Dante’s Inferno Lust Level Could Have Been Packed With Sex

the enemies will never be as disturbing as the silent hill monsters imo

onionhead_o

the ppl in charge of teh art seem liek pretty cool ppl. i remember spending hours looking at porn/dead ppl. GOOD STUFF.

asdf4321

I have to admit this video makes me want to play this game. Probably that makes me seem like a sick individual but I can live with that. I'm pretty sure almost none of that graphic concept art will make it into the game, which is kind of sad. That's some pretty gruesome stuff, it would really give the game a new sort of horror that hasn't been seen in games before. I look forward to whatever they actually get to cram in the game.

Now I completely understand not staying true to source material and how much people hate that. I can't watch a movie based off a book I've read for 30 minutes without forcing myself to imagine it's something else entirely. That's probably what I'll have to do for this, since it really looks like it's worth the time. I'm now officially looking forward to this.

@dormin: Hi, it's a video game. Relax. Get over yourself. The developers said when this game was first announced that it wasn't going to follow the poem, just the relative portrayal of hell within.

I have to say, you're coming off extremely pretentious and elitist. you're not the only one who's read Inferno you know. It's been out for 600 years. We're all aware of the story and theme, you don't have to explain it like we're children.

and BTW... beefy, bloody-harpoon wielding Ahab sounds great.

I'm just going to make an observation: if people bought Assassin's Creed because of Jade, I foresee a ton of people buying this game because of Yukiko and Tracy. They're pretty cute.

cartman1uy

@FireflyPunk:
@T-DoggIsTheLick:

I agree with both of you to an extent, and I admit that I was too hardcore in my view, but allow me to still offer my central issue, with less slant:

I am not upset that this game is being made. My argument above was not so much an attack on the game, so much as a message to the developers, who I feel have the wrong attitude. One reason this upsets me is because I can already predict that many mindless gamers out there are going to adopt the same attitude (note, I'm not calling all gamers mindless, I was just talking about the ones who are).


To illustrate my idea, imagine an over the top and tongue-in-cheek Moby Dick video game where a beefy captain Ahab leaps across the backs of giant, evil whales that kidnapped his fiance; using his wooden leg and a bloody harpoon as weapons in epic button-pressing-sequence battles. This would be awesome. The key words here are "tongue-in-cheek". My attitude would change, and I imagine yours would too, if the developers weren't aware of the game's absurdity. The developers of Dante seem to think that their game is pretty serious, that it is artistic, and not in a satirical way. I will admit that I can't be sure of this, maybe whoever is editing these developer diaries is leaving those parts of the interview out, but the interviews that are shown lead me to believe the worst.


Take, for example, diary #1. In it, the changes to Dante's character were described twice: as a "re-imagining", and "interpret[ed] a little bit differently." Both of these are gross understatements. Dante's Dante was a man struggling with his philosophy, wandering through a forest that represented his feeling of lostness in life, and on the verge of giving up, likely committing suicide. On his journey, he simply observed hell and spoke to damned souls. The new Dante got into a fist fight with death when he came to take his woman, and after killing death (repeat: killing death), he steals his scythe and jumps into hell to get his woman back. This feat entails fighting a giant naked cleopatra.


Like I said before, that is something I definitely want to play, the same way I want to play Badass-Moby-Dick (which is no more ridiculous than this); but my enjoyment is definitely hindered by the fact that the developers don't seem to see the absurdity in what they seem to feel is a rather serious endeavor.

@dormin: I can see what you mean, and sure it's not exactly word for word from the book but take into thought that hell is conceived in a different view from person to person, not everyone's gonna think of it in the same way.

Plus hey, you've gotta give the guys at EA Redwood some kudos, considering that this is after all their rendition of hell -inspired- by Dante's Divine Comedy, and sure it's not Hell as you imagine it but it looks one hell of a fun game in my opinion, and probably an as-soon-as-its-buyable purchase for me.

Hey, al least it gives us Xbox 360 owners an epic hack & slash in the vein on God of War, minus the hassle of having to buy another system.

