Let's discuss Devil May Cry and whine about the upcoming reboot

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Let's discuss Devil May Cry and whine about the upcoming reboot

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DeathSandwich: Apr 24, 2008; I fucking hate puzzles.

Pesky Splinter posted:

Touche. Except I'd argue that "Fill your dark soul with liiiiiiiiigggghhhhhttt!" is more melodrama than angst.

I know, I know, that's not the point you were making, but it still frustrates me that they go out of their way to mention it, and I'm finding it hard to try to disconnect this Dante, from the regular Dante.

"Ninja Theory presents: DmC: Debbie makes Cakes - Play as Debbie, a half-demon, half-angel and use your devil-slaying powers to free Limbo from..."

Is it Nero's playstyle you aren't liking?

Yeah, basically that. I played DMC3 to excess and got really good with the style hijinks to the point where during the Nero sections I was just wishing that I could flip to trickster and start triple air-dashing everywhere. It didn't help that Nero didn't get any alternate weapons or anything. I like having ways to change up combat and there really didn't seem like there was a lot of variety in what Nero could put forth compared to even DMC3 Dante let alone DMC4 Dante switching styles and weapons on the fly. Personality wise, Nero was kind of a bitch but it didn't get in the way of gameplay or anything so I can look past it.

Edit: I guess what I'm trying to say is that if DMC4 was just Dante it'd be my game of the year 2008.

DeathSandwich fucked around with this message at 03:42 on Jan 9, 2012

# ? Jan 9, 2012 03:38

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# ? Apr 24, 2024 23:51

Revitalized: Sep 13, 2007; A free custom title is a free custom title; Lipstick Apathy

So was there ever anything about Nero's connection with the Yamato? Or was it all up to speculation?

# ? Jan 9, 2012 04:03

ImpAtom: May 24, 2007

Revitalized posted:

So was there ever anything about Nero's connection with the Yamato? Or was it all up to speculation?

Apparently some eratta stuff revealed he is Vergil's kid. Someone in the DMC4 LP thread mentioned that.

# ? Jan 9, 2012 04:09

FedEx Mercury: Jan 7, 2004; Me bad posting? That's unpossible!; Lipstick Apathy

It's purposely vague, Capcom left it up to interpretation so that they wouldn't be painted into a corner story-wise. Of course now none of that matters and we'll probably never see Nero again outside of a cameo or easter egg.

# ? Jan 9, 2012 14:33

Pesky Splinter: Feb 16, 2011; A worried pug.

More info from OXM:

quote:

Ninja Theory�s Tameem Antoniades has once again tried to calm fan concerns, saying that the new game will still respect core elements of the series and doesn�t change anything important just for the sake of change.

"There is of course an expectation from the fans, which is something that has always been firmly in the minds of both ourselves and Capcom. The Devil May Cry franchise is well established and much loved, so we want to keep the essence of what makes the series unique,� Antoniades told OXM.

"But DmC is a re-birth, so we've been able to explore Dante's early years in the narrative, meaning that if you're entirely new to the series you won't start the game with a disadvantage or feeling that you need to catch up with the story of the previous games first.�

While Ninja Theory has tried to innovate wherever it could, areas like combat will remain just as fans remember them, according to the developer.

"There is a lot of innovation in the game, but where we're dealing with key areas of the Devil May Cry DNA, such as the combat, we've been particularly careful to ensure that innovative features sit hand in hand with the core elements that we're looking to preserve."

"if you're entirely new to the series you won't start the game with a disadvantage or feeling that you need to catch up with the story of the previous games first."

I honestly don't think the stories are that complicated enough to make people catch up to them. Hell, there's a recap at the very begining of 1, 2 and 3, and a five minute video on 4 on the whole plots of the previous games.

This also confirms that this a complete reboot at least, seperate from the others. About drat time.

# ? Jan 10, 2012 01:10

Pesky Splinter: Feb 16, 2011; A worried pug.

Another article, this time about the use of mo-cap:

quote:

A Cambridge video games developer has shot a new blockbuster in the same LA studios and using many of the same crew that James Cameron used for Avatar � the highest grossing movie of all time.

