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DmC Director Tameem Antoniades Responds on Dante and Other Things

In the issue of PS3M, the Director of DmC responds to internet theories of how Dante came to be.

Speaking in a candid interview with PSM3, Antoniades was asked what he thought of online chatter about the reboot. Among the internet sourced drivel was the theory that Dante is modelled on him, which he quickly dismissed after a little self-deprecating humour

Capcom said something which they've said to us often, which is, 'if it was going to be the same as the old DMC, why would we give this project to you guys? The reason is to surprise us, to come up with a reinvention. To create something we couldn't have conceived in Japan.

UK fans should check this edition on your newsstands and apps.

I know there isn't much here, but its the latest DmC news that there is so far.

If anyone wants to contribute from the magazine with quotes, please do so.

EDIT: Here are some of the quotes from the interview (via Ezekial45)

Responding to a fan complaint - "DMC DOESN'T NEED A FUCKING REBOOT." (exact words)

Nothing needs a reboot unless that reboot works. Look at Batman. The parallel to the Batman reboot was Catwoman. Nobody needed that, but when it works it can change the course of a franchise in a positive way. It can make it survive. The decision as to whether DMC needed a reboot or not; it's irrelevant what my opinion is because that decision was Capcom's. They felt it needed something which is why they not only decided to take a bold step and reinvent it, but to give it to a non-Japanese dev. They had their reasons and that was our mandate. They wanted a reinvention - a reinterpretation - that's what we went ahead and did.

- PSM3 question - "Much of the argument (about the series needing a reboot) surely rests on whether or not DMC4 was a dead end. Was it?"

There was a feeling from some of the guys at Capcom that it could continue the way it was, but that there were certain tropes that were being - I don't know how to put this...I think when you compare it to where a lot of games have arrived at - Western games in particular, where levels feel more open and the world feels more grounded - it felt like DMC was a little stuck in its ways. It needed to be let loose. That's what we were told as part of our mandate to reinvent it.

- Regarding skepticism about NT's abilities to achieving solid technical performance:

I think that comes from Heavenly Sword not hitting 30FPS at times. Then we moved on to Unreal and pushed out Enslaved in half the time of Heavenly Sword, if not less. And that one had the some framerate issues we regret; we should have held on and refused to give the build to the publisher until we hit that framerate. On this game, we've got a commitment from all around that we've got to hit it. And we've made sure the game runs at a solid state at all times through development. So I don't think that will be an issue. The people who have been testing the game have said it's very responsive, and these are people who know DMC."
More fan criticism - "They won't have a chance of selling five million units!"

"Usually the worst creative crimes are made when you're trying to make a game for someone else - some perceived demographic that, in all likelihood, doesn't actually exist. From my point of view there's only on way to try and make a successful game, and that's to make the game you want to play. A game that everyone involved is proud of. So from that point of view I don't care if it sells a thousand unites or two million units. I believe the time you spend making something had to be worthwhile. You've got 20 productive years of work in your life; if you're gonna spend ten or 15 percent of it on something, make it worthwhile.

- On comparisons to Bayonetta

We never set out to beat Bayonetta in combat. We're aiming to make this the best DMC in the series. We want out combat to be better than the rest, because we take pride in our work. When Itsuno-San from Capcom and his crew come out, we spend days going over the combat system and things they've added to previous entries you won't find in guides on GameFAQs. But in terms of feel, we're aiming to make this like a movie. Something with rules that make sense; that has characters that feel real, that you emphasize with. For that reason, we're not looking at Bayonetta.

- On the philosophy of DMC, and proving NT can do it

DMC is a hardcore game, that's where it should stay. Itsuno-San said the general philosophy of DMC is that the more you give it, the more you get out of it. In DMC the philosophy is to constantly give you harder modes of play, more depth and experience, and more chances to excel. That doesn't mean you should exclude everyone else. And I think it should have a hardcore story. Every game we've done so far has been Teen-rated, and this one's not. I get frustrated that, despite there being blood and violence in gaming, the stories all so often very safe. Your average novel or play has the prerogative to push boundaries and break ground in some fashion. So that's what I'd love to do with DMC.

- Short feature in the article about Dante's reinvention.

This new Dante is really the latest in a long line of Ninja Theory prototypes which, at first, were much closer to Capcom's original. "It worked across three territories: us in the UK, Capcom Japan, and Capcom America," explains Antoniades. "Our original concepts were very close to the original DMC, taking mixtures of the previous four games and creating a new interpretation, but very much in that space. And Capcom said something which they've said to us often, which is, 'If it was going to be the same as the old DMC, why would we give this project to you guys? The reason is to surprise us, to come up with a reinvention, To create something we couldn't have conceived in Japan.

