Devil May Cry is one of the most challenging and entertaining hardcore action experiences you can get for the PS2.
Devil May Cry is an action/adventure title with a great emphasis on action. If there's one thing you'll be doing a majority of the time is fighting tons of enemies in 23 different missions (plus a few secret missions). Whatever time isn't spent on fighting is spent on solving minor puzzles. The combat is a mixture of hack-and-slash swordplay and gunplay. Throughout the course of your journey you'll come across a variety of great swords and guns. Each of these weapons are quite useful against certain enemies. With the swordplay, you perform a variety of combos to gain a bigger chain which can improve your overall ranking at the end of each mission. With your guns, you automatically lock-on to enemies and you have unlimited ammo. You will need to combine the two styles in order to increase your stylish rank, which adds to your overall score at the end of each mission. The combination of the sword and gun gameplay is executed very well and action is very fast paced and exciting throughout the game. Along with these weapons come special abilities called "Devil Triggers". With the press of a button you can transform into a powerful demon, being able to pull off faster, more powerful attacks, but they don't last too long so use it ate the proper moments. In terms of controls, they are pretty good for the most part, though the control scheme takes some getting used to.
The enemies you encounter and breakable objects carry various orbs. Red orbs are the most common you will get. These act as the game's currency and are even needed to unlock certain areas. There are green orbs that replenish your health, blue orbs and fragments that increase your health, purple orbs for your magic, and yellow orbs that act as extra lives. At the end of each mission you are given a ranking. The rankings range from D, the lowest, to S, the highest. Your overall rank depends on how long it took to complete a mission, how many red orbs you obtain, and how many combos you can pull off.
Despite it not being a Resident Evil title, there are still a couple of similarities in tact. One of which is the fixed camera. Like Resident Evil before it, each time you enter a new section of a room the camera automatically switches positions. This can be a problem at times since the perspective changes the direction you will be moving, causing you to juggle the controls to suit the newly adjusted angle of the screen. It can also be bothersome with certain platforming sections and boss battles. The next similarity is the puzzle elements. You'll need to examine different parts of the environment in order to activate certain sections and collect clues and items. The puzzles aren't brain taxing so they shouldn't be a problem.
Now of course there is the difficulty. When you start a new game you begin on the normal difficulty, which is hard enough on its own. Once you complete the first mission you are given the opportunity to change to the easy difficulty. If you're new to the series, try the game out on easy first. It may say "Easy", but it can feel about right for most newcomers. Now if you're really up to it you can unlock a harder difficulty. Just be prepared to get your ass kicked more than once. Even so, the game won't take you very long to beat. First time players will clock in at around 6 hours to beat depending on how good you are.
Graphically this is still one of the finest looking games on the PS2, even for being one of the very early titles. The game has a unique Gothic styled atmosphere that's very dark, gritty, and well detailed. The character models look exceptional and animate ever well, especially the variety of enemy designs. Musically it's not too bad, though I feel it's not the game's strongest point. The music ranges from haunting orchestral to heavy metal, and they suit the game pretty well. The voice acting isn't too bad either.
To sum things up:
PROS:
-Some of the finest graphics on the system
-Satisfying combat
-Good controls overall
-Great weapons and powers
-Great character designs and animations
-Good music and voice acting
-Challenging
-Pretty good story
CONS:
-Fixed camera can be bothersome
-Characters could be a little more fleshed out
-Short game
If you have never gotten an opportunity to play any of the games in the series and you still have a PS2, do yourself a favor and get this game. The game is hard, but you'll quickly learn the ropes and master the game before you know it. It is certainly one of Capcoms' best series.