Ninja Theory Ltd, which is producing the new game in the Devil May Cry series for Japanese giant Capcom, is confident some of Avatar�s stardust will rub off on the new DmC production.
And the Cambridge UK company reckons its cutting edge performance capture technology will become the gold standard for video game production well into the future.

The technique enables Ninja Theory to capture actors� face movements, body movements and voice all at the same time � which is unique within video games.

�We do this to ensure that we�re bringing the true performances of our actors through into the game,� said Ninja�s Dominic Matthews.

�It�s not so much about realism but believability. Real actors � real people � move their hands and their body when they speak. We track the exact movement of our actors. We have 60 markers on their faces alone � on their eyes, their eyebrows, their mouths, their noses, their lips and so on.

�We are fortunate to have developed our own facial solver technology in house that allows us to track these movements and map them onto our models. Our technology is unique and something that we�ve been working on for several years, so we are ahead of the market in this regard.

�A hallmark of our games is the story-telling element. We want our users to become engrossed in a story; so we are not simply using the technology for technology�s sake. It really enriches the user experience and they become fully engaged.

�It was invigorating to shoot the scenes for the game in the same place as the Avatar shoot, using the same studios and much of the same crew.�

James Cameron saw the potential of performance capture when, following a visit to Ninja Theory shooting scenes for the visually stunning Heavenly Sword on location in New Zealand, Peter Jackson, director of the Lord of the Rings, showed him some of Ninja Theory�s tracking technology. Matthews, however, is swift to point out: �I don�t think we can claim any credit for inspiring Avatar.

�What is true is that on projects like these you get to work with people who really know what they are doing. It�s a great buzz to have people who worked on Avatar work on DmC. They bring a cinematic perspective to what you are trying to do.�

The new Devil May Cry will come out later this year. The first four games in the series were all produced by Capcom, headquartered in Osaka but globally influential. Ninja Theory has been hired to produce the new game for the global market.

Source: http://www.businessweekly.co.uk/hi-tech/13357-avatar-crew-on-ninja-theorys-la-video-game-shoot

# ? Jan 10, 2012 14:33

SGRaaize: Jan 19, 2011; DONT YOU DARE TELL ME HOW THE FUCK TO HAVE FUN IN VIDEOGAMES!!! OR TO READ THE FUCKING OP!!!!

I don't know about the gameplay mechanics, but I'm very glad the story is being rebooted. Hopefully, it will be more consistent and less boring now.

# ? Jan 10, 2012 16:54

Mrs. Badcrumble: Sep 21, 2002

DMC3 has literally the best cutscenes in the history of videogames, what the gently caress are you talking about?

# ? Jan 10, 2012 19:05

toasterwarrior: Nov 11, 2011

^^^: I'm guessing he means the whole, overarching plot of the series, not how the cutscenes were used to present the story.

Speaking of Ninja Theory and Enslaved, didn't its DLC get some surprisingly positive reception?

# ? Jan 10, 2012 19:25

Pesky Splinter: Feb 16, 2011; A worried pug.

toasterwarrior posted:

Speaking of Ninja Theory and Enslaved, didn't its DLC get some surprisingly positive reception?

Yeah, apparently it was quite highly praised. The story and visuals for Enslaved were really highly praised.

And to be fair to Ninja Theory, yeah. The visuals are stunning and the characters are very likable, well-rounded and well voiced.

It was just the clunky controls and combat, added with non-threatening platforming that were criticised.

And as people said earlier in the thread, there also seems to be a slight delay between clicking the button and having Monkey reacting. The worst for me was trying to dodge - I saw the attack coming, clicked the dodge buttons, and then he gets hit, because he didn't move his lumbering (but very well-rendered) rear end quick enough.

And the combat mostly consists of
1) Use Light Attack.
2) Use Strong Attack.

Or if the enemy had a shield.

3) Charge Light Attack (then spam the attack buttons).

In say, Bayonetta, the millisecond you click the button, she reacts, and trying to do it with Enslaved, really throws off the timing.

What was Heavenly Sword like in general? I've heard (yet again) that it had a good story, visuals and characters, but what was the gameplay like?

