DmC5 trailer, ultimate disappointment or ultimate troll?

[Oni Koneko Damien]

First official Devil May Cry 5 trailer is shown.

Word around the web is that if this is sincerely the direction they're taking the game, the core fandom is going to collectively dump it and move on. Seeing the trailer, I don't blame them. Dante carved a niche as an over-the-top, confident prick who has no shame to speak of and above all else is not a stereotypical emo/grimdark clone of most other action game heroes out there. They tried to change that in DmC2 and it flopped horribly. Taking the video at face value, they're trying it again here, but it's even worse.

On the other hand, this could be a massive troll. A few people suggest that given certain elements of the trailer, the psych-evaluation setting, the completely different looks... that could actually be the baddie, some psychotic twit who only thinks he's Dante, and Dante's really his usual self in this game.

I personally don't think Capcom has it in them to actually make a story that deep, and the cynical side of me says that with the developer switch over to Ninja Theory (whose other great accomplishments include Heavenly Sword), they're actually trying to make it all emo/grimdark to 'put their mark' on the DmC franchise. If so, I'm going to be a sad panda because this was one of the very few series whose characters I found to be enjoyable.

[General Zod]

I liked DMC 4, but I haven't had the chance to watch this trailer yet. My biggest concern is that Itagaki won't be involved at all.

[Ford Prefect]

The fan reaction is pretty much indicative of everything wrong with fans in a general sense. I even think that this dude has an inferior design to Stubble and Belts Dante, but big deal? It's still obviously got everything that the DMC games always have - ie. really powerful main character with a bad attitude, 'stylish' cutscenes, dumb plot etc.

[Oni Koneko Damien]

The fan reaction is pretty much indicative of everything wrong with fans in a general sense. I even think that this dude has an inferior design to Stubble and Belts Dante, but big deal? It's still obviously got everything that the DMC games always have - ie. really powerful main character with a bad attitude, 'stylish' cutscenes, dumb plot etc.

No, no it doesn't. It doesn't have Dante, and for me (and obviously a lot of other people) he's what sold the game. Yeah, he's really powerful with a bad attitude, but he's got a lot more which actually separates him from the countless other powerful protagonists with bad attitudes: He's smarmy, an egotistical asshole, but over everything else, he's really fucking upbeat about it. The DmC universe is pretty much brimming over with goth and grimdark, and it's Dante's generally positive attitude towards it all which, for me, makes the games worth it.

If they're going to change him to a brooding, serious clone of any other wangstanese action hero out there, they're effectively removing Dante from the game, which removes all interest I and, judging from the reaction, a lot of other people have for it.

Look at it this way: If you watched that trailer without knowing it's a DmC trailer, without that twit stating he's 'Dante'... would you even know what it was a trailer for?

[General Zod]

Now that I've actually seen the trailer. . . egh. We'd better get some major character development because an ultra-serious Dante is not the way to go.

[Ford Prefect]

No, no it doesn't. It doesn't have Dante, and for me (and obviously a lot of other people) he's what sold the game. Yeah, he's really powerful with a bad attitude, but he's got a lot more which actually separates him from the countless other powerful protagonists with bad attitudes: He's smarmy, an egotistical asshole, but over everything else, he's really fucking upbeat about it. The DmC universe is pretty much brimming over with goth and grimdark, and it's Dante's generally positive attitude towards it all which, for me, makes the games worth it.

If they're going to change him to a brooding, serious clone of any other wangstanese action hero out there, they're effectively removing Dante from the game, which removes all interest I and, judging from the reaction, a lot of other people have for it.

Look at it this way: If you watched that trailer without knowing it's a DmC trailer, without that twit stating he's 'Dante'... would you even know what it was a trailer for?

No, sorry, you're just being hysterical. Did we watch the same trailer? There's nothing to suggest that Hobo Dante here isn't upbeat or whatever - he's exactly as casual and nonchalant as Dante in DMC and DMC4. Are you seriously watching this trailer, seeing the grungy art style and then automatically assuming it must be a really seirous, gritty actioner with a brooding protagonist? It's just edgier and dirtier and harsher, but the way he moves is pure Dante - he even sounds the same as Shirtless.

