Announced last September, the news of DmC: Devil May Cry left an awful taste in my mouth. Capcom and Ninja Theory’s new version of Dante seemingly ruined the very essence of Dante, turning him from a fun-loving joker into a moody teenager, and changing his entire look and voice. As a huge fan of the original games, and with a lot of questions left unanswered (chiefly, why does Nero have Sparda powers and a magic arm?), the last thing I wanted to see was the old timeline forgotten and replaced in an effort to generate new fans for the series.

Now, this is in no means going to be me telling you that I’ve suddenly “seen the light” and have decided I *love* this new Dante and everything’s going to be peachy. All I will say is… DmC might be alright – if things are handled well. If not, well, I might just be sticking to my earlier sentiments. But of course, as the fate of the Devil May Cry series is an important matter to me (as well as me trying to keep an open mind), I’ve been keeping an eye on DmC.

Firstly, lets talk about Dante’s look. While the original trailer showed Dante looking starved and ill (the “crack-addict” look that most people refer to it as), newer footage shows that Dante’s been given a bit of tweaking – his overall design is much the same, but his face seems a bit fuller and healthier – and we haven’t seen any more cigarettes, either. It’s not quite so hard to imagine this new look being the true Dante, given some white locks as he “awakens” or something by the end of the game.

But it’s not just his face – his attitude seems to have picked up a little, too. Not to the stage that he’s taunting griffons or surfing on rockets – but his demeanor as a whole seems to have picked up somewhat. And to put the icing on the cake, his voice actor seems to have changed – while Reuben Langdon denied (on Facebook) that he was reprising his role, the latest TGS footage certainly sounded like him – or else a very good mimic. This would be great news to me – Reuben’s work in DMC3, 4 and Marvel vs Capcom finally gave us a consistent VA for the hero, and it would be nice to see this continued in future titles.

Aside from consistency, the idea of Capcom trying to keep the same voice for Dante has other connotations. So far, it’s been very unclear whether DmC is canon to the older titles – said in some places to be an “origin story” and in others a “reboot”, Capcom have never officially seemed to state their definite position on the matter. Could this choice of voice actor suggest they are trying to tie the game into the existing series? Especially if Reuben isn’t taking the role – why would they bother keeping it so similar, when Dante’s had multiple VA’s in the past?

Either way, the idea of DmC’s Dante and it’s plot are beginning to interest me. With a Dante that feels more like himself, I’m beginning to believe the game’s plot is heading in the right direction, which is an important aspect to me. I do hope it’s canon, as I’d like to see the original series continued, but if it’s not canon, I won’t mind too much as long as they don’t decide to ditch the old canon indefinitely.

Now, the TGS footage of the game did glean some more information into the game – firstly, that there will be a female lead to aid Dante – appearing to be wearing some religious garbs, although we don’t see her face. Whether this will be a new character or an old one re-imagined is unknown, but it’s good to see there will be some dialogue along the way. The cylindrical item on her back and her shorts do put me in mind of Lady from DMC3, but that could just be a coincidence.

One thing that does look impressive are the areas. While we haven’t seen a huge range of environments, what we have seen is looking good – particularly one section which involves Dante travelling through an area full of floating pathways and rubble, with huge chains stretching off into the distance that are very reminiscent of God of War’s landscapes. There’s a lot of similar colours running the whole way through, but hopefully we’ll see more variety throughout the game.

Sadly, the combat is the area I’m now most concerned about. While the game promises a variety of weapons, the actual mechanics of it look a little worrying at the moment – footage of Dante’s combos show slower, clunkier looking moves than DMC3/4, and enemies seem to defy gravity somewhat, hanging in mid-air as if waiting for Dante to beat them up. Nothing particularly exciting has been featured – his “Devil Trigger” (in which his hair turns white and his coat changes to the traditional red) seems to make enemies hang in mid-air even longer than usual for even easier aerial combos, and one ability offers Dante an air-dash much like the Sky-Star ability from the previous titles. Another move has Dante slamming the ground, creating a shockwave to hit multiple enemies. Also, the game seems to have cinematic finisher attacks – while these could sound impressive, I do wonder if it will break the fluidity of the combat when fighting multiple opponents.

My worst issue with the combat is the inclusion of Dante’s “grapple hook”. Essentially a ripoff of Nero’s Devil Bringer, the grapple hook essentially makes Nero obsolete, taking his trademark feature and giving it to Dante. Now, while the idea of combining Dante and Nero’s qualities could be seen as a good thing, I personally don’t like it. For one, I found the Devil Bringer to make combat a little too simple in DMC4 - the ability to pull an enemy to you making combat less strategic. And of course, if the Devil Bringer concept is being added to Dante’s abilities, does that mean that we’re unlikely to see Nero return in a future title? However, if Dante doesn’t inherit the “contextual grab attack” that Nero had as part of the DB’s moveset, it might not feel like such a huge part of the gameplay, which isn’t such a bad thing. Still, I’d rather see that mechanic left in the hands of Nero.

That’s not to say that all of Dante’s new abilities are a turn-off. As Ninja Theory had stated in the past, it seems as though his abilities will be useful in other ways than combat. While previous DMC’s could be completed without any upgrades at all, it seems Dante’s air-dash will be integral to getting around, with some gaps being too big to clear with a simple jump. Another section showed Dante using his grapple hook to tear down a demonic camera, in order to unlock the door to move forward – a nice touch.

So that’s pretty much where I’m standing with DmC right now. I’m not too worried about the plot any more, and I can live with what they’re doing with Dante. The game certainly looks to be one of the best things that Ninja Theory have produced, but whether it will be good in terms of Capcom’s quality is a different matter. While the game’s shaping up into what looks like a good title, I’m not convinced it’s combat is going to be able to keep hold of the Devil May Cry soul and feel like a true part of the series.

- Leon

If you’ve read any of my previous articles, you’ll probably know that I’m a huge fan of Devil May Cry, specifically the original Devil May Cry, and Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition. Sadly, in the current generation I’ve felt my hunger for Devil May Cry a little unsatisfied – while Devil May Cry 4 was enjoyable, the game really lacked replay value, and Dante got reduced to only having a few backtracking stages to play.

While I could always pick up my PS2 again, the advances in game technology have sadly started to have a detrimental effect on the original trilogy, starting to look dated in comparison to the most recent entry in the series. And the less said about upcoming title “DmC: Devil May Cry“, the better. I’m not saying I won’t give it a shot, as I’m not THAT closed-minded, but so far I’ve seen nothing save for a butchery of an established series that I’ve grown to love over the last decade.

But recently, some rumours have come to light that make me very happy. A little while ago, it came to light that a Spanish site had listed something interesting - a Devil May Cry HD Collection on PS3 – stated to contain HD updates of the original trilogy. While the box-art was proven to be fake, I was of course intrigued by the news – but it wasn’t really concrete enough to get excited about.

