Dante doesn’t have much to deal with this time. He finds out early on that a demon named Arius is planning to take over the world. A more modern twist to the story is that Arius is the head of a public corporation (it could happen). Dante sets out with a new mysterious partner, Lucia, who joins with him to take on Arius.

Devil May Cry 2 is mission-based, like the first. Each mission doesn’t have a particular objective to further the story, but more involve simple tasks to get Dante from one part of the level to another. Missions involve platform jumping, searching, defeating bosses, or defeating all the enemies in the area.

Dante has some pretty slick new moves he can pull off in DMC2. He can now double jump, run along walls, jump and fire straight down, and roll out of harms way. All of the moves make him look like a complete bad ass when he’s fighting and adds to the flair of the original. Control is just as tight as the first, so pulling off every move is as smooth as silk.

The best part about Devil May Cry was the combat. The worst part about Devil May Cry 2 is the combat. There problems are two-fold. First, the new team behind DMC2 took away the combo system that varied Dante’s sword attacks. Different combos could be pulled off in DMC depending on timed button presses. Players could also upgrade their hand-to-hand combat by purchasing new moves – not the case in DMC2. There are no variations that can be added to Dante’s hand-to-hand arsenal to make swordplay lack any real depth. You can upgrade your sword or weapon, but it doesn’t alter the way you fight or your attack moves. Second, the enemies themselves are uninspired, and just plain dumb.

Dante may have an awesome assortment of acrobatics this time around, but he can save them for the 2004 Olympics. From birds to skeletons to infested tanks and helicopters, the enemies lack any quick movement and can be stunned by every gunshot. You can pretty much beat every enemy by firing non-stop through the entire game. There is nothing that comes close to the spectacular spider fight, the speedy cougar battle, or intense demon fights of the first. The spider does make a return from the first but now he’s slow and doesn’t hold up well against a rocket launcher.

The visuals are a mixed bag. DMC2 has very well done character models, all very solid with detailed clothing and super-gelled hair. Dante looks cooler than ever and partner Lucia holds her own with stylish twist moves and knife throwing. The devil models still look hot with flame and blur effects. However, the levels themselves are quite inanimate and bland. The textures can be very plain and rarely reach the level of the first. The hard rock music is back and perfect during battles. Outside of that there are some orchestral moments, but nothing major.

The camera doesn’t work all that well. The camera angles are pre-set and most of the time they'll be facing your character, blinding you from what’s ahead. Nor will the camera adjust for all battles to show a view of you and the enemy. Half the time you won’t see what you’re shooting at. Plus, the auto-aim feature can take you away from your desired target. There’s no way to cycle through targets, only not auto-aim, making things more difficult than they need to be.

Devil May Cry 2 is a major disappointment. The game does come with two discs to play as either Dante or Lucia, but both go through most of the same levels with minor variants. No matter which disc you try you’ll be stuck with the same gameplay, and it grows tiresome after a few missions. Dante in a fresh setting and under different direction could have worked well, but the team didn’t think past the cool factor on this one.