Devil May Cry 2

aka: DMC2, Devil May Cry II, 鬼泣2
Moby ID: 8485
PlayStation 2 Specs
Buy on PlayStation 2
$9.95 used, $100.00 new on eBay
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Description official descriptions

Devil May Cry 2 is the sequel to Devil May Cry.

From the start of the game, the player controls Dante, or his new partner, Lucia, through various levels as they battle waves of demons, ultimately reaching the conclusion and finding out Arius schemes.

This game features an Amulet system, with different parts being acquired throughout the levels that can be equipped by accessing the pause menu. The different parts of the amulet can be equipped to change aspects of the characters Devil Triggers form like elemental moves, time stop abilities, faster movement, flight abilities, etc.

The game is the debut of Dante's iconic sword the Rebellion. Dante also has new abilities like running on walls, aerial kicks, and multi-directional shooting. Lucia utilizes two underhanded, curved swords and also rapidly throws knives at her enemies.

Spellings

  • デビルメイクライ2 - Japanese spelling
  • 데빌 메이 크라이 2 - Korean spelling (Hangul)

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Credits (PlayStation 2 version)

190 People (185 developers, 5 thanks) · View all

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 69% (based on 46 ratings)

Players

Average score: 2.6 out of 5 (based on 47 ratings with 4 reviews)

Disappointing for fans of the original, but not a bad game.

The Good
Devil May Cry 2 is an action game. Unfortunately, action is all this game has to offer. But the good news is, the action really is great. Whether you play as Dante or Lucia, you will use, interchangeably, a long range and a short range weapon. Both the long range and short range weapons offer you an assortment of special moves and acrobatics. You can shoot in two directions at once, run on walls, and double jump your way to victory. Not to mention the Devil Trigger. They updated it for DMC2, and it really paid off. Not only does it look a whole lot cooler, but you can collect different "Devil Hearts", which allow you to do even more in DT mode, like elemental attacks and flying. And if you are interested, there are harder difficulty modes after you beat it on normal, and unlockables for beating each difficulty level. There is also a new feature called "Bloody Palace" where you just fight in a room level by level.

The Bad
Like I said, action is all this game has to offer. Fans of the original know that the first didn't exactly have an award winning story, and the second made no attempt at improving this. In fact, the story was a lot worse. The thing that really bothered me the most, though, was that they changed Dante completely. He looks different, talks different, and has a completely different personality. I felt like I was playing as Dante's wannabe twin brother, and it pained be on the inside every time I heard him talk. And then there's Lucia. I still don't even know what her purpose was in the game. I mean, it was fun to play as her for a change, but I don't know why she was there. Aside from the characters, boss battles are incredibly predictable and boring. I found myself doing the same exact thing in most of the boss battles. Most of the time it consisted of jumping ad shooting...continuously. Boss battles really lacked compared to the regular fighting.

The Bottom Line
I'd have to say that this is just a good mindless hack-n-slash for someone who needs a good dose of demon slaying. If you are a fan of the original, don't expect anything nearly as good, and for everyone else, pick it up if you like this kind of game and can find it on sale.

PlayStation 2 · by DarkDove (63) · 2003

Player Never Cries

The Good
You could cry out of happiness for seeing two DVDs the moment you open your case, but otherwise, this game doesn't give you a reason to. I dunno what happened to Trish (pitty, 'cos I'd like to know), but Dante got a new partner, another so called... demonic creation, and what else is new, it's a "she" again. Not a blonde anymore (huh, was Trish blonde, anyway?), a redhead, got some gutsy moves she can perform, but even her toughest trick isn't enough to compete with Dante. Luckily, the two of them are on the same side, and you play through the entire game as either Dante or Lucia, although, the real order of things is to first play as Dante, and then as Lucia, I believe.

Playing two characters across the same game would be boring and repetitive, and definitely a no-no for people like me who don't like replaying same games. Luckily, Capcom has a major degree in making character stories a fine crossover of events, and thus you will visit different places (or same ones but at different time), fight different battles and see the cutscenes from both sides of the story.

The moves are simply one step ahead of every other game at the time, including the original Devil May Cry. You can now run on the walls both vertically and horizontally, you can double-jump with or without bouncing, and you'll be doing all that at the same speed as the original game let you, and that game was smooth on every means possible. And just when you thought graphic can't go any better, you're about to get shocked, twice.

Trifling with your enemies is yet another state of the art, both visually and painfully. To every its own, pain for them and visuals to you. Hordes of minions will now pour on every side, and what you thought is a lot in DMC, in DMC2 is just a warm-up. It is great how you can virtually lift your enemy in the air if you shoot fast enough at him. And the finest thing of shooting while in the air is still here, you slow down the fall by your own shooting. And to make this game one huge step ahead of its predecessor, there's no green slimy thing to fight, and all the other boss fights are easier than any in the original game.

The Bad
Puzzles are easy, battles are neat, visuals are great, everything runs fast, but one thing does hold it in the process... the story. It isn't worth a dime, and if you compare it to the prequel, you may get a feeling like the original DMC had truely marvelous story, so go figure, it's that big a difference. This seems like a story without meaning, or perhaps with one... to keep the game from falling apart into the range of mindless Id's and other shooters which I am even afraid to name.