# ? Jan 12, 2012 22:15

Temascos: Sep 3, 2011

I really liked Heavenly Sword personally, the sword had a good variety of moves and the challenges were fun. Its not that good on Hard mode though, the combat doesn't really suit it. Play it on normal and you'll have a fun game to pass the time.

Edit - The Sword had 3 styles of combat: Speed, Heavy and Air and the movelist increases as you go on along with the list of fatalities. Enemy placement is good enough for you to need to use all of these frequently, but one to one boss battles could have benefitted from a lock on system. Sometimes I just randomly flailed across the screen.

Temascos fucked around with this message at 22:22 on Jan 12, 2012

# ? Jan 12, 2012 22:20

Pesky Splinter: Feb 16, 2011; A worried pug.

I lack a PS3 unfortunately, and they didn't seem to bring it out on Xbox. Shame really, I'd have liked to have tried it.

I like Enslaved, but its one of those things where it feels they were trying to make more of a "visual experience", than they were a "game".

[E]: Monkey also coundn't cancel out of his taunt animation, which was annoying. At one point you face an enemy which you have to get to charge at you by taunting, but by the time Monkey's finished taunting, it's too late to roll out of the way and the enemy rams into you.

If they could have fixed up the combat sections, this would have been recieved alot better I think.

Pesky Splinter fucked around with this message at 22:31 on Jan 12, 2012

# ? Jan 12, 2012 22:25

FedEx Mercury: Jan 7, 2004; Me bad posting? That's unpossible!; Lipstick Apathy

I was wholly unimpressed with the demo for Heavenly Sword. Seems like a boiler-plate button masher.

# ? Jan 12, 2012 22:33

Barudak: May 7, 2007

Pesky Splinter posted:

What was Heavenly Sword like in general? I've heard (yet again) that it had a good story, visuals and characters, but what was the gameplay like?

Heavenly Sword had the exact same clunkiness to the combat that Enslaved suffered from compounded by the different sword styles and combos not being particularly necessary. Once you found the 1 good combo for each style you were pretty much done and the other combos could have gone to the old folks home.

# ? Jan 12, 2012 22:37

Pesky Splinter: Feb 16, 2011; A worried pug.

IGN has an article up on DMC:

It's a bit too much :fap:

at times, but it does make "some" good points. Mostly about the visuals and story and-okay, I can't do this. He's talking out his arse. There's also too much talk about the story and enviroments, rather than the combat, aside from the fact that it will have air combos. It also, unfairly, fails to mention one of the reasons people are so wary of Ninja Theory with this, is because the combat in the other games sucked rear end.

IGN posted:

Capcom's Devil May Cry series is one of the most beloved Japanese action franchises ever made. Its smooth, action-packed gameplay and incredible sense of style are just two of the many reasons it has such a large and loyal fan base, but perhaps its biggest weapon is Dante. The series' iconic white-haired lead is playful, ridiculously cool and a bad-rear end fighting machine. In short, he's an icon.

So when Capcom went to TGS 2010 and unveiled a westernised, Ninja Theory-developed reboot of Devil May Cry, complete with a dark-haired, punk rock redesign of Dante, fans of the series went ballistic. Fanboys May Cry might have been a more suitable name for the reboot. This was apparently just too much of a departure.

"He is nowhere near shirtless enough for my liking."
But viewed dispassionately, a Devil May Cry reboot is far from a bad idea, and if any developer can pull it off, we think it's Ninja Theory. Here are some of the reasons we believe that the change of developer and approach will breathe some fresh life into the series.

A More Cinematic Story
The area where DmC stands to benefit the most from Ninja Theory's involvement is story and character. Both Heavenly Sword and Enslaved were extraordinary in these departments, and by taking the DmC franchise and focusing on relationships and emotive performances over the convoluted otaku-style plots of some of the previous games, we will hopefully get something with wider appeal that will make us more invested. Previous games in the series have always been more about style over substance, so hopefully this reboot will find an equal balance of both.

