Ninja Theory Defends Dante Redesign [UPDATED]

[JPH330]

In my opinion, Dante has needed to change for a long time now. Completely changed. And not just in appearance, but in personality. Because whenever I watch a scene in any DMC cry game, he just makes me want to punch my TV screen.

Says the guy with Deadpool as his avatar. -_o

There's a huge difference between the two characters, and I hope you realize that.

 

[rokkolpo]

with this explanation they could've given the original Dante these clothes.

that would be acceptable.

but one thing I do not get. how does Dante go from being modern to being less modern over his years.(this being an origin story)

 

[Bluesclues]

"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?

Actually I'd think that DMC3 Dante would probably scoff then continue to beat the shit out of every guy laughing and end with some quip about how they spilled his drink. Also, Dante doesn't live in Tokyo, watch the anime and it looks like some kind of 1970's Rome or somthing.

Personally I think it could work, I don't mind the emo look as long as he doesn't act emo. Honestly I think if you say "real fans will hate this!" you're more announcing that you aren't a fan because stagnation has killed games before, and demanding that they stay the same till they die is like what every fan of Heroes did, ***** until it's all like the first part (which was good) and stays that way until everyone with half a brain goes "wait a minute, nothings actually happening! It's just one big circle jerk!" and leaves. Seriously, give it a chance before burning a few effigies.

You can't use the Heroes arguement here because fans aren't asking for the entire game to be a carbon copy of one of the other four, they're just angry that the character was redesigned based on what Ninja Theory thought was cool, instead of what the fanbase thought (you know, the people who are going to initially buy the game?). If you're going to redesign the whole game or put a new twist to it fine, but there's no real reason for the character's general appearance to have been totally revamped.

Heroes died because fans wouldn't let the god damn writers do their jobs, people flipped out when Sylar became a good guy and the moment they decided to do what the fans wanted they immediately lost most to all creative control and became sell outs. People have to let designers experiment, if then don't then every game will eventually be a carbon copy of the last (every DMC game up till this point has had only minor combat changes and new weapons, that can only sustain the series for so long) Personally I was hoping DMC5 would be about Sparda and would explain more about how he met Dante's mother and shit, but nope.

I understand that, but again I have to point out, people aren't asking that everything stay the same, they aren't even asking that the main character design stay exactly the same. What they are asking is why the design couldn't stay true to the original? DMC3 (another origin story) did a fine job (opinion, I know) of showing a young Dante with a slightly different style, while still maintaining the general appearance that the first game created. Granted, it wasn't a huge difference, but then, this was back on the PS2. I get that it's another origin story, I get that it's farther back than DMC3 went, I get that it's in the hands of different developers than the original. That doesn't mean the entire character design needs a massive overhaul that only has the smallest inklings of the original character.

 

[the_pleasure_is_mine]

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.

They definitely should have to defend their changes.

If they start making changes that people don't like then the immediate response is the short and sweet 'We don't like it'.

If they go 'Well F*CK you it's our game so if you don't like it then don't play it' then they're going to lose customers and brand faith.

If they make a radical change that the fans(as in the people who are most likely to buy a new DMC game) don't like then they need to justify it.

Ninja theory are working on an existing franchise with plenty of hardcore followers.

If they're going to start changing it to suit them then they need to justify it to the people who are going to be handing over their money.

 

[8-Bit Grin]

I'm digging the new look.

If the game plays like a Devil May Cry game did at it's glorious height (DMC3) I wouldn't care if he wore a panda suit and battled with trousers.

 

[elcamino41383]

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.

Might have been said already, I haven't looked through all the posts and I'm too lazy at the moment to do so quite frankly. My thoughts though, I agree with the part of Ninja Theory doing something different, especially because this is a revamp and it starts before all the DMC stuff we've already seen. But as far as Sucker Punch changing Cole from Infamous, the uproar was because he wasn't even Cole anymore, and this was supposed to take place not too far in the future. He looked NOTHING like Cole, hence people being upset and wanting a bit more of the old Cole back. I personally could deal with the hair growing, the new clothes, tattoos (there was no way of knowing he had tattoos or not in the first game anyway.) His face just didn't look like Cole at all, and the original voice they chose wasn't all that close to Cole either. I know they got a new voice actor but they could have at least got something a LITTLE closer to the original voice. Not trying to spark any argument here, really, I just think Sucker Punch did a little good listening to fans and bringing Cole back a bit more to who he was considering the time different. If it was a full reboot like this DMC was, I, personally, wouldn't have been so bent out of shape about his look.

 

[Bluesclues]

snippety because it was a bit long

Actually, this argument explains my thoughts on the matter a hell of a lot better than I ever could.

 

[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.

Might have been said already, I haven't looked through all the posts and I'm too lazy at the moment to do so quite frankly. My thoughts though, I agree with the part of Ninja Theory doing something different, especially because this is a revamp and it starts before all the DMC stuff we've already seen. But as far as Sucker Punch changing Cole from Infamous, the uproar was because he wasn't even Cole anymore, and this was supposed to take place not too far in the future. He looked NOTHING like Cole, hence people being upset and wanting a bit more of the old Cole back. I personally could deal with the hair growing, the new clothes, tattoos (there was no way of knowing he had tattoos or not in the first game anyway.) His face just didn't look like Cole at all, and the original voice they chose wasn't all that close to Cole either. I know they got a new voice actor but they could have at least got something a LITTLE closer to the original voice. Not trying to spark any argument here, really, I just think Sucker Punch did a little good listening to fans and bringing Cole back a bit more to who he was considering the time different. If it was a full reboot like this DMC was, I, personally, wouldn't have been so bent out of shape about his look.

