Re-imaging of Dante, and the New Devil May Cry

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“I remember calling it Developers May Cry, it looked that good.” God of War III’s game director Stig Asmussen confesses in the upcoming God of War Directors Live event, when asked about his art direction days on the original God of War. Devil May Cry; its headliner, Dante; and the entire DMC mythology have sprung installments on multiple consoles, comic books and an anime series. Dante is an iconic figure in the video game world, so imagine the reaction when Lead Producer Alex Jones and Chief Creative Director Tameem Antoniades were tapped to change everything we know about Devil May Cry and start from scratch. The result? DmC.


Clearly, Ninja Theory and Capcom were anticipating a strong reaction and fan skepticism, but after my conversation with the new DmC team, I grew more confident that Dante and the cast of DmC are in good hands. It’s daring, crazy and extremely challenging to change an 11-year-old franchise. But, if Christopher Nolan can do it with Batman Begins, maybe Ninja Theory can do the same for Devil May Cry. I’m sure you’ll agree when I say that I feverishly await more details behind the new DmC. Expect both Jones and Antoniades to visit the PlayStation.Blog in the future.

I like the new hair. There, I said it.

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291 Comments

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  • man that’s not looking good…

    i was expecting something great.. but this thing it’s horrible.

    this is another thing, not devil may cry.

    capcom went down to sh…t.

    i don’t really want to play this

  • even if they kept all the gameplay mechanics it wouldn’t be DMC. they didn’t just change the hair or the facial structure. they changed his personality and his soul.

  • the comparison between TDK and DMC is the stupidest comparison ever by one reason alone, and thats because Batman still looks and basically acts like batman so changing dante like that was really stupid.

    but even though with all the hate i have for dantes new design what i’m really worried about is the gameplay for this game, i’m really worried that when we get to finally see the gameplay for this game it will just be another GOW clone and if its like that then you can be pretty sure that most of the fanbase wont be buying this game, because DMCs gameplay is all about the responsiveness, speed, crazy action and depth of combat, if you want a comparison DMC is more like bayonetta than GOW, DMC practically invented that kind of gameplay, and with NT track record i’m really worried about this, and lets face it NT Heavenly sword was just presentation and even Enslaveds gameplay is horrible compared to dmc.

    I just wish that they dont change the gameplay and just improve it, also, please no QTEs, seriously.

  • Omg you guys need to stop, you will still have your Devil May Cry, this is DmC which while both relative and acronym’d, will be something seperate, perhaps something us grown-ups can appreciate more, please don’t feel so afraid of change, change can be good.
    an extra “lol” @193 DuffManCR who seems to think Dante has anywhere near the clout that Darth Vader does… seriously this guy…?

    Someone in the blog said them and their 50 friends who are fans of DMC won’t be buying this… lol(again) first off I’m pretty sure that someone so quick to form opinions, Is probably stretching that number a little bit… like maybe a lot of bit… ok like probably totally… do you need a friend? whoever said that?

    look guys bottom line… wake up smell the coffee, and let Ninja Theory do their thing, how would you like it if you were trying to do it justice, and got nothing but negative criticism.
    There is a better way to get yourself heard than knocking down all the ideas they have planned for this because of tiny issues like hair color, geez it’s probably still silver just doesn’t look like it cause’ it’s dirty and matted down.

  • @199 Raito_L

    You obviously haven’t played either Heavenly Sword(full game not the short demo), or Enslaved… AT ALL!

  • What I was able to gather from the trailer is that the actual action could possibly be one of the best in DMC history, on the other hand the new character look is not something I’m wiling to agree with.

    I will not judge the game until I have my hands on it personally but the developers have to understand that myself, as many DMC fans, are having a hard time understanding the new appearance..

    It’s not about Japanese culture, as it was previously stated, it’s about iconic character that appeals to gamers.

    They love him the way he was, cultural influence or not.

    Now, it appears, the new look is aiming at completely different audience. How am I supposed to accept teenager anger look when I enjoyed previous Dante character?

    Is Ninja Theory focusing on the new 13-16 years old audience that believe it’s cool?

    Maybe I’m overreacting.. I will wait until the game is released, as of right now, I’m skeptical until I see more.

  • They should have some part of the game that has dante getting his old look back due to some kind of drastic change of events. I think that would make everyone happy.

  • Look awesome in my point of view, I mean sure the old look of dante as awesome but change never hurts and this new dante looks pretty sweet.