At one point we were asked to forget about the design of the character and just come up with images about Dante at key moments in his life, from childhood to adulthood. So we've got 100 images of this character at different ages, in different situations, different emotional states. One of the best was of him ripping open this big wound in his chest in front of the mirror, seeing his heart beating and realising he's not human. We did all these really prescient images to define the character, then looped back round to: 'Okay. Now he's cool. Now we know why he doesn't give a shit. We know his history. What does he look like?' "It's a way of designing a character we've never done. And that's when Capcom Japan and American were finally happy with it.

EDIT 2: New Screens (Courtesy of lowhighkang_LHK)

dmc_11.jpg


dmc_04.jpg


dmc_01.jpg


dmc_10.jpg


dmc_02.jpg
 
Look. I don't like Dante's Jersey Shore look, and I never will. But I could put aside my aesthetic tastes and enjoy the game if the combat is solid. But with everything we've been shown, the combat looks a mess. And why oh why the excuses about not being 60fps? My actions games have to run fast. Everything about this game just makes me want to put another 120 hours into Bayonetta.
 

Hayeya

Banned
I dont want a surprise,
I dont want a reinvention,
I just want my same old Devil May cry,
If this game has the FEEL of Devil may cry, so be it, but i would be glad if the final cut-scene in this game shows us that the Dante that we know suddenly wakes up and realizes that the whole Dmc game is a nightmare.
 

Endo Punk

Member
I wonder if the DMC team in Japan played Heavenly Sword and Enslaved. I dont expect NT to surprise(in a good way) us in any form based on said games.

Tameem is the Uwe Boll of gaming, my expectations are practically underground.
 

bhlaab

Member
Capcom said something which they've said to us often, which is, 'if it was going to be the same as the old DMC, why would we give this project to you guys? The reason is to surprise us, to come up with a reinvention. To create something we couldn't have conceived in Japan.

I'm pretty sure Devil May Cry fans want something that could only have been concieved in Japan.
 

Endo Punk

Member
Well he isn't that bad, but still not someone that should go anywhere near the franchise.

Oh but he is and unlike devs like itagaki, jaffe and cliffy who can back up their loud mouths tameem thinks his king of the ball after delivering two run of the mill and by the numbers titles. And as far as im concerned from his interviews he comes off as the biggest ass-hat ive ever seen.
 

Setero

Neo Member
Here is a quote from the interview that says so much about whats wrong with this project

"At the time Inafune was at Capcom and suggested an idea that we should hold onto- that if it was a movie released here in the UK or in America what would it look like? That defined the approach we took. Because if you took DMC the game and literally translated that into a movie, it wouldn't work."
 

chriskun

Member
Look. I don't like Dante's Jersey Shore look, and I never will. But I could put aside my aesthetic tastes and enjoy the game if the combat is solid. But with everything we've been shown, the combat looks a mess. And why oh why the excuses about not being 60fps? My actions games have to run fast. Everything about this game just makes me want to put another 120 hours into Bayonetta.

Jersey Shore look, what the fuck are you talking about? Quotes like this show how little most gamers know about current fashion trends and the terminology used to describe them. Dante's new look is about as far from jersey shore as you can get.
 
Urgh. I am past the point where I really have much interest in what this man has to say. Capcom needs hurry up and release the game so this idiot can fade back into irrelevance.


just looks like contemporary trendy to me...maybe with a touch of shoreditch
He looks exactly like the morons that you see in Camden at night to me.
 
Jersey Shore look, what the fuck are you talking about? Quotes like this show how little most gamers know about current fashion trends and the terminology used to describe them. Dante's new look is about as far from jersey shore as you can get.

just looks like contemporary trendy to me...maybe with a touch of shoreditch
 

Mdk7

Member
I wonder if the DMC team in Japan played Heavenly Sword and Enslaved. I dont expect NT to surprise(in a good way) us in any form based on said games.

Tameem is the Uwe Boll of gaming, my expectations are practically underground.

DMC is not my cup of tea and i'm disappointed by the evolution of the saga just like anyone else, yet i frankly think you're exaggerating a little here.
 

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
"At the time Inafune was at Capcom and suggested an idea that we should hold onto- that if it was a movie released here in the UK or in America what would it look like? That defined the approach we took. Because if you took DMC the game and literally translated that into a movie, it wouldn't work."

Wait....What?
I love devil may cry & all that but Dante is just a clone of Blade, with a Red coat, white hair & is half demon instead of vampire & has a sense of humor, and that wouldn't translate?
blade-trinity_snipes.jpg
 

Boogybro

Member
Jersey Shore look, what the fuck are you talking about? Quotes like this show how little most gamers know about current fashion trends and the terminology used to describe them. Dante's new look is about as far from jersey shore as you can get.

