Back for a second round of kicking Evil’s butt, Devil May Cry 2 tries yet fails to recapture the ingenuity of the original game.
Capcom released the continuation of last year’s hit title, Devil May Cry, for the PlayStation 2 early this year.
The main character is Dante, a half-demon, half-man that, according to Capcom’s Web site, www.capcom.com, sports a “trash-talking attitude and rock star good looks.”
Dante is a devil hunter and descendant of the legendary demon knight, Sparda. He owns a private detective agency that specializes in killing demons. Joining Dante’s quest is Lucia, the protector of the island who is being exploited by Arius’ corporation.
Although the plot for the first game was filled with loopholes and ambiguity, the second game doesn’t seem to have a story. However, the player is given some information — he is out to destroy Arius, a leader of an international corporation who intends to become a god. There is a brief enigmatic statement at the beginning of each mission, but they do not forward the plot.
“It was fun, but it just boring after a while,” said Lucas Matthews, a kinesiology sophomore. “I was just fighting demon after demon, and the story just didn’t go anywhere.”
Players are forced to do battle with hordes of demons to purchase new abilities for their character. The demons get monotonous after the first few missions. In the beginning the demons look relatively decent, but as the game continues, new demons do not really appear. The new demons are just the old demons with a new name, some more health, and possibly a new ability. They are a far cry from the ingenuity of the demons from Devil May Cry.
The main problem with the first Devil May Cry was the play control. This problem is not solved in the second game. Although characters now can run up walls and perform some other impressive acrobatics, the play control still leaves characters feeling a bit clumsy.
The bosses for this game are either incredibly cheap or incredibly easy. Players either will become horribly frustrated at the boss and throw down their controllers in disgust or wonder exactly why this character was chosen to be a boss.
The game’s main drawback besides a lack of plot is the brevity. An experienced player can beat the game in a sitting of about eight or nine hours. This would make the price of $49.95 seem a bit much, especially with little to no replay value for the gamer. This game should be beaten once, then returned to the shelf.
The game’s main selling point is that it’s fun. The designers did a nice job with the backgrounds for the rooms, and the characters have fluid and natural movements.
“It’s a fun game. It’s not worth buying, but it’s definitely worth a rent,” said Francis O’Connor, a psychology senior.
Without any real sense of innovation from the original, Devil May Cry 2 is merely a short continuation of Devil May Cry. For fans of the original, this might be a game to pick up or to leave at the store.