Chaos Raiden
Avid Gamer & Reviewer
This is an interview carried out by me to Steve, who is the founder of this wonderful site and forum. Have a look at what are his thoughts about the forum itself, DMC series, and upcoming DmC: Devil May Cry. The sentences in bold (questions) was by me, the interviewer, whereas the sentences in normal font (answers) is by Steve.
Tell me a bit about yourself.
I’m Steve Powell, a 25-years-old Christian chap from England, and I like to pretend that I make a living as a full-time blogger. I’ve been married for nearly five years and I have three small people whom don’t pay rent living in my house.
What inspires you to create this forum?
A combination of having both a passion for the Devil May Cry series and a desire to further expand my — admittedly very limited knowledge — of web-design and web-development. I also heard from a friend that message board administrators get laid all the time, which served as great motivation. This turned out to be tragically false and I am no longer acquainted with that person.
Are you happy with this forum?
I’m extremely happy with the forum. It’s pretty.
I was thrilled when the first ten people signed up, and even more so when one hundred more decided to make this place their virtual home away from home. Six years later and thousands of people from all over the globe have joined. It’s great to see fresh faces signing up all the time, and it’s even better to see such passionate — sometimes overly so… — Devil May cry fans diving straight in and having a good old natter with other fans about anything and everything to do with the franchise.
Any other forums that you are managing at the moment?
Yup. Many of which are also based on popular video game franchises. My Resident Evil Forum will likely be the one that most are familiar with.
How did you pick other administrators and moderators in the forum? Are you happy with the current lineup of administrators and moderators?
Every once in a blue moon, the current staff folk might decide to sniff out some fresh blood to potentially include into our party of banhammer-happy sheriffs. There isn’t really any specific criteria one must fulfil in order to receive an invite aboard, though. We don’t tend to skulk around the forum with a checklist, ticking off boxes willy-nilly until someone fits the bill. We just keep our eyes open when we’re fancying a bit of expansion and get in touch with those that we’ve been impressed by. Tip for anyone interested in a staff spot: asking is the best way to blacklist yourself. Don’t do it.
Why did you change the forum software from vBulletin to XenForo?
I did not like the direction that the new vBulletin management team were taking the product. I genuinely believe that vBulletin was no longer the ideal forum solution for us. XenForo managed to catch my attention at just the right time and the rest is history.
How do you know about Devil May Cry series at first?
The first time I’d ever heard of Devil May Cry was in 1999, after having read a preview of the first game in one issue of Official PlayStation Magazine. A bonus DVD that came bundled with the magazine featured a brief trailer of it, too. I was genuinely amazed by what I saw and ended up re-watching the same clip probably a billion times over. Needless to say, I nagged my mum like crazy to buy me a copy on the day of release.
What is the feature(s) or element(s) in Devil May Cry games that you like the best?
Probably the combat mechanics; I’d never seen anything like it at the time. There’s something really satisfying about a game that has you facing off against hordes of demonic nasties at face-melting speeds; where one ill-timed manoeuvre could spell death, but a perfectly executed combo could see the screen light up with that oh-so satisfying “Smokin’ Sick Style!” notification.
Which Devil May Cry game do you like the best?
Devil May Cry 4. As much as I love the first and third games — not so much with Devil May Cry 2— the refinements made to the fourth game’s combat, characters and ongoing story made it the best entry in the series, for me. The recycled missions felt like a bit of a slap in the face, though. Naughty Capcom.
Which Devil May Cry game you like the least?
Devil May Cry 2. Although perhaps not for the same reasons as everybody else; while the gameplay was enjoyable enough, I just didn’t find the overly brooding tone of the game to be my cup of tea. Having almost all cutscenes consist of a grumpy-looking Dante mope his way from one area to another, with all the personality of a white-haired Gordon Freeman, meant that I ended up not caring enough about what was going on to even attempt to follow the plot. Devil May Cry 2 felt like a poor attempt at a reboot.
Who is your favourite character(s) in Devil May Cry series?