  • @201 Kedaro
    i have played and finished heavenly sword, and i have played the enslaved demo and yes compared to dmc gameplay those games suck.
    what never played dmc3 or any other dmc? are you really telling me that HS or enslaveds gameplay is better than those?
    don’t be delusional, because if you are you dont know anything about good gameplay

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T_RdUPNg6k
    if the gameplay is better than this then this will be a good dmc, if not, this game will flop hard, and not just because of dantes image change

  • Its too bad. It is also a fine example of the bad things that can happen regarding intellectual properties.

    Capcom took a good set of games, Devil May Cry, and have now changed the feel of it to cater to a specific group.

    Instead of Dante, we are now given an annoying, sexually-confused, emo teenager with the powers to hover for minutes at a time. They have taken a good theme and character and replaced it with what they feel will sell to the kiddies that religiously watch Twilight.

    Well Capcom, good for you. You can do whatever you like with the Devil May Cry franchise, it is your right.

    I will simply exercise my right to refrain from paying for this rubbish.

  • While I am not worried about the changes they have made to Dante I am worried about Capcoms treatment of this generation and how much content will be left out and sold to us as DLC or exlcusive DLC for the Xbox. They have entirely lost me as a former 20+ year fan of theirs and will need to stop screwing gamers and really impress to get me to buy any of their games again.

  • Devil May Cry 1 was released in 2001!!!

    It is only 9 years old, not twelve!!!

    These developers fell free to “update” Dante’s look, but they can’t make up to simple math.

  • The first Devil May Cry was the only one in the series that’s worth playing, the others were awful. This series doesn’t need a reboot, it needs to be left alone. Once again I’ll say that developers are way too keen on dragging out franchises and milking them for all the money they can get, why can’t you come up with original games? Hopefully this game flops then we can move on and forget about this franchise.

    I think Rey picked a good comparison, they are like Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies, BECAUSE THEY ARE TERRIBLE. He took Batman, a series with a lot of story behind it and sucked all of the story out for a mindless chain of shaky camera action scenes, flashy explosions and no story. Just like these guys are taking Devil May Cry and sucking all the story and character out of it and just to fill it with underwhelming action with an emo reject (I say it’ll be underwhelming based on Ninja Theory’s track record).

    Also a side note the guy in the video was saying that they wanted to “toughen up” Dante with a new look, then why did you make him look feminine, lanky and fragile? That’s the exact opposite.

    Another side note, I would hardly call Dante a videogame “icon”

  • sorry but but one of the things that i love of the the real dante is the feel of invencivility his not weak dont ruin the character atoniades may cry the new ip

  • I dont mind the change of direction in the story and setting and what-not, but its the CHARACTER that is just too horrible, they need to change him, im sure if they did what Sucker Punch did with Cole, they would get many more gamers behind them and willing to buy this game. All I ask is a change from that anorexic junkie looking Dante into something much better.

  • the new look is terribleeeeeeeeeeeeee no more words and see the raitings for god how is in favor? dont make me laught

  • (I like the new hair. There, I said it.) yeap rey gutierez your hair looks the same omg

  • Old Dante looks like a pansy…
    New Dante looks like someone who could kick everyone on this blog out of their bean bag chairs, pocket protectors flyin’
    & all… stop your whining, and recognize how brilliant the new Dante look is.

  • I’m with Kedaro. I look forward to seeing just how much awesome the improved Dante can deal out.

    And seriously, how many ’emos’ are actually in games, seeing as how it’s apparently an epidemic?

  • i dont like the new desing of dante, looks like a emo

  • ok I have seen enought about movie talk now i’ts my tur to talk din’t capcom had enoght watching more of 80% of the people doesnt care about real life in a game or in a movie just take a look at street figter the original sale $33,210,975 and the more realistic one $8,742,261 making the jump from fantasy to real live is a very risky move that will cost alot, welcome to reality JA!!!!

  • I Dont Have A Problem With What They Doing With The Game My Problem Is WHERE IS VERGIL ????? How Bout A Devil May Cry Of Vergil As The Main Character, Or Bring Him Back As A Villain Or Ally Or Sumthing…Dante’s Ok, Nero Is A Dante WannaBe. U Put Be Vergils Sword In DMC4, U Have Dante Try 2 Fight Like Him, But *Sighs* I Want Vergil -_-” DMC3 > All The Other DMC’s
    But Idk MayB It’s Just Me (Srry 4 Ranting/Typo’s) But If A New Version Of Vergil’s N This New DMC Game I’ll Buy It, If Not I’ll Just Borrow It From A Friend

  • @Kedaro

    How briliant new Dante is? Dude are we still talking about the same Dante? Why to heck should new “Dante” smoke like a steam train? The original look pansy? I tell you something, its still better to look like a pansy than like a scragged emo teenager, who doesnt get enough daliy food. This perplexity would solve making both this “Dante” and original Dante avaible from begining of the game as avaible characters (costumes) to choose from and play as through the game. You can keep your emo Dante, but give us Dante fans an option to choose the original Dante. But make him look good and dont take less work on him as on this new.