Vibrant and beautiful.
Furthermore, using techniques picked up from working closely with actor-extraordinaire and performance capture expert Andy Serkis, Ninja Theory has become one of the industry's leaders in emotive character performances. Serkis brought the knowledge he gained from creating such incredible performance capture-driven characters as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to Ninja Theory, and in turn the developer delivered some amazing results. Stories anchored in believable characters have driven both their previous titles, and from what we've seen of DmC so far, Ninja Theory seems to be applying what it learned from Serkis to this new title too.

A More Modern Approach to Gameplay
The gameplay in Devil May Cry has always been excellent, but it has also suffered a little from its adherence to old school Japanese gaming tropes. Japanese developers and publishers have been trying to modernise their output this generation - and catch up to western devs - and this is precisely why Capcom has brought U.K. developer Ninja Theory on board for the latest instalment.

In past outings, for instance, different areas have felt oddly disconnected. A new doorway usually meant that the screen would fade away and you would appear in a completely different area. While this is certainly part of the Devil May Cry tradition, I would like to see a bit more cohesion in the game's world. There should be an uninterrupted flow from one area to the next. This kind of thing has become a standard for the genre, with games like God of War and Darksiders showing us just how much more effective exploration can be when it doesn't feel like you're warping to a new area. It's a lot more confusing to try and follow the progression of the game through a bunch of disconnected, labyrinthine rooms if you aren't processing your journey in real-time. DmC looks to address this.

Dante's bubble-maker was hardcore.
Battle arenas are also given a little more context. Previous titles had Dante (or Nero, the lead character of Devil May Cry 4) running into an area and triggering a cut scene, bringing up a force field and enemies that spawn into existence before you. While this does still happen in the new DmC, Ninja Theory has introduced an idea that makes this feel more organic. Limbo City has a demon dimension � a living force that that is trying to break through into the real world and actually transforms the city and makes it attack and hinder Dante.

"We wanted to find a reason why the walls would close in and trap you like the classic DmC's do," said creative director Tameem Antoniades to the US PlayStation Blog. "Not only does it trap you, but it spawns enemies like they were blood cells," he continued. "It's like a malignant cancer; it bleeds." It's this kind of approach that makes us think that Ninja Theory wants everything in DmC to occur in a more seamless way.

Sometimes A Big Gamble Pays Off
Regardless of how the different games in the series have scored critically, it seems as though the majority of Devil May Cry's fans consider the first game to be best. Satisfying the hardcore fans, in other words, is easier said than done.

Capcom took a crack at it, however. Devil May Cry 4 was quite a departure for the series, as most of the game was spent playing as Nero, another slick, white-haired sword and gun-wielder. While he looked similar, his gameplay approach was quite different. His sword was motor-powered and required powering up for devastating attacks, and his arm - the 'Devil Bringer' - was a glowing destructive force of its own.

Air combos are a big focus in DmC.
This was clearly Capcom's attempt to try and freshen up the series before it became stale. It's gone one step further with DmC though, handing the series over to a western developer to completely re-interpret it. While this will surely upset some of the fans, the fact that the publisher would rather do something exciting and new that might surprise a lot of people than just go through the motions is telling. Imagine if Warner Bros. hadn't handed Batman over to Christopher Nolan?

An Origin Story
Speaking of Batman, there are actually some parallels that can be made between DmC and Batman Begins. Both are origin stories, meaning that there is room for creative license and free-reign, so long as this story doesn't completely re-write later events we've all come to know and love.

Even so, fans were in an uproar after their first look at Ninja Theory's younger, punk Dante. He's got dark hair! He's locked-up! He's smoking! He's got too much attitude! Yes, he does indeed have all of those things, but who cares? This is his untold origin story. So he's a rebellious youth - it doesn't really make that much difference to who he will become. Quite the opposite, as seeing his brawler-style fighting gives us some insight into his character and how he learned to fight on the street.

This young man will become a legend. [Really?]
Let's go back to Bruce Wayne. His origin story in Batman Begins has him scrapping in an unrefined style with fellow convicts while in prison. It also shows him plotting to murder the man that killed his parents. This couldn't be further from the Bruce Wayne we grew up loving, yet everything he went through is what ultimately made him a hero. Why would Dante's journey be any different?