Nero. I’ve never really thought of Dante as “cool”, and the younger DMC3-flavour Dante only succeeded in making me cringe with almost everything he’d come out with. It wasn’t until Devil May Cry 4 — which featured the best incarnation of Dante so far, in my opinion — that he was able to get into my good books once again. Nero, however, managed to strike me as a pretty likeable chap from the start.
Which boss fight(s) do you like the best in DMC series?
Beowulf. He even has the best “boss fight” music.
DmC: Devil May Cry is a controversial upcoming Devil May Cry game due to it’s radical changes to Dante’s design. What do you think about this game, at the moment?
Even though I haven’t seen an awful lot of actual in-game footage, I’d still say that it's looking very promising thus far. From what I have seen, the gameplay looks as suitably over-the-top as ever and there still remains that familiar, super-smooth fluidity to combat that I was worried would have been too much tampered with. Having said that, I can’t say that the “new” Dante particularly appeals to me. I’m well past the age where smoking and looking gloomy were accepted as being hip, or trendy, or whatever the kids are calling it nowadays — “sick”, that’s the one. I’ll just put that one down to my no longer being what I presume to be a part of the game’s target demographic any more; I’m old, boring, and too fond of my peace and quiet.
As an aside: I’m hoping that the “old” Dante hasn’t given up the ghost just yet and that we’ll see more of him in a future sequel or two. There were a few interesting plot elements that were alluded to in Devil May Cry 4 that I’m guessing were intentionally left wide open to be better explored in the as-yet unannounced Devil at Cry 5; I’d find it disappointing if things were left hanging in the air, so to speak, without proper closure. Then again, I’m certainly willing to give this new Dante a chance and I applaud Ninja Theory for being so bold as to try their hand at rebooting the franchise, even if I personally didn’t feel that it necessarily required a reboot.
Will DmC: Devil May Cry succeed or fail in terms of sales and reception/reviews when it is released? Please tell me why do you think so.
I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed that DmC goes on to shift plenty of copies and be successful for Ninja Theory and Capcom, in turn encouraging the green-lighting of even more sequels, but predicting just how the game will fare commercially and critically isn’t really my area. I’m glad that Devil May Cry newcomers whom start with DmC won’t let something as silly as the “new” Dante sporting a different hair colour put them off, but I think that it’ll take something extra special to win the hardcore fans over and convince them that this new direction is the best one for the franchise.
Why do you think Ninja Theory was chosen for the development of DmC: Devil May Cry?
I believe Ninja Theory were chosen because Capcom were genuinely impressed by their work portfolio and felt confident in the studio’s vision of the Devil May Cry series. I imagine that would be the case, anyway.
Is Capcom’s decision on choosing Ninja Theory to develop DmC: Devil May Cry is the right one? If not, which developer would you prefer to develop a DMC game?
I must confess that I have not played any of Ninja Theory’s previous games, nor am I particularly familiar with them. Although, it is to my understanding that two of their titles, Heavenly Sword andEnslaved: Odyssey to the West, were very well received by critics and fans alike; especially Heavenly Sword for its intuitive fighting mechanics. I would speculate that Ninja Theory is as ideal a candidate for developing the next Devil May Cry game as most other big name studios nowadays.
If you are an influential man in the next Devil May Cry game project, what would you do and design in that game to appeal on both non-DMC fans and DMC fans?
Multiplayer. Specifically co-operative multiplayer. I remember years ago desperately hoping Capcom would try their hand at a co-op-based Resident Evil game and — joy of joys — eventually they did in Resident Evil 5. Resident Evil 5 still remains to be among the best “couch co-op” games I’ve ever played. DmC might be a totally different kettle of fish, that much is true, but, being a fan of old school beat-’em-ups like Streets of Rage and Golden Axe, I’d love to be able to hop back into the boots of Dante and have a player-controlled Vergil &mash; as a non-canon example — fight by my side, helping to take down a particularly tricky boss. I really should pitch that to someone influential at Capcom…
Will you interview the staff of Ninja Theory at their studio if you have the chance to do so?
