Devil May Cry 2

"Devil May Cry 2 is a wonderful rental, yet it truly isn't worth its official price."

Now, I know many of you gamers have probably already checked out official reviews of major publications such as: videogames.com, or perhaps gamers.com. And then there are the actual magazines like EGM, Gamepro, etc. The main concern here is that from what I’ve seen many of these reviews have been negative and have given DMC2 (Devil May Cry 2) low figures in their respectable rating systems. Now, unfortunately this review holds a rather half and half look. Justified is this review because it doesn’t agree with the bashing DMC2 has received; yet it does not reject the undeniable faults Capcom must have overlooked.

Gameplay - The entire form of DMC2’s gameplay stands on the fixture of a battle game. You run, you jump (albeit scaling walls and doing back flips off of them is very neat the first few times you accomplish such things), you attack either with your projectile weapons or your close combat ones, and then you transform into “super” versions of your characters with Dante’s being a devil and Lucia’s being a winged/angelic type creature. From the get go, the action is quite intense and it isn’t uncommon to find yourself battling it out with up to I believe 8 enemies on-screen. While it may get repetitious, remember folks that this is an action game. Yes, it does have its RPG-esque elements and what not with the item buying and leveling up of weapons, but it is still a hardcore beat ‘em up otherworldly brawl at heart.

The first thing is that you begin as Dante whom is the kick-butt hero from the first one. He retains much of the hardcore flavor he had in the original and I believe his overhaul by Capcom this time is more suitable than the first time we met him. Much of his moves and animation is quite the same in generality, yet Capcom has smoothed out not only his character but also Lucia’s animation very well. Yes, that’s right, I have been mentioning a new character’s name! She’s Lucia, and she’s sort of mysterious, in fact until you really play through the game with her you’ll be asking yourself what exactly is she here for. Good questions, seeing as it is that Capcom should have asked themselves that same question.

All in all, DMC2’s gameplay is very fast and fun for the most part, until you find out that using your projectile moves while jumping can almost get you past every enemy and even many of the bosses. It should have forced you into more close-hand combat a la the original DMC but it is quite solid even with its small faults and repetitiousness.

Story - Throughout the entire game I kept scratching my head, wondering what the heck the storyline was. From the intro scene until the very end, it seems very vague, as if you’re in a shroud. It’s hard to comprehend since there is hardly any dialogue between Lucia and Dante, as DMC was fluid with dialogue and cut-scenes galore compared to this second encounter. It almost seems as if the gameplay is the story, with the actual storyline being a reason to even make this game. Considering I’m into books, movies, and games for the most part BECAUSE OF the storyline and/or character development. Which there is exactly that in this game, just not an abundance. Of course if you consider character development a definition of Dante meeting up with Lucia, and saying a few words, then walking away over and over, then you should enjoy this game a lot. As for all you movie-going people, you might be turned off quite a bit by this storyline.

Graphics/Sound - The graphics are very pleasing. I especially enjoy the detail to the character models, and seeing the images of Dante and Lucia are very enthralling. Their motion and fluidness are very beautifully done. Of course, the backgrounds could use some work. Yes, they are detailed and they are quite more massive than the first, but they lack something with the bland textures used. Another problem in this area is the lack of interactivity you can commence in with the backgrounds. There are the occasional items you can smash to find yourself rewarded with orbs and the like, but it is still not quite the splendor of DMC’s first rendition. Overall, the game has a nice look and isn’t too hard on your eyes.

Now, the sound is where the game becomes fun. Remember those hardcore guitar licks all filtered up with distortion and fast beats? They’re back. I love how the music really gets you pumped into killing all the new enemies Capcom’s thrown in. I remember thinking to myself ‘Dang, I’m kicking some butt!’ and the music only enticed these giddy feelings of mine. I absolutely loved what the composer did with the music. And the sound effects weren’t off the stage light either. Of course with all the projectile weapon use throughout the game (which for about 80 percent was used on the secondary weapons) those sounds get a bit annoying. Especially Dante’s guns. Sheesh, I think I busted my eardrum from listening to the same ‘boom, boom’ of his guns. But other than that it isn’t too much to not be able to sit through.

Play time/Replay ability - Okay, now this is where DMC2 gets me. I remember DMC taking me around 10 hours to complete on my first run through, which isn’t too bad, right? I mean, aside from RPGs, not many games are taking long to get through nowadays. They’re giving us a lot of material, just not a lot of time to explore it, essentially. Now, DMC2 took me MAYBE a total of 10 hours to beat it with Dante and Lucia, but that’s a close MAYBE. I believe my time for Dante was six hours approximately, and with Lucia… well, I’m not sure. I only know that her missions are not as long or not in a greater abundance as Dante’s. This game is SHORT. Beat it roughly in one day with both of them. It’s a beautiful rental, but other than that I would not buy it. Of course, you unlock costumes (would it be a Capcom game if you couldn’t?) as well as extra modes such as Hard, and Must Die. And there’s a Bloody Palace mode that is used for racking up orbs as you go through a seemingly infinite number of levels (I think I read somewhere that there’s 9999, and even after you reach that you still have to keep fighting bosses… sheesh!). So, if you enjoy that kind of stuff, perhaps it could give you a nice replay value, but if you’re like me and only enjoy games once through, then please disregard such extras. It isn’t entirely worth your 50 bones.

Final Recommendation - If you enjoy action games with a nice gothic/fantasy twist and you don’t mind a lack of storyline, then this game’s for you. Even if you’re into games just to pass the time, then for a nice 8 to 10 hours, this baby should be yours. A tops it’s a wonderful rental, but if you think it’ll give you any use after those mentioned hours, then I suppose you should drop your money on it. Other than that, go out and give this one a try. You might like it.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/09/03, Updated 02/09/03