An interview with Tsuyoshi Tanaka of Capcom's Production Studio 1 by Computer and Video Games.com.

With a Euro release beckoning, we head into the underworld to speak with Devil May Cry 2 producer, Tsuyoshi Tanaka, about his massive PS2 action title

Devil May Cry was an instant and deserved success when it first released on PS2. With jaw-dropping visuals, great imagination, a brilliant combat system and a truly great hero, it received across-the-board praise and to this day is still one of the finest action games on the system.
This naturally creates immense pressure on the team responsible for the sequel, headed by new producer Tsuyoshi Tanaka of Capcom's Production Studio 1. But with a brand new playable character, all-new moves and a massive new adventure, the team has certainly come out all-guns blazing.

And in anticipation of the European launch, we were fortunate enough to sit down with Tanaka-san to get a deeper insight into this massive project. Translation assistance was provide by general manager of new business division, Yosuke Yoneda.

Devil May Cry is a game that received universal praise. When you came to create the sequel what did you originally have in mind, in terms of what you wanted to keep/change?

Tanaka: We had to ensure that it is still "stylish-hard action" and we had to make sure to keep Dante's personality cool. This time there is also a second character called Lucia, and the player can choose to start as her.

These two points are obvious, but to enhance the way Dante moves and how stylish he is, we had to think very hard and come up with many things to add to the character. For example, Dante can now shoot in different directions at the same time, or run up walls.

As far as we were concerned, Devil May Cry was very difficult to play. We found that some people would only get so far and then stop playing. It doesn't mean we wanted to make an easy game, but we wanted to make one that anybody can get into easily.

We have three general modes: Normal, Hard and Dante Master Mode. Hard mode is almost the same as DMC's Normal mode. Hard is unlocked by clearing Normal. Clear Hard and then you get Dante Master.

Why did you include Lucia instead of just focusing on Dante, who is already a great lead character? It seems a very Resident Evil thing to do...

Tanaka: Basically, the character designer came up with the idea. If you look at the Resident Evil situation with hero and heroine, they fit very obvious Western stereotypes. This particular character designer wanted to make a hero embracing many different cultures in one. That kind of thinking generated Lucia.

Do you see a future for Lucia beyond DMC2? Perhaps in her own game?

Tanaka: That isn't easy to answer. Capcom is famous for making very nice characters one after the other, therefore there is no particular plans for this character right now.

Maybe she'll crop up in Capcom Fighting All-Stars...

Tanaka: [laughs] If I make a fighting game she would be good, as she's a great fighter! She has many combos on DMC2, so it's almost like she's in a beat-'em-up already. That makes sense, yes, but there are no plans.

The game has received a rather mixed reaction from the US and Japanese press so far - what's your reaction to this?

Tanaka: It's the same situation in Japan as the US. People who think that Devil May Cry 2 should be exactly like the original are saying it's bad; whereas people who like games in general are saying this is good.

Everyday we receive mail from users from the US and Japan. Some have said it's a really nice game; others have said it's just not Devil May Cry.

So the people who don't like it are just resistant to change?

Tanaka: You can look at it from a technical point of view. In the game Dante has a sword. In the original DMC, the movement was a very simple movement from top to bottom. In DMC2, the same move covers an arc, which means you can hit maybe three or four enemies at the same time.

Speaking of which, the new moves are fantastic and ultimately cool - what gave you the idea for them?

Tanaka: Basically, what my team felt they were unable to do from playing the first game, we've added to the sequel - that's where the moves stemmed from.

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