I would genuinely love to. I was refused an interview back in late 2010, with the reason being that the studio were not ready to reveal any further details on DmC at that point, but I might try approaching them again soon.
Many thanks to Steve for taking the time in participating the interview.
Tell me a bit about yourself.
I’m Steve Powell, a 25-years-old Christian chap from England, and I like to pretend that I make a living as a full-time blogger. I’ve been married for nearly five years and I have three small people whom don’t pay rent living in my house.
What inspires you to create this forum?
A combination of having both a passion for the Devil May Cry series and a desire to further expand my — admittedly very limited knowledge — of web-design and web-development. I also heard from a friend that message board administrators get laid all the time, which served as great motivation. This turned out to be tragically false and I am no longer acquainted with that person.
Are you happy with this forum?
I’m extremely happy with the forum. It’s pretty.
I was thrilled when the first ten people signed up, and even more so when one hundred more decided to make this place their virtual home away from home. Six years later and thousands of people from all over the globe have joined. It’s great to see fresh faces signing up all the time, and it’s even better to see such passionate — sometimes overly so… — Devil May cry fans diving straight in and having a good old natter with other fans about anything and everything to do with the franchise.
Any other forums that you are managing at the moment?
Yup. Many of which are also based on popular video game franchises. My Resident Evil Forum will likely be the one that most are familiar with.
How did you pick other administrators and moderators in the forum? Are you happy with the current lineup of administrators and moderators?
Every once in a blue moon, the current staff folk might decide to sniff out some fresh blood to potentially include into our party of banhammer-happy sheriffs. There isn’t really any specific criteria one must fulfil in order to receive an invite aboard, though. We don’t tend to skulk around the forum with a checklist, ticking off boxes willy-nilly until someone fits the bill. We just keep our eyes open when we’re fancying a bit of expansion and get in touch with those that we’ve been impressed by. Tip for anyone interested in a staff spot: asking is the best way to blacklist yourself. Don’t do it.
Why did you change the forum software from vBulletin to XenForo?
I did not like the direction that the new vBulletin management team were taking the product. I genuinely believe that vBulletin was no longer the ideal forum solution for us. XenForo managed to catch my attention at just the right time and the rest is history.
How do you know about Devil May Cry series at first?
The first time I’d ever heard of Devil May Cry was in 1999, after having read a preview of the first game in one issue of Official PlayStation Magazine. A bonus DVD that came bundled with the magazine featured a brief trailer of it, too. I was genuinely amazed by what I saw and ended up re-watching the same clip probably a billion times over. Needless to say, I nagged my mum like crazy to buy me a copy on the day of release.
What is the feature(s) or element(s) in Devil May Cry games that you like the best?
Probably the combat mechanics; I’d never seen anything like it at the time. There’s something really satisfying about a game that has you facing off against hordes of demonic nasties at face-melting speeds; where one ill-timed manoeuvre could spell death, but a perfectly executed combo could see the screen light up with that oh-so satisfying “Smokin’ Sick Style!” notification.
Which Devil May Cry game do you like the best?
Devil May Cry 4. As much as I love the first and third games — not so much with Devil May Cry 2— the refinements made to the fourth game’s combat, characters and ongoing story made it the best entry in the series, for me. The recycled missions felt like a bit of a slap in the face, though. Naughty Capcom.
Which Devil May Cry game you like the least?
Devil May Cry 2. Although perhaps not for the same reasons as everybody else; while the gameplay was enjoyable enough, I just didn’t find the overly brooding tone of the game to be my cup of tea. Having almost all cutscenes consist of a grumpy-looking Dante mope his way from one area to another, with all the personality of a white-haired Gordon Freeman, meant that I ended up not caring enough about what was going on to even attempt to follow the plot. Devil May Cry 2 felt like a poor attempt at a reboot.
Who is your favourite character(s) in Devil May Cry series?
Nero. I’ve never really thought of Dante as “cool”, and the younger DMC3-flavour Dante only succeeded in making me cringe with almost everything he’d come out with. It wasn’t until Devil May Cry 4 — which featured the best incarnation of Dante so far, in my opinion — that he was able to get into my good books once again. Nero, however, managed to strike me as a pretty likeable chap from the start.
