Once more, our ever-effervescent community had a tremendous number of questions lined up for the star to answer. We picked our favourite 15 gems, and here be the answers that we were treated to:

“Was there an audition process, and if so what was it like?” via Loopy

Sage: Yes, there was an audition process. My audition was a bit abnormal in how fast it all occurred. I auditioned with a scene from I believe the show Everwood because the DmC script was so confidential. I was put on tape for Tameem and producers and found before the end of the day that I had booked the job. I then went to a table where there was an option to release me from my contract after the table. At the table read was the first time I met Tameem and actually read my character in the script. That was probably the most nerve-racking part, but obviously it all worked out.

“You posted a bunch of pics online of you rocking some pretty awesome Kat cosplay, was that during or after production? Some method actors really enjoy getting into character, was that some kind of method voice acting?” via Django

Sage: Ha. In hindsight I probably should have done it before the shoot, but I actually didn’t really know what Kat looked like in entirety until after the DmC shoot. The photos came about because my friend David Freid, who is a genius photographer and I decided to have some fun with my character. It was all are concept and our doing. When I saw how great the shots turned out, I sent them to Capcom to use for publicity purposes. I really enjoyed getting to embody Kat in more of a physical sense though. Since during shooting we were simply in our mocap suits, which don’t help you to feel very sexy.

“How would you personally describe the character of Kat?” via 788Masri

Sage: Kat is an introvert and has major trust issues. She has always been forced to rely on herself, so I think in a way that’s why she almost over trusts Vergil when they first form a relationship. Because Vergil is the first to ever be nice to her. She’s childlike in that way that she is still learning a lot about herself, her sexuality and how the world works. She definitely hasn’t had an easy life, but has remarkably not become jaded or sinister because her experiences. She has a ton of empathy and I think that’s what makes her character so endearing.

“Did you have any input on the story?” via neromaycry

Sage: No. The story was complete before I ever got involved. I had input to an extend with Kat. Tameem was great with all of us in regards to adding our quirks and our way of seeing the characters to his vision of them. He really worked with us and not against us.

“Do you feel that Kat is a good representation for a strong female character in a video game?” via Onecrazymonkey1

Sage: This question is probably the hardest for me to answer. I think overall yes. While, I understand peoples viewpoints that I’ve read on forums or in articles about how Kat is damsel in distress, I think when you really evaluate her fully, you’ll see that she’s not. No, she doesn’t have weapons or kick ass at any point in the game, but she certainly doesn’t simply cry or constantly need saving. Yes, Dante saves her at the end, but she saved him first. Dante would have had a much harder time on his path without Kat by his side. And I like that she doesn’t use weapons, but instead uses her brain to invent spells and portals into limbo. I also like that she isn’t advertently sexual. She isn’t using being a girl to manipulate Dante or Vergil and Dante sees her as his equal not simply as a woman to conquer.

“How did you prepare for DmC Devil May Cry? [Going] from a TV actress to playing and acting as a video game character, was there any challenging aspects from changing roles?” via AwesomeDMC

Sage: The biggest challenge I think for all of us actors was adjusting to the green screen aspect of things. When you act in TV and film, it’s easier in a lot of ways in that you’re given a real set. So if you’re scene takes place in a bedroom, there’s a bed, a tv, and some decorations; things that tend to help you as an actor to ground yourself in the scene and in the character. When doing Mocap none of that is there. A wooden platform is a bed and that’s it. No doors to open, no decorations to pull help give you a sense of your character. It is just you the other actor and hopefully your vivid imagination. I guess the other challenge was just in making made up things real. In the real world there is no limbo or demon creatures to annihilate, so when dialogue or scenes revolved around those things, you had to work a little harder to find parallel ideas for yourself to be able to act truthfully in the given circumstances. Hopefully all of that made some kind of sense :/

“What was Tameem like as a director? Did he encourage you to have your own interpretation of the character?” via Frazz

Sage: Tameem was great. Very open to suggestions about our characters and totally listened to suggestions or questions we may have had.

“What is your favourite thing about Kat and DmC?” via ZeroLove

Sage: Probably that she is a graffiti artist. I loved that aspect of her. Maybe because I’m a huge fan or street art myself and was already an avid Banksy follower/supporter before even becoming involved in the project, so I thought it was so cool that she creates these portals with her graffiti. I hope if there is a sequel I get some hands on graffiti lessons. Go to downtown LA and create some art on a wall. That would be pretty rad.

“If you had to choose between going on a date with Dante or Vergil and your life depended on it, who would you pick and why?” via Alittleacorn

Sage: I feel like this one is pretty obvious. Kat would go on a date with Dante. Why? Because he was much more invested in Kat’s survival than Vergil was.

“Have you been contacted for a sequel?” via Jerry Wirehammer

Sage: Fingers and toes are crossed.