  • @217 MatthewG_93

    Fair enough, and elegantly worded, I’d have to agree that they should include both, or give a steady transition throughout the game that ends up being the best of both worlds (while I may believe the old Dante to look like a pansy that might not reflect everyone’s views, and I’m sure that I’m in the minority on that subject as well)
    I think this game is going to appeal to the fiction fans that love a really good story(minus the Japanese stuff that sometimes gets lost in translation, or ends up being a little over the top for a typical Westerner), and dream about being Dante etc. I’m sure there is still a lot to be revealed and I hope everyone will find their own satisfaction out of NT’s version of DmC.

  • ^I’m in no way intending to knock Japanese developed games, I’m a huge fan of Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Resident Evil, and too many others to count, I just wanted to re-iterate so no one took what I said out of context.

  • Hmmm… yeah don’t like.

    I’m all for changes. But not to the point that I can’t recognize the guy at first glance. If you don’t put dante or DmC on it you would think the character is completely different.

    I suspect that they are going to recon his image again (like they did Cole for Infamous 2) or Capcom is going to have quiet a few (<—Yes, understatement) angry fans.

  • @220 Phantom0Alpha

    Capcom still has fans?…

    (long pause)

    Just kidding.

  • about Dante White Hair

    -Dante has white hair since birth (if you play dmc3 you’ll see a potrait of dante mother with his twin child that both HAS WHITE HAIR

    -in japanese folktale demon child born with silver hair since birtth

    so any attempt to make dante become gradually white is defintely bad move since it is again

    only if dante not smoking and has healtier and cleaner apperance i can give some chance to Ninja Theory!

  • Okay so imagine an impossible future where someone albeit powerful had found a way to kill Dante and did so, and then through taking over a young man’s body is reborn… I know this is entirely speculation, but wouldn’t that be cool, that even if you do manage to kill Dante he’ll just be reborn into another?

  • There better be a demo or gameplay soon, if not I’m just going to stick with the other 3 DMC games (lol@DMC2) and bayonetta. If this was a new IP its w/e, but its not you took Dantes name and the DMC series and slapped in on to some NT bs, and heavenly sword was VERY meh. This is like….saying the spirits within was FF.

  • Sorry for double post though.

    If someone didnt tell me this was dante, i wouldn’t have known it was dante. That should speak for itself.

  • Couldn’t Capcom have just made this a new IP instead of “reimagining” the DMC franchise.

  • please dont let peapole gay makig characters is an error tameem antoniades dont know how to make a real character just see how he dresses and now dante looks like him a fo ——————————–fa——————————-
    its a shame

  • oh yes I din’t saw that Batman comment let me take a guess micheal keaton batman 1 and 2 epic, Val Kilmer 3 bad, George Clooney 4 superbad all time low in other words people would pay not to see it again the batman movie market was dead for some tiem until people forget now batman begins better than the last and The Dark Knight I can’t remember if the best actor was Batman or the Joker and I can’t remember the name people where cheering for… a yes Heat Ledger.

    PS. Do you think the next Joker will be as good as Heat Ledgers Joker? my answer is I don’t think so :)

  • Why did it need a reboot exactly? Seems like its the thing to do these days. Batman NEEDED a reboot because he was absent from the public eye for 10 years and “Batman & Robin” nearly killed the franchise. The devil may cry games were fine. Rebooting is saying, “the franchise is dying and werent too great to begin with.” Thats the purpose of a reboot. Because Batman Begins was successful, everyone seems to use the “do-over” card. Star trek reboot, upcoming Spiderman reboot, hulk reboot, fantastic 4 reboot..I dont know if a Devil may cry reboot is justified. Has the series really been suffering? Granted I think it doesnt look too bad…but DMC 4 wasnt THAT long ago :/

  • Are these deveopers high? they just ruined the franchise! They made Dante look like a crack adict, and made him look all powerless and weak. I mean what the hell, i dont want batman, i want Devil May Cry. “And fashionista”? “Over the top”? Toughen him up? Hes already tough! Hes friggen half-devil already! These developers hade him look like a scronny, emo, punk all beat up and arrested. Ninja theory and Capcom F’ed up the seiries and their not getting one cent from me, until i see something change here. What isnt broken doesnt need fixing.