Which boss fight(s) do you like the best in DMC series?
Beowulf. He even has the best “boss fight” music.
DmC: Devil May Cry is a controversial upcoming Devil May Cry game due to it’s radical changes to Dante’s design. What do you think about this game, at the moment?
Even though I haven’t seen an awful lot of actual in-game footage, I’d still say that it's looking very promising thus far. From what I have seen, the gameplay looks as suitably over-the-top as ever and there still remains that familiar, super-smooth fluidity to combat that I was worried would have been too much tampered with. Having said that, I can’t say that the “new” Dante particularly appeals to me. I’m well past the age where smoking and looking gloomy were accepted as being hip, or trendy, or whatever the kids are calling it nowadays — “sick”, that’s the one. I’ll just put that one down to my no longer being what I presume to be a part of the game’s target demographic any more; I’m old, boring, and too fond of my peace and quiet.
As an aside: I’m hoping that the “old” Dante hasn’t given up the ghost just yet and that we’ll see more of him in a future sequel or two. There were a few interesting plot elements that were alluded to in Devil May Cry 4 that I’m guessing were intentionally left wide open to be better explored in the as-yet unannounced Devil at Cry 5; I’d find it disappointing if things were left hanging in the air, so to speak, without proper closure. Then again, I’m certainly willing to give this new Dante a chance and I applaud Ninja Theory for being so bold as to try their hand at rebooting the franchise, even if I personally didn’t feel that it necessarily required a reboot.
Will DmC: Devil May Cry succeed or fail in terms of sales and reception/reviews when it is released? Please tell me why do you think so.
I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed that DmC goes on to shift plenty of copies and be successful for Ninja Theory and Capcom, in turn encouraging the green-lighting of even more sequels, but predicting just how the game will fare commercially and critically isn’t really my area. I’m glad that Devil May Cry newcomers whom start with DmC won’t let something as silly as the “new” Dante sporting a different hair colour put them off, but I think that it’ll take something extra special to win the hardcore fans over and convince them that this new direction is the best one for the franchise.
Why do you think Ninja Theory was chosen for the development of DmC: Devil May Cry?
I believe Ninja Theory were chosen because Capcom were genuinely impressed by their work portfolio and felt confident in the studio’s vision of the Devil May Cry series. I imagine that would be the case, anyway.
Is Capcom’s decision on choosing Ninja Theory to develop DmC: Devil May Cry is the right one? If not, which developer would you prefer to develop a DMC game?
I must confess that I have not played any of Ninja Theory’s previous games, nor am I particularly familiar with them. Although, it is to my understanding that two of their titles, Heavenly Sword andEnslaved: Odyssey to the West, were very well received by critics and fans alike; especially Heavenly Sword for its intuitive fighting mechanics. I would speculate that Ninja Theory is as ideal a candidate for developing the next Devil May Cry game as most other big name studios nowadays.
If you are an influential man in the next Devil May Cry game project, what would you do and design in that game to appeal on both non-DMC fans and DMC fans?
Multiplayer. Specifically co-operative multiplayer. I remember years ago desperately hoping Capcom would try their hand at a co-op-based Resident Evil game and — joy of joys — eventually they did in Resident Evil 5. Resident Evil 5 still remains to be among the best “couch co-op” games I’ve ever played. DmC might be a totally different kettle of fish, that much is true, but, being a fan of old school beat-’em-ups like Streets of Rage and Golden Axe, I’d love to be able to hop back into the boots of Dante and have a player-controlled Vergil &mash; as a non-canon example — fight by my side, helping to take down a particularly tricky boss. I really should pitch that to someone influential at Capcom…
Will you interview the staff of Ninja Theory at their studio if you have the chance to do so?
I would genuinely love to. I was refused an interview back in late 2010, with the reason being that the studio were not ready to reveal any further details on DmC at that point, but I might try approaching them again soon.
Many thanks to Steve for taking the time in participating the interview.
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