Do the Devil May Cry fans have a right to complain about the new DMC?

[Hero in a half shell]

Awesome fan-rant snip

It always amazes me how deeply we can get involved in a character or universe that is well fleshed out that we reach our own understanding of the character's personality and the important things in-universe that reflect their story arc and character development. We don't even realise how invested we are in the series until something is changed, and then we find that we are able to write pages on what we find compelling about a character's motivations, personality and development, and exactly how the new changes fail to fit into the universe we have constructed.

I think fans do have a right to complain if a series they enjoy undergoes some fundamental changes that they think does not comply with the already established universe, partially because they probably know the characters and themes as well as the developers, but also because otherwise the developers cannot gauge how well their product is being received, and even if the developer is only interested in making money they still want their games to be popular and appeal to their intended audience.
The problem comes when fans confuse cosmetic changes with fundamental changes. In this case, for example, changing Ebony and Ivory to revolvers will not change the character development of Dante or mess up currently established canon. It also keeps with the gothic style of weapons often used in the series, so although you can still mention it as a problem I wouldn't say that it's a continuity ruiner (especially if they include an in-game explanation as to why the guns are different.) This is mainly an aesthetic change, and can be excused because some people may prefer it.
The change of backstory is however, a fundamental change. As you argued, it appears to be an incredibly important point in Dante's personal character development, and the way he interacts with other characters, even providing motives and incentives for some crucial plot points. This is something that they cannot retroactively change and pretend that it still fits in with all the previously established games, so the relationship between the new game story and old installments needs to be clearly explained, it it's a prequel then the discrepancies need to be addressed, otherwise it messes up the whole story, and if it's a reimagining then they have a little more wiggle room, but as you have said the developers seem to be completely avoiding this.

I think you have made a very good case that the developers are not treating the established series with the respect that they could be, and although there is nothing nerdier than impotent fan-rage it's great to get it out of your system. Take that, MAN.

 

[Azure-Supernova]

OP's Wall o' Text

Let me just say, every one of these points is on the fence until the game is released. Wilst I agree with some, I just have to tell my inner fanboy to calm down and maybe everything will be okay. I think Ninja Theory would have lost a lot of flak if they'd just been open about what exactly the new DMC was supposed to be. I've heard that many rumours that I've no idea anymore.

But fans always have the right to complain. Always. Even if the game turns out perfect people will complain about something... probably the font on the cover art or something picky like that. You can't take away a person's right to grumble.

However the games have never really been a pinnacle of storytelling or characterisation, it didn't relly get going until DMC3 as Dante's personality was pretty much just 'badass' in the first. Either way I'm eager to see what it's all about, how badly can then mess up the canon, surely not as badly as Other M did to Metroid.

In conclusion: I can empathise with long time fans of the series, but after DMC4 there wasn't much else to do with the series. I think it's better that Capcom ended that arc there. Sure there's always more work for Dante in the world as we see at the end of DMC4, but honestly I'm glad it ended before it had a chance to get really awful like Resident Evil did.

Fans can at least take heed in knowing that one way or another the canon of Dante isn't going to be ruined or mocked by some futue event, thoroughly screwing him over and putting Devil May Cry onto tha long list of games with horrible, horrible sequels.

 

[The Human Torch]

Christ, this is a huge and well put together post, but I think that both Yahtzee and Jim(quisition) said it before: hardcore fans are never pleased, never satisfied. The new DMC looks fantastic, the gameplay footage looks awesome and until we have this game in our consoles at home, we cannot make a proper judgement.

I loved Devil May Cry 1, avoided Devil May Cry 2 (for obvious reasons) and failed at Devil May Cry 3, because I am not very good at the more difficult games. I didn't try Devil May Cry 4, because it looked like too much of the same thing, and it DOES get BORING. For the same reasons that I can't understand how people can play a new version of Zelda/Mario every 2 years, which is essentially the same every iteration, I am happy to see that DMC is getting refurbished.

Well, I'm not a hardcore fan by any stretch. I've only played DMC4 and I will probably never play the previous DMC games but this still has me upset.

I am far from a hardcore fan, but I like the new look of Dante and the level-design, how it will all work out is another thing entirely. For all we know this game will suck arse.

 

[Rawne1980]

We've had Dante as he was for a hell of a long time.

We've had the games, manga, anime and action figures. He's had guest appearances in a few other games and people grew to know him as a character.

Now they change a lot about him and the people arguing FOR the new Dante are reeling out utter bollocks that make no sense.

First the fans cry out about his new look.

