DmC: Devil May Cry – Silencing The Haters
DmC: Devil May Cry didn’t win any fans when Capcom announced it, but after months of them crying, Ninja Theory has silenced the critics…
So good, they named it twice
Poor Ninja Theory. Tasked with reinventing one of Capcom’s most cherished franchises, the Cambridge-based studio has effectively been stripped naked, smeared with jam and thrown to the trolls.
It’s a no-win situation – the rabid hardcore fan base would be just as outraged if the next Devil May Cry stuck rigidly to the established template as they are with this complete reinvention, after all.
If you’re among the ‘Dante must die’ protestors, though, consider this a polite request that you calm down and step away from the forums.
Because after a fair chunk of hands-on time with the game, we can safely say that it’s not the atrocity you seem to think it is. In fact, beneath that controversial new haircut, it’s really rather good.
Although Dante’s look might have changed considerably, the same can’t be said of the precise hack-and-slash action. Ninja Theory’s previous games have had slower, more deliberate combat systems but it quickly becomes clear that the team has no problem speeding things up.
The main focus is still on Dante’s usual combination of Ebony & Ivory (his trademark handguns) and Rebellion, although the trusty sword is now capable of morphing into angelic and demonic variants.
On-the-fly weapon switching has long been a staple of high-level combos and Ninja Theory has simplified the system rather cleverly without compromising on depth. The triggers now act as modifiers – holding LT grants access to the speed and range of an angelic weapon while RT instead offers brute force at the expense of speed. It’s a little overwhelming at first but once you start to master the pros and cons of the three weapon types, you’ll be busting out sick SSS combos all over the place.
The modifiers also provide mobility options, one version snaring distant enemies to pull them towards you (or to strip them of equipment in some cases) like Nero’s Devil Bringer arm in DMC4 while the other pulls Dante towards the target. As well as being used to keep combos going in style, these also come in handy outside of combat – one acts as a grapple for reaching distant ledges while the other can yank bits of scenery around to help out in the platforming sections.
You’ll need all the help you can get too because it often seems to be Dante’s worst enemy is the world itself. Insults and threats creep onto building as you pass by, walls twisting, warping and collapsing in around you as you navigate the hellish world of Limbo. One particular area we found went a step further, a corridor-like chamber trolling the player over and over by rudely stretching every time Dante is about to reach the exit.
Annoying as it may be, the effect is amazing visually, plus Ninja Theory has been really creative with how it is used on a gameplay level as well – we just hope the studio can rein this side of the game in to keep the focus on combat. Yes, you guys know how to tell a good story, but people no more play DMC for the story than they eat cereal because they like the taste of milk. Especially when said story is about a character we don’t even feel we know anymore…
And there’s the rub. Even though Ninja Theory is making a damn fine go of putting its own twist on the Capcom magic, the sad truth is that there will still be some gamers that can’t see beyond the snotty punk claiming to be Dante. “If it were sacrilege to change icons, we’d still be stuck with 60’s Batman,” argues Tameem Antoniades, creative director on the reboot. “Batman survived reinvention and is stronger and enduring as a result. Superman by comparison is tired and stuck in a past that holds little interest.
Capcom felt it was time for a reinvention and came to us. So we have to honour that and take the risks we feel necessary to redefine Dante.” Redefine rather than reinvent is an interesting choice of words, though it’s a fair reflection – Dante’s bad attitude isn’t so far removed from his belligerent portrayal in DMC3, so it’s really just the hair and the outfit that have changed.
And the former looks to be explained (to some extent, at least) by the narrative. Are you really the kind of person that would boycott a game because the hero wears a different coat? Come on. Don’t be that guy.
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Here’s my rebuttal to the whole situation. I’m going to try to be as respectful as possible, so if anything does come out with a tone of animosity, it wasn’t intentional. Just to give you a heads up as to how much I enjoy the classic Devil May Cry, it is my favourite video game series. Over the past years, I have invested Hundreds of Dollars into the series. In fact, less than 24 hours has passed since I dished out $100 to pick up the Kotobukiya Devil May Cry 3 Dante figure. Here is a picture of my collection that I took a few months ago. It has grown since then. (Yes, Bayonetta is included in there) (Yes, that is an Alastor Necklace. I wear it everyday)
https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/459104_10150732187570763_629301609_o.jpg
Now, to start.