It looks good, though, makes me feel a little less jealous of not having God of War 3.

@--Core--:
And how long have you worked for EA --Core--?

:)

@dormin:
Dude, relax.

If you want the original source material, go read it, in Italian.

If you want a liberal adaptation which applies the material to a genre that it's never been in before...well this is as close as your gonna get.

I've read the whole Divine Comedy, and it's great, but I'd be even more pissed off if EA ripped it off scene for scene. It's literature. A visual adaptation, especially an interactive one would ruin the images that I built in my head and my personal connection with the works in question. This game will at least let me enjoy something original based on something I already dig.

Either way, stop bitching because oranges aren't apples and you don't like it.

@dormin: Taking an established franchise and turning it around like that isn't the same as taking a literary piece and turning it into a game. Comparing poems to games is like comparing books to movies: they're two different forms and each do some things better than the other. On that note, I don't understand why people get upset when a game deviates from the source material. It's been happening for years with movies, so why expect any different? Especially with how "Hollywood" the video game industry has become.

SanaEquiesterer

@Sloopydrew: Totally agree, Dead Space had its perks in innovation and here's hoping Inferno will also bring something new and attractive to the table.

@dormin: I feel the same....but I know "what if's" won't get us (as fans) anywhere.

The book still exists, and if anything the added exposure might bring new eyes to old words....

I think I'll enjoy it as a game, but I see it more like a final, end of the world Castlevania that Konami will never make.

Dante had his run in DMC, so in this one, I just picture as the last Belmont's quest....against everything.

It helps me sleep....

@dormin: Though I get your point of seeing a work of art or anything someone admires be altered , I think this game has potential. It's a alternate take on the source material and, agreeing with T-DoggIsTheLick, is more of an inspiration. You can take movies as examples, where book sources were turned into something completely different and still managed to wow audiences. I think this game will be like one of those movies. But we'll have to wait until its release.

Well done to the marketing team for including two women from the development team in the video. Even if the one of them is just the User Interface Art director, and feels shoehorned in amongst all the producers and directors.

It amused me.

NotTheGuy

@Sloopydrew: I agree fully. Deadspace was so much better than RE 5. There is no atmosphere in RE 5. Such a shame. Deadspace oozes atmosphere.

Ryu + Krados + Dirk the Daring = Dante?

@Tyr4nt:

I have a feeling Dante's Inferno is going to be to those titles what Dead Space was to Resident Evil 4.

That sounds just fine, to me -- considering Dead Space was 5 times scarier, 10 times more innovative and 20 times better than Resident Evil 5. Between Dead Space and Resident Evil 5, the rip-off award goes to RE5, as it was essentially the cliff notes version of 4.

Dead Space, while not entirely new, offered zero-gravity gameplay and a control-scheme unparalleled in the survival horror genre. If Dante's Inferno can bring that much innovation to the table, while still maintaining what made the games that inspired it inspirational, it will be an amazing game.

@fuchikoma: I keep hearing about that. How does it stack up to Saya no Uta which is like straight up Lovecraft, but well, not.

oh lolol, I want this nao!

I'm so intrigued by this game, but I don't like God of War-style games. I'm torn (or in a state of torment, if you will).

sounds like the big guy was an ogrish regular "I have tons of pictures of bodies cut in half on my machine"

burgerk1ng

@dormin: I get your point, but I don't think even trying to turn the poem into an entertaining game would work. However, some of the basic concepts from the poem - like the different circles of hell - make great video game material. The game is INSPIRED by Dante's poem, it's not trying to turn the poem into a game. And I don't think the devs have ever claimed to do so - just what I said: draw inspiration from the themes and concepts of the poem. Personally I think the "circles of hell" idea is a very good foundation for game levels, and they seem to be coming up with great stuff with it.

yeah this is horrible... this is Dante's Inferno... not Dead Space in Hell plus phallic and vaginal symbols arent all "dirty" this is a mature tale and this is in no respect to the source material. If the developers actually put some intellectual thought into designing this game they would see through the immature eyes that they seem to be looking through

ToxicAnarchy

@dormin: I agree with you completely. At best, this game is a total bastardization of a classic piece of literature. At its worst, it's a blatant rip-off of an already well-established game series(God of War) that threw in some monsters covered in clitori and breasts. That's all I saw when I watched this video. It's unfortunate that not many others will see it this way, and will buy it blindly.