A Unified Vision and Style
Once again, I'd like to stress that Devil May Cry games are very stylish and pretty, but one thing that I think Ninja Theory will improve on is the overall style and look of the DmC world. Something about a slick, modern, anime-esque character, walking around environments that look like The Vatican while fighting court-jester-style demons has always clashed for me.

Everything that we've seen from Ninja Theory's take on the franchise shows the developer completely embracing the artistic sensibility that has garnered it such respect in the industry, and applying it to this world in a way that brings a more unified artistic direction to the game. Anyone that has played Enslaved knows that its environments were absolutely stunning, and DmC seems to take it to the next level. Environments and buildings pop with a vibrant urgency that matches the look of the characters and enemies on screen. We can't wait to see all of the different environments in this game.

Hideaki Itsuno is Still Onboard as Co-Director
Fans may have the wrong idea about this reboot. The series hasn't just been handed over in its entirety for Ninja Theory to do as they please - Hideaki Itsuno, director of every Devil May Cry game since part two, is in fact working alongside Tameem Antoniades, creative director at Ninja Theory. This is a team effort.So while this may be a stylistic departure in every sense of the word, you can rest assured that it will still be a Devil May Cry game from within its very core.

Source: http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/121/1216590p1.html

[e]: I wish I could get paid for it.
VVV

Pesky Splinter fucked around with this message at 21:41 on Jan 16, 2012

# ? Jan 16, 2012 21:00

GUI: Nov 5, 2005

i wish i could have my blog posts and video game musings posted in a popular video game journalism website.

# ? Jan 16, 2012 21:10

Alteisen: Jun 4, 2007; by FactsAreUseless

How can you type so many words and not say a goddamn thing.

What a lovely fluff piece.

# ? Jan 16, 2012 21:23

Jetpack Postman: Jun 30, 2011

Alteisen posted:

How can you type so many words and not say a goddamn thing.

What a lovely fluff piece.

It becomes infinitely more entertaining when you realize that you can exchange the words "Devil May Cry" and "Dante" with any other franchise and character and you end up with roughly the same arguments, point for point. Add in "Gears of War" and "Marcus Fenix", "Halo" and "Master Chief", or "God of War" and "Kratos" to see what I mean.

# ? Jan 16, 2012 22:04

Digital Scumbag: Feb 11, 2010

IGN is straight-up terrible. It's ridiculous that they have hands-on previews with some games and positive feedback... let's take Amy, most recently, and game ends up with a 2.0.

Dude you knew it sucked when you played it. Game PR makes me loving mad.

Also a nitpick about DmC: I don't see enough gun-play, and I'd have enough with swinging scythes around. Every video I've seen is that "angel" scythe. Give Dante a loving sword and a sawed-off, please. I don't care what his hair color is.

# ? Jan 16, 2012 22:06

Pesky Splinter: Feb 16, 2011; A worried pug.

"Amy is Ico With Zombies and It's Totally Brilliant"-IGN's E3 2011 Preview of Amy

"Horrifyingly bad - 2.0." IGN's 2012 Review.
_Hahaha.

Pesky Splinter fucked around with this message at 22:17 on Jan 16, 2012

# ? Jan 16, 2012 22:14

Mr. Fun: Sep 22, 2006; ABSOLUTE KINOGRAPHY

Alteisen posted:

How can you type so many words and not say a goddamn thing.

What a lovely fluff piece.

The best part is when he says that Batman Begins was a movie people liked and pretends that is related in some way to anything.

# ? Jan 16, 2012 22:22

Schubalts: Nov 26, 2007; People say bigger is better.

But for the first time in my life, I think I've gone too far.

Digital Scumbag posted:

Also a nitpick about DmC: I don't see enough gun-play, and I'd have enough with swinging scythes around. Every video I've seen is that "angel" scythe. Give Dante a loving sword and a sawed-off, please. I don't care what his hair color is.

Or make the scythe turn into an electric guitar and also shoot lightning bats (or lightning cupid-style cherubs).

vvv Wanna count Nevan's pixels :quagmire:

Schubalts fucked around with this message at 22:31 on Jan 16, 2012

# ? Jan 16, 2012 22:23

Pesky Splinter: Feb 16, 2011; A worried pug.