When I first heard about and saw the teaser for DmC, I was pretty upset, and really hoping it was a joke. But more and more advertising started coming out and I learned to accept it. It doesn’t phase me anymore. Whether I like it or not, this game is happening. At this point I’m still upset. Not even entirely regarding the gameplay or anything else. But more-so regarding Ninja Theory. I can’t and won’t judge gameplay. I can say that it LOOKS interesting (yes, I just said that). But I won’t bash or glorify that till I’ve tried the controls myself. You can’t justify the judgement of gameplay and controls if you haven’t tried them out yourself. Now, with that said, the only part that I have left to judge, are the cinematics and characters. Seeing as those are things that I don’t need a controller and the physical game to judge. Personally, I do not think that the old Dante, and the new Dante (named “Dino – Dante In Name Only” by friends of mine) have much in common.
In the article, you quote Tameem saying “If it were sacrilege to change icons, we’d still be stuck with 60’s Batman. Batman survived reinvention and is stronger and enduring as a result”. I personally do NOT believe that comparison to be equivalent. Yes, Batman without a doubt has definitely changed. His APPEARANCE. No matter how far you go back, no matter how many reboots, the fundamental core of Batman`s character is still there. Batman is still Batman. Bruce Wayne is still Bruce Wayne. The calm-headed billionaire philanthropist playboy. The butler named Alfred. The backstory. And so on. His suit became more advanced with the times. In the case that I have not delved back into Batman’s comic history enough, or missed important detail, then Tameem’s quote only supports MY argument, for then we can see that Batman has changed in physical appearance AND character. The only thing is that the classic attributes of Batman’s appearance have remained consistent. The cape. The cowl. The utility belt. The Batcave. Dante’s classic attributes have changed. No more silver hair. No more red coat. No more “Devil May Cry” club. And from what I’ve seen, no more amulet, to name a few.
Tameem is also quoted to have said, “Dante’s bad attitude isn’t so far removed from his belligerent portrayal in DMC3, so it’s really just the hair and the outfit that have changed.” Ummmmmm…….. What? Let’s take a moment and analyze Dante from Devil May Cry 3, which people will say that it is Dante at his most wildest. And let’s compare that to the “not far removed attitude” from Dino. We’ll use Dino’s fight against “The Secret Ingredient”. Never have I seen anything CLOSELY similar to Dino’s vulgar display of character, from Dante. In ONE cutscene, under a 10 second time span, Dino has successfuly managed to curse more times than Dante ever has, in any of his games or extras (anime/manga/comics) combined. So no, it’s not just “new hair and coat” as Tameed claimed. The fundamental elements of Dante’s character have changed. We went from cheesy clean dialogue, that still managed to give you a smirk or grin, to this obscene and vulgar dialogue that is now apparently “Western”. If these two characters weren’t that far apart, then I can claim that if you were to walk into public with either one, with the same occurances happening, the outcome would remain closely similar. Do you agree? Also, going back the Batman comparison, if I gave Batman a completely different suit, and put forth this situation, what would you say?
Batman: “I’m gonna kill you Joker, you ugly sack of ****. **** You!”
Joker: “**** you!”
Batman: “**** YOU!”
It probably wouldn’t go well with the fanbase.
But that’s not the worst part. The worst part is this specific quote from Tameem himself, from the “DmC Devil May Cry: 4 Things You Don’t Know” article.
” with a Western take on the world.”
Yep. That’s basically it. I feel as though that with that one quote alone, Tameem and Ninja Theory are basically claiming that this new Dante is inspired by the Western World. Personally, I do NOT think that this new character is any representation of the Western World. Personally, I think that claim is insulting. Even a good portion of acclaimed Western characters aren’t that outrageously obscene. This new Dante isn’t more Western; you get obscene people everywhere. This new Dante is just a trash-talker. And you get those everywhere. Not just in Western Society.
To be fair, there definitely a strong bias coming from me. This new Dante is the embodiment of all the characteristics I hate in people. The “emo” look, the lack of style, the need to make a scene, and the consistent use of coarse language to name a few. To put it in the most basic of terms, I woke up one morning and my favourite character had been changed into something that unfortunately and coincidentailly has every quality I hate.
Now, this long rant isn’t me trying to settle any dispute. I am simplying disagreeing with Tameem and this article, and this is my method to explain why. Animosity will always exist between the two crowds, supporters of the old, and the new Dante. This is just my take on the matter, and an explanation to why I, one Devil May Cry fan, disagrees with this reboot. As a standalone game, I would have no problem with it. But it bears the name of my favourite game series. And that doesn’t go well with me.
Besides, if this new Dante is truely based off of Western Society, then a reboot of a video game character should be the last of our worries. Should you have any criticism, feel free to respond and we can discuss this further. For now, I’ve gotten across all I really feel I should say.
Yeah haters gonna hate! and this game probably is awesome but fuq everybody working on this! New Dante suck and every new little detail in this game blows. CHANGE THE GOD DAMN NAME AND THEY HAVE A FUQING GOOD HIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!