“If you had to chose between Dante or Vergil who would you choose?” via DragonMaster2010

Again, I’m going to assume this question is asking Kat who she would choose and therefor like the previous question. Kat would choose Dante, because he genuinely cares about her, while Vergil saw Kat more as a pawn in his master plan.

“Hi Sage, I’m curious; How does one extract squirrel semen?” via Zilla

Sage: With a turkey baster, obviously ;).

“How would you explain Kat’s feelings about Dante at the end of DmC?” via Vergil’sBitch

Sage: My interpretation is that Kat loves Dante. Not romantically. I think it goes deeper than that. This is someone she would literally give her life for. She believes in him, more than I think even he believes in himself. They’re two lost souls who have found each other and will do anything for each other. So, I think Dante in the end doesn’t kill vergil, because Kat begs him not to. It’s like she’s telling him “you’re better than that.” And he wants to prove her right.

“Are you familiar with Devil May Cry? If not, did you do any research before or while playing as Kat?” via Dante47

Sage: I was not familiar with Devil May Cry before becoming involved in the project. I obviously am more familiar now with the franchise. Because DmC was a reboot and they really wanted the game to have it’s own feel, we were actually encouraged to not play the previous games. I think Tameem really wanted our own organic take on our characters and not feeling like we needed to replicate what had previously been done.

“Would you ever want to return playing as Kat again in DmC2?” via Ronin

Sage: I would love to. I enjoyed every moment of getting to be a part of this game and franchise and would love an opportunity to continue bringing life to Kat in the future. I think her story has a lot to still be developed and revealed. I think the better question though, is do you guys want me to still be Kat in DmC 2? Cause, you guys are the most important part of this whole franchise. Your why there’s been 5 Devil May Cry’s and hopefully why there will be a sixth.

Thanks for taking the time to answer the community’s many questions, Ka– er… Sage! Hear’s to hoping we see much more of Kat and yourself in DmC: Devil May Cry 2!

Sage: Thanks for the interview! It rocked my socks! I love interacting with all of you, so feel free to comment or ask questions, some of you may already know that I’m pretty good about answering and commenting back. Also, if you guys want to ask me questions directly or get updates on other projects I am a part of. I have a Facebook page and my Twitter handle is WordswithSage.

Read on to learn more about everybody’s favourite demon-offing, quip-slinging Nephilim.

What did you do to prepare for your role, studying up on Dante or footage from the games, if anything? Submitted by TWOxACROSS

Tim Phillipps: My preparation for DmC began by completely familiarizing myself with the script and understanding each character’s purpose and journey. We began with a table read to hear the story from start to finish. Having all of the voices in the one room brought the story to life for the first time. In the week leading up to shooting we had rehearsals and work shopped some of the bigger scenes. [Tameem Antoniades] and I had in depth discussions about where we needed to take the new Dante. I didn’t watch old cut scenes or play any previous games because I wanted to treat this character as if there was a clean slate. Dante’s character and persona was written into the script, I brought myself to him and then Tameem molded me to shape his story.

If you were pulled into Limbo and you could only pick one of Dante’s weapons to fight the demons, which would it be and why? Submitted by Alittleacorn

Tim Phillipps: I would take Rebellion. That sword is fast, effective and has some dope moves… Can I take a back up? Revenant… have you used Fireworks? AWESOME!

What did you think about the fan-outburst against new Dante? Submitted by Sieghart

Tim Phillipps: It was inspiring. Walking into the role of an already loved character comes enormous pressure. Adding to that, Dante has a brand new look which many fans were unhappy about. I was forced to really try and please the fans.

Is Tameem as awesome as he sounds? Submitted by Breaking8ad

Tim Phillipps: Tameem and I had a great working relationship. There was fantastic communication between us and together we found the Dante that is on your console.

What is the scene you had the most fun with? Submitted by Gbraga

Tim Phillipps: The End. The standoff with Vergil is when everything comes to a climax so filming that was very exciting.

Was there ever any improvisational acting or dialog on your or any of the other actors’ part? Submitted by Tiran

Tim Phillipps: There was room, it was less of improvisation and more molding and sculpting the scenes. Working with motion capture provides a lot of cinematic freedom. The environment is created around you in post-production and the physical world that we live in disappears. This means that there were very few limitations when doing multiple takes giving us the chance to try different things and give the editor and creators multiple options to choose from.

How was it to work with the team on this game? Submitted by ZeroLove

Tim Phillipps: The team at Ninja Theory were great, I am still in touch with some of them and whom I consider good friends. The crew at Giant Studios were awesome too!

Did you and David De Lautour have to learn how to use swords (or Kendo bamboo swords)? Submitted by Downfall

Tim Phillipps: Haha unfortunately not. The combat was not part of our job description… very good news for you gamers, I don’t think that you would have much hope against the demons if Dante had the physical coordination that I have.