Music isn't bad at all, it fits quite nicely, but isn't something that would require a soundtrack, music was better in the first game, imho.

The Bottom Line
Bigger! Better!! Meaner!!! And it's a must if you're either hardcore quick-action, Capcom, or DMC sympathizer.

PlayStation 2 · by MAT (240518) · 2012

Stylish yet Dull

The Good
This might be a weird thing to point out as something deserving praise rather than an obvious requirement, but the discourse around Devil May Cry 2 is so broken and filled with mindless hate that it might need to be said: this game works. The controls are responsive, the hitboxes are precise, the combat plays out as intended by the developers, there are no major glitches or game-breaking bugs. And at the very core, this is still a Devil May Cry game, with the series' trademark combination of melee and ranged weapons, stylish acrobatic movements, varied enemy types to fight, and a dark visual style.

An element that may seem like a minor addition at first but turns out to be DMC 2's centerpiece as you go on is the ability to roll. The game still places a heavy emphasis on vertical movement, with Dante getting even more air time while firing guns than in DMC 1 and Lucia being even more acrobatic than him, but its motto could very well be the Limp Bizkit quote: "keep rollin', rollin', rollin'". Since DMC 2, as opposed to the first game, mostly takes place in open areas or really large rooms, and the character's (especially Dante's) attacks push enemies back quite a bit, the game requires you to be constantly on the move to keep your stylish combo going. There are also some enemies and bosses, such as the Abyss Goat or Bolverk, who will require you to dodge their attacks by - you guessed it - rolling. And by itself, this is a pretty good gimmick - designing the combat around quick reactions and fast movements adds even more intensity and excitement to the already fast-paced combat from the first game, providing a great core for the experience to build upon.

The Bad
Unfortunately, another change to the combat system made to improve the gameplay's flow and intensity was significantly worse. Devil May Cry 2 gets rid of separate fighting styles stemming from the first game's electric sword Alastor and fiery gauntlet Ifrit along with their distinct movesets, instead providing the player with a much more basic choice of a regular sword, a strong heavy sword, and a long lighter sword. Instead of spending your Red Orbs on specific moves that allow for more variety in your playstyle, you use them to simply level up your swords and guns, with no distinct perks and abilities. An attempt to provide some variety was made through the amulet system, which allows you to customize and adapt your Devil Trigger perks, but it's pretty barebones and nowhere as integral to the game as Alastor and Ifrit were before.

Another limitation in DMC 2's combat is its targeting system. Dante and Lucia always lock on to a specific enemy (not only when you press the lock on button), which makes quickly reacting to the situation on the battlefield more difficult. While some people might have found the more freeform movements in the first game somewhat inaccurate, they were undeniably better than an arbitrary lock on system that actively fights you.

Possibly the biggest disappointment of Devil May Cry 2 in relation to its predecessor is its approach to bosses. Even though they still have some interesting visual designs, the battles aren't anywhere as creative as in the first game, and - with some exceptions like the intense sword fight against Bolverk or the exciting return of the cute arachnid Phantom - they're often limited to shooting your guns at the enemy while avoiding its highly repetitive attacks. And while most boss encounters aren't as bad as the absolute slog of a fight against Trismagia, they are definitely the most underwhelming aspect of DMC 2.

A minor mistake that still takes away from the experience is that while rolling helps pacing and mobility during fights, Dante is still pretty slow when simply traversing the levels. It feels as if some areas, especially in the town streets, were designed for Lucia's speed and used for Dante's missions without adapting them to his movement at all. It's not a major problem, but it makes the game feel more awkward to play than it would have otherwise and could have easily been avoided with more playtesting.

The Bottom Line
Devil May Cry 2 is an uneven yet overall decent experience that can be really fun once it clicks, but never reaches its potential and becomes especially bland and underwhelming during most boss fights. 6/10

[based on the PC port in the HD Collection]

PlayStation 2 · by Pegarange (282) · 2023

[ View all 4 player reviews ]

Trivia

Diesel

Capcom had a marketing tie-in with the Diesel clothing company and as a result the game contains unlockable Diesel-designed clothing for both Dante and Lucia. Also, the game was promoted in Diesel's boutiques in Japan.

Ouroboros

The word "Ouroboros" is written on the side of Arius' helicopter. Ouroboros is the symbolization of concepts such as completion, perfection and totality, the endless round of existence, etc.

Sales

According to publisher Capcom, Devil May Cry 2 has sold 1.7 million copies worldwide since its initial release (as of June 30, 2016).

Information also contributed by ALAKA

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by JPaterson.

Nintendo Switch added by Kam1Kaz3NL77.

Additional contributors: MAT, Unicorn Lynx, Corn Popper, Tiago Jacques, DreinIX, erbaltan, CalaisianMindthief, Patrick Bregger, Rik Hideto.

Game added February 23, 2003. Last modified January 30, 2024.