^^^
Nah, I just wanna look underneath her wireframe. Ohhh yeahhh. :dance:

Schubalts posted:

Or make the scythe turn into an electric guitar and also shoot lightning bats (or lightning cupid-style cherubs).

O'come on. That's just too ridiculous. Nobody wants to see that nowdays. :colbert:

You see, modern audiences have evolved beyond such base desires. And it's only in PS2 graphics. Urgh! You can almost count the pixels.

Pesky Splinter fucked around with this message at 22:36 on Jan 16, 2012

# ? Jan 16, 2012 22:29

Exmond: May 31, 2007; Writing is fun!

Pesky Splinter posted:

Minor info from Official Xbox Magazine:

Why are they bringing angst to perhaps one of the least angsty characters in games? Sake of drama perhaps?

To me Dante is angsty. They just never went over the top with it, maybe resentful would be a better word. Check out the DMC3,DMC1, the manga, the animated tv series...

# ? Jan 16, 2012 22:53

Pesky Splinter: Feb 16, 2011; A worried pug.

Exmond posted:

To me Dante is angsty. They just never went over the top with it, maybe resentful would be a better word. Check out the DMC3,DMC1, the manga, the animated tv series...

To me, angst implies moping and dispossession. He's pretty grim at times, certainly nostalgic when it comes to his mother and his brother, and angry when he compares Trish to his mother (as well as getting really pissed off with Mundus). He certainly got a playful streak to him, and likes the thrill of the fight. The only real resentment comes when its to do with his father.

DMC3 he's not angsty, DMC1 he's not angsty, DMC4 he's not angsty, DMC2 yeah, probably. It's hard to tell with that one. And I'm gonna assume you're talking about the DMC3 manga, it's been such a long time since I've read it I couldn't say, and I've only watched 1 of the animated series so I can't really say.

[e]:I'll be sure to avoid it then.
VVV

Pesky Splinter fucked around with this message at 23:20 on Jan 16, 2012

# ? Jan 16, 2012 23:08

FedEx Mercury: Jan 7, 2004; Me bad posting? That's unpossible!; Lipstick Apathy

I do not recommend the animated series at all. They stripped out pretty much anything interesting out of Dante's character in favor of a more stock anime hero. They also shoe-horned in the prerequisite little girl. On top of all that the fights themselves, while well animated, are not very interesting.

# ? Jan 16, 2012 23:17

Alteisen: Jun 4, 2007; by FactsAreUseless

He also really likes strawberry sundaes in it for some reason.

# ? Jan 16, 2012 23:33

temple: Jul 29, 2006; I have actual skeletons in my closet

Pesky Splinter posted:

To me, angst implies moping and dispossession. He's pretty grim at times, certainly nostalgic when it comes to his mother and his brother, and angry when he compares Trish to his mother (as well as getting really pissed off with Mundus). He certainly got a playful streak to him, and likes the thrill of the fight. The only real resentment comes when its to do with his father.

DMC3 he's not angsty, DMC1 he's not angsty, DMC4 he's not angsty, DMC2 yeah, probably. It's hard to tell with that one. And I'm gonna assume you're talking about the DMC3 manga, it's been such a long time since I've read it I couldn't say, and I've only watched 1 of the animated series so I can't really say.

[e]:I'll be sure to avoid it then.
VVV

I disagree. Angst is better defined as an immature frustration and the devil may care attitude is a typical manifestation of that. Its in the game's name. The new Dante is a familiar Western interpretation of that. I think that's why people recognize it so well.

# ? Jan 16, 2012 23:48

Captain Baal: Oct 23, 2010; I Failed At Anime 2022

Alteisen posted:

He also really likes strawberry sundaes in it for some reason.

To be fair that actually seems like something Dante would like. I don't hate the animated series as much as most people, but it is extremely boring and the only noteworthy thing about it is Reuben Langdon took a pay cut to voice Dante in it, showing how he is the David Hayter of DMC.

