upgrade system which, in all honesty, enable no noticeable improvements to the weapons you're using. Devil May Cry 2's action is definitely unmatched and truly innovating when compared to competing titles, but these few yet rather important setbacks sadly restrict the game to taking baby steps in the gameplay category, as oppose to the much-needed leaps.
The evident graphical style of Capcom stays true in Devil May Cry 2. It features the traditional still backgrounds and striking enemy designs, yet does contain impressive-looking cutscenes. Characters and enemies are, as always, fierce and detailed looking throughout the course of the game, yet the in-game camera does pose a problem. You'll often be caught in a situation where an off-screen enemy is attacking and you simply don't know where to fire back at. Perhaps a moving camera would be a reasonable solution, but Capcom doesn't seem to want to break away from such traditional in-game features. Thankfully, though, you will hardly ever (if ever) notice a slowdown in the game's framerate, which is quite an accomplishment considering the extreme and constant action that is the basis of DMC2. Nothing stunning here, but the game's graphics are still solid looking and totally appropriate for the dark mood accompanying Devil May Cry 2.
Such a fast-paced game requires tight and responsive controls, and thankfully Capcom delivers perfectly here. You will be granted full control of every move that Dante and Lucia make, making it very possible to master the game's rewarding combo system. In-air attacks, gravity-defying wall jumps, and killer combos can all be fully and comfortably executed when in the midst of the action. In addition, DMC2 features the ability to switch firing weapons with the L2 button (no frequent pauses to switch weapons needed here), as well as transform into Devil Mode with a quick L1 tap, giving you the response you want when you need it most. Talk about a perfect category.
Devil May Cry 2 fares a decent outing in the sound category, but there's always room for improvement. The voice acting is sufficient in getting the storyline and game points across, but it's definitely nothing groundbreaking. Surprisingly, though, the in-game music actually does a fantastic in accompanying the action (as it did in the first). For the most part, a solemn and appropriate string-based score will play as Dante or Lucia are simply wandering, yet once a group of enemies step in, pumping metal music will fade in and rock along as you rip those demons a new one. In short, the music and voicing featured in DMC2 is pretty basic, but good enough to invigorate the in-game action, as well as deliver a rather interesting (but once again, far from brilliant) story.
With all of these ins and outs to Devil May Cry 2, it's tough to decide on an overall verdict. The game's foundation, which is of course the ass-kicking action, is innovative enough to please any gamer, that's a given. DMC2 packs enough punch to live up to its predecessor's demon-slaying action, but isn't quite as impressive otherwise. Perhaps it's the flaky difficulty or weak story plot, but something is definitely holding Devil May Cry 2 back from upping the ante of the series' first comer. In the end, DMC2 boils down to a simple result: a solid sequel, but a failed attempt in revolutionizing action gaming.