Would you ever live Dante’s life if you had the choice? Submitted by DragonMaster2010

Tim Phillipps: He’s rock and roll. Der, I’d live his life.

Will you make an appearance in the new Downfall DLC? Submitted by AlchemistFromEden

Tim Phillipps: I don’t actually know. Is it out yet? Maybe you could tell me?

Will [you] play Dante again? That is my question! Submitted by Frazz

Tim Phillipps: I very much hope so.

Did you have to do much wire work or acrobatics? If so, how comfortable were you with it? Submitted by Macabre

Tim Phillipps: The most physical I had to get was jumping from a height to a mat or bashing a piece of foam with a stick… gotta love MoCap.

Tim, thank you for taking the time to talk with your fans!

Tim Phillipps: Thanks for the questions. If you have any more I’ll do my best to answer them on twitter @timphillipps.

So, ready up those wallets for March 6, fellow devil hunters. More specifically, £7.29, €8.99 or 720 Microsoft Points, depending on your gaming platform of choice.

And where’s the Bloody Place mode that PC gamers have been waiting for with baited breath, much like our console gaming brethren? Excellent question — we don’t know. And apparently neither does Capcom, because they’re claiming it’s available for all 3 platforms right now, when clearly it is not if you are to go by some of the alarmed reactions we’ve been seeing in our community forum. Still, we’ll be keeping a close eye on our system tray, keeping our fingers crossed for a Steam pop-up notification to spring up soon.

Of course, while the Bloody Palace is set to make its mark on the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game next week, Capcom and Ninja Theory haven’t yet revealed the projected arrival date for PC gamers. Stay tuned — we’re hoping Bob Barbus will be able to chime in with an update soon and let the rest of us know when we can expect the Bloody Palace DLC to come kicking and screaming onto Steam Store.

We’re excited about it, you’re excited about it. Included below is a gameplay video featuring the new ‘Classic’ Devil May Cry 3 re-skin to help tide you over during the wait until January 30th, when the DLC hits the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation network for 320 Microsoft Points and $4.00 respectively.

Expect the three new outfits to come bundled together in an as-yet unnamed DLC pack and hit the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Store on January 30, 12 for 320 Microsoft Points and $4.00 respectively.

Cheers, Sawyer1331. Tell us what you think of the soon-to-be-released costume DLC pack by speaking your mind in the comments section or in our cheery community forums.

Update: Psst… Word on the street has it that the DMC3-inspired DLC costume will not only have Dante flaunting those familiar flowing white locks, but will also see the reintroduction of the devil slayer’s classic Devil Trigger form too.

“Actually Vergil’s Downfall is not a prequel; it takes place just after the events of DmC. That’s all I’m sayin’ about that.”

Still no word yet regarding an official launch date for the highly anticipated add-on, but we’re hoping that it won’t be long now before we’re able to don that familiar fedora, hop into those neatly polished loafers, and continue cleansing Limbo of all remaining hellions with The Order’s misguided leader.

Mucho love to eagle-eyed DmC Community member, KiShiDo, for providing us with a heads-up.

Dante gets philosophical with this latest trailer for DmC: Devil May Cry, unleashed just in time to get us Europeaners frothing at the jaws in anticipation of the game’s imminent release in PAL territories. And while our friends across the pond are busy raving about the plucky Nephilim’s latest outing, soaking up all of the red orbs that Limbo has to offer, the wait is almost over for the rest of us.

Anywho. Forget the rumours. We’ve all heard ‘em and, thankfully, very few of us bought into ‘em. The ending sequence to DmC: Devil May Cry most definitely does not feature any dinosaurs, unicorns or any other mythical creatures of the sort. And there is a welcome absence of any slaughtering pertaining to Mundus’ demonic offspring, despite what some of the more outlandish gossip would have had us believe. I’m not even entirely convinced that Mundus has any wee nippers to call his own. Hmm.

Regardless, I humbly present you with what appears to be a Vaseline-smeared smart phone recording of the final 10 minutes of DmC: Devil May Cry. It’s not especially easy to make out everything that’s going on on-screen, but the audio shines through pretty clearly.

Really can’t stress this enough: spoilers. Like, Snape kills Dumbledore-type spoilers. You have been warned.

If Dante’s newfound strength and maturity, and Vergil’s stroppy exit doesn’t scream sequel, then I don’t know what does. DmC 2: Devil May Cry, anyone?

Go ahead and let us know what you think of DmC‘s final boss battle, ending, and what you think Capcom and Ninja Theory might have in store for the series by having a natter in the comments below and in our community forums.