Christopher Traslavina

@fuchikoma: Hiragushi is fucked uuuuuuuuuuuuuuup. I'm sorry, I just felt compelled to say that.

amarney

No, this is still awful. This is Dante's divine comedy as if it were written by Dude Huge.

The developers here seem incredibly focused on capturing disturbing images. To them, it seems, the more gruesome and frightening the level design is, the more justice they are doing to Dante. Unfortunately, they fail to capture ANY hint of the poetry, art, or importance of the source material.

With seemingly nothing left but the setting, they fail to make this connection as well; In the poem, lust's circle was barely disturbing, had no violence, and certainly had no giant evil Cleopatra.

Most gamers certainly have no issue with seeing this treatment to something like Dante (and I wouldn't mind either if the developers stopped trying to convince us it was anything more than what it is), but I would like to see what would happen if something hardcore gamers cared about got such a treatment:
What if Mass Effect 2 came out and was an essentially plotless God of war Clone in space? How about Zelda? What if God of War 3 turned out to be combat-less and instead was entirely an epic poem to the tune of the ACTUAL works of Dante?

"let's hang a huge penis out there and call it a day." have you ever heard a better sentence in a developer diary?

OSOK

@--Core--: I doubt it will push any boundaries. No other companies are gunna go "did you see Dante's Inferno, we need to make a game better than that". On the other hand, it does look like a pretty wicked game, I have been pretty on the fence about the game, but the more videos I watch the more I wanna play it.

Pyro Jack Frost

I was very excited to learn that Wayne Barlowe would be a part of this, but now I am a little disappointed after this video. You see a lot of concept art full of interesting ideas floating by, but I'm sad to think of how many will be passed over in the interest of keeping the game from being far too extreme.

SanaEquiesterer

@Superhacker75mil: Well I hear in GOW3 you'll get to fight Hades himself, so dont call that done just yet.

@ithyphallus of his own will recommends Kotaco!...: what? Nobody plays GOD only for the puzzles. The puzzles were ok at worst only, but the rest is AAA stuff. You want real good puzzles? Go play Zelda, stop complaining about GOW in a DI thread.

@dreadnought666: You must not have played very many action games. God of War was just a button masher with quick time events and tedious puzzles. It was flashy and gory, which is fine, but that's really all it brought to the table.

WarlordPayne

@lihimsidhe: re-read the sentence and think a bit. maybe sex isn't what he's talking about, unless of course you believe EA are ripping off of Capcom by using Dante's name. in that case, you are fully entitled to your mistake. ever heard of the divine comedy?

laencythe

You had to see this coming. I'm mean, Dante's Inferno has everything to do with hell. There are the 7 deadly sins and this happens to be one of them, You can't say this surprises you but it does push the boundaries of gaming into an uncomfortable area.

Never thought i would be interested in this game seeing as I hate god of war and all its quick time events but if they stick to the writing (never read Dante's inferno) it should be good.

This seems like such a happy game

I hope they don't hold back during development, I am really looking forward to this game.

@PowerFeed: I'm with you on this. What they've shown so far is interesting. Seeing the other circles will be a real treat.

Jennacide

The visuals looks stunning, and the concepts and artwork look very well drawn. I am getting a huge God of War vibe from this, pretty much from everything I saw in the trailer. Good stuff!

I had kind of written this one off, didn't watch any of the other vids (yes, the sex lured me into this one) but seeing it in motion it actually looks pretty damn cool. Definitely interested now.

Gray665

The chicks that work at that company are rather fetching. This game looks great! I'm all for a disturbing experience. Oh, and Crecente, "it's" -> "its". Proofread, my good man! Proofread!