However, current activity on Capcom’s website has given me enough reason to believe that a collection is indeed in the works. A competition posted on their European forums asks budding artists to submit artwork based on Devil May Cry’s classic characters, bosses and weapons – to be “featured in a new, to be announced Capcom game“.

With previous rumours of a collection already existing, a new “Devil May Cry” title already in the works, the request for classic characters and, of course, the timing with Devil May Cry’s 10th Anniversary, all of these things seem to point toward one, obvious conclusion - a Devil May Cry 10th Anniversary HD Collection.

If so, this is something I’ll welcome with open arms – seeing some of my favourite games revived in HD glory for the current generation. I just hope they include the Special Edition of DMC3 so Vergil can receive the same treatment!

-Leon

Leon:

Seeing as it’s less than two weeks till Marvel vs Capcom 3′s release, me and Garv are getting a little bit twitchy. Looking to be one of the greatest fighters released since Street Fighter IV – which is still going strong – MvC3 brings the clash between Marvel and Capcom back from its decade-long hiatus and makes room for the latest and greatest from both sides. So to keep our fingers busy (as opposed to the usual practice of staring at a blank screen and mashing buttons on our arcade sticks with a vacant stare), we bring to you: our personal MvC3 dream teams.

Marvel vs Capcom 3 includes a whole host of characters I can’t wait to play as – so it’s very hard to choose just three. However, I’ve thought about it, and finally whittled the cast down to my dream team:

“Demons, superhumans. Meh. Same crap, different day.” – Dante

While Dante seems to be a popular choice amongst many fans, I simply can’t not put him in my team. Devil May Cry has been one of my favourite games since the original, with Devil May Cry 3 being one of my favourite games of all time. With Dante’s wit and superior fighting skills, I’ve since dreamed of seeing him in a Capcom VS. title – yet never actually thought it would happen. But now he appears – in his DMC3 form no less – with one of the most stylish move sets in the game, and being faithful to his roots by having one of the most extensive sets of moves in the game, with most of his weaponry available in his different attacks.

With his trusty sword Rebellion, his trademark wit and a bat-firing electric guitar, Dante will be leading my team for sure.

“Ammy! Chill out! Don’t you know it’s bad to bite people who are down on their luck?” – Issun

What could be cooler than a goddess for a team member? Well, a goddess that happens to be a wolf, of course. Okami’s Amaterasu may come in a small package, but she makes up for her size in power. Nicknamed ”Ammy” by her tiny companion Issun, Amaterasu can draw upon the powers of the celestial brush to summon the elements to her side, while also having the ability to switch between various weapons – Divine Instruments – to aid her in her fast-paced assault. Amaterasu is no-one’s trusty sidekick - she’s a leading lady.

With some huge screen-filling elemental attacks that can do devastating damage, Ammy belies her gentle nature with some of the flashiest moves in the game.

“I’m a member of S.T.A.R.S.” – Jill in MvC2

Since Jill is confirmed to be a DLC character, I’ll sadly have to be waiting a month until she can make her rightful place in my dream team. While Jill is a returning character, she now takes the form of her Resident Evil 5 incarnation, and has been completely transformed into what will apparently be one of the fastest characters in the game – described by Capcom as an “aerial gun user”. It’s not yet known whether Jill will be aligned with good or evil in her storyline (due to Wesker’s mind-control crystal on her chest), but either way I’ll be looking forward to her release alongside Shuma-Gorath.

I definitely look forward to seeing what Jill’s ultra combos will be – she’s sure to have some impressive moves in her arsenal.

“Show me your strength!”

Reserve Character – While I’ve already picked my three – there’s one more character that I’ll definitely be using from time to time – and I need someone to stand in for Jill for the first month! Capcom’s iconic lead fighter, Ryu is always great to fall back on with his traditional moveset, albeit powered-up for MvC. While he’s a simple fighter, Ryu always manages to hold his own against all the rest, and represents the basis of the Capcom fighting game.

Ryu will always be a comfort zone for me – and I’ll never get tired of seeing his awesome Shinkuu-Hadoken in MvC3 glory.

Garv:

It has taken me a good while to think of who would my dream team for MvC3 would be. Even though I favour Marvel over Capcom in most respects my team is comprised of both; also when Leon and myself have battles I always tend to go for the evil characters and he always tends to go for the good. So factoring both of those criteria I have come up with a team that is my MvC3′s answer to my M.Bison in Super Street Fighter IV.

“Come ta think of it — I’ve seen tougher KEN dolls than you! An’ I mean take yer pick here — mod-hair Ken — disco Ken — summer fun Ken — I let Barbie whip me ‘cos I’m a wuss Ken — Any o’ you guys lissenin’ t’me?” – Deadpool

Without a shadow of a doubt Deadpool has to be my team leader, and not just because he is the one fighting Dante in the trailer. Deadpool has swiftly become one of my favorite Marvel characters of all time. Dubbed the merc with a mouth, Deadpool has expert knowledge when it comes to combat and a bad ass attitude to boot. The very fact that he breaks the 3rd wall in comic book (Breaking the 3rd wall meaning, things like talking to the reader etc, because Deadpool knows he’s in a comic book) has always appealed to me and he keeps it MvC3 as well making for one hell of a hilariouse and awesome character.

“Sure I’m not human anymore, but just look at the power I’ve gained!” – Albert Wesker

As my old buddy M.Bison hasn’t made the MvC3 cut, I needed someone who was just as evil, someone who is hell-bent on world domination and at the same time is stupidly powerful. I introduce to you Albert Wesker, the main baddie from the Resident Evil series. I didn’t just choose him for the fact that he is pretty much my MvC3 answer to Bison, he also look a bit like a character I wrote a story about once called Zeneth, who was again hell bent on destruction and world domination. Concidence no?

“Looks like we have a winner.” – Trish

Trish has to be the best female character to come out of the Devil May Cry series, created by Mundus the devil god from hell to destroy Dante. Trish was actually made in the image of Dante’s mother. After defeating Mundus in DMC1 Trish and Dante teamed up. So you can probably imagine Leon’s frustration when I decided to pit her against Dante in his team. Thing is though it’s not just about frustrating Leon at the end of the day, Trish has awesome demon powers and wields the sword of Sparda which changes shape, meaning there are going to be some awesome attacks coming from her, a perfect asset to the team I think.

“But the girl, she’s like a machine. I’ve never seen anything like it. She’s so small… There are moments when I look at her, I just wanted to laugh.
But I’m not laughing now. I’m just glad we’re on the same team.” – Domino: X-Men

Reserve Character: I had to go down  the route of the reserved character also, there are just too many good characters to choose from. So why X-23? Well as you know Wolverine is weapon X, or 10 in layman’s terms and  X-23 or Laura by her proper name is the step up from him, even though she has two claws on each hand she was actually a normal human being untill the weapon X programme got hold of her and turned her into a killing machine. She is a lot faster than Wolverine and a lot more agile, meaning having her in an MvCs team is a cracking idea - true, Jill Valentine maybe fast in MvC3 terms, but X-23 could probably slice her and dice her in a matter of seconds.