Jersey Shore DmC would be BADASS.

The Situations abs and Paulie D's Brooklyn Fade could be used as weapons.
 

Anteater

Member
I think the new DMC looks fine, I even like Dante's new look!

I don't understand the hate.

Maybe they didn't think it looks fine and don't like the new look! Some people just have different opinions and taste, and not to mention people are kind of sceptical about the game based on their track record, it's really simple and easy to see where people are coming from, I feel that the same thing is discussed in every DmC thread :lol.

I do think some should just accept it as another game from another developer, it's not really a numbered sequel anyway.

I don't mind his looks all that much, he seems to look better in every new video they show, there are things that doesn't seem as consistent and polished as the previous dmc games but it seems they are putting more effort into it, especially performance and maybe controls, so I'm interested to see how this will end up.
 

Monocle

Member
I'd be OK with Dino's appearance if he dropped about 60 pounds. Right now he looks dangerously close to a recovering heroin addict. Far too well-nourished for a disenfranchised youth of the streets with no prospects because demons.

His face is alright now that NT ditched the haggard look from the reveal trailer.
 

Teknoman

Member
I think the new DMC looks fine, I even like Dante's new look!

I don't understand the hate.

Its not really hate, its more or less everyone being apprehensive about how Ninja Theory will represent the series based on their other releases.

Just image if your favorite series was given to a developer who's games are usually no where near the same style as what you're used to.

I still think NT needs to stick to developing cinematic adventure games, because the last two had amazing art/environments and character interactions, but really stiff or too floaty combat mechanics that weren't fun in the least bit.

If anything, Capcom should have let them revive Onimusha.
 

mandas

Neo Member
The idea that they are looking at this as a movie makes me fear they are going overboard with what Ninja Theory always wanted to do and that is create a movie. No wonder the movie has been pushed back 3 years. They can wrap it all up in this.
 

Anteater

Member
Its not really hate, its more or less everyone being apprehensive about how Ninja Theory will represent the series based on their other releases.

Just image if your favorite series was given to a developer who's games are usually no where near the same style as what you're used to.

I still think NT needs to stick to developing cinematic adventure games, because the last two had amazing art/environments and character interactions, but really stiff or too floaty combat mechanics that weren't fun in the least bit.

If anything, Capcom should have let them revive Onimusha.

Onimusha reboot would be such a better idea since the series seems to like basing their main character models off real actors, would mix together really well with their style
 

gogogow

Member
So all the gamplay footage they've showed to the public, what's so special about it that the DMC team in Japan couldn't do? Other than the Western design/art and 30fps, I don't see what couldn't be "conceived" in Japan...

And if Capcom wants something "different" and is okay to let it be done by Ninja Theory then why did they constantly reassure us that someone from Capcom Japan is helping out on the combat?
 

Jocchan

Ὁ μεμβερος -ου
I do think some should just accept it as another game from another developer, it's not really a numbered sequel anyway.
This game would find a lot less opposition if there was a proper DMC5 already announced, and if they didn't spread so much confusion about its identity (spinoff or series reboot?).
 

Anteater

Member
So all the gamplay footage they've showed to the public, what's so special about it that the DMC team in Japan couldn't do? Other than the Western design/art and 30fps, I don't see what couldn't be "conceived" in Japan?

And if Capcom wants something "different" and is okay to let it be done by Ninja Theory then why did they constantly reassure us that someone from Capcom Japan is helping out on the combat?

The DMC team (or at least the director) is on Dragon's Dogma, so I have a feeling that Capcom probably just wanted to continue making money off the series, while still being able to risk new IPs with the inhouse dev
 

Anteater

Member
This game would find a lot less opposition if there was a proper DMC5 already announced, and if they didn't spread so much confusion about its identity (spinoff or series reboot?).

Yeah, everyone kind of expected a sequel from DMC4 too, that reveal trailer was kind of a kick in the balls, considering how bad it looks
 

gogogow

Member
The DMC team (or at least the director) is on Dragon's Dogma, so I have a feeling that Capcom probably just wanted to continue making money off the series, while still being able to risk new IPs with the inhouse dev

Nah, it's Capcom/Inafune's idea to cater everything to the West, to have universal appeal. The only problem is that DMC4 is the best selling one out of the entire series. If they made DMC5 and sold like shit, i'd kinda understand their decision, but now it's just let a Western studio make the new game just for the sake of it. And how did all the Japanese IPs developed by Western studio's do?
 

Jocchan

Ὁ μεμβερος -ου
Yeah, everyone kind of expected a sequel from DMC4 too, that reveal trailer was kind of a kick in the balls, considering how bad it looks
The reveal, and the very first nuggets of information about the game, were managed extremely badly. This obviously influenced the overall reception quite substantially.
 

