This sequel to Shinji Mikami's popular gothic action title, which sold enough copies to garner "Greatest Hits" immortality, expands upon the original Devil May Cry by letting players control two different characters. Dante makes a return engagement (though he's less talkative) and there's a new character named Lucia, who is faster than Dante and just as cool and fun to control. Also expanded are the environments, which offer larger areas to explore. Battle arenas are less confined, and less intense.

The first PS2 title to ship on two discs, Devil May Cry 2 contains two separate, but very similar adventures. Regardless of whether you select Disc One (which is Dante's) or Disc Two (which belongs to Lucia), the hacking, slashing, shoot-'em-up action is roughly the same. Lucia is given a couple of new-to-the-series underwater levels (which are frankly quite dull), the boss at the end of the game is unique to each adventure, and there are certain other, more subtle differences, including a few slightly altered missions. Still, there's a lot of repetition involved in completing both discs, especially in terms of level design, enemies, and basic objectives.

The most disappointing aspect of DMC2 is its lack of difficulty, especially when compared to the original game, which was challenging in terms of both action and puzzle-solving. Unlike the bosses in the first Devil May Cry, which required strategy (they had specific weak points) as well as agility (they were quick and tough to defeat), the pushovers in this game can usually be defeated by simply hopping around in safe areas while using the targeting system (which is now visible, by the way) to volley off round after round of shots until the enemy dies.

The puzzles in this game are obvious, and there are a number of wasted opportunities throughout the levels, such as the potentially interesting station room in the third mission, where all you have to do is grab a key. The weapons system has been dumbed down as well. In DMC, players could purchase different weapons (such as a grenade gun and flame gauntlets) and it was sometimes crucial to equip your character with the proper weapon against a specific enemy. Here, however, the standard-issue weapons usually suffice. (By the way, what happened to Dante's story-crucial "Sparda" sword from the original game?)

Although both lead characters are smoothly animated, have super cool weapons and moves, and look fantastic, much of the action consists of the following: wander around, collect a few orbs, fight some easy-to-kill bad guys, open a few doors, collect some more orbs, fight more easy-to-kill bad guys, wander around some more, then bingo -- end of mission. Dante's new abilities (such as double jumps and two-fisted gun fighting) are great, and Lucia's prodigious talents are fun to exploit, but the characters' powerful moves are not used to full effect since the enemies are so simple to dispatch.

Despite these observations, Devil May Cry 2 is not a bad game overall -- it simply pales in comparison to its predecessor. It makes few leaps forward in terms of originality or depth. There are certain improvements: firing no longer requires holding down an additional button, demon power will sometimes let you fly, and the new character and the new moves are awesome. Also, the controls are as slick and as tight as ever. This game is certainly worth a rental. However, the expanded areas, the lack of creatively designed missions, and the confounding ease of play may leave the devil laughing, and fans of the original game crying for more. ~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide

The expansive outdoor areas in DMC2 are less interesting than the more atmospheric castle from DMC, but the animation is smooth, the character models are great, and the texturing and graphical detail is above average (though lacking when compared to Rygar). The camera frequently seems further away than in the original game (probably in an attempt to de-confuse the battles), but the larger battle arenas and stubborn camera angles will nevertheless cause gamers to sometimes fire at unseen enemies and shake their heads in frustration at the fixed perspectives. ~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide

Dante's wisecracking nature from DMC has, disappointingly, been toned down, the rock music during the fight scenes is depressingly generic (as in any number of nondescript racing games), and the sound effects could use more variety. ~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide

This game is enjoyable to a degree the first couple of times through, but it could have been much better, especially considering its progenitor. The design team is different, but they should have aped the first game's strategies and tactics in terms of enemy battles and level configuration. ~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide

Beating the game with both characters unlocks a mindless, 700-plus-level bash-athon and a harder difficulty level, but the standard missions are too easy to accomplish (even on the harder skill level) and the bosses are pushovers. ~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide