DmC Causes Controversy - Capcom Responds

"DmC" is the highly anticipated reboot of the action franchise, but ever since the initial announcement in 2010 it has stirred up controversy over one key element: Dante's look. In the franchise, Dante has always retained a certain look: white hair, long red coat and a highly sarcastic, witty attitude. This has made him one of Capcom's most famous characters as well as one of the most iconic heroes in gaming. So when the new Dante was shown with short black hair and a black coat, sporting what most labeled "Emo Dante," fans strongly panned the change. At the same time, the game continued to be highly anticipated because of the highly detailed presentation and fast-paced combat.

Fast forward to January 15, the release of "DmC," and reception has been incredibly mixed. Unfortunately, the significant criticism amongst fans is the new look of Dante, even so much as to prevent gamers from playing the game. Even worse, a poorly written petition was created on WhiteHouse.gov requesting President Barack Obama to remove the game from the shelves. The petition claims that the game actually violates gamers' rights as consumers, forcing them to choose between the original or the reboot.  Furthermore, it calls out the game for "insulting the consumers in-game," referring to several callback to Dante's original look in the game, where Dante remarks he would never wear his hair white and longer. The petition has since been removed, but whether or not it was intended as a joke or a serious request remains to be determined.

In an attempt to end the outrage, Capcom has announced the release of a "Classic Dante Costume Pack" as DLC for the game. Due to be released on January 29th on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC at $4.00 or 320 Microsoft Points, the costume pack will include the original look of Dante from the previous games. This is not the first time a game company has released extra content for a game on the heels of negative reception, as EA Games and Bioware followed the same path after the controversy "Mass Effect 3" generated.

I find the entire situation extremely juvenile and just plain sad. I myself do not love Dante's new look, but I do not hate it either. The point of a reboot is to experiment with an already established franchise to try something new. In this case, the developers wanted to try a different spin on the main character. I am not saying people are not allowed to not like the new look, but to go as far as to post a petition on WhiteHouse.gov requesting that President Obama drops everything that he is doing to answer the complaints of a small fraction of the gaming fan base is absolutely ridiculous. Whatever the case may be, this is certainly a new low for gaming fanboys.