Requeim

Member
Not any worse, though, and Devil may Cry has needed something to freshen things up.

Says who?

I would be fine if Devil May Cry 5 through 10 were just slightly different versions of 3 or 4 gameplaywise with new story, characters, environments and weapons.

Also, this game doesn't really "look" fresh in any way. When it comes out, people will be asking themselves why it looks and runs inferior compared to DMC4, which is a 2008 game.

ugh, stupid capcom
 
Not any worse, though, and Devil may Cry has needed something to freshen things up.

Are they really doing something to freshen things up? Right now the main differences seem to be a different artstyle, a 30fps framerate and a focus on story telling? I can't see those things really grabbing a new set of gamers, and that's what Capcom is hoping for.
 

Trojan X

Banned
Well. The fighting system in DMC are being super overhauled to near DMC3 standards, so at least we have something really decent to look forward to in that department compared to before. Regarding the rest of the game, there will be sections that will make our jaws drop, but there will be other sections that will probably make us perform a facepalm in disbelief... This is no surprise considering what was seen from all the videos released and captured for public viewing so far.

Please work HARDER Ninja Theory. Remember the basics:

1) Fantastic Gameplay and fun must come first. Graphics and Environment must come second.
2) Linear routines that doesn't allow us gamers to use the arsenals of Dante should never be included. I.e. do not be afraid to "cut" where necessary. Every section and level must make the player scream "HOLY SH**" in awe!
3) Avoid giving us a game that contain "Chore" sections (areas of the game where the player doesn't have much to do or have to perform "mundane" tasks). There were too many of those sections in your previous titles and Capcom's DMC4 that made the games boring.
4) Interaction, Causes, Affects and Reactions are extremely important than just having action. Remember that DMC series is a sophisticated "brawler" where the enemies react and response to the player, and it's DMC3 and Bayonetta that sets the standard, not DMC 4.
5) Remember there is a difference between "Emulation" and "Simulation" of another game. Just because something looks like DMC and Bayonetta in combat, it doesn't mean that it plays like it.
6) To capture the new audience, I hope you have considered something in the gameplay and features department that will bring something incredibly exciting and refreshing to the series. Not just the graphics, story, mood and setting.


Still crossing fingers for an awesome DMC, but please do not be afraid to delay the game for heavy improvement if you really have to. Depending on the release date, I'm sure we'll be fine.
 
At least Tameem is explaining his actions, while kind of being smug about it. Now, Capcpcom can truly be held 100% accountable for this. I mean according to the article, NT's designers made a close or 'safe' rendition of Dante, until Capcom said to design the character different.
 

Eppy Thatcher

God's had his chance.
Well. The fighting system in DMC are being super overhauled to near DMC3 standards, so at least we have something really decent to look forward to in that department compared to before. Regarding the rest of the game, there will be sections that will make our jaws drop, but there will be other sections that will probably make us perform a facepalm in disbelief... This is no surprise considering what was seen from all the videos released and captured for public viewing so far.

... well i'm just kind of confused at this peice of your comment... what from any of the video (besides Capcom and NT touting their own product which is to be expected AND taken with a salt shaker) makes you think they are going to be at DMC3 standards? That is a feat that seems so astronomical to NT that I seriously just don't think it could happen. The lag between button push and screen response alone in their games makes the DmC3 playstyle virtually impossible. I'm sure they have shored up their engine a little bit as the years go on but... seriously?

Just no. This thing is going to crash and burn and i'm going to watch and laugh and then move back to waiting for an ACTUALL Devil May Cry game... which will likely never happen after funnypants mcgee haircut guy gets kicked to the curb.
 

BadWolf

Member
I started DMC4 the other day and am up to Mission 9. So far, I'm just not feeling it to be anything special. Its good but feels extremely familiar and I find it hard not to compare it to Bayonetta while playing and well... I think it to be inferior in every single category (gameplay, music, design, characters, enemies, story etc).

So yeah, I was on the hate train full force but not so much anymore. I'm now curious as to how this turns out because if DMC5 was going to be just the same thing like DMC4 is then I'm not sure I'd enjoy it very much.

*goes back to waiting for Rising and Bayonetta 2 to be announced*
 

sn00zer

Member
I dont want a surprise,
I dont want a reinvention,
I just want my same old Devil May cry,
If this game has the FEEL of Devil may cry, so be it, but i would be glad if the final cut-scene in this game shows us that the Dante that we know suddenly wakes up and realizes that the whole Dmc game is a nightmare.
Wow.....damn.... go play the other games then...this idea is very scary to me, ill take change over same old any day
 
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