So this dude above- based on all we know right now- is the new Dante from Devil May Cry.
Fans ain't happy. Well, at least if internet message boards are to be believed (but given how well Scott Pilgram and Snakes on A Plane performed at the box office, isn't it time we just accepted that all of the geeks posting on the net really only amount to like 1000 people or something??!)
I'm torn. As the guy who was very seriously considering turning Sweet Tooth into an inner city gang banger (big ass, super tough black man with fire tats on his bald head instead of flames), I get the need and desire to freshen up and re-imagine characters from time to time. Creative folks have got to have the freedom to play around, experiment, push boundaries. That's why they- we- are creative folks. It's what we do.
At the same time, when you are talking about classic characters- like Dante- how much consistency is owed to the fan base? How much consistency is needed for you to be allowed to drape your product in the name of an established franchise? And does that amount change if what is being delivered- new and fresh as it is- is crazy great? I would imagine if the dude above was all kinds of awesome visually, fans would be being more forgiving. It's not that he's bad at all. He's totally fine but he's kind of generic. Which may very well be the point. Maybe he BECOMES classic Dante with all his crazy quirks and flair as you play thru the game. Maybe he's generic so players can project their own personality on him (ala GTA). Maybe he's generic because they are going for an archetype (ala Nathan Drake). I got no way of knowing at this point.
Fans should also keep in mind that the Devil May Cry games- at least since the first one- have not been mega sellers. Yes, DMC has its share of devoted fans (and I'm one of them). But it's not like we're talking Modern Warfare numbers here. Not even God of War numbers. So I can see a publisher and developer going, 'Shit, we gotta do something to take this amazing game series and make it more relevant to a lot more people'. So I can see how they ended up where they are now. This guy's design may not be the next Master Chief but I can see him being more commercial to more gamers compared to the very cool but also very effeminate classic Dante.
So I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Let the team play, let them roam, let them try to entertain us. I'm sure this decision was not made lightly. I think sometimes the net jumps the gun and mocks and makes fun and tears creative types apart without giving them a chance to prove themselves.
Once the game or movie or comic is out? It's fair game, for sure. Hell, I'll never forgive Crystal Skull for being a shit pile. But until the game is done, I'm all for supporting the creative process. Because when it works, we get amazing, amazing things.
David
the new dante doesn't look good at all tbh he looks gay,hope they have a good enough reason for changing the character design
ReplyDeleteps:hoping to see some twisted metal single player gameplay soon
Im sorry rocky but...the NEW Dante looks gay? Not to stereotype but if this new guy and the old Dante were walking together and I had to guess which one dug the man folk? It'd be the dude in the long red trench coat, no shirt, and bleached white hair. :)
ReplyDeletethank you sir for the reply ,but i don't mean to stereotype the new guy all I'm saying is he just looks LIKE an emo-gay kinda guy as compared to the previous dante ,i seriously need to see the trailer to make a fair judgement,SORRY if was rude
ReplyDeleteBTW god of war is my favorite series of all time is there any chance u would come back to it some day?
Oh man, I didn't take you as rude at all. I was just joking around :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, I need to see the trailer as well. Was about to watch it on Destructoid this morning and then an ad came up and I was like: screw it.
Something strikes me as wrong about having to watch an ad just so I can watch ANOTHER fucking ad. :)
David
also sir,check out the sandman level in spider man:shattered dimensions,it is THE HIGHLIGHT of the game(appears on the second time of playing as the amazing spider man)
ReplyDeleteand ads before videos suck
man i can't believe I'm talking to a legend like you
Yeah the ads before trailers is getting pretty crazy espically on Gametrailers. It wouldn't be as bad if they had more than one trailer that gets stuck before every video. I ended up seeing the Red Dead trailer so many times during E3 that I've only been back like twice.
ReplyDeletePretty sad that the ad that comes before the video is often as long or longer than what you're trying to watch.
Fuck, that dude looks totally like me, so I like the new style. :)
ReplyDeleteHe does look a bit generic. We saw what happened to the inFamous character redesign. Maybe if enough people moan they'll creep closer to the classic look. Just tired of everyone looking like Drake from Uncharted. Don't know who started that trend but it needs to end
ReplyDeleteI have too disagree with David Jaffe on the old Dante looking gayer than the new one. The old Dante's clothes may not be all that flattering but how you wear something goes along way and Dante has always been manly as fuck. Meanwhile, the new Dante's prepubescent voice and his teen-angst emo look don't do him any favors in the manly department...
ReplyDeleteIt's been my experience that Capcom, recently, tends to follow what they *think* is cool for titles that need performance outside of just their local territories.
ReplyDeleteIn other words, it becomes a business decision and they butcher what made their titles likable in the first place.
Just look at Resident Evil 4 and 5.
Thus we get Dante Bieber or Chris Redfield Stallone.
Never understood your hate for Crystal Skull, I loved the movie personally. But to each his own.
ReplyDeleteYou don't understand it because maybe Indiana Jones wasn't part of your growing up and your development as a person. Sometimes we have emotional attachment to something that others might view as just entertainment and nothing more. Crystal Skull might have been 2 hours of entertainment for someone that he will forget the moment he steps out of the theater. But if you expected to relive those magical moments that, at certan poin of your life, the old movies made you feel, Crystal Skull sure is a big letdown...
ReplyDeleteAs a HUGE DMC fan, i feel the same way about this crap they are promoting to us under DMC brand. My stomach hurts every time I see the picture of this terrible 3D model they are calling Dante now. Literally hurts!
I wont give this new DMC a chance. I can't give this new DMC a chance even if i could because of the respect I have for the old games and what they mean to me.
Filip- I hear you and on the Crystal deal agree 100%.
ReplyDeleteOn DMC, you feel like you feel. It is what it is.
For me tho, with DMC, I'm willing to give it a chance just because I have no idea where they are going with it. Again, for all I know it's an origin story where he begins like this and BECOMES classic Dante.
Or maybe he doesn't but perhaps this character just ends up being fucking AMAZING in moves and voice and attitude and by the end of the game, the old Dante is a quaint, fond memory but THIS guy is the new shit. That's a pretty tall order for sure but I'm keeping an open mind :)
David
I really hope he does become the Dante we love and know by the end of the game...
ReplyDeleteAs a huge fan of DMC...I'll support the game until it dies (plz don't die)
I saw, or played a game awhile back, not sure what it was, but what happened was the main character had started out with dark hair like this, and then through an event in the story his hair turned white, something was sucking the life out of him.
ReplyDeleteThey could do something similar, I honestly like the new style, I like that they're taking the character in a new direction, and showing potentially, how he came to be.
Also I really enjoyed Heavenly Sword, even though it was short, and Enslaved looks good, so I have faith in Ninja Theory.
I'm really glad the market is getting more action adventure games in it, the whole first person shooter thing is getting mind numbing.
ReplyDeleteAt least you're willing to give this guy a chance. That's already loads more than I'm willing to. ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm still hoping that it isn't really the Dante that we all know. I'm hoping, that somewhere along the way Dante and Lady hit the sack, and had a kid, and just happened to name him... Dante.
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