Something I don’t
say too loud at parties is that I’m not a huge fan of the original Devil May
Cry. I certainly think it’s a unique game and I enjoyed my time with it but I’d
never call it one of the best games on the Playstation 2 and I don’t think it’s
a pillar of the genre like people insisted it was. However, I did appreciate
that it was something unique. It knew what it was and I have some modicum for
respect for it. It was unique and interesting, if nothing else. Its sequel,
Devil May Cry 2 on the other hand is a focus-tested, soulless product that
directly flies in the face of everything neat about its predecessor.
Devil
May Cry 2’s primary problem is how toned down it is from the first game. Devil
May Cry was not afraid to be different and because it was so different, it
revolutionized 3D beat ‘em ups. Devil May Cry 2 is two steps back however, as
it is as bland and dull as post Devil May Cry beat ‘em ups come. And when I say
that Devil May Cry 2 is toned down, I mean everything
is toned down. The game is easier, the plot is even less coherent, any trace of
Dante’s wisecracking personality is absent, the soundtrack is wholly
unremarkable and the game just lacks any semblance of a personality. It was
clearly a game born in a board room.
There
is so much wrong with Devil May Cry 2 that it’s hard to decide what to start
with. I suppose the most jarring change between the two games is just how easy
Devil May Cry 2 is. And not “how easy it is in comparison to the original”;
just “how easy it is”. The best way to describe DMC2’s difficulty is pathetic.
Everything about the game from the power of your weapons to the ineffectiveness
of the enemies’ attacks all comes together to make one of the easiest games in
Capcom’s entire library. Dante’s guns make it nearly impossible for enemies to
get up, let alone attack you, the new roll mechanic is ridiculously versatile
to the point where it feels cheap and the Devil Trigger has been upgraded so
that you’re practically invincible while using it. Holding down the lock-on
button and pressing the fire button will net you victory nearly 100% of time.
This is one of the few games that I’m confident a blind man could play with no
hassle.
The
combat system was revamped so that it was faster, more fluid and easier to initiate
long combos. It’s initially a welcome change since Devil May Cry’s combat
system is fairly clunky and hasn’t aged that well but DMC2’s combat system is
too simple and too beginner friendly. I managed to get an “S” rank combat in
the first encounter. Getting an “S” rank is no longer rewarding and there’s very
little drive to score well. On top of that, your projectile attacks do a ton of
damage so it makes using your sword totally unnecessary. It’s both easier and
safer to whittle down the opponents health with bullets than to get up close
with your sword. It’s more time-consuming sure, but if you’ve made a commitment
to this game, you probably don’t value your time very highly.
The
enemy AI is also terrible. Several enemies just waited around for me to attack
them while others (bosses included) ran into the corner and didn’t leave until
I had killed them. Combine the terrible AI with your overpowered arsenal and
you’ve got a game that goes out of its way to make it easy for you. Even the
bosses are pathetic. Many of them just stand around and throw out an easily
dodged projectile while other boss fights rely on weaker enemies to distract
your lock-on system which in turn allows the boss to get the jump on you.
Truthfully, the only time the game will pose a threat is when the lock-on
and/or the camera are screwing up. Otherwise, it’s smooth sailing the whole way
through. It’s almost like Capcom is rolling out a red carpet for you. And that
is not something anyone wants from their Devil May Cry game.
The
addition of a new playable character, Lucia, only serves as a way to extend the
game’s pitiable length and even then, it only extends the game for about
another hour and a half. Lucia’s mode is more or less Dante’s mode with
slightly redesigned levels and new water levels. It adds almost nothing to the
game. The new bosses in her mode are still hilariously easy and the water
levels are just as boring as you would expect. She is slightly different from
Dante but only ever so slightly. I can’t help but feel that she was a last
minute add-in because she genuinely feels like an afterthought.
Parts
of Devil May Cry 2 feel like the team was trying to merge Devil May Cry’s
trademark action and combat with the stylish gunplay and acrobatics of the
Matrix films. It’s an admirable goal but the final result is something that
doesn’t feel anything like a Devil May Cry game. It may look cool in trailers but the final product is vapid and empty. Even the color palette in
later levels evokes a Matrix vibe with its pale greens and cold, industrial
look.
The
cold, mechanical look that Devil May Cry 2 carries throughout a decent 3/5ths
of the game is occasionally swapped out for some dusty ruins or a slightly
gross hellish landscape. But when 70% of your game takes place in what is
basically Midgar, you have a problem on your hands. Especially when you
consider that the first game had a very interesting, somewhat creepy Gothic
castle to explore. The game itself looks fine from a technological perspective
and the game has a consistent frame-rate but the art assets and enemy designs
are all totally cold and unremarkable. The game tries to add in a few neat
visual effects here and there but they don’t bring much to the table. Much like
the rest of the game, it’s totally soulless.
Devil
May Cry’s plot, as dumb as it was, at least had a somewhat coherent plot. It
was nothing ground-breaking or even memorable but Devil May Cry 2’s plot is
even worse. Its largest problem is how hard it is to care about Dante or Lucia.
Both characters lack a personality and plot developments that could have been shocking
are rendered totally uninteresting because of how dull the two protagonists
are. The main villain is a goofy Heihachi Mishima wannabe who was amusing at
times but also never posed a major threat. He’s as pathetic as they come.
Capcom really dropped the ball with Dante though. I’ve never been a massive fan
of the character but I understand his popularity. He’s a stylish bounty hunter
who always has a clever quip at the ready. And in Devil May Cry 2, the closest
thing he has to a clever line is “Don’t speak; just die” which is as lame as it
gets. Between the uninteresting characters, lack of any real threat and the
terrible narrative, I have to wonder why they even bothered with a story. It’s
as cliché and boring as Capcom plots go.
As
a sequel to Devil May Cry, Devil May Cry 2 is a failure in almost every way. On
a gameplay level, it’s not even debatable which one is better. The original is
more nuanced and clever than its sequel could ever hope to be. On a
technological level, they feel about equal. I’m sure Devil May Cry 2 did a few
things that the original could not do but in 2013, Devil May Cry 2 looks
totally unremarkable. The writing is far weaker and the game just feels
entirely dead on the inside. Devil May Cry 2 does work as a beat ‘em up though.
It’s a functional game and you might find some enjoyment out of the combat
system. It’s incredibly shallow but it’s not outright terrible. There are far
worse 3D beat ‘em ups out there. That being said, there are far, far better 3D
beat ‘em ups out there too, they just came later.
I
didn’t totally hate Devil May Cry 2 though. In fact, I enjoyed my time with it
and it managed to make me laugh, albeit for all the wrong reasons. As a
follow-up to the original, Devil May Cry 2 falls flat on its face. As a beat
‘em up from 2003, it’s fair. It’s about as middle of the road as they come. Of
all the Devil May Cry titles, you could skip over this one and you wouldn’t
miss anything worthwhile. Its best moments come from taking advantage of its
flaws and that is not the mark of a good game. Devil May Cry 2 was a game made
to appeal to the masses and it suffers because of that.
FINAL SCORE: 4.75
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