# ? Jan 16, 2012 23:52

Pesky Splinter: Feb 16, 2011; A worried pug.

temple posted:

I disagree. Angst is better defined as an immature frustration and the devil may care attitude is a typical manifestation of that. Its in the game's name. The new Dante is a familiar Western interpretation of that. I think that's why people recognize it so well.

We are talking about the same definiton of angst right? And the same Dante? 'cause I'm talking about white-haired Dante. :confused:

Angst:
"A feeling of anxiety or apprehension often accompanied by depression."
"A feeling of anxiety, apprehension, or insecurity."

Obviously it's only my interpretation of the character, but I don't think he's anxious, apprehensive, depressed or insecure. He's brooding in DMC1, but I wouldn't say that's the same thing.

[e]: I dunno, he's never come across that way to me, like his using his rebellious attitude to hide something, but that's just my opinion. I can't deny however, that he has issues with his dad, and sibling.
VVV

Pesky Splinter fucked around with this message at 01:16 on Jan 17, 2012

# ? Jan 16, 2012 23:58

temple: Jul 29, 2006; I have actual skeletons in my closet

Pesky Splinter posted:

We are talking about the same definiton of angst right? And the same Dante? 'cause I'm talking about white-haired Dante.

Angst:
"A feeling of anxiety or apprehension often accompanied by depression."
"A feeling of anxiety, apprehension, or insecurity."

Obviously it's only my interpretation of the character, but I don't think he's anxious, apprehensive, depressed or insecure. He's brooding in DMC1, but I wouldn't say that's the same thing.

I thought everyone knew that the "I don't care" attitude is a cover for insecurity and anxiety. Dante was always a rebellious teenager that first conflicted with his father and then with his brother. Its an archetype.

# ? Jan 17, 2012 00:20

Bonaventure: Jun 23, 2005; by sebmojo

Dante's character description is "Daddy Issues."

# ? Jan 17, 2012 00:30

Honest Thief: Jan 11, 2009

Bonaventure posted:

Dante's character description is "Daddy Issues."

Wouldn't that be mother issues rather? He even wanted to fill up with light a demon clone of his mother.

# ? Jan 17, 2012 00:36

FedEx Mercury: Jan 7, 2004; Me bad posting? That's unpossible!; Lipstick Apathy

I don't think Dante's character really has much depth to it, but if anything you'd think he'd be extremely conflicted about his father. He hates demons, but is half one himself. On top of that his dad was a noble demon, so who knows. It's kind of neat how they gave Vergil the complete opposite point of view in DMC3 - he hates his human half and wants to become a pure demon, but at the same time the whole issue stems from his love for his mother and inability to protect her.

# ? Jan 17, 2012 00:40

Pesky Splinter: Feb 16, 2011; A worried pug.

I arise once more from the underworld to fill your dark souls with ~~light~~ apathy.

quote:

DmC will have 'US and European flavour' [duh]

Ninja Theory, the developer of Heavenly Sword, Enslaved and Capcom's Devil May Cry reboot, has said the team isn't pretending the game's Japanese-focused and won't apologise for it.

Speaking in an interview with OXM (which you can read in full in issue 82 of the magazine), creative director Tameem Antoniades and Capcom's Alex Jones reflected on the backlash from fans regarding the redesigned version of Dante.

According to Antoniades the furore is the result of different expectations surrounding Western games. Jones elaborated by pointing out a distinction between the way characters are designed in Japan and in the west.

Some players have taken issue with Dante's perceived "camper" look, but this has more to do with different expectations surrounding Western games, Antoniades argued. "Somehow Japanese character styles get away with it," he said, when we asked whether players found camp leads from Japanese devs easier to swallow.

"Japanese style ethos does tend to involve making characters look cool for the sake of looking cool, adding odd accessories, crazy hairstyles and colour, cowboy boots and so on simply because they look cool.

"We in the West tend to be more functional adding things that have meaning and being able to explain that meaning. Why does Dante have white hair? I want to make a little story around that and explain it. And so on for the rest of his design choices."

Antoniades went on to explain the jumping off point for the design of Dante and DmC as a whole.

"We did a thought experiment [suggested by former Capcom exec Keiji Inafune] early on. It went like this: imagine this game as a contemporary movie. What would it look like? What would Dante look like? We went from there."