@--Core--: Presumably they will stage protests (in exchange for free T-Shirts).

It looks like it'll be a fun game but it just screams God Of War in every frame. The colour palette, the camera, the weapons on chains, the animations, the character treatments... If the play is as compelling and not quite as brutally hard of God Of War 2 I'll pick this up on release day.

grahamwest

I guess what I also want to add is that the main character, the player character, he blends in with his surroundings because he's also designed in the similar fashion as the surroundings rather than being completely separate from them and symbolizing the complete opposite which in this case would have been pure good. Pure good and light going up against pure evil and darkness.

I think the first mistake to me anyways, is not making the main character appealing. He's got a cross engraved or something on his skin and you can see part of his muscles or something gross. He also wields a scythe which isn't a cool weapon. EA should have made this main character a little more imaginative in the sense that he's not so in tone with surroundings in the way he's been brutalized. He should have been a knight with gold and maybe light blue armor and a symbol for pure good. Maybe even a knight with pure white armor who emits light where ever he goes. Right now since I do not like the main character, I do not care for nor want to play this game. It looks cool but so do lots of other games that I never end up playing because of the main character not appealing to me.

how do you get to be editor-in-chief, write all day for years, and still not know the difference between "it's" and "its?"

Pink Giger. I knew this game was bad (my taste buds are tingling), but that still image is enough to put me off indefinitely.

Bergerac

@TearsandScreams: After the Japanese Horror craze I think it was the Koreans's time to shine. I'm not if there is a nationality for more progressive horror these days. Suggestions welcome.

I still haven't really seen anything that sets this game apart from Ninja Gaiden 2 and the God of War series. In fact I have a feeling Dante's Inferno is going to be to those titles what Dead Space was to Resident Evil 4. Truthfully though, the Dante depicted in the trailers just doesn't look like a compelling character to me and I'm far more interested in Darksiders: Wrath of War, God of War 3, and Brutal Legend. @dreadnought666 on this. The horror aspect has really been preceded by games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill, while graphic violence and sexuality was brought to the forefront by the God of War series. I really don't see this game as a pioneer but as a cocktail of things that have been done successfully by similar games that preceded it.

Tyr4nt

"Cleopatra covered in sexual organs was not a good idea for the game" That's their first mistake right there.

QualityJeverage

@ThursdayNext: "Arreeeeesssss!!! Atheeenaaaaa!!! Zeeeussss!!!! HOW DARE YOU BETRAY MEEE!!!! HOW DARE YOU!!!!"

bluecat2095

@GameBuddy - Doesn't like tomatoes on his sandvich.: That'l show me for spending more time reading the Divine Comedy than reading about the game!

@magnakaiser: "I can see Beatrice being kidnapped by Satan or something now." The last I checked, that's exactly what they're doing with this game.

@Vylen: >< I hadn't seen that one yet... Kotaku could use a spoiler tag like some other gaming boards...

The scene that burned itself into my mind was the fingernail scene from the original series... especially since it was basically self-inflicted though psychological pressure... literally haunting. 8|

(copy+paste to not lose my text here...)

@I_Hate_This_Place: I haven't tried Condemned for some reason, but I wanted to - I'll have to hunt down a copy!
Higurashi the game is being translated, but isn't done yet - the anime is excellent though - just give it a few episodes to get rolling or you'll totally miss the idea of it...

I really don't know what to say about this game anymore, it seems like the team actually gives a darn about the quality of the game, but refuses to acknowledge that they are "Generation X"-ing some great literature that's fine on it's own. At this point, they could change the name to "HELL" or something equally as simplistic and still get away with everything they're doing. That being said, I laughed quite a bit when the guy mentioned "hanging a giant penis [in the Lust Circle] and calling it a day".

@lihimsidhe: When Crecente says "source material," don't think he's talking about sex, but about Dante's Inferno, the literary work.

Bialia

@(Zombie) Jolan: That is very ironic I agree.

