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.

Halo 2 PC Servers Shutting Down Next Month

Halo 2, one of the best selling games on the original Xbox and a pioneer in multiplayer gaming, both online and offline, will finally be closing it's doors on February 15, as 343 Studios announced it will be closing the PC servers for good, effectively ending online multiplayer for the game.

A post by 343 Studios on Halo Waypoint explains that the cause of the shutdown is related to the lack of players on the servers. "We've been monitoring the population for months, and it's been peaking consistently at approximately 20 players or less." 343 Studios assures those that still own the game that they will be able to continue playing multiplayer over LAN, but as of February 15 the networking services will be shut off. The announcement concluded with a heartfelt goodbye to Halo 2. "We love you, Halo 2 PC, and you will live forever in out hearts."

Many gamers were shocked when Bungie first announced the closure of Halo 2's Xbox Live servers in April 2010. Bungie revealed that as of the shutdown of the servers, more than 5.4 billion games of Halo 2 were played online. Although the Xbox Live servers were shutdown, the PC servers were left open.

The Halo franchise is considered by many to be the among the best first-person shooters in gaming. For many people, it is the main reason why they buy an Xbox and subscribe to Xbox Live in the first place. Ever since the release of Halo: Combat Evolved in 2001, the franchise has remained one of the leaders in the shooter genre with its combination of rich world and mythology, deep storyline, and fast, hectic multiplayer. 

For gamers, Halo 2 is what defines their gaming passion, and for critics it built the foundation for future games to follow in. Without it, games like Call of Duty and Battlefield would more than likely not be nearly as enjoyable to play. With rumors circulating that Halo 3 is next in line for its servers to shutdown, we can only look back now at all the memories Halo 2 brought us and how it defined multiplayer gaming. 

In the words of Noble 1: Commander Carter - A259, "Spartans never die..." and to those that took part in over 5 billion games online, Halo 2 will always live on.