So there you have it people, Leon and Garv’s dream teams, with the game coming out in just under two weekes here in the UK we will have to wait just a little bit longer till we can put these teams into action.

Till then, we’ll get some arcade stick practice in with Super Street Fighter IV.

-Leon & Garv

You Must Reboot The System!

In the past few months there have been an absolute load of announcements for games coming out in 2011 and beyond. There were also some good game releases last year as well. But there has been something that has been niggling me about some of the latest announcements which make me think that game developers are fixing things before they are broken. I.E. Rebooting game franchises. In some respects some games need in but most of the time games don’t need a reboot. It’s like turning Mr Muscle in the Mr Muscle cleaner ads from a scrawny geek to a CGI Super hero. It’s not necessary and it’s not cool.

So far only two games that are coming out in 2011 that have been rebooted for no reason. These two games franchises I really have a lot of love for these two games, I grew up with them and they have made some fantastic game play. So I present to you the two games in 2011 that shouldn’t be Rebooted.

Devil May Cry

I know I have complained about this before, but for this post I am going to complain again. Why oh why would you want to take an awesome character like Dante and totally change him?! What I loved about Dante was the fact that he was a kick arse half demon with a bad ass attitude. He loved the fact that he was a demon hunter, and a highly skilled one at that. He also didn’t really give a crap what people though of him and wasn’t afraid to speak his mind. He also had a cool hair style and an awesome dress sence (even though he only had a long red coat on In Devil May Cry 3 but it was an awesome long red coat)

Last year, we saw the trailer of the next Devil May Cry game. I was personally excited about this announcement and couldn’t wait to see what Dante was going to do next. Well, I was stupidly excited untill I saw the teaser trailer for the game. Apon watching this trailer I simple was left staring at the screen for a good five minutes. To Quote Wayne’s World here; “You know that scene in scanners where the guys head is just about to explode?” That was the look of fear I had across my face. What the hell did they do to Dante?!

This picture had me laughing for ages

You know how much I said he was cool and bad arse? Yeah they have scrapped that and have pretty much turned him into the lead singer of My Chemical Romance! He is now an Emo kid, a teenage with obvious prepubescent problems who isn’t cool at all. You can imagine this rebooted Dante telling his mum to stuff it because he doesn’;t want to come home when tea is ready. Sure ok he looks like he is kicking some demon butt, but having him strapped up in what looks like an insane asylum? That doesn’t bode well for his image either.

Basically why did they have to change Dante? Ninja Theory, they guys behind this bold move said that the old school Dante wasn’t cool anymore and people were getting board of him. Of course, that makes sence, I mean look at Marvel Vs Capcom 3! Capcom put the Devil May Cry 3 version of Dante into the roster for exactly those reasons. Well spotted there Ninja Theory, well done.

Tomb Raider

Ok before I start this one off I can tell you know that I am not going to go on as much of  rant as I did with Devil May Cry back there. But again with the new Tomb Raider it seems like they have gone backward with the main protagonists age. No before you ask I am not going to give you a whole paragraph about how her boobs have shrunk, I am not like that. It’s more due to the fact that again Lara Croft was pretty kick ass when it came to scaling terrain and getting to unreachable places. Turns out this is going to be a younger and inexperienced Lara. Does this mean that we are going to get a limited when it comes to scaling walls etc? Are we going to get next to no weapons? What does this mean?

Also it would appear that this game is going to be a hell of a lot darker, which is again not what Lara Croft is about. I alway saw Tomb Raider as a franchise much like Indiana jones, something fun for all the family that could have dark undertones if needed. Not a dark and quite horrific game which may get an 18 rating. According to game informer, a couple of examples of ways Lara can die on the island she has been stranded on are being stabbed in the chest by a “deranged” knife-wielding man, and another is having a boulder land on Lara’s leg to trap her, followed by another boulder landing on and crushing her head. I mean what the hell? I know her quest were dangerous but the beauty of Tomb Raider is that you don’t have to go into ever gruesome detail.

From those two examples, it would appear that rebooting franchises these days involve making your Protagonists younger, possibly to related to the younger gaming demographic, which in turn leaves us older guys just not interested or annoyed. Making a game Darker than it needs to be, I.E. Tomb Raider sounds like more of a survival game than just a simple awesome relic hunting title. Finally to make a reboot these days you need to slap probably at least a 18 rated sticker on it to make it ‘cool’, which in turn defeated the point of even making the protagonist younger to suit the more younger gaming demographic….FACEPALM.

Garv

So yesterday we were finally able to get our hands on a working version of the game at the excellent Eurogamer Expo at Earl’s Court in London. MvC3 was amongst the most popular titles – a constant crowd surrounding the two arcade units set up in the Challenge Arena waiting for their opportunity to give Capcom’s new fighter a go. Even the queues would not deter me – I was willing to wait not once, not twice, but five times in order to really get a feel for what is one of my most anticipated titles of all time (THE most anticipated, if you include the 10 years I hoped for a third title after I fell in love with MvC2). Anyway let’s get onto the important stuff. How did it play!?

The roster consisted of 18 of the currently known characters – which was a very good taster of what we can expect to see in the real thing. With Dante, Trish, Amaterasu, Super-Skrull, Wolverine and Felicia amongst them, I was more than happy. Arcade stick in hand, I found myself facing off against Garv and friend Ray in some very heart-pounding matches.

As with Marvel vs Capcom 2, we each selected three characters each, and the madness began. Although the game is set to have a massive roster, there’s no less of depth with any of them. The returning characters all feel familiar, yet updated well to fit the new engine, and the new characters that have been built from scratch are very welcome additions. Fans were enjoying mixing up their old favourites, while happily getting into learning a few tricks with the new cast.

Since time was limited, it was very hard to learn many attacks and a lot of the time it was some combo-mashing guessing to see  what moves we could pull off – even being long-time fans of Capcom fighters, it was more down to split-second luck whether we did what we intended, but needless to say it was very enjoyable. I cannot wait until I can sit down with my own copy and really begin to master some of the cast – there’s a whole lot of moves to learn and once put to real use I can see some epic fights in the future. I wasn’t even completely at home with Ryu, considering at one point I somehow managed to fire a Shinkuu Hadoken vertically, looking pretty silly as my opponent sat on the other side of the screen.

