Though it might seem confusing, DMC 2 has you doing a lot of what you did in the first installment. Kill the demon, in this case, a ruthless industrial tycoon (how original) named Arius. Arius is turning the world into a demon paradise by using his “demon powers”, so says an old lady Matier. So you being Dante, let fate decide and flip your coin. Luckily for us, it lands on heads and Dante, with help from his companion Lucia, get to go crack some demon skulls.

Remember that the reason the first DMC was so successful was because it gave action gamers exactly what they wanted; action and lots of it. DMC 2 gives you the same, but reluctantly it might have been its Achilles heel. In DMC 2 Capcom proceeds to just give us gamers some new moves, which are phenomenal and breathtaking, but the lack of story, and the repetitiveness might wear you down. It worked so well in DMC because it was something new and fresh, but in DMC 2 we want more, we thirst for something else. Sure we’re given another playable character, which is good and all, but I was happy with just being Dante and slashing my way through missions.

The cut scenes do very little to bring a substandard story together. Yes, this might be an action game, or a “button masher”, but if you’re going to create games now you’re going to need more to hook this gamer in. It was almost as if Capcom said, “They’ll be happy with just killing things” and seems almost evident when you follow through the game. I’m not asking for a War in Peace novel, but at least let me know what’s going on.

One thing done somewhat better is the camera angles. The camera isn’t fixed and moves accordingly to where you are in-game. There are times when you’ll find yourself behind a wall but for the most part it gets the job done. Another addition is the lock on targeting system. I can’t say I’m a big fan of this and wished they stuck with the system in DMC. Basically the target system automatically locks onto incoming targets, which is good when you’re blasting enemies in the air one after another, but hurts when you’re trying to put together a combo and switch to another opponent. There is a way to keep the "locked on enemy" fixed but throughout the game I had trouble accomplishing this.

Now I know it seems like I’m trashing this game to no end, but I did enjoy time playing and beating DMC 2. As I said before Capcom did a great job in creating Dante in DMC and an even better job as keeping his attitude, look, feel, and style in DMC 2. Playing as Dante will make you feel invincible. Running up along walls, double jumping and coming down like a swarm of locust onto your enemy is to much fun it should be outlawed. Watching him blast away at one enemy, then reach behind and shoot at another is like watching a John Woo movie. He is in a league of his own and enemy after enemy will fall, and the only bad thing is that it’s pretty much what you do the whole game. With the addition of the second character Lucia you won’t get a whole exciting new game, but you will get a quicker and faster character, with some different cut-scenes. If you’re a hardcore action junky then this is right up your alley. With two characters both at your disposal, and 15+ missions you’ll spend some time trying to beat each level and unlocking all of the secrets.

The first difference that you’ll notice in DMC 2 is the environments. The game takes place in what can be described as a ruined rural city and other times an industrial plant. Bigger locations, but not overwhelming, to fight in await you in this sequel which is a well-done edition. One of the more notable differences is the first few missions which have you jumping from house to house. One problem however, that might trouble some gamers is that it’s tough to tell where to go. The doors sometimes blend in or just aren’t supposed to lead you anywhere. In other words, they’re just for show.

The locations are good, but I don’t think that’s what we’re here for. Dante still has his style, and in DMC 2 style is everything. He sports his very devilish looking trench coat. The one thing Capcom did really well in DMC was to establish Dante’s look. It’s good to see that it only got better in DMC 2 not to mention the hordes of baddies that you’ll encounter. You’ll be taking on all sorts of beings from another dimension. From skeletons with hacksaws, to spiders, to possessed tanks. It can seem pretty weird sometimes, but Capcom doesn’t hold back and manages to throw some pretty hefty bosses your way.

There are also some nice little touches added in DMC2. Turning into a devil and striking lightning to your opponent, or seeing the shells of your bullets fling out of your hand guns add to the excitement and the fast paced action. Capcom delivers an overall creepy and demonic portrayal throughout the game is also established from the start and will keep you content throughout the game.

Various types of music surround DMC 2. You’ll hear hard rock during your battles with Dante and techno with your battles playing as Lucia. During your exploration you’ll notice a nice ambiance of eerie and an almost holy-like surrounding during parts of the game. Keeping with the theme of hard-ass/devilish style Capcom puts the sounds and music in the right spots. The music might be used a little too much during fighting sequences. Granted though, you do fight a whole lot.

As far as voice acting is concerned, you have your typical, run of the mill acting. It goes back to the whole game not being put together as a story, but just hack and slash. Though I have to say one of my now favorite lines of all time is “King… here’s your crown”

With an action game you’re going to be jumping, dodging, shooting, slashing and every other thing imaginable. The last thing you want is a cluttered screen that annoys you to no end. Don’t worry though, the only thing you’ll have to watch is your health bar and devil trigger.

The fact that there isn’t widescreen support or Dolby Digital sound is a let down, because it would have been nice to listen to the DMC 2 soundtrack and the gun blasts wiz by your ear. Not much in the instructional booklet either, but being an action game there wasn’t much to tell now was there?

Maybe I was just fooling myself. Perhaps I was duped into thinking DMC 2 would be more than just a hack and slash button masher. So maybe I should blame myself? By no means is DMC 2 a bad game and some people are really going to love playing it over and over again. I love action just as much as the next testosterone junky, but sometimes it just might be overkill and you have to pull the plug. It was fun while it lasted, but I probably won’t be playing it for awhile, not until I can at least forget the engrossing story (add sarcasm here). Bottom line, action gamers will rejoice and other gamers shouldn’t at least give this a rent. You owe it to yourself to see Dante run up walls at least one time.