While the more Japanese aspects of the game haven't been completely ditched, the title will have more of a western flavour, owing to the Ninja Theory's influences.

"We've not so much done away with any of the Japanese aspects of the series," Antoniades continued "But are more building on the foundations of the franchise to develop a game that has a different flavour. We grew up on US and European movies, comics, music and general culture. That's what we're tapping into. We're not pretending we are Japanese nor making apologies for that."

Source: http://www.computerandvideogames.com/333510/dmc-will-have-us-and-european-flavour/

This seems to be a recurring trend that Japanese game developers seem to be going through - "it's not doing so well over here, the problem is that it's too oriental, we need this to be more occidental! Quick! Get a western developer on the phone!" rather than examining why their games aren't selling like they're used too.

I also like the implication that the reasoning behind New-Coke Dante's rather more bland look, is simply because regular Dante dresses only for the rule of cool. It's also completely hypocritical judging by the designs of the enemies and characters in their other games *coughMonkeyandNarikocough*.

I'm not sure if the cowboy boots is a slight dig at 4, but it's probably me trying to read into it too much.

Pesky Splinter fucked around with this message at 18:38 on Jan 26, 2012

# ? Jan 26, 2012 17:21

Schubalts: Nov 26, 2007; People say bigger is better.

But for the first time in my life, I think I've gone too far.

What? Westerners don't just throw cool things together to make a character design? There has to be a story reason beyond "My dad is a demon lord" for Dante's white hair? What the gently caress?

# ? Jan 26, 2012 17:24

Alteisen: Jun 4, 2007; by FactsAreUseless

Pesky Splinter posted:

I arise once more from the underworld to fill your dark souls with ~~light~~ apathy.

Source: http://www.computerandvideogames.com/333510/dmc-will-have-us-and-european-flavour/

This seems to be a recurring trend that Japanese game developers seem to be going through - "it's not doing so well over here, the problem is that it's too oriental, we need this to be more occidental! Quick! Get a western developer on the phone!" rather than examining why their games aren't selling like they're used too.

I also like the implication that the reasoning behind New-Coke Dante's rather more bland look, is simply because regular Dante dresses only for the rule of cool. It's also completely hypocritical judging by the designs of the enemies and characters in their other games *coughMonkeyandNarikocough*.

I'm not sure if the cowboy boots is a slight dig at 4, but it's probably me trying to read into it too much.

Except that DMC4 was the best selling Devil May Cry game of them all, so the franchise still is still doing fine. Well was anyway.

# ? Jan 26, 2012 17:58

Pesky Splinter: Feb 16, 2011; A worried pug.

Alteisen posted:

Except that DMC4 was the best selling Devil May Cry game of them all, so the franchise still is still doing fine. Well was anyway.

Evidently, it didn't sell enough for Capcom. Though I'd say 2 million copies isn't something to be sniffed at.

[e]:My mistake if it is that then.
VVV

Pesky Splinter fucked around with this message at 18:15 on Jan 26, 2012

# ? Jan 26, 2012 18:08

ImpAtom: May 24, 2007

Pesky Splinter posted:

Evidently, it didn't sell enough for Capcom. Though I'd say 2 million copies isn't something to be sniffed at.

I don't think it's that actually. This is Inafune's baby and he was pushing really hard for Western developers before he left, regardless of actual success. He ended up pushing a lot of projects before he left and I assume DmC is part of a legacy of that.

# ? Jan 26, 2012 18:13

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# ? Apr 24, 2024 23:51

FedEx Mercury: Jan 7, 2004; Me bad posting? That's unpossible!; Lipstick Apathy

I don't agree with him that Western developers don't put things in a character design "just to be look cool," they clearly do. The difference is the perception of what is cool. Dante's look was always clearly rooted in Japanese pop culture ideas of cool and heroic, I guess they think by changing that they can appeal to a wider demographic. They may be right, but we'll have to wait and see if it pays off. I just hope they don't change his personality too much.

# ? Jan 26, 2012 18:47

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Let's discuss Devil May Cry and whine about the upcoming reboot

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