DmC: Devil May Cry Preview

I remember how back in the day a friend of mine was quick to dismiss Devil May Cry 3 (DMC 3) as a God of War (GOW) clone. Quite indignantly, I explained the chronology and how the two games were different. That's when he argued that they essentially cater to the same demographic. But if you really must compare the two, I would say that DMC 3 is a game meant for GOW players who have outgrown their diapers. Make no mistake, I thoroughly enjoy the GOW games, but comparing them to DMC is a travesty. In the former, everyone can mash a few buttons and become Kratos, but do the same in DMC 3 and you'll get your butt handed to you. This is the rare instance when a mainstream game has the pluck and gumption to incorporate the level of challenge and gameplay depth usually found in a masocore indie game.This probably explains the negative buzz surrounding the reboot, quaintly stylised as DmC: Devil May Cry (DmC). The fans weren't impressed when it was revealed that Ninja Theory had taken over the reins of the reboot and planned to turn the Japanese quirkiness of the protagonist into a distinctly Western avatar. This was followed by rumours of Dante turning gay, with the foregone conclusion that the Japanese humour and gameplay would eventually take a nosedive. But it took me just a few minutes with the preview copy to realise that the negative reception could simply be attributed to fans apprehensive or just resistant to change.For starters, Dante isn't remotely gay. In reality, the rumour precipitated from a cutscene that was taken in the wrong context. While his sexuality hasn't changed, he looks younger and way more Caucasian than the previous games, which looked right in place in an anime. The anti-hero from the past games makes way for a brash, anti-authoritarian Dante who's more interested in going about his hedonistic and rebellious lifestyle than ridding mankind of the demonic scourge. The brash Rajinikanth-esque flair of the series is replaced with a setting that deftly imbues the modern and the arcane in an uncannily plausible manner. Click here for full story