Being produced by the same maker of Tatsunoko vs Capcom, I was a little worried that many of the characters would feel generic – perhaps it was my lack of knowledge with the majority of the Tatsunoko cast, but there were a lot of characters that felt too similar, or just held no interest to me. However, every character we saw felt unique in some way and – feeling somewhat like a cross between TvC and Street Fighter IV – felt like a solid member in it’s own right. I think I saw all 18 characters used at some point – so none were left untouched over the course of the day.

Dante was a fan favourite, and being a huge DMC fan I could not have been more pleased with the MvC3 take on his character. Said to have more moves than any other character thus far, Dante has access to pretty much every weapon from Devil May Cry 3 (the Shotgun and Spiral gun being the only two I didn’t spot). His melee attacks saw him pulling of stingers, milion-stabs and helm-splitters, while his vast array of weapons gave him access to a lot of signature moves from his own game. What really impressed me was the fact that he even had at least two attacks for each of his four other Devil Arms – pulling off spinning attacks with the icy Cerberus nunchucks, dash-slashing, spin-dropping and even whirling the Agni & Rudra twin swords for a variety of pyrotechnic attacks, summoning bats and rocking out on the lightning-fuelled guitar Nevan, and pounding the floor with the mighty Beowulf gauntlets. I could go on about it forever, but suffice it to say that it almost feels as if they took DMC3′s Dante skillset (which was huge), and poured the lot into one of the most varied characters I’ve seen in a fighter – even including moves from his various fighting styles. Let’s just say – I was going to be hard to please, and he was better than I even hoped.

Other characters that really showed some promise included Amaterasu (better known as the wolf from Okami), whose unpredictable attacks formed a fast and effective character, with some powerful elemental attacks and various weapon attacks at her command – all with dazzling colour and she simply kicked ass. Iron Man was a classic – being effective as always with long-range blasts and his trademark Proton Cannon blasting across the screen. Trish (from Devil May Cry), although not as popular as Dante, held her own as an excellent fighter, focusing on some flashy lightning based attacks mixed up with slashes from the mighty sword Sparda. Deadpool was popular, rivalling Dante with his mix of gun/sword based attacks, although I did find that those who used him well tended to seem a little overpowered – perhaps it was co-incidence, but I do wonder if there’s a little more balancing to be done yet. Classic Ryu and Chun-Li felt similar to their Tatsunoko vs Capcom versions – but that’s by no means a bad thing! Super-Skrull also seems like a solid character with a lot of potential, with the reach, speed, strength, and powers of the Fantastic 4 rolled into one. Sadly Wesker, Spiderman, Tron Bonne or X-23 weren’t available in the version we played – but there was plenty to whet our appetites while leaving loads of stuff to look forward to in the real thing.

When screenshots were first released for the game, I was really unsure of the move to the cel-shaded 3D style, thinking it perhaps looked a bit blocky and basic. But in reality, the game looks superb – the characters all fit together brilliantly whilst feeling true to their original versions, and the game is full of colour and smooth animation, whilst being fast paced and exciting.

Overall, I thought it difficult that Capcom would be able to meet the expectations for a game so long awaited. However, they answered their fans at last – and they’ve done  it brilliantly. I’d never thought I’d see the day – but playing Marvel vs Capcom 2 on XBLA now just feels a little hollow when I know what I will be playing Spring 2011.

- Leon

Oh… and Capcom? Ninja Theory stated that the “current” Dante just isn’t ‘cool’ anymore, which is why he’s being redesigned in the blasphemous way that Capcom and Ninja Theory have together decided. Well, tell that to the people who were playing MvC3, because Dante was probably the most favoured character in the game by a mile.

And then we saw the trailer. If anybody has seen the subtitled Hitler reaction to DmC based on the movie Downfall (sadly I can’t link as it regularly gets removed for copyright), that was pretty much my reaction. I was outraged. Dante is an iconic character, and literally my favourite character of all time. To both reboot the plot, and change the character, is to change what Devil May Cry is. And there’s really no good reason for it – ask many people their reasons for playing DMC for the first time, and they’ll say that Dante looked cool. He really is the very idea of the bad-ass hero with a love for what he does, and he does it well. Capcom are out of their minds if they believe they can totally change Dante, and still claim their character to be him.

While my reactions could be considered the rantings of a “fanboy”, it’s a matter of perspective. Some people play DMC for it’s challenging difficulty, others for it’s fun gameplay. But personally, I play it for both gameplay and plot. Why is it that the most exciting battles in the series are Vergil, and Nero’s fights with Dante, among many others? Is it because of the gameplay mechanics? Partly. But in a large part, it’s because of the history behind the battles. Battles of brotherhood rivalry, battling a legendary figure, or many times it’s Dante fighting against his own father’s legend and the things it left behind. Even bosses such as Beowulf and Griffon had good characterisation, being more than just beasts to slay. The legacy of Sparda is a great one, and there’s no way that they’ve done all they can with it already. They even went to the lengths of introducing Nero, so that newcomers to the series need not have played the previous titles to enjoy the series with it’s canon.

So you may scream “but you don’t know how the game plays yet!” but it really doesn’t matter. Would devoted Halo fans have enjoyed Wars, ODST and Reach just as much, had they announced the plot was not related to the Halo legacy, the new characters playing no part in the overall plot? I doubt it. Although their parts were perhaps unnecessary to the overall plot, that feeling that they were part of that overall history made it feel as though your actions mattered, and you weren’t just busting through a new Halo clone. No, I have a personal investment in Devil May Cry’s plot, however deep or not it may be – and no-one can tell me otherwise.

Now, let me say that I do not hate the trailer. Had it not suggested to me that they are replacing Dante and ditching the plot so far – I wouldn’t be against it altogether. The setting looks fine, the trailer promises to continue the flowing, crazy gameplay that I’ve grown to love, and I don’t hate the soundtrack. If “New Dante’s” name was “Enzo” or something, I wouldn’t be outraged – but its the complete bastardisation of Dante’s image that I object to. That guy isn’t Dante, no matter what he or Ninja Theory say. That would be like me claiming to be Master Chief (Yes, I’m trying to use a well-known series to make my points here).

So yes, as it stands, I’m pissed. When Nero was announced as the lead character for DMC4, I was annoyed. But this is completely on a new level, and from where I’m standing Nero looks like my new best buddy. At least he had the common decency to leave Dante’s personal history well alone.

However, I’m not the only one – the DMC community in general has had a similar reaction, with about a 10:1 ratio of annoyed fans to people who are generally not bothered. So I would like to believe that Capcom would not completely ignore the cries of it’s fanbase.

Still, there’s one, tiny, golden thread I’m hanging onto. It’s only a theory, but it’s the one thing keeping me genuinely interested to see how things unfold. See – I’m hoping the idea that this game is a reboot of the story is nothing but lies or conjecture. And there’s one way I can see this fitting in with the rest of the series, answering questions, and being a genuinely good idea.