The new look for Dante was intentional and probably there for a reason we'll only find out after the game is released. As far as Sucker Punch however, they definitely had something in mind when designing the new Cole, and whatever that was it was scrapped because of fan feedback. Yes the redesign was different, but it could have made sense depending on how the events play out in inFAMOUS 2 (except the voice, that definitely needed changing). But they backed off anyway. All I'm saying is the developers should be the ones to decide what needs to changing and what doesn't, not the fans. There could very well have been a good reason for the new look of Cole and now we'll never find out.

 

[Jackle_666]

I simply do not like the design. Dante was fun and charismatic. This guy makes Robert Pattinson seem lively. Not a man I would want to spend 12 hours in the company of.

 

[elcamino41383]

The new look for Dante was intentional and probably there for a reason we'll only find out after the game is released. As far as Sucker Punch however, they definitely had something in mind when designing the new Cole, and whatever that was it was scrapped because of fan feedback. Yes the redesign was different, but it could have made sense depending on how the events play out in inFAMOUS 2 (except the voice, that definitely needed changing). But they backed off anyway. All I'm saying is the developers should be the ones to decide what needs to changing and what doesn't, not the fans. There could very well have been a good reason for the new look of Cole and now we'll never find out.

They still could tell us! Make it an extra in the game, like developer diaries or something. Just like they do on DVDs with deleted scenes, etc. Anyway, you do have a point, but I just don't see how a total face make over would work. Even the voice I could have dealt with a little because maybe the blast of the raysphere messed with his vocal chords or something and they finally healed. My personal gripe was strictly the fact that he wasn't Cole, he was now Nathan Drake as far as looks go. And I'm not part of the masses that hates Drake.

 

[Wolfpocalypse]

just give him back the coat, i couldn't care less bowt the rest really, cant say i like the new look but im done complaining about it. just the red coat, not that orangey black thing that he's got now. is that to much to ask ninja theory? please?

 

[Mr.Squishy]

Props to ninja theory for thinking new, even though I'm more fond of Dante's old design.

 

[MrMisfit]

Two things:

1.people tend to associate fictional characters with their appearance and personality. Imagine an video game ad where the camera closes in on a clean shaven man wearing a white trench coat and sporting a mohawk. As soon as it gets close enough he says: " It's-a me Mario! ". Would you accept that this is a reboot of the Mario franchise? While the DMC franchise is a lot younger than Mario, in each game Dante basically looked and acted the same and nobody had a problem with that.

2. By trying to appeal to " what's cool ", the new DMC has already failed in a major way. All the other games did their own thing and people found it to be cool.

 

[Dr. Octogonopus]

How about waiting to play the game before judging it instead of judging it on a 30sec trailer. And to the people that say his personality is different from the original Dante how about complaining after a trailer with dialog has been released. And if it is different then why is it a bad thing? Its called character development. Nobody has the same personality they had 20 years ago, it constantly evolves and changes. Characters need change every now and again. Case in point Mario, after having to rescue Princess Peach year after year he should really have reached a point where he says "I'm too old for this shit" and retire.

 

[Autofaux]

I am glad guns are being stuck to. A little change now and then isn't too bad, and it isn't being done for the sake of change either. There have been four games now, and the fourth had an new character who was most likely titled at some point 'Dante Jr.'

 

[NickCaligo42]

In my opinion, Dante has needed to change for a long time now. Completely changed. And not just in appearance, but in personality. Because whenever I watch a scene in any DMC cry game, he just makes me want to punch my TV screen.

Says the guy with Deadpool as his avatar. -_o

There's a huge difference between the two characters, and I hope you realize that.

Yes and no.

Yes in that Deadpool has debatably and measurably the better, more universally recognized and appreciated humor of the two, grounded in genius absurdism and satire. Dante's pretty much just a vain, showboating jackass, and your appreciation of said showboating or jackassery may vary. There's not as much of a point to it except to provide you with the opportunity to become a showboating jackass yourself.

No in that Deadpool = guns and swords, Dante = guns and swords. Deadpool = wise-cracking merc with a mouth, Dante = wise-cracking merc with a mouth. Also, they both wear red. *shrug*

The core elements of their personalities, their motivations, and even the motivations behind their respective products are indeed very different, but you have to appreciate that they're still strikingly similar, if only from a superficial perspective. I would point out that ultimately the result is two characters that both exist for the sake of catharsis.

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

You know that Ninja Theory has not EVER made a Devil May Cry game before, right? The Devil May Cry team is an in-house group at Capcom responsible for the Resident Evil series. Ninja Theory is based in the UK and is responsible for Heavenly Sword and... well that's pretty much it. Unless you count "Kung Fu Chaos" on the original Xbox.

So... strictly speaking, it's not THEIR intellectual property, it's a license they're handling, and one I don't trust them to handle given that Heavenly Sword sucked. HARD. If it were the guys at Capcom, who know the series and why certain creative decisions were made in the first place, I probably wouldn't mind so much--but as it is this strikes me as a lame third-party licensee studio demonstrating their poor research, and one that fits this series really badly. Ninja Theory is a film envy-driven company; DMC is an arcadey-type title. I'll be surprised if they get the first thing about the mechanics right...

 

[ZippyDSMlee]

Meh I'd rather them try and defend not overhauling the gameplay and just changing the looks.....

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

I don't know what the big hullabaloo is.

1. It's a game.
2. It's not a big deal that Dante looks different.

 

[Beryl77]

I was going to buy the game even though Dante looks idiotic now but I reconsider it because of this petty excuse.