Dante's physical changes are not really a concern for me as character changes are a common part of reboots. However, his change in personality has deeply concerned me. I understand that NT wanted to make him more "human" or realistic, but relatability is still a concern for me. I can sympathize with his background, it being harsh and torturous, but I can never empathize with someone seeking vengeance as their sole mission and goal in life. However, their maturation from vengeance- seeking to fighter of greater good has always been a great story and I was hoping that this is what the new DmC would be about. However, it doesn't seem to be that way as, if I recall, it has been confirmed Dante will not be fighting for the good of humankind. Rather, his sole mission is vengeance and that alone makes him much less human and relatable than the past Dante who fought for us despite his lineage.
It seems to me that this Dante wants to do what he wants just because he wants to, which is much like DMC 3 Dante except he matured at the end of the game. This Dante, from what I understand, won't reach any higher truth and will just be who he is. Which makes me ask, "why is he important then? Why is his story worth telling? What can I learn from it?"
Well, to me, reaching a 'higher truth' isn't all it's cracked up to be. I think being who you are and not changing (even though some people want you to) can be an equally powerful - or even more powerful - story. Humanity has nothing to do with it, as vengeance is a perfectly human emotion, and a powerful one to use in a story. Maybe the higher truth has already revealed itself to him, and as a result, he's now rebelling.
If I were to take away the Angels and Demons out of the universe, I would see a monotonous society that needs changing and Dante would just be a man who's angry at that society. And for what? Because of what some people did to him in his past? So he's going to ruin it for everybody? Why not strive to change it? Why not make it something better? Why is vengeance, which is nothing more than just bottled up anguish, his only motivation for basically becoming a terrorist? Even though the changes they have made are interesting, they're doing basically what the past franchise did- adding something with alot of potential but ultimately ruining what little value it could have had in the story.
I think Dante will try to change the society he's in, or at least remove himself from that society. Otherwise, what's the game about? Getting revenge on Mundus and nothing more? As you can see in the trailers, that doesn't seem to be the theme of the game.
And going to the source of every good story, the message it's trying to convey, DmC doesn't seem to have one, does it? It's all just saying that society's messed up and we should do something about it, but we all knew that. If that was its message, then shouldn't NT have used much stronger motifs and aspects to portray the consequences of what happens we don't. I mean it doesn't seem like the people of the city are harmed by it, or at least they don't seem to notice nor care that it does. Take the fat guy Dante had passed by, does he care that the drink he's holding is killing him? Does he want to care? Why portray the subliminal messages of society's workings in the form of demons? It's bad enough that this story has been done before but it has been done in the same conventional way.
We all knew society's messed up and we should do something about it? Are you talking about the society in the game or society in real life? Because I don't think there's anything wrong with society. Sure, there are some people who spoil it for others, but life's life, and you've got to make a living in any way you can. Maybe that's how society's messed up.
I fear a lot of people have been brainwashed to believe that everything we do and all that we are is inherently evil or despicable. Some people play on your guilt - as with the idea that global warming is caused mainly by humans - something I don't believe for a second, as CO2 doesn't seem to drive the temperature, but the other way around (temperature drives CO2). Besides, oceans spout CO2 like crazy, more than all man-made things put together.
Maybe that's the message the game will try to convey: that the demon world (Limbo) looks unspoilt, but is rotten in the core (not talking about our society, mind you). I'd say the parts with the demons in them show how messed up that world is. Subtlety is an art in its own right.
I believe that a true revolutionary direction for DMC would focus and evolve on its lore, much less on trying to make it more movie- like, as NT have admitted on doing. I loved how the Legend of Sparda reached beyond the ages and lived on in Dante, but I always wanted to see what actually happened as well as other consequences of Sparda's actions. Did the entire world think of him as a hero or were there people who thought of him as evil? The Legend of Sparda, to me, is what defined the entire scenario of the franchise and ultimately framed the DMC universe, and I would love to experience it in its entirety.
I agree, and I think games nowadays are starting to get more and more Hollywoodized (not a word, I know). I absolutely hate it that every game tries to be dramatic so hard, but ultimately fails because of how corny it is. But a revolutionary direction... well... everything's been done before.
Do you guys have the same concerns? What parts of the old franchise would you like to see expanded on?
Maybe the characters could be fleshed out more, but it seems that's already been provided. Oh, and the art design should be improved upon, as things often seem a bit bland or colorless to me. More nuance.