The idea came to me when I saw “New Dante’s” coat – see, I never really thought that it looked like Dante’s coat. It actually looks more like Nero’s. You know – the guy whose past we know absolutely nothing about? Even if he were the son of Vergil, as some flaky rumours suggest, this could still work.

My theory goes like this – young Nero is a bit of a punk nobody with no real place in the world. A talented fighter, due to having a connection with the Sparda bloodline, he is taken in by the Order – worshippers of Sparda – and trained to focus his abilities on something with a bit more purpose. Trying to re-create their god, or at least a son of Sparda – and knowing Nero shares his bloodline – the Order submit Nero to some kind of ritual. This ritual summons Vergil’s lost soul, and uses Nero as it’s vessel, giving Nero his white hair, and later would awaken the Devil Bringer – the hand that “thirsts for power”, which is uncannily similar to the modus operandi that Vergil himself was known for. Unsure if their ritual had worked, the Order keep Nero restrained (as seen in the trailer), and ask him repeatedly. “What is your name?” Perhaps in order to end their interrogations, Nero submits, admitting himself to be Dante, a son of the god that they wished to recreate.

It’s wishful thinking, and I feel that truly I’m simply trying to find a way to deny the truth – but to me it fits, it explains Nero’s roots, and it’s a hell of a lot better than a reboot. So I’ll just sit here, denying the truth, and hoping that my theory could possibly be even close to the truth.

Otherwise, yeah, I’m not too fond of the trailer.

-Leon

Tokyo game show showed us the brand new installment in the Devil May Cry franchise. I was excited to see Devil May Cry 5, who the protagonist was (either Nero or Dante, was hoping Dante). But I was saw a title that was simple labeled DmC. The trailer that followed then showed me what looked like a member of My Chemical Romance (to quote a friend) mildly kill some demons, get strung up in an asylum then announce his name is Dante. My jaw dropped in utter disbelief. What the hell have they done to Dante!?

After watching this trailer some more, (and after calming down over my initial thoughts of ‘What the hell are Capcom thinking?’ and ‘I am not going to lay my hands on this game ever) I have a had a couple of thoughts about this trailer and what it may actually be.

Thought 1: This isn’t in fact Dante

Ok so you have a kid strung up in an insane asylum, being probed about what his name is. This automatically screamed to me that this is not Dante at all. In fact that he is some show off poser wanna be who indeed has some demonic power but is trying to be someone he is not. This is probably a kid who idolizes Dante so much he wants to be him.  I part of me still thinks this is the case, but after talking to some people and scanning the inter-webs thought 2 had cropped up.

Thought 2: This is in fact a rebooted Dante in a prequel to the whole franchise.

Now I can’t remember what age Dante was in Devil May Cry 3. (so someone please fill me in) but in this new title we may be looking at a mid teen Dante which pre dates Devil May Cry 3. This is a Dante who is still learning about his powers, meaning that the story itself could have some key characters in like Vergil again (yay) and maybe even the human form of Sparda. If this is the idea behind this game, then maybe just maybe the game’s story will redeem itself with bringing in Vergil and Sparda. But I am still a little dubious as they could run the risk of making those characters a bit crap as well.

Ok story and Dante himself aside. The game play look promising. If you look at the trailer you see him running up walls, and even having a melee weapon that morphs. Opening up the possibility of have a stupid amount of weapons to combo with. This is again a little shining hope of what the titled DmC can offer. Maybe this will be a good title, maybe it will redeem it self some how.

Or maybe Capcom will turn round and say, Sorry guys we accidentally picked up the copy of My Chemical Romance Vs The World, here is the real new Devil May Cry Title.

Garv.

Now if you’ve been following my previous articles regarding Capcom’s latest (and most exciting) VS title, you’ll know that I’m excited to see the long-awaited Marvel vs Capcom 3 in the pipeline. Teasers released originally gave us a load of silhouettes amongst the few confirmed characters nudging us to who else would be occupying the roster in the new fighter.

This week, along with all the E3 news, has given us a further look into what we can expect; with some tantalising footage of the game in action, and some more confirmed characters. I’m glad to announce that all of them look good – and in most cases predictions have been right. On Marvel’s side we have fan favourites Deadpool and Captain America, and Capcom has brought along two worthy additions – Felicia… and Dante.

If you know me, you’ll know that Dante is perhaps my favourite character in gaming – so naturally this is a very exciting time for me. And looking at the footage – I’m not disappointed. Fans of the Devil Hunter will be pleased to hear that Dante is based on the younger Devil May Cry 3 version, as are his moves. Amongst his arsenal he is able to use all five of his DMC3 weapons in various attacks – using his main sword Rebellion for stylish regular combos, tri-nunchuks Cerberus for an ice attack, a dashing slash with the dual swords Agni and Rudra, bat storm attacks by jamming out electric guitar Nevan, and even some melee Beowulf attacks in there too – such as the downward “Killer Bee” kick. References to his styles are also there – such as the “Royal Guard” stance for blocking, “Trickster” dashes and of course “Gunslinger” and “Swordmaster” attacks all over the place, Ebony and Ivory serving as his main form of long-range attack. They really look as though they have Dante down to perfection – including his signature Devil Trigger and Jackpot moves for his super attacks – and importantly, Reuben Langdon once again reprised his role as the voice actor. All I can say is – this is what I’ve been waiting for for a long, long time.

As much as I’d like to leave this whole post as an homage to Dante, I know better! Somewhat of a Marvel counterpart to Dante, Deadpool can also be seen toting twin pistols and swords, his teleportation abilities making him look quite unpredictable. Although I’m not hugely familiar with Deadpool (aside from his apparently awful version in X-men Origins), I’m aware that he’s quite popular amongst the comic fans and he’s looking as good as the rest. He definitely has the cocky attitude to rival Dante for one thing!

Captain America is one of the characters returning from the previous installments of the series, returning with all his classic shield throws and charge attacks. Sadly, Felicia hasn’t been shown in IGNs video footage of the game, but it’s good to know she’ll be in it for sure. Who doesn’t like hot cat girls?

As for the characters that we already knew of – they’re looking good. Ryu is as solid-looking as ever, with all the normal attacks you’d expect, and the Hulk and Iron Man also seem to be fairly faithful to their previous renditions in Marvel vs Capcom 2, such as Iron Man’s classic super-huge-omg-laser cannon super attack (the name’s not official), and Hulk’s signature earthquake move.

Chris Redfield seems to be shaping up well – taking a much more melee stance than expected – perhaps a little like Jill in MvC2, he seems to have been beefed up with some MvC exclusive steroids enough to keep up with the big boys. His moves focus on a fairly even mixture of heavy hitting melee attacks and long-range weapons such as flame-throwers and machine guns – his supers also using a mixture of close combat (with a survival knife), and the Resident Evil classic – the Rocket Launcher. Unlike Jill in MvC2, however – he seems to be lacking any zombie related attacks, so I’ll safely say that Frank West is looking quite certain to make an appearance in that aspect – I doubt they’d take the zombies from the Resident Evil mascot without reason! Regardless, Chris is looking good.