@(Zombie) Jolan: I noticed that too. For some reason fantasy games can get away with murder. God of War for example. The Sex game. Totally ignored by the parents and Jack Thompson. Yet it was far worse than GTA at the time. I think parents and Thompson don't see those fantasy games as relatable to young kids as say a game that takes place in a modern world.

This game is looking amazing

@lihimsidhe: It has nothing to do with sex. It has to with making a god of war game based on a classic piece of literature and the probability of straying too far from the work. Kotaku has addressed this before.

You have to fight a giant woman? That's the scariest monster of all!

To the people that worry about the source material and that sort of thing, I think the worst is yet to come. If this game sells well we'll get to deal with the whole trilogy!

Dante's Purgatory! Dante's Paradise!

Three parts of the Divine Comedy are perfect for a trilogy. Purgatory and Heaven being split up into terraces and spheres make for similar level progression.

I can see Beatrice being kidnapped by Satan or something now...

Man, why are people so precious about books being used as material? I love books, I love games, and I like to see them transfered and ADAPTED (key word) to other mediums. It allows you to explore worlds you have read about, and introduce it to a new audience. At the end of the day, worse case scenario, if the game sucks, it won't affect the book or your enjoyment of it, it will just pass by and be forgotten.

JSPOOLE

@Sabbatai: I remember seeing Wayne Barlowe's work first in the late 70s when he put out a book called Barlowe's Guide to Extraterrestrials (I recall it being in the late 70s...). He also had work in the late, lamented Omni Magazine. He could definitely render creepy like no-one's business (but I really think Giger would have had a lock on this type of stuff). There was a painting I recall from back in the 16th Century that, for the life of me I can't remember the name of the artist; it was in a really old hardbound magazine called Horizon) that had to be one of the most horrifying depictions of Hell that I had ever seen...both artists could take lessons from that guy...

@lihimsidhe: They turned an intense poetic epic literary work into a fighting game with gory backgrounds. That's just stupid.

fugit

I find it kind of ironic that the EA logo is in the 9th circle of hell.

pigsdofly

This is looking very interesting. What's with that scythe... Definitely taking that weapon to the next level i see XD. "Now about those Doggy-Style enemy creatures."
It'd be interesting to see how they walk/run toward you to attack you.

s0nlxaftrsh0ck

Aside from the pure fun factor of ripping things in half, this game looks amazing. The artistry and plot alone could put this in my pre-order bin.

@UCFMRE: I really felt that stunt was less an "anti-Christian" thing as it is being described and is more merely poking fun at one particularly volatile sub-group of Christianity. (And, further, could apply to any major religion or even ideology.) And given the backlash of it and how people are still talking about it, it seems to have been successful in its goals.

I sort of view this as the same as when SNL or what have you pokes fun at evangelical priests or people in the Bible belt.

@UCFMRE: I don't see it so much as bashing christians, I think they are bashing a sub group of christians. Like any extreme group they leave a bad impression, and most don't look beyond those first impressions, unless they already have a less biased insight into that group (i.e. moderate christians)

@billpendry: That game was the shit for any 15 year old. I certainly had a blast with it.

@--Core--: How will a game that is by all accounts a complete ripoff of the God of War series expand or set new levels for the industry to reach. Kotaku keeps spitting out post after post of this game and I just dont' get it. The game has already beeen done to perfection in what I believe is the best action game ever made in God of War. ripoffs be dammed.

@lihimsidhe: He's not talking about the sex, he's talking about the use of a great piece of literature, Dante's Inferno. He explained his personal and cultural connection to it in a previous post.

@ithyphallus of his own will recommends Kotaco!...: Mmm... very interesting interpretation there, Mister... uh... ithyphallus. Why don't you lie down on this couch here and tell me about your childhood...

KingSnorky

@Trey: I agree. Video games are the same thing as movies, except for more interactive. To tell the story with nothing held back is majestic. Dante's Inferno is a story that implements not only a description, but a story all in one and to drive away from something like this because of a minority steriotype to say that gamers can't take it is indeed offensive to everyone's intellegence.

