1.5/5 ★ – Vienough's review of Devil May Cry 2.

Compared to its predecessor, Devil May Cry 2 has received a wide number of criticism and complaints: “Poor gameplay” “Terrible game design” “Tedious battles” “Terrible story” etc etc Currently being at Mission 12, these criticisms are not exaggerated, because Devil May Cry 2 really does have these problems. Even though DMC’s story has never really been the series’ charm, it’s gotta make up with its gameplay, right? Haha- Nope. What made the first Devil May Cry fun time play was that I was able to fair, yet stylish combos: I could perform different types of combo strings, bring my enemy to the air and use my handguns to keep them midair to keep up my combat flow, and so on. Devil May Cry 2 took a huge step down: -There’s only one combo string that’s borderline repetitive. -There’s no variety in weapons. -Guns do as much damage as the sword. The third problem is what made this game insanely tedious: its guns. I never had to pop up my enemies midair with my sword anymore, I’d just have to shoot my guns, and they’re already off the ground. I’ve already faced 2 bosses that are near-Guns exclusive: the infested helicopter, and Nefasturris. There was very little time for me to use my sword, the only time I was able to remotely use it was by popping my Devil Trigger. With the overuse of these guns and very little combo potential, this game loses plenty of credibility as a title in the HACK N’ SLASH Action Genre. Like its predecessor, Platforming acts as a genre to Devil May Cry 2; UNlike its predecessor, somehow DMC2 made the platforming even worse, and I haven’t even approached a mission where there were moving platforms. One of the additions DMC2 offered was the dodge button, and pressing this dodge button on a wall or something allows a short amount of running. However, this is probably the most redundant and frustrating mechanics in the game and makes the platforming real mind-numbing. Even with a game as terribly developed, I’d be lying if I didn’t say there were slight positives: >Devil Trigger- As broken as it is, the design was improved, and allows customization, which adds variety to Devil Trigger. >Dante’s Rebellion- Ever since this title, Dante has always kept this sword as his signature weapon, however, it wasn’t wasn’t given weight until Devil May Cry 3, as this game just considers it as his standard sword. >Slight satisfaction- I can’t deny that I had a little enjoyment with the gunplay, it may have been DMC2’s bane, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t have a little fun, especially with the introduction of weapon swapping mid-combat, which then became a staple of the Devil May Cry series. Conclusion: I’d say, to an extent, at least playable, but grows to be tedious and feels too much like a chore as you progress in early game. The change in Devs and Kamiya being unaware of this game’s Development was a huge mistake on Capcom’s part, and they greatly took this to heart as it was presented within the next title. Final Rating: 1.5 stars.