Although I was unsure at first about the SFIV-like move to the 3D style of animation, the new videos look far more impressive than initial footage shown a while back. The game is looking great, all the characters looking faithful to their original media and all merging together into a really colourful line-up. The arena shown looks equally good, reminiscent of the parade scene in the first Spiderman movie – showing perhaps even more depth than some of the arenas in Super Street Fighter IV.

I really look forward to hearing more about this title – specifically a release date! It’s looking to be a good successor to its decade-old predecessor and it’s looking as manic as ever. With the new characters to spice up the mix amongst the old favourites, it looks like it can only get better from here. But don’t just take my word – check out the video below.

-Leon

Now, the creators have said that they are currently aiming for around 15 characters per side, although it’s likely the end result will be more - hopefully a lot more since they’ve got a lot of good material to work with! I’ve managed to narrow my predictions down to 17 per side. And today, I announce the predictions for the Capcom side of the rivalry…

	Name: Ryu From: Street Fighter Appeared in previous installment?: Yes Likelihood of appearing: Confirmed character A Capcom fighter just wouldn’t be right without Ryu, the lead character of Street Fighter that gives most players at least one fighter they can use without worrying that they don’t know any of the moves. Bringing in his classic Hadokens, Shoryukens and unpronouncable spin kicks, he’ll surely be a solid character, with his Shinkuu Hadoken devastating all that stand in his way.
	Name: Morrigan From: Darkstalkers Appeared in previous installment?: Yes Likelihood of appearing: Confirmed character The seductive Morrigan hails from Capcom’s more monsterlike fighter, Darkstalkers. A beautiful succubus, she uses her wings for aerial manoevers and can use dark powers such as summoning bats to attack. In Marvel vs Capcom 2 her hyper moves included purple lasers and the ability to attack the opponent alongside a doppelganger.
	Name: Chris Redfield From: Resident Evil Appeared in previous installment?: No Likelihood of appearing: Confirmed character Chris Redfield is the original lead male in the Resident Evil series, also being the lead character of Resident Evil 5. We haven’t seen him before but clips suggest he’ll be employing guns among his moves. We don’t know a lot else – but I’m sure his melee attacks and the Rocket Launcher will be in there somewhere. Perhaps we’ll see Sheva as a cameo in one of his specials?
	Name: Dante From: Devil May Cry Appeared in previous installment?: No Likelihood of appearing: Very likely When Marvel vs Capcom 2 was first released a decade ago, the original Devil May Cry hadn’t even hit the shelves yet and Dante wasn’t a known character in the gaming world. As time passed on and I grew to love the series – specifically DMC3 – I’d always wished I could see Dante appear in the series, but it seemed it could never be so. However, now starring in four games, he’s now a very likely candidate for the newly unveiled installment of the fighter – with plenty of potential for sword/gun/demonic attacks of pure coolness. Silhouettes in the new artwork look almost undeniably like him, and there should be no lack of inspiration for fighting moves where this guy’s concerned.
	Name: Felicia From: Darkstalkers Appeared in previous installment?: Yes Likelihood of appearing: Almost certain Silhouettes in the new art could surely belong to none other than Felicia, Darkstalkers’ resident cat-girl. Using a very rapid and acrobatic style, we should see her tumbling all over the place, leaping around and scratching her opponents to shreds. In MvC2, her hyper attacks included barrage attacks and summoning a swarm of other cat-girls to beat up her opponent.
	Name: Chun Li From: Street Fighter Appeared in previous installment?: Yes Likelihood of appearing: Almost certain Chun Li is Street Fighter’s most recognisable female, using an array of rapid kick attacks and energy blasts. The MvC3 art suggests she’ll be in the game, and she should be a solid character as always. MvC2 had her using a giant energy blast as her Hyper Combo attack.
	Name: Frank West From: Dead Rising Appeared in previous installment?: No Likelihood of appearing: Almost certain The artwork seems to show that Frank West will be one of the characters, his stocky figure recognisable amongst the silhouettes. Frank has actually appeared in Tatsunoko vs Capcom, so this won’t be his first appearance in a fighting game. His attacks revolved around using mall objects, as well as summoning zombies much like Jill Valentine did in MvC2. A strange character to master.
	Name: Seth From: Street Fighter IV Appeared in previous installment?: No Likelihood of appearing: Likely Named after Seth Killian, creator of SFIV – Seth is perhaps one of the most hated bosses of all time, with his unfair AI and cheap attacks. Killian says Seth’s fine (sadistic power trip much?), and I’m sure we’ll get a few groans if he gets officially announced – one of the silhouettes definitely looks to me like the bald tyrant so we can only hope he’s toned down for this game.
	Name: Akuma From: Street Fighter Appeared in previous installment?: Yes Likelihood of appearing: Possible With the roster set to around 15 characters per side, I could imagine that Capcom would want to reduce the amount of “Shoto” type characters that utilise similar moves to that of Ryu. However, Akuma has a large following and has appeared in MvC2, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we see his “Dark Hado” version of Ryu’s fighting style appearing in the game.
	Name: Megaman From: Megaman Appeared in previous installment?: Yes Likelihood of appearing: Quite Likely Being brought almost to the status of mascot due to his popularity, the “Blue Bomber” is one of Capcom’s most well-known characters. Although there’s been no mention of him so far, I would be surprised if he doesn’t make an appearance in one of his many incarnations, having appeared in both Marvel vs Capcom and Tatsunoko vs Capcom previously. In MvC2 his Hyper move involved growing into a giant robot and blasting the enemy up with huge missiles.
	Name: Gouken From: Street Fighter IV Appeared in previous installment?: No Likelihood of appearing: Possible Gouken hasn’t been around as a playable character for long, but being the “good” brother of Akuma and Ryu’s master I imagine he has gotten quite a following fairly quickly. If Akuma gets in, I can see Gouken being put in due to his popularity as well.
	Name: Captain Commando From: Captain Commando Appeared in previous installment?: Yes Likelihood of appearing: Possible Originally created as a mascot for Capcom, his name even abbreviating to CAP.COM, he starred in the self-titled game Captain Commando which played in the same way as Final Fight. Although an old mascot, Capcom included him in MvC2 and may feel he is worthy of continuing in the newer title. His Hyper Combo involved summoning all three of his allies from Captain Commando to attack together.
	Name: Strider Hiryu From: Strider Appeared in previous installment?: Yes Likelihood of appearing: Unsure – but I hope so! Strider is another of Capcom’s older characters - a futuristic ninja/mercenary who utilises lightning-fast blade attacks, can climb walls, and has a number of robotic animals and devices that can assist him in battle. Although perhaps not well known nowadays, Strider was a very good character in MvC2, and I can only hope Capcom will see him worthy of keeping in the latest version.
	Name: Jill Valentine From: Resident Evil Appeared in previous installment?: Yes Likelihood of appearing: Possible Jill Valentine was the original female lead of Resident Evil, along with Chris Redfield. However, since Chris and Frank West have joined the roster, her mixture of gun and zombie attacks have perhaps been left redundant. Capcom may decide to keep her, perhaps even changing her to the “blonde-super-Jill’ from RE5, but we’ll just have to wait and see.
	Name: Samanosuke Akechi From: Onimusha Appeared in previous installment?: No Likelihood of appearing: Doubtful but would be good Since the release of MvC2, Onimusha is a series that has been and gone – the most recent title being Dawn of Dreams, the fourth installment which was released on the PS2 a few years ago. Samanosuke is a japanese samurai who has been the most prominent of the series’ protagonists, employing a mixture of elemental swords and the ability to transform into an all-powerful being, the “Onimusha”. Although it’s sadly unlikely he’ll be included, there is hope – Tatsunoko vs Capcom recently included Onimusha 4′s Soki as a playable character, meaning the series has not been forgotten altogether.
	Name: Vergil From: Devil May Cry Appeared in previous installment?: No Likelihood of appearing: Unlikely due to roster size The evil twin of Dante, there could be no better character to rival him in MvC3 - the similar appearance between the twins being one of their only similarities. While Dante is generally good, lighthearted and fun, Vergil is known for his cold demeanor and deadly precision with his katana, Yamato. He was a playable character in DMC3: Special Edition, offering a unique playing style that was just as good to play as Dante himself.
	Name: Phoenix Wright From: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Appeared in previous installment?: No Likelihood of appearing: Unlikely A lawyer? In a fighting game? Am I mad? Probably! But to be honest, MvC is all about madness, and including characters from all walks of life. Known for his tagline “OBJECTION!”, Phoenix is probably one of the only lawyers to be loved rather than despised. Originally, Phoenix Wright was even planned to be in Tatsunoko vs Capcom, but didn’t make the final cut. I sort of hope they get him in this! Every MvC game needs a novely character or two, after all!

