Innit weird how few direct DMC clones there are? Obviously stuff like GoW and Ninja Gaiden follow directly in the DMC lineage, but they very much do their own thing, and have oodles of clones attempting to imitate their style. Maybe it's just because early PS2 era was still a lot of figuring out 3D action games, but there's not a lot of games that seemed to set out to straight up steal Capcom's success.
Van Helsing is one of a few examples, and despite being pretty unmemorable (dropped after a few hours of play), it is a surprisingly attentive entry in the genre, with wistful dark whispery corridors and a bevy of survival horror inventory puzzles. It's cute! Even has a grappling hook, and Devil Trigger right off the bat, which is funny. Also you have to try and keep your hat on in fights, also funny. Neat little footnote!
Van Helsing is one of a few examples, and despite being pretty unmemorable (dropped after a few hours of play), it is a surprisingly attentive entry in the genre, with wistful dark whispery corridors and a bevy of survival horror inventory puzzles. It's cute! Even has a grappling hook, and Devil Trigger right off the bat, which is funny. Also you have to try and keep your hat on in fights, also funny. Neat little footnote!