Ever since I saw the Japanese import of Devil May Cry years ago at a friend's place, I wanted to play it.  I patiently waited for the American version to drop in price, picked it up, and completely failed to get into it.  I never understood why I couldn't click with it.  Every time I tried to play it something just didn't feel right, and I'd inevitably put it down.  I knew it was a quality game, and intended to play through it at some point, and even picked up DMC2 at a Toys R Us clearance sale for $10, despite the hate hurled at it by the community at large.

When DMC 3 SE came out, I picked that up, too, and determined to finally sit down and play through DMC, then the sequels.  It was then that I finally realized why I didn't like playing DMC: the jump was wrong.  When I played the import of DMC at Baroque's, the jump button was properly set to X.  In the US version, it's Triangle.  This is, quite plainly, a stupid place to put the jump button. 

I've already decried the lack of button-edit functions in many current games, and DMC is a prime example.  I could switch between configurations A and B, which basically just swapped the shoot and slash functions, but I wasn't allowed to put jump where it should be.  Basically, the localization process consisted of taking an excellent game and hopelessly breaking it.  I mean, the jump button has only been in the equivalent place on controllers since, oh... always.  While interacting a lot with the Square button (generally the primary attack button), the X button (jump) can be pressed by rolling your thumb onto it, so you can jump at will during an intense fight.  That's just how it's done in video games, and it's done that way because it works.  If some developer wants to do something stupid with the controls, that's fine, as long as they let us unbreak it.  ICO and Shadow of the Colossus put jump on Triangle, too, but at least they let me put it back where it belongs.

So I played through Baroque's Japanese copy, with the jump button where it belongs.  Then I started playing my copy of DMC2, which thankfully has its jump in the right place.  I do wish you could put slash on Square and shoot on Triangle, but I can work with it.  So far I've gone through Hard mode with Dante and am working my through Hard with Lucia, and I really don't understand all the derision DMC2 has received.

Admittedly, the original had much more atmosphere, better settings, and more attitude from the Dante.  DMC2 plays great, though, and looks damn good.  I preferred the awesome gothic sets of DMC to DMC2's cityscapes and skyscrapers, but those city streets still look great.  There is an indefinable quality about the game that led me to ask if it had been developed by Capcom of Europe... somehow, something about the game gives me that impression.  Europeans will probably think I'm insulting them, given DMC2's bad reputation, but that's not the case at all since I really like DMC2.

I'm still trying to understand why DMC2 is so hated.  The main complaints I picked out of Gamespot's review, for example, were that you could go the whole game without trying anything fancy, you didn't need to use the alternate weapons, and the settings were uninspired.  I'll concede the level design.  It's true, too, that you don't have to use the shotgun or the rocket launcher.  Dante can kick ample amounts of ass with his handguns, but you have other options to keep things interesting.  Just like you can go through the game without worrying about your style rating, but then you're missing the point. 

It's like taking a shortcut on a sightseeing hike--you'll get to the end just the same, but you'll miss the whole reason you were out there.  If you're playing DMC for the story elements, you're playing for the wrong reason.  The game is about decimating your enemies in as cool a way as possible, and just has a story thrown in as a framework for the action to rest on.  You get more orbs the higher your style rating is, and can power up your weapons, health, and Devil Trigger with them, but why you really do it is because it's fun.  At least, for me it is.

I'm not sure if I'm going to do Dante and Lucia Must Die or not, but when I'm done with DMC2, I have my shiny copy of DMC3 SE waiting for me.  I understand that it has a full-fledged button-edit mode (at last!), and feels more like the first game, so I'm hoping it will be my favorite of the three.