So these are my predictions for the Capcom side of the roster! What do you think?

Expect to see my predictions for the Marvel side soon.

-Leon

KAIN

I’ve always been a fan of vampire stories for as long as I can remember – so naturally a vampire game would be  something I’d enjoy. Over a decade ago, a game called Blood Omen was released in March of 1997 – and on an impluse rental I gave it a whirl – and was instantly captivated. Kain was perhaps my first encounter with a type of character seen much less at that time – the anti-hero. Killed within five minutes of the game’s start, Kain became a vampire with nothing but vengeance on his mind. Years later, I happened to stumble upon a copy of the game of my own – having almost forgotten it’s dark delights. I fell in love with the game once more.

As if by fate, I later stumbled upon a game called Soul Reaver – something that was, as far as I was aware – a completely new game I’d never heard of before. As I played the game, it was one of those moments where I was again enthralled by a dark fantasy, and I cannot remember when I actually discovered that it was connected to the Legacy of Kain that I had played so long ago, but then I found myself at the start of a grand adventure with Kain as its master, the amazing voice acting of Simon Templeman bringing Kain to life as he had done so once before. The Soul Reaver, once a powerful weapon obtained in Blood Omen, became a relic of Kain’s, an ultimate, soul devouring sword that acted as a critical plot point to countless twists and turns as I was immersed in the world of Nosgoth.

Although Kain started as quite a simple creature of bloody murder, he evolved over time into something quite different a ruler, a manipulator of time and fate – casting Raziel into the abyss, creating a character to rival even himself in sheer depth and character. Together, the pair became entangled in one of the cleverest, most complicated plots that I had ever seen, all starting from the first days I heard Kain scream the words “Vae Victus.” -Leon

SONIC

Most gamers of our generation can be slpit into two groups when it comes to what console you grew up with – the Sega gamers and the Nintendo gamers. So the war against a blue hedgehog that can run as fast as hell and a weird sounding Italian plumber who can throw fireballs has been going on for quite a while.

Personally I see Sonic as more to my taste. Not just becuase I was one of the Sega generation, and not becuase I just happen to think he looks cooler. Its because the sheer game play you got out of him. You didn’t just get a platforming game, you got a running and dodging game amonsgst others. Up until the later games, Sonic to me is the one of the best gaming characters out there, becuase he lets nothing get in his way. In the earlier games he really didn’t seem to care if ther was a strange two tailed fox following him around and dying every 5 seconds. And he has attitude. None of this ‘oh mamma miiaaa’ rubbish. Make Sonic wait and he will frown and tap his foot. He takes no crap.  -Garvaos

SQUALL

Over my years of gaming, as well as many other gamers I found myself enjoying Final Fantasy as the most enjoyable RPG series of them all – trying a number of other RPG’s I never really found anything that could match it’s brilliance. It was one of the few RPGs that managed to deliver on all aspects – story, gameplay, depth, length – it had balance. The first one I played was actually VII – another rental. I thoroughly enjoyed the gameplay style and it was the first time I’d played a game with such a detailed plot. Now, I’m sure many people would choose Cloud over Squall, but I personally disagree.

After taking my rental of FFVII back (still on Disc 1), I soon purchased my very own copy of Final Fantasy VIII. Instantly I was impressed with the graphical overhaul from VII, opting for a more realistic approach. I was instantly hooked and couldnt put the game down for weeks.

I believe everyone who plays games with a real passion has found at least one character they felt they could really relate to – well Squall was mine. Whether his personality suited my mood at the time, or he was simply well written, I found myself feeling what Squall felt, caring about what Squall cared about and hating who Squall hated. Wielding possibly one of the coolest weapons in gaming, the gunblade, Squall, an apparently strong character, turned out to secretly have a lot more depth to him than on the surface. Along the way, he kicks ass whilst discovering his true self and finally fighting for what he believes in – and for the girl, of course.

When Kingdom Hearts came around, I was incredibly happy to see Squall make a return, with a new longer haircut and going by the alias Leon (where I got my own alias I’m using right now). Voiced brilliantly by David Boreanaz (KH1 only), Squall fought once again as one of the main ‘Final Fantasy’ characters of the game, and was part of one of the coolest scenes in the game alongside Cloud in Kingdom Hearts II.

SLIGHT SPOILER WARNING:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMW6QYcPVBY]
-Leon

GANON

The only bad guy to be in this top 10 (well ish, to be honest I don’t know what alignment Kain is anymore) Ganondorf is your typical baddie. His main aim is to destroy the realm with great power and strength, while at the same time steal a beautiful princess and get hunted down by a guy in a green suit. What I really like about Ganondorf is that he laughs at anything, anything trying to get in his way and the first thing he does is just laugh at it. Second, he is one of those typical badguys who likes to just sit down and let everyone else do his bidding until his obstacle is physically in front of him.