And fucking seriously, what is the problem that nerds have with reboots? Wah wah wah, it's not Star Trek! Wah wah wah, it's not X-com! Wah wah wah, it's not Devil May Cry! What a joke.

[General Zod]

No, sorry, you're just being hysterical. Did we watch the same trailer? There's nothing to suggest that Hobo Dante here isn't upbeat or whatever - he's exactly as casual and nonchalant as Dante in DMC and DMC4. Are you seriously watching this trailer, seeing the grungy art style and then automatically assuming it must be a really seirous, gritty actioner with a brooding protagonist? It's just edgier and dirtier and harsher, but the way he moves is pure Dante - he even sounds the same as Shirtless.

And fucking seriously, what is the problem that nerds have with reboots? Wah wah wah, it's not Star Trek! Wah wah wah, it's not X-com! Wah wah wah, it's not Devil May Cry! What a joke.

Compare it with the DMC4 teaser. It's a complete shift in mood. But I guess nerds like BSG grimdark.

[Oni Koneko Damien]

No, sorry, you're just being hysterical. Did we watch the same trailer? There's nothing to suggest that Hobo Dante here isn't upbeat or whatever - he's exactly as casual and nonchalant as Dante in DMC and DMC4.

Yeah, umm, I'm not seeing that. Where are the one-liners? Where's the jacket? Where's the smirk? Where the fuck is Rebellion? That's not Dante because there is nothing there that ties this person to Dante other than the claim that that's who he is. Hell, did you even watch the trailer? He's fucking SMOKING at the end of it! Dante's designer specifically stated that Dante doesn't smoke, at all. I restate: That is not Dante.

Are you seriously watching this trailer, seeing the grungy art style and then automatically assuming it must be a really seirous, gritty actioner with a brooding protagonist?

Yes, because there is absolutely nothing there that suggests it's otherwise. I already admitted, first post, that this could just be a very quality troll. But if not, this is the very first teaser we're getting of the new game, and this is obviously the impression the designers wanted to leave us with. That impression is, "Hey, that's not Dante."

It's just edgier and dirtier and harsher, but the way he moves is pure Dante - he even sounds the same as Shirtless.

Why does it need to be 'edgier and dirtier and harsher'? And who gives a shit about the way he moves? So the developers managed to get the way he fights and the voice down. Hey, they did the same thing for DmC2 and we all saw what a pile of crap that was. The same reason applies now as then: It doesn't matter if they get the other minimum requirements, without Dante's signature personality, it's really not that attractive.

And fucking seriously, what is the problem that nerds have with reboots? Wah wah wah, it's not Star Trek! Wah wah wah, it's not X-com! Wah wah wah, it's not Devil May Cry! What a joke.

Yeah, because DmC is entirely comparable to those. It's not like DmC had a huge selling 4th installment come out just a couple years ago. It's not like there are a half dozen or so story threads people are waiting to see progress and/or resolution on, like what Nero does with his life, what the fuck is going on with the possible re-born Vergil, etc. This isn't a long-dead series or even a winding-down series. There's absolutely no reason for a reboot and plenty of reasons (not to mention sales potential) for continuing the established and incomplete storylines.

[Oni Koneko Damien]

Okay, after a little thinking between Rhi and I, and because she's really hoping the game isn't what the trailer gives the impression it is (The DmC series are pretty much the only games she ever plays), we're thinking up possible interpretations of this that don't result in a sucky game. The best we have so far is this: It is young Dante, he does look like that. He's in a psych ward because he was put there. He's not wearing his usual stuff and his hair's not the usual because they're trying to brainwash him into not believing he's Dante anymore.

We then got to thinking why he would be in such a predicament, and Vergil gets brought up. In DmC3, Dante has a huge hate-on for Vergil that's never adequately explained, and he stated it had been a year since they last saw each other. Perhaps Vergil put him in the mental institution in an attempt to brainwash Dante into forsaking his birthright so that Vergil could take all the power for himself.

That's our wild hope anyways, but the cynical side of me keeps stating that sort of story is way too deep for the developers.