  • what i’m looking for in the game is a better range of weapons :P Pandora box was the crappiest weapon anyone could ever put in a DMC game.

  • also no, he’s dante, not Kratos, no need for wide range weapon :D

  • They should just rename this game Twilight May Cry. He looks just like Edward Cullen.

    Ninja Theory needs to get it through their thick heads it’s not JUST the friggin hair or the fact that they changed Dante. It’s the fact that he looks like some emo Twilight “vampire”. For chrissakes, i’d MUCH rather Dante look like Wesley Snipe’s Blade. In fact, that’s not a bad idea……….

  • if there so aware of the negative feedback on the new Dante (practically 95%), then why in gods name aren’t they doing something about it, I’m not saying go back to the old Dante (although it would be the best option IMO) but atleast replace the little bitch emo they have now.

  • @208

    I feel that when a character is popular enough to be a cameo in an entirely different game that said character would be pretty close to an icon status.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy3ufqp3l10&NR=1
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aUp0xapQsw&amp;

  • I bought EVERY DMC title day one, sadly DmC will not be one of them. That.. thing.. trying to pretend its DMC will never be in my collection.

    Hopefully the next DMC will go back to what DMC is.

    RIP DMC, RIP Dante.

  • 1: The new Dante in no way looks tougher. 2: Just because something is different, it doesn’t make it better. If you re-designed Sonic with brown hair and no shoes, if you made Mario a tux wearing Asian dude; these wouldn’t be improvements, they’d cease to be the character. 3: Stop hoping the hardcore DMC fans will like your ill conceived re-design and just fix the character.

  • I see alot of ppl all over that are DMC fans arnt happy with it. I think when there is something new and something we have been used to for a long time…I mean they havnet changed his look in anything else he has been in Viewtiful joe of MvC3… it is all the same white haird sassy man we love… i think no matter what change is hard for anyone.

    MGS4 is a bit different of a change… it is still being done by kojima and in his studio. this is a new team and a new vision. yea things are gonna be different. and we have to expect that.

    if you take the “Devil may cry” aspect out of it. it looks like a really awesome game. I’d play it. hhaha yea the hero looks a little lanky and beat up but he still looks awesome.and he has a really sassy attitude.

    I will wait and make my decision on it when i know more and can actually play it. judging it on the game its self, how it is and how it stands to the franchise…. at least it will be way better than castlevania judgment…hahahaha

  • Guess some people never heard of “Don’t judge someone by looks alone.” If I’m right, DmC is set prior to DMC. If so, than it’s going to be awesome to learn what made Dante the rebel into Dante the icon.

  • I’ll admit I was surprised at the decision to change something iconic about Dante – aka his hair – but after watching the trailer a second time I can really see this new design working, ESPECIALLY if this is a prequel. I don’t think he looks emo either — he just looks like he’s beaten up and had a rough life if you consider his gauntness in another way than simply being ’emo’.

    My 2 cents: I’m really hoping that DmC ends up being a great release that surprises a lot of the initial downers. Good luck to the devs.

  • @250 Jido Cheeta

    OMG im not talking about the GAME itself!! Im talking about the main character that plays the role as Dante! And it doesnt matter for me if its a prequel or a sequel, its stil Devil May Cry isnt it? Im saying that i dont want to play as this junkie. Why should i play as this man/teen who has no history in DMC? Why? I wasnt asking for a change. I want to play as the character which i know from every part of the game, that means DMC 1,2,3,4.

    Some of you are still talking: “wait for the final product and then judge the game” or “take it as a new start”. Ill say it again, i dont want a new start. Im used to the old char and im not willing to accept that im gonna look at some one that i dont have a clue about who he is (doesnt matter that hes name is Dante, i dont know this guy). You changed him so much that this new guy isnt Dante we know, its some one that calls himself Dante.

    Its really shame that youre still trying to make us fans believe that this is what we fans know.

  • If you’re going to change so many elements – and have it in a different universe, as Capcom now says it is – wtf is the point of calling it Devil May Cry?

    Just build something original.

  • @253 Einhander138

    I totally agree.

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