He walks with purpose and does nothing half heartedly. Hell he can even turn into huge boar and still be awesome. If anyone of these heroes in this top 10 should have a worthy opponent, Ganondorf is their man. -Garvaos

LARA CROFT

Perhaps one of the more well known characters in the list (aside from Sonic, of course) Lara Croft is the ultimate videogame heroine – articulate yet kick-ass, beautiful yet headstrong, shes the kind of lady that every guy wants and every girl wants to be. And I’m sure that Lara is the main reason the Tomb Raider series did so well. Think of it – with a male lead, would the original Tomb Raider looked interesting or unique at all? Probably not.

Over time, Lara is another character that has evolved. Originally a overly-busty woman (due to a mistake the creators made, then decided to keep), Lara gained respect through the gaming community over the years, and changed into a more realistic female, yet managing to retain all of the beauty and kick-assery as much as ever – with Angelina Jolie taking the role of Lara in the live action movie based on the same character.

The games have seen some amazing landscapes, Lara scaling gigantic cliffs in countries such as India, battling tigers one minute, then fighting guards in London or Nevada the next. Always in the search for the next relic, Lara is always on the move ready to face the next challenge, whilst constantly showing off her wide intellect and occasionally dealing with her own personal demons. So really, whats not to like about Lara?

DUKE NUKEM

Hopefully all you FPS fans out there already agree with me that Duke Nukem has a rightful place in any top 10. If not, I suggest you turn on Duke Nukem 3D, find an RPG and retrospectfully blow yourself up with it. Doing that will just give you an insight of what attitude this guy has. He blows himself up and the first thing that comes to his mind, (regardless if his mind is in sevral tiny peices splattered across the pavement) is “This sucks” Or “Daamn”.

He has not just been an icon to us FPS fans, he started off in a side scrolling platformer in the 1991 game Duke Nukem. He didn’t say much back then, only kill aliens. Then in 1996 he became the Duke we know and love today, he also had 3rd person action games after Duke 3D, which granted weren’t his best games, but still retained that awesome attitude of  saving women, blowing up alien scum and dropping the classic one liners.

I believe Duke will have a welcome comeback eventually. Duke Nukem Forever may have died but something tells me he will come back, kick ass and chew bubble gum! Reguardless if he’s out of bubble gum or not. -Garvaos

RIKU

As I mentioned before, I rather enjoyed the game Kingdom Hearts. Sceptical as I was originally, the melding of Disney and Final Fantasy worked fantastically well, resulting in one of my favourite games of all time. In the end, you’d think a game with an all-star cast of two such huge franchises would struggle to create characters that would shine amongst the rest of them.

But they managed it – three kids, Sora, Riku and Kairi found themselves hurled into a grand adventure, where the worlds had begun to slowly vanish, and Sora became the Keyblade Master that would take the role of the games protagonist – battling with the most fierce creatures Square and Disney had to offer – noone else has ever defeated both Sephiroth *and* Jafar, thats for sure.

But I’m here to talk about Riku. Sora is a great character in himself, but his best friend had a story just as interesting. Being the one who wants more from his life, Riku falls into the wrong crowds and, jealous of Sora’s newfound powers, begins to fall into darkness as he tries to manipulate it to his own wishes. Riku fights a desperate struggle for himself, Kairi and Sora, having to fight his own darkness to eventually shine through and fulfil his own destiny. -Leon

RYU HAYABUSA

So we have covered my love for FPS, now its time to cover my love for 3rd person action. Next to Devil May Cry, Ninja Gaiden has to be just short of the best 3rd person hack and slash out there. Having only played NG2 personally, I can say that this game has all the weapons, combos and level detail you need to keep plenty happy.

Now for a minute look past the skin tight lycra body suit and look at Ryu himself. For starters he is a ninja, we all know for a fact ninja’s are awesome. (Pirates may beat them but I personally dont see a pirate in this top 10) He has a grudge that is built on anger, but he is not th kinda guy who will let it out in a rage. He seems calm but at the same time he is ripping his enemies to shreds with an oversized scythe. Now if that isn’t cool im not sure what is, really. He can walk on water, take down enemies 200 times the size of him pretty much bare handed. And he never shows his face. Thats either cool, or maybe he has bad teeth. -Garvaos

KRATOS

God of War was released on the PS2 a few years back, one of the late titles in the console’s life cycle. Going against the trends, God of War II was also released on PS2, when most series’ were developing for the next generation – regardless, Sony managed to create something incredible, maximizing the consoles potential. And if you enjoy God of War, don’t miss out on Chains of Olympus on the PSP – I enjoyed it as much as the other two, albeit a bit shorter.

As much as I enjoy being the good guy, saving the girl and having happy endings, sometimes you can crave something a bit more primal. Kratos is a beast of a man, uncaged and brutal, and noone will stand in his way. Kratos is perhaps the most bloodthirsty character even seen in the gaming world, and its one of those guilty pleasures to just dive in and indulge.

At a first glace, Kratos may seem like a nasty piece of work – a loud, arrogant spartan with nothing but killing on his mind. This may be enough for some people, but Kratos offers more than that. Beneath the outward rage, Kratos has a dark and haunted past, twisted to desperation, almost madness as he is continually manipulated and tortured, constantly seeking redemption but never finding it.

Its hard to explain all of the reasons that Kratos has reached such a high place in my love of gaming characters, without spoiling the plot points and twists of the series. He is perhaps the ultimate anti hero – his methods are bloody and violent, yet he still regains enough humanity so that in the end, you can almost do nothing but feel sorry for him, as he trudges on trying to salvage whatever he can of his cruel existence. -Leon

DANTE

The regular readers of Plus XP will probably not be blown away by his one. The last character we would like to mension is none other than the white haired, stylish, half demon that is Dante!

With a legendary dark knight for a dad, a twin brother who is in a different realm, enough weapons and swords to possibly cover the Isle of Wight and still have some spare to paddle back with and two lovely ladies (one looking like his mum) Dante is one level headed and witty character. I first came across him in Devil May Cry 3. Just starting out his new business slaying demons, he was summoned by his brother to a large tower which is pretty much the door to hell. Now I say summoned by his brother more provoked. He was a cocky, fearless and just damn right awesome guy and as I played through DMC 1, 4, and a touch of 2, none of that cockyness and attitude seemd to have died down, which is great. He is one of these guys who always wants the last word. He knows he can’t die and knows he is talented at what he does. If any of these characters in this top 10 deserve to some how be put in a machine and actually physically come to life, Dante should be the one. -Garvaos