Update: here’s one that’s of a heckuva lot higher quality:

Upon release of the freebie DLC mode, which Capcom are insisting will be “shortly after launch”, DmC: Devil May Cry‘s rendition of the Bloody Palace will be made available to gamers upon competition of the main story mode sport, and sport a whopping 100+ levels — or “floors”, as they are better known to longtime followers of the series — of demons, monsters, bosses, and additional nefarious unpleasantries. Leaderboards and stat-tracking will mean that only the most dedicated and ruthless of devil-trouncing players are able to climb their way to the top of the global leaderboards and attain fame.

Expect more news surrounding the release date of the Bloody Palace mode to surface soon.

If you happen to fancy yourself something of a J-Rock and Devil May Cry aficionado, you might want to consider migrating those clickers down towards the video below. Spoiler: it contains an unhealthy amount of both J-Rock tune-age and DmC gameplay.

Cheers, Gaflima!

Special thanks to DmC forumite, IanP32, for sharing this unboxing video with us in our community forums.

Further praise was aimed towards Ninja Theory’s work on the game’s many foes and antagonists that crop up throughout the story, with GamesMaster commenting, “[enemies are] a brilliantly designed mash of gnarled limbs and grotesque features that not only look fantastic, but have been expertly moulded to fit [DmC: Devil May Cry's] urban aesthetic.”

Remarkably, however, while GamesMaster gushed over the enemy design, the seemingly formulaic approach that the game takes towards boss battles appear to be one of the game’s only sour points:

“[DmC: Devil May Cry] falls flat when it comes to boss battles that are at total odds with the forward thinking design of the rest of the game. You know the sort – learn this attack pattern! Dodge this area attack! – you’ve fought them all a hundred times before in a hundred different hack’n'slash titles, and, sadly, there’s nothing here that’s nearly as memorable as duking it out with Phantom and Vergil from the 2001 original.”

While not the most flattering of ways to conclude a review, GamesMaster are sticking to their guns, and further echoing and lending credit to the growing rumours surrounding DmC: Devil May Cry‘s questionable boss scenarios.

Issue 260 of GamesMaster is due out later this month, complete with the total and unfettered DmC: Devil May Cry review.

Via CVG

You might be wondering how the PC version of DmC: Devil May Cry is looking right now — we certainly are. Have a gander at the 2 gameplay videos below, both of which sporting PC-only captured in-game footage. Thankfully, unlike its console cousins, the PC version of the game will feature an unlocked framerate and fancy DirectX 11 visual enhancements to help keep everything looking nice and pretty whilst all that demonic blood is being spilled left and right.

Whatever the case, you can at least trust the fans to pour their energies into creating something that we’ve all been crying out for since we first stepped into the son of Sparda’s leathery trenchcoat. YouTube user Pharaohmones is one such admirer of the Devil May Cry franchise whom is working towards having Dante’s story played out on the silver screen — or, rather, the seemingly-ceaseless catalogue of connecting channels that makes up YouTube. Here’s what film maker Pharaohmones had to say regarding what the team’s mission in developing this unofficial — and as-yet untitled — Devil May Cry fan flick:

“[...] We steered away from the newer [DmC: Devil May Cry] look and went with the classic Dante, full of all the off-kilter J-Rocker style fans of the original series know all too well.”

Oh, and here be a rather titillating 50-second trailer to help further stir up the anticipation:

Do make sure to get yourself subscribed to Pharaohmones’ YouTube channel when you’ve finished watching, also.

Completing both demo missions will unlock the supposedly really-quite-tricky ‘Son of Sparda’ difficulty setting to further test your mettle.

According to Capcom, we can expect the ‘Vergil’s Downfall’ DLC to land on Xbox 360 and PS3 in February and cost 720 Microsoft Points or $8.99, respectively. North American consumers whom pre-order DmC: Devil May Cry via GameStop or EB Canada will apparently receive a redeemable code to access Vergil’s Downfall at no charge when the content becomes available, but I have no clue as to where that leaves the rest of us whom might be residing outside of the States.

Oddly enough, Capcom felt the necessity to point out in the corresponding press release that this DLC pack is absolutely not one of those locked on-disk DLC deals that fans have become quite sour towards. The complete DLC package will allegedly be downloaded onto those hard drives of ours upon purchase, and will not simply be a case of the content simply being ‘unlocked’. Allegedly.

In this instance, however, we’re able to provide an answer with substantially more optimism: soon. Well, when we say ‘soon’, we mean to clarify that Capcom will have something official to say on the matter, you know, soon. ‘Soon’ is what the Japanese publisher is trumpeting to the masses right now, teasing that news concerning the release of a DmC demo might only be a short time away.

Here is it in black and white (or, rather, a dull grey and darker shade of grey):

via youtube.com

Of course, the ‘something to say’ response and inclusion of a cheery horizontal emoticon might simply lead to, ‘Sorry, we have no plans to release a DmC demo. LOL,’ but we’re rather optimistic that Capcom will have something much more pleasant to report once that heralded time arrives.