Ninja Theory Defends Dante Redesign [UPDATED]

[Logan Westbrook]

Ninja Theory Defends Dante Redesign [UPDATED]

Times have changed since the release of the first Devil May Cry, so Ninja Theory decided that Dante needed to change with them.

Feathers were a little ruffled when gamers saw the redesigned Dante for the reboot of the Devil May Cry series, but Ninja Theory's creative director Tameem Antoniade believes that the redesign is more in keeping with the spirit of the DMC games than sticking with the old character would have been.

Antoniade said that the essence of the Devil May Cry was "cool," and that when the first game came out, it took everything that was exciting about action cinema and fused it all together. But what was cool in 2002 when Devil May Cry was released, wasn't cool any more, and for the game to have the same vibrant energy, it had to draw on new sources of inspiration. "If Dante, dressed as he was, walked into any bar outside of Tokyo, he'd get laughed out," he said. "And I feel like now, for Devil May Cry to have [the] same impact, it needs to draw on new things. New music, new ways of cinematography, new fashion."

It's not just Ninja Theory that wanted a new take on Dante either, Capcom USA's lead producer Alex Jones said that Capcom pushed the studio to do something different. He said that the early designs weren't all that different from the classic look, and that it wasn't until Jones asked for something that Ninja Theory thought would make Capcom angry that he started to get the progress he was after.

Jones and Antoniade also pointed out that DmC was an origin story, and so Dante might change over the course of the game, something that may allay some fans' fears. There's still plenty of time to win over doubters, although some will be much easier than others.

Update: It seems that one of the new things that has inspired Dante's redesign is the recent reboot of the James Bond series. Speaking to Eurogamer [http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-09-22-new-dante-inspired-by-james-bond-reboot], Jones said that the new Dante was a rougher, more inexperienced version of the character than in previous games, much like Daniel Craig's character in Casino Royale.

"When you see the Casino Royale remake," he said. "You see Bond before he's actually killed anyone, and it's a really traumatic event. He's rough-hewn, he's not polished or debonair, but you can see the essence of what that character will become. That's what we want to do with Dante. The core of him is there, it's just a rougher version. It's a becoming. He's not fully actualised."

Source: 1up [http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3181535]



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[the_pleasure_is_mine]

Dante better change over the course of the story...

Also this defense is fairly poor.

Brand faith > New designs.

In short, you've probably pissed of more followers of Devil May Cry than you have brought in new customers.

I also refute the idea that that version of Dante is in any way shape or form cooler than DMC3.

Spoiler: DMC3 Dante

 

[Doctor What]

They shouldn't have to defend any changes. It's their intellectual property. If people aren't going to play the game because of "ohhh.He looks stupid." Then I'm sure the developers are thinking "fine, don't play our game." People need to have faith in studios, not all of them are out for a quick buck.

 

[LawlessSquirrel]

Changing designs to match the degree of 'cool' according to popular trends, eh? Goth concept turned Emo concept it seems, a shame.

It's not a deal-breaker for me, but I don't like the new design personally. He looks too...lean and lanky, kinda like a crazed bad-guy that freaks out when things turn bad. Change is usually good, but I think this went in the wrong direction.

 

[Archemetis]

So, what Dante looks like now is considered cool?

Damn you just know you've hit the point where you've lost sight of what's 'hip and in' when you don't find the 'emo twilight fan' look 'cool'...

Also I guess using the term 'hip and in' doesn't help much either...

 

[LeonLethality]

Since when was emo cooler than badass?

 

[DTWolfwood]

its one thing to change a character that no one cares about or remembers like the dude in infamous. but to change a cosplay icon like Dante? thats mad! (the japanese are very attached to their established anime style characters)

O wells if the game is good all should be forgiven. tho not likely XD

 

[ChromeAlchemist]

So basically they're backsliding on their design, although not as shameless as Sucker Punch did?

And it's nonsense to basically say "times change, so that's why we changed everything". Saying Dante'd get laughed out of any bar outside Tokyo just isn't a good enough reason to change him. That was a total design wash in my eyes.

It's weird, when it comes to changing things, the Japanese don't get it. It's just one extreme to another, and they almost forgot why the die-hards in the west loved a character like Dante (aesthetically).

Either way when they said they wanted to make it more appealing to Westerners my heart sank, and now he almost looks like every other western protagonist.

 

[GeneticallyModifiedDucks]

Yes, be very afraid of change, because we don't need anything to change. /sarcasm

I say, good job at Ninja Theory for trying to do something new with their intellectual property and not backing away when the shit hit the fan (like Sucker Punch did). Speaking as a fan of Devil May Cry since the first one, I am not in the slightest bit offended, annoyed or angered by the new redesign. They should stick with it.

 

[aaronmcc]

I think it's fairly obvious that by the end of this game Dante will have a full head of white hair to match the traumatic events of his origin.

Personally I couldn't care less that he's been redesigned and I'm all for them shaking it up a bit. These guys can't fucking win: everyone bitches and moans that every new game is a thinly-veiled re-skinned version of the last and when they start changing things up that's a crime too. If dmc5 was yet another spewed out sequel then things would be going downhill. Hell, half the last game was retracing your steps through the same levels with essentially a dante clone.

How about everyone patiently holds their tongue until the game is nearly ready for release before they spray it with bile and derision... but by all means comment on how he's a 'douchey emo fag' despite the facts everyone always said that about dante before this.

 

[Jesus Phish]

I don't think the new design is bad.

What they're saying is true. Dante looks very dated compared to todays styles, good or bad in your opinion, he does.

 

[LunarCircle]

"If Dante, dressed as he was, walked into any bar outside of Tokyo, he'd get laughed out..."

Hm. Interesting. I'd think that, in keeping with Dante's personality (especially with what he was wearing in DMC3), the character wouldn't care what others thought of his clothing choice.

I'm all for artistic license, and Ninja Theory is free to design things as they will, but since when did someone have to be "emo" to show that they had a traumatic past?

 

[The Cheezy One]

I like the idea that it might have all been in his imagination, but we all know really that it turns out the monsters are real and hes being held captive by something that wants him to stop killing stuff.
i hope im wrong

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

Look, I don't like the new design...But as long as the game doesn't play like God of War, and continues to play like DMC, I'll be happy.

Also, new music?

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

The shitty music of the fights in DMC always annoyed me.

 

[Lord Beautiful]

"If Dante, dressed as he was, walked into any bar outside of Tokyo, he'd get laughed out..."

Hm. Interesting. I'd think that, in keeping with Dante's personality (especially with what he was wearing in DMC3), the character wouldn't care what others thought of his clothing choice.

Not only that, it seems to imply that he wouldn't get laughed out with this new look. I find that to be goddamn hilarious.

Here's something funny: on the Ninja Theory forums, someone posted a redesign idea for Dante that looks quite a lot more true to the original character and fits in with the more "modern, gritty" tone this game pursues.

I mean really, if they want the main character to be that different from his predecessor, why don't they just make him an entirely new character?

Sorry, Ninja Theory. Your escuse, and by extension Capcom's, is bullshit. You'd better make up for this in the gameplay.

 

[Warnolo]

Besides... This is a younger version of Dante and talk like balls dropped sudenly. Fuck it. And he looks like a male prostitute addict to heroine, so if that what kids like today, i'm really really worried.

P.D.: Dante's weapon looks like a thing ripped off from Gears of War. That angers me.