@Zallin: As far as drawing references from the original Divine Comedy (nearly everyone does it to a degree, intentionally or unintentionally), I would agree with you. If you're talking about a direct video game representation, I wouldn't agree with you as much.

@Omelet: I see your point. There must be some artistic license taken with this game, because the works of Dante Alighieri wouldn't transfer so well to this contemporary society at large (America specifically). Therefore, certain unfortunate measures must be taken...

Of course the tagline is cheesy, but I rather look at the game for its intrinsic (God Of War copy-pasting) values. Allow me to play the devil's advocate for a moment: I think if you may allow this game to stand on its own "merits", nobody would have to cry over spilled milk.

I remember the good 'ol days when EA refused to publish Thrill Kill.

@fuchikoma: I agree with your sentiments on this game(so far anyway). It does seem more like a field trip to someone's interpretation of hell instead of anything actually disturbing. I also agreed with you about East v West horror for a long time, until Condemned came out. After that game, I have yet to see any "Eastern" horror top it's uneasiness. I've played them all too, except the one you mentioned, but I'm going to go try it and hope to be disturbed.

@fuchikoma: The in-game footage wasn't looking all that disturbing at all, even in the sense they were aiming for. It seems their concept artist had some awesome design ideas going on, from what I could see in the sketches they showed off, but it appears that they just chickened out on most of the really obcene material, just like how they decided to tone down that Cleopatra boss. Now she just looks like a big old Cleopatra with evil teeth and red nails. I couldn't spot any of those monstrous-vagina-mouthed chicks either... It's a shame, really. They can go calling their own game disturbing all they want, but they're failing at breaching MY comfort zone at the very least. I bet the artist's feeling kinda stumped at how they're smoothening out his work to make the final result more decent.

Kyuu

@Trey: Definitely an interesting distinction between two cultural views of horror. American horror films tend to use gore as a scare tactic, like saw does, but japanese gore is often absurdist and comic, such as Machine Girl and RoboGeisha (which is completely rediculous btw) I personally like it when movies sort of take the inbetween route, where a lot of the build-up is in a more japanese sense, but they don't spare any expense to visualize anything that reinforces the event. I liked Mirrors in this way. I'm getting this game either way, it just seems very interesting on the whole. lol @ the comment about their source material btw. I once did a serious-game about cow-slaughtering, and I can vouch for the equal-if-not-worse comparison of source to destination material.

gametr4x

@Video Wow!
I am not a 100% sure, but I believe this game is going to push the boundaries and ideas about video games, and really is going to set some new levels for the industry to reach.

What I have seen so far sends shivers down my spine and really creeps me out. But in a good way.

I wonder how people who don't play games, and.. religious people are going to react to this when they finally catch wind of it.

DO NOT CLICK OUTSIDE THE TEXT BOX YOU WILL HAVE TO START ALL OVER
End warning...

--Core--

@fuchikoma: That's a very interesting dichotomy you highlighted. I've never watched a Japanese horror movie (subs or dubs would not do it justice), but you can just look at the Silent Hill or Fatal Frame series compared to our American thrillers.

The creeping sense that something is wrong but you can't quite identify it is definitely a more effective scare tactic than the shock factor American thrillers use as a crutch. Look at any promo for a scary movie nowadays: they're usually some folk legend horror or the like where the audience knows what to expect. That's so plain.

As far as Dante's Inferno goes, I don't believe they want to scare the gamer. Maybe creep them out in a "ewww, look at the ass-crack looking slug with boobs oozing puke colored crap" kind of way, but not in a traditional "looking-through-your-fingers" sense.

@iEro-Sennin: ha ..haa edit noob......nah just kidding >__< but yeah this looks like a great game but it wont trouble God of War at all.

ADM86

"Let's hang a penis out there and call it a day" Welcome to my world, game developers.

