developers. Per Ikeno, the collaboration happened via Tanaka, who was an ex-Diesel employee: "People on both sides talked at the time and felt that DMC 2 and Diesel's visual styles would work well together and could be quite appealing to the casual audience". Three costumes (one for Dante, two for Lucia) made of pieces from Diesel's 2002 Autumn/Winter collection—which were almost entirely sold out by the point the game came out— and a belt designed by Team Devil's visual staff, were featured as unlockables for players. Devil May Cry 2 posters and kiosks showcasing a demo and trailer were placed in Diesel stores across Japan. In Japan, a charm bracelet with a detachable steel miniature of Dante's sword Rebellion was distributed in a first come first served basis to people who preordered Devil May Cry 2 through participating retailers. The South Korea-exclusive limited edition contained both the bracelet and a black blouson emblazoned with the game's logo. One year after the game's release, Dante—sporting the design and some of the personality he has in Devil May Cry 2—was featured as a boss and summonable ally in the Atlus RPG Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Maniax. He is also available in Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster by purchashing the "Maniax Pack" downloadable content. Initially, Capcom was very reluctant to release an officially sanctioned soundtrack for Devil May Cry 2. After a test period during which Capcom sought 1,000 pre-orders as a proof of demand, the Devil May Cry 2 soundtrack was released to the public on October 15, 2004, as a two-disc set, with Masato Kohda, Tetsuya Shibata and Satoshi Ise credited as producers. Reception Critical reception The game received mixed reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic. Chief among the complaints was that the difficulty was lower than in the first game. The combat system was also criticized as being less refined, with individual weapons being weaker or stronger variants of the same weapon instead of different weapons with their own advantages and disadvantages. Boss battles were criticized for requiring less strategy than the original. The environment was less detailed than the environments of the first game, trading detail for open space which also made stringing moves and combos together more difficult since enemies were more spaced out, nullifying one of the primary attractions of the first game. Furthermore, Dante's personality change did not sit well with reviewers. The