JBoc924First off, let me introduce you all to this daily feature that I’ll be running. Hopefully I get some good feedback from you guys, whether it be on the comments below or on our facebook page. Also, feel free to suggest horror-related topics and I’ll be sure to give you a shout-out in my corresponding piece. With that being said, I wanted to tackle a more recent issue first. That of ‘DMC’, or more specifically,the game’s protagonist and his , as Irving would say: extreme makeover. Enjoy!
The original Devil May Cry, back in 2001, brought with it a new spin on the typical action genre from the time. Need proof? Well, Post-Devil May Cry games like God of War and Ninja Gaiden’s 3D re-imagining hit the market. Flash forward to our current gen and we’ve received an overload of what we now love to call “hack-and-slash” titles. While that may be the case, we all have to admit, that with the exception of Bayonetta, no action title released since Devil May Cry’s inception has packed such a punch in terms of stylized-combat and over-the-top combos. What was once conceptualized as a successor to the Resident Evil franchise is now one of gaming’s most well-known franchises. With the series star, Dante, turning into a gaming icon. That is until TGS 2010 came along bringing with it the announcement of new Devil May Cry game. One that will be a reboot to the franchise millions of gamers love, not just a reboot to the series itself but to Dante’s character as well. You hear that? That’s hordes of angry fans crying in unison.
Meet the new Dante! As you can see, he still has his recognizable trademark colors on him: Red long coat and black pants. What he doesn’t have though is his classic facade, including white hair. I’m not going to lie, he does in fact look like an emo-punk rocker now, but you know what? I’m perfectly fine with that. As a fan of the series who’s beaten all the games, with the exception of Devil May Cry 2, I can safely say that this aspect of Ninja Theory’s reboot doesn’t bother me at all.
It hasn’t been specified if this is a prequel in terms of plot. If it in fact is a precursor tale then it’s safe to point out something interesting. His hair, yeah I know it isn’t white, but just look closely at it in the above shot. He seems to already have white hair appearing on his head, around the top area. He is definitely too young to have such hair discoloration so this leads me to believe, and theorize, at us possibly seeing how Dante was pre- Devil May Cry 3 in terms of appearance. This all applies if this is indeed intended to be a prequel, chronologically. If not then you’re going to have this angry mob of Devil May Cry “fans” that have recently spawned stick around for a long time. I know I’m only one person, but I accept this new Dante with open arms.
Which brings me to something that I’ve realized about the gaming community. They complain about receiving the same generic game over and over again, yet they fear change…? I may be missing something but, if there’s no change in our favorite series then they run the risk of becoming stale and not only possibly losing fans, but money for their developers and publishers as well. Then again, bringing about such a change as what Capcom has allowed Ninja Theory to sprout may also, or has already, lead to alienation of the hardcore fans.
Sure, it can be argued that after decades in the market, Mario still sports looks that remains faithful to his original incarnation. But when you think about it, Devil May Cry can get away with this, because it’s only been around for a little less than a decade. Yeah that’s a good amount of time, and as aforementioned the series is now one of the industry’s most well-known, but Devil May Cry can and should go through with such changes.
There’s a balance that big game publishers have to maintain. They have to not only appeal to their core audience, but new-comers as well. They have to introduce their well knows IPs to the uninitiated in hopes of expanding their fanbase and of course, to make more money. Back on topic, this reaction to the change in Dante’s looks will no doubt have a lasting presence until the game launches, and possibly post-launch as well if we don’t see Dante’s hair turn white by game’s end. This leads to another question that will most likely remain unanswered for a while.
Will Virgil be in the game? If so, will his appearance be altered as well? In my opinion, you can’t have a Devil May Cry prequel story without including Sparda’s other son. You can be sure that fans will cause an even bigger uproar if Virgil makes the cut albeit a different state of looks. If this turns out to be the case, I’ll still hold my excitement for this game. Ninja Theory may not have much high-quality titles up their sleeve but what they showed off at TGS for DMC looks promising. It has that classic Devil May Cry combat mixed in with a new look to everything. Enemies, environment, and obviously the character of Dante.
While Capcom may be taking a risk the size of Wesker’s ego, I can see this all working out in the end. I think, honestly, fans will come to realize that in spirit, this is the Dante they know and love. Also, when more gameplay videos surface fans will also hopefully rest easy and see that all the crazy gameplay mechanics are still there in DMC. We’re still in the game’s early stages, let’s just all give this one a chance.
That wraps up the first installment of DailyVania, hope you all enjoyed it! Feel free to discuss in the comments or on Facebook about what you guys think of all this DMC controversy. You know my stance on this issue, now I want to know yours!
