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I can't help myself - I need to jump in on the discussion here.
I'm sure everyone's at least caught wind of how upset fans are over the way Capcom and Ninja Theory are handling impending release Devil May Cry 5. The consensus among those in the industry is that fans are mainly upset over changes made to Dante's appearance... which isn't entirely true, and isn't the only thing I'm concerned with, but is worth mentioning.
The more interviews with Tameem Antoniades (Chief Design for Ninja Theory) and his coworker Alex Jones I read or watch, the angrier I get. These guys need a PR team: they're not persuasive, they're not well-spoken, and they're disrespectful to the fans. Check out this article:
Should Developers Listen to Their Fans? by Jon Porter
“So, how do you feel about the fan reaction to DMC?”
Tameen [sic] looked at me a moment and took a drag of his cigarette. Then without blinking, and without pausing to exhale the smoke from his mouth he said, “I don't care.”
And neither should any other developer.
Wait, is this bad fanfiction or journalism? Tameem must be cool as hell, smoking his cigarette. ~_~
When I first saw the trailer for this game, I was hesitant about it, but I was excited. Despite the angry youth anti-government feel (which I would have been ecstatic over when I was fourteen, but at this point feel is a very tired viewpoint) and the honestly gross costuming, I was planning on buying it. I might still - especially if any sort of apology is issued to fans for the blatant disrespect they've been shown.
Whenever the guys from Ninja Theory talk about the game, they make it clear that they're incredibly bitter over the poor reception their work has gotten... Which is certainly the mark of an amateur. You have to know how to handle feedback, especially if you're getting into art and fashion territory, and ESPECIALLY-especially if you're going to be doing it in the public eye (Fun fact: Tameem tweeted "Feedback is everything in games" back in February. Does that mean you're going to swallow your ego and start taking other people's opinions into account, Tam?).
It's hilarious to listen to a guy who obviously wouldn't know fashion if it bit him in the ass talk about how, in his previous costumes, Dante 'would be laughed out of any bar outside Tokyo.' His new costume would get him laughed out of most bars as well. This is what mystifies me: if Capcom wanted a more fashionable Dante, why not get someone in the fashion industry to head up the project? I mean, if you need stitches, you go to a doctor - not a tailor, right? RIGHT?This would have made a GREAT episode of The Rachel Zoe Project. She's styled animated characters before, actually.
Another mistake I think they made was to draw too much from the 1970's British punk movement. It's fine to take inspiration if you UPDATE it, but this certainly doesn't feel avant-garde, as a a costume in a highly-stylized game should. It doesn't even feel current.
Let me just mention, there's a British flag on the arm of Dante's new coat - which would be fine, if we were in the 90's and wearing British flags was still fashionable. But a country's patriotism often feels strange to someone from a different country. Again, diplomacy fail. Sometimes you need to avoid taking a clear stance to boost popularity. Being that Ninja Theory is based in London, I'm guessing they didn't even think about this, but it may stick out to a few people. Especially if Britain doesn't exist within game canon. HONESTLY.
Gone is the white-haired male lead we once knew, replaced by a brunette imposter who seems to have stumbled across his namesake's wardrobe whilst looking for his sister's eye make-up.
I have to agree there.
Let me just say that, as a fan, I don't want a less ostentatious, more 'western' Dante in the same way I don't want a sleek, minimalistic Lamborghini. A Dante that isn't over the top is the same as a Lambo with no rocket thrusters or Gatling guns - it just isn't itself.
I'm sure everyone's at least caught wind of how upset fans are over the way Capcom and Ninja Theory are handling impending release Devil May Cry 5. The consensus among those in the industry is that fans are mainly upset over changes made to Dante's appearance... which isn't entirely true, and isn't the only thing I'm concerned with, but is worth mentioning.
The more interviews with Tameem Antoniades (Chief Design for Ninja Theory) and his coworker Alex Jones I read or watch, the angrier I get. These guys need a PR team: they're not persuasive, they're not well-spoken, and they're disrespectful to the fans. Check out this article:
Should Developers Listen to Their Fans? by Jon Porter
“So, how do you feel about the fan reaction to DMC?”
Tameen [sic] looked at me a moment and took a drag of his cigarette. Then without blinking, and without pausing to exhale the smoke from his mouth he said, “I don't care.”
And neither should any other developer.
Wait, is this bad fanfiction or journalism? Tameem must be cool as hell, smoking his cigarette. ~_~
When I first saw the trailer for this game, I was hesitant about it, but I was excited. Despite the angry youth anti-government feel (which I would have been ecstatic over when I was fourteen, but at this point feel is a very tired viewpoint) and the honestly gross costuming, I was planning on buying it. I might still - especially if any sort of apology is issued to fans for the blatant disrespect they've been shown.
Whenever the guys from Ninja Theory talk about the game, they make it clear that they're incredibly bitter over the poor reception their work has gotten... Which is certainly the mark of an amateur. You have to know how to handle feedback, especially if you're getting into art and fashion territory, and ESPECIALLY-especially if you're going to be doing it in the public eye (Fun fact: Tameem tweeted "Feedback is everything in games" back in February. Does that mean you're going to swallow your ego and start taking other people's opinions into account, Tam?).
It's hilarious to listen to a guy who obviously wouldn't know fashion if it bit him in the ass talk about how, in his previous costumes, Dante 'would be laughed out of any bar outside Tokyo.' His new costume would get him laughed out of most bars as well. This is what mystifies me: if Capcom wanted a more fashionable Dante, why not get someone in the fashion industry to head up the project? I mean, if you need stitches, you go to a doctor - not a tailor, right? RIGHT?
Another mistake I think they made was to draw too much from the 1970's British punk movement. It's fine to take inspiration if you UPDATE it, but this certainly doesn't feel avant-garde, as a a costume in a highly-stylized game should. It doesn't even feel current.
Let me just mention, there's a British flag on the arm of Dante's new coat - which would be fine, if we were in the 90's and wearing British flags was still fashionable. But a country's patriotism often feels strange to someone from a different country. Again, diplomacy fail. Sometimes you need to avoid taking a clear stance to boost popularity. Being that Ninja Theory is based in London, I'm guessing they didn't even think about this, but it may stick out to a few people. Especially if Britain doesn't exist within game canon. HONESTLY.
Gone is the white-haired male lead we once knew, replaced by a brunette imposter who seems to have stumbled across his namesake's wardrobe whilst looking for his sister's eye make-up.
I have to agree there.
Let me just say that, as a fan, I don't want a less ostentatious, more 'western' Dante in the same way I don't want a sleek, minimalistic Lamborghini. A Dante that isn't over the top is the same as a Lambo with no rocket thrusters or Gatling guns - it just isn't itself.
