Well, not really. DMC2's plot is pretty basic, the evil you slayed in the original is back for more, this time being helped on its way by Arius, the President of some International Corporation. You can choose to play as Dante (obviously) or his new comrade, a fiery redhead named Lucia. The path you take through the game is relatively similar for both characters, though not identical, which adds a bit of replay value to an otherwise short game. Gameplay wise, Dante and Lucia aren't hugely different - They have some neat individual animations and equipment but other than that there doesn't seem to be any real reason to choose one over the other.

   

The 'Devil Trigger' mode was a feature of the original that was cruelly unexploited - and even when you did use it the effect was mostly visual and not particularly helpful in the midst of the action. DMC2's Devil Trigger gauge is easier to fill and aswell as looking awesome it has a genuine function aswell. During your quest you come across 'Hearts' - these handy items fit into your Amulet and improve or add elements such as the ability to fly or run faster to your Devil Trigger mode. This makes the odd bit of exploration vital, although the abilities you'll need to advance through the levels are usually in incredibly obvious places.

One thing I had hoped Capcom would have solved for this sequel is the dodgy camera, fighting enemies you can't see and running in the wrong direction because a quick perspective switch has confused you is no fun, and unfortunately this is still a problem in DMC2. Also, there are times when you'll feel like you've explored an area and you wont have the slightest idea what to do next, the objectives are frustratingly vague and the map is next to useless, so on occasions I found myself wandering around for hours looking for a door I didn't know was there. On top of that, the numerous boss battles you're thrown into are mostly unfriendly, with no hints towards weak points and constantly respawning demon scum. Without a guide a great deal of these battles will only be won by trial and error, so if you don't like replaying sections of levels then this game probably isn't for you.

   

One of the original's strong points was certainly the quality of its graphics, and the sequel doesn't disappoint - DMC2 looks fabulous, the flow of the action and the level of detail on the characters and enemies is simply spectacular. The excellence of the motion-capture and solid collision detection means new abilities like running up walls and cartwheeling to avoid attacks all look as good as something out of The Matrix, and hitting an enemy into the air with your sword and blowing it away with your Shotgun is one of the most satisfying things you can do in any game, nuff' said.

I had high hopes for Devil May Cry 2, I enjoyed the original more than I expected to and the sequel promised a lot but didn't deliver. The new character wasn't necessarily a bad idea, but she reminded me a lot of Raiden from MGS2, an invasion of the main man's space. A few new weapons and moves, some tall buildings and bigger bosses really don't do enough to make DMC2 a decent sequel, there were some stupid problems with the original that really needed to be sorted if the second instalment was going to be a classic and Capcom overlooked them. It's not bad, not bad at all, and if you liked the original then I'm sure you'll love every minute of it, but it could've been so much better.