People argue back that it's a prequel and Dante didn't always have silver hair (a fact denied in the anime and manga when he is shown as a child with silver hair).

But like you say, it can be forgiven.

Then they argue it's a reboot so the new look is okay.

Come on people, which is it you are arguing for? A reboot or a fucking prequel it can't be sodding both.

Either way, people that have known Dante as he was for many years are pissed off and have a right to be. You take a persons favourite character and take a shit on him then some people are bound to get a bit angry.

And no NT fans, just no. There is no argument against ruining a persons favourite character. If people want to be pissed about it then they have a damn right to be.

And whats with this "half angel" bollocks.

Look just piss off NT, seriously , you really have no clue what you are doing do you? Just admit it and we'll forgive your ignorance.

The fact NT have basically said they don't give a shit about the fans doesn't help matters either.

That, and that cow licked arse Tameem Antoniades is a dick.

Why?

http://thesilentchief.com/2011/02/03/are-devil-may-cry-fans-partially-to-blame-for-poor-enslaved-sales/

Read that, go on NT fans have a read.

The game sold 400.000 copies worldwide. Apparently that was partially down to DMC fans NOT NT releasing a shit game. If the reason Enslaved did so badly IS down to DMC fans then you will fuck all luck selling the new DMC game will you ya prick.

Dislike that muppet a great deal I do. See moron you now have me typing like bloody Yoda i'm that riled up.

So those defending the new DMC can shout and scream until they are blue in the face. To DMC fans it's just not good enough.

(Disclaimer - the word "you" has been used in this post but is not aimed at anyone reading this which is made blindingly obvious by the context. The reason i'm writing this disclaimer is I received a warning because I put "you" in a post aimed at people who tell other people to "get better internet" and someone (must not call them names) took it as me abusing them ..... some people are too sensitive and read far too much into stuff. But now i've put this here so no-one can cry to admin that i'm mean to them).

 

[goldendriger]

I would say "No, we dont" Because at first i was as pissed as the rest. But then i made excuses "Its for the media, people get pissed and then BOOM hype made" then it was "Thats not Dante, thats another guy and the REAL Dante is in the game" then i lost all hope.
But your last part made a point, other devolopers changed stuff, fans wernt happy so they changed it.

Ninja Theory dont realise Fans= Money, if they appeal to the fans, the fans will buy it, they buy it NT gets money!

As its going, ill get it pre-owned so A- I dont pay full price for this crap and B- NT dont get a freaking penny for this injustice, we vote with our wallets, if only a few people buy the game and it flops Capcom will take it back and release DMC5, im sure of it.

 

[cainx10a]

If that angel-demon picture of Dante is an official one, I'm going to puke, that's the silliest use of T&A with angel wings ever. It's just plain amateurish since it look more like a bunch of strippers with angel wings than you know, the real deal. But this game definitely went from "will give it a chance" through "No buy" to "buy used out of spite for the developers".

I will definitely be looking forward for Bayonetta 2 which I personally consider to be an improvement over all the other DMCs, specially on the accessibility level for noobs who can't handle a challenging game.

 

[Ordinaryundone]

I'm suprised no one has considered that this isn't actually Dante, and that in calling him Dante and setting him up as the protagonist that they are just pulling an MGS2/DMC4.

Also, have angels EVER been shown in DMC? "Angel" could just be a fancy word for "powered human".

 

[NickCaligo42]

Man, that was quite the read... but a lot of good points. I didn't even know about the "half-demon, half-angel" thing, but cripes, what a way to screw up Devil May Cry. Half what made the atmosphere work is that there WERE no angels, and what the bad guys CALLED angels in DMC4 were entirely false--just demons in (very thin) angelic guise. Half what makes it so antagonistic and what makes it suit the game's rebellious attitude is that there's no GOOD authority figure for him to side with--he's on his own side, period. Look, I'll be the first to admit that Devil May Cry isn't exactly Shakespeare, but it's an issue of appeal, and that's where Devil May Cry finds its appeal.

I want to add something about the character design, ignoring the "old versus new" mentality and just taking the new character design on its own merits. When you get right down to it, I don't care about the white hair, or the red eyes. The simple fact is that this design just doesn't look appealing considering the role that he's in. He's scrawny, filthy, and lazy-looking. The coat doesn't fit; the sleeves are too long and sure to make him slip up during a fight or some other crucial moment, and it looks like it's going to fall off his shoulders any second. He looks, to put it short and sweet, like a homeless bum with zero self-respect. If he stands for rebellion as he did before, he sure doesn't make it look good.