Now I am really torn. This game looks really interesting and something that I would really enjoy. The subject matter is particularly interesting to me as a Christian. Of course, I'm also still pissed about EA's Christian-bashing stunt to promote this game. Although EA always has been that company that you know you should hate but can't because of the games that they put out.

@fuchikoma: Kinda like Saw

@Trey: No, the tag line doesn't change the game in any way, but it just sounds unsophisticated, and sort of caters towards an intended target audience. But you're right, if the game itself justifies its subjective nature and transcends an overused genre of 'violence for the sake of violence', then good for them. Perhaps I'm just being pessimistic about the whole thing, since most of these blockbuster titles end up the same way, treating their source material like crap.

@fuchikoma: completely agree... Higurashi is absolutely my favourite anime series because of its brilliant horror themes... it's sort of hard to describe.. but "disturbing" for me is like, going about your day then coming across something that was totally not expected - perhaps on the other end of the scale of what would've been appropriate... take Higurashi for example, in the most recent OVA when Rika beat Satoko with a chair... like, holy crap that was disturbing - when i first saw it, my stomach felt weird... a feeling that i've rarely ever felt before... despite that though, its my favourite scene ever, heh dante's inferno, seems to be that you're just being immersed in a theme that isn't normal - and you expect it to be... still looks interesting nonetheless - i wasnt paying attention to dante's inferno till i watched this clip.

Vylen

for an artdirector to claim that slapping a giant penis would be lazy, those pillars look awfully phallic.

i was just playing god of war 2 again last night and put it down for the annoyingly deceptively easy puzzle solving elements. if dante's inferno doesn't follow the same path, then it's over the top of god of war for me.

@fuchikoma: I agree. It's a shame though that both Japanese horror and American horror follow the same cliched paths now. I remember when I first saw The Ring etc..and I was really surprised. And now it seems there are too many films in Japan following a similar path. In both horror cultures there are of course a few brilliant notable exceptions.

Since the first images were released, I assumed that Wayne Barlowe was behind at least some of the art direction. While I realize that "Dante's Inferno" is more marketable, this game seems to be built around conceits that Barlowe established in his Inferno project, rather than being true to the source material or even establishing a voice of its own. As such, I hope Barlowe's name appears prominently somewhere on the box. http://www.waynebarlowe.com/barlowe_pages/index_inferno.htm

"While the source material and it's use in a game still doesn't sit well with me, the setting is rich, deep and, if you trust this video, being fully explored." -Brian Crecente Whether you're opposed to sexual content in any media is one thing, but if you're opposed to it in video games that's just silly. Sex is an integral part of human existence. All forms of recognized art reflect the sexual nature of humans in some way, shape, or form. If video games ever hope to achieve the same recognition as other art forms, they need to reflect all aspects of human nature. Not all of us want to be limited to Team Deathmatch and Peggle. Seriously.

Okay, I am now sold. But guys, let's not blow your wad on these teasers. I don't want to see the hole game and all it's bosses or no sold.

Illist

I notice they kept using the word "disturbing." It's interesting because to me it looks more like a fun tour to take, like going through a haunted house.

The most disturbing game I've played was "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni" - the anime's localized here as "When They Cry." It basically starts every scenario in an idyllic little village with good friends, and then circumstances conspire to make some of the characters kill the others gruesomely.

To me it highlights the difference in horror philosophy between Japan and America - American horror is more typically "AAH! There's a horrible monster trying to kill me!" while Japanese is often more like "this is the everyday life you already know, yet something key has gone wrong..." so instead of the thrill of fighting for survival, it's more of a sense of unease or creeping dread... The fear in "The Ring" or "The Grudge" for example is more in knowing that a malevolent force is going to act, and anticipating it, and the sense of futility in resisting it, rather than the actual act of killing someone.

I'm still looking forward to this game, and seeing what their vision of hell will come across as - I just see it as more potentially fun, and visually stimulating rather than disturbing or scary.

@Trey: I agree with you. It also needs more wang, it has enough boobies.