While we've seen indicators that he can mix it up just as good as he always could, nothing about him indicates reliability or competence, so of course people respond badly to this design. He doesn't look like an appealing role to fill, so fuck him.

 

[Ulquiorra4sama]

I agree that after such a long time they shouldn't change the iconic character's looks even if it is a prequel.

It would be like making a prequel to Half-Life where Gordon Freeman is an angsty teenager without a beard,before he got glasses and beat down other with a baseball bat instead of a crowbar.

Just imagine how pissy people would get.

On a whole i'd say you have every right to complain about the looks of this game and even if it is good you could still argue that you'd rather have seen it as a part of a new series. Change the main character's name and parts of the story(of course the title as well) and just publish it as something else. That might actually satisfy some people.

 

[AmaterasuGrim]

Dante looks good for a younger image maybe give him a medium hair length but other then that the look isn't very different so he doesn't have white hair so he doesn't have a red jacket so well that's about it different in looks.

As for his personality being different we haven't seen enough to make that judgement yet seriously so he look's pissed instead of smug in most of the stuff we've seen really does it matter he's a teen personality always changes just like looks, I'd be more disappointed in them if he looked well like nero since nero is a younger looking dante is that what the fans want nero-dante.

Hardcore fans will be hardcore fans scared of change, personally seeing how picky a lot of DMC hardcore are with so little footage is ridiculous & kinder glad ninja theory are not caving at the moment.

 

[Legion IV]

DMC fans like the ff series, they like their lead guys to look like lady boys, and have the done to death anime baddie white hair Z0MG he looks like a baddie but he's actually a goodie *splurge.

concentrate on the game play (which looks every bit DMC) AND let the rest slide.

Ok heres where your wrong, the game play looks nothing! like DMC. First off has anyone mentioned how the games LOCKED at 30FPS? Every DMC is 60 FPS. You have no idea how huge that is, The director of DMC4 Hidakei Itsuno in a interview for 4 said just how important 60 fps is for DMC its literally something thats required for a great dmc game.

So for most hardcore fans that'd be enough to boy cot, but then!! Have you seen the game play? Its very God of war and heavenly sword or you have Caned combos combos that are already made and you just press square 3 times then maybe X and then finish with a triangle.

Devil may cry has always been about jus giving you moves thats it, you get moves and its your choice to make them work and to find out your own combos, every combo we've seen in this reboot looks very stock and caned.

Since when do DMC fans like FF? That makes no sense, so a game with extreme difficulty style fast paced combat and precise timing, that means wed like turn based, easy combat with the game being story driven?

Also lol like am gonna listen to a Valkyrie chronicles fan tell me about anime cliches rofl, thats all that game was, brooding an whining with anime cliches left and right.

The story looks like a complete insult to the fans and garbage and they cant even keep the game intact and are pretty much recycling bits of heavnly sword in the game play. (i'll find the article i read detailing this)

 

[ryo02]

the black hair I can accept if his hair turns white as a story element. and it looks like he got his coat back instead of the little flappy crap thing.

morphing sword ... no not gonna happen he didnt get that till later.
an angel? nope he's half human that better turn out to be someone lying to him about being half angel.
his attitude well he is younger.

as for the game is it just me our does what Ive seen so far seem I dunno empty?? too sharp too bright glaringly so.

 

[Infernai]

Thank you for actually putting in the time to write why everyone's pissed off rather than just saying that "it sux".

Not a problem Little Schrodinger.

 

[jacobythehedgehog]

Dante kind of looks... less emo.

 

[rogue_salty]

whether we have the right to complain or not of course we have the right to complain we made this franchise with our money and time and they are trying to sell there ideas using devil may cry dont get me wrong i dont mind a reboot look at batman(not a big fan of the old one i dont really read comics) hes still batman he looks like batman when u see him u know hes batman when u see the new dante u say whos the new guy and one of the best things about devil may cry is dantes attitude and personalty and i loved the backstory the fact that hes half demon half human and looks dose matter and the gameplay rocks i dont really paly video games alot but i couldnt resist dante(the old one)but from what i heard ninja theory sucks at game play and i only played heavenly sword didnt like it and the new devil may cry looks like it somehow so to some things we are being used to promote for ninja theory through devil may cry i know what im talking about because i work in advertisement dont be a fool and buy this game

 

[Cridhe]

If you haven't played it yet, no I don't think you can really complain about it. It's like a kid saying he hates salad because it's green, even though he's never tried it.