@Omelet: That would be the case if the promotional techniques used had anything to do with the creative content found in the game. Just because the tagline isn't witty or very classy, doesn't demerit the game in any feasible way as far as the fundamental quality of it is concerned. What you're saying is similar to discrediting all of Shakespeare's works if there was a tagline on his plays that was his era's equivalent to: "Love, death, and bitches, yo!"

@uchennaokafor: That line sounded like something HK-47 from the KotOR series would quip. Man, he was such a well written character. I wouldn't mind a handheld spin-off for him.

You see? While they could have done something gratuitous like "hang a huge penis out there", they decided to be subtle and just plaster them all over the wall textures.

@PowerFeed: Just hearing ninth circle of hell make me wana buy this game, I'm a huge fan of the book and the vision of the art direction really matches my view, this will be a long travel for the hero of the game and do really hope this game succeds, because I want a heaven saga.

@ThursdayNext: If by "brash" you mean "corny"...

@WhatTheFrag: I would have much prefered the iconic line "All hope abandon, ye who enter here." I agree, it smacks of the whole DMC, too cool for school, thumbing my nose at god attitude. Even Kratos respects the power of the gods, the fact that he challenges them knowing the odds is what makes him a legend. I hope that Dante is portrayed more like Kratos and less like Dante/Nero.

ThursdayNext

I think this looks simply amazing. I think they have done a great job from what I have seen so far. My biggest fear is that, for me, all EA games feel the same control wise and Im not particularly a fan of it. I hope this feels better.

neoxbomb

@uchennaokafor: No, no. I'm sorry, that was a mistake. "It should have been: It won't be a threat to GoW, though." It's too late to edit now, though. :( DAMNIT!

iEro-Sennin

Game looks great. I like that it takes bits of GoW only in gameplay mechanics (seemingly anyways). Everything else is its own beast. Also, is it just me or is every friggin female in that video diary speaking on the game they worked on RIDONKCULOUSLY HOT???? I mean DAMMIT IN THE FACE HOT.

sogmasta

@Trey: The T100: You humans are a naturally destructive race... Myself: Maybe

I just hope there's more to the game than a GoW clone with added shock value.

@Trey: When tag lines like "Go To Hell" are being used to promote the video game, somehow I can see why it's not suitable to do what they're doing.

I love that the Uncharted video has an age restriction b/c it says 'shit' but this one doesn't. Hosted different places I know, but still amusing.

@Charax: As awesome as that would be, can you imagine the backlash from the media?

I imagine they are trying to keep it safe, but are still hanging on the borders of what's tasteless.

@iEro-Sennin: Wait, are you saying God Of War wont give this title a run for its money. If so what kinda pot are you smokin? God of War is apparently what spawned this title in the first place. I also think the designs are very good and have me really looking forward to the title.

As someone who did a Paper on The Divine Comedy, i find this game interesting. I like how they have Invisioned the First Two Circles, but i can't wait to see the Ninth, Tratior's, witch is said to be Ringed by the Biblical Giants.

Double post, sorry

I was sceptical at first but this looks amazing.

That being said, I'm surprised all the development staff haven't committed suicide yet.
Now that would be PR.

Like most people I was a bit weary of the this "god of war clone" at first, but after that video all I can say is.. Hell Yeah.

Im pretty excited watching this game develop. Ive always been a fan of the rating system in place for games, yet ultimately disappointed with the way that developers aim for a "M for Mature" title. Swearing and gratuitous blood splatters are one thing, but it doesn't make a game "Mature" in my mind. Just "offensive" and just because something is "offensive" doesn't make it mature. (Im looking at you Dane Cook.) To see a developer really explore Mature themes because the subject matter demands it is really exciting. Yeah, its going to make parents squirm and picket their local Gamestop, but if they can make it to the publishing date then I think there is a chance to really help games forward as an expressive and thought provoking medium. If parents aren't willing to put the same thought into controlling what their kids play as they do for what their kids watch then they deserve the twisted little monsters they end up with. Of course...that being said...we all know that many don't care about what they watch and still piss and moan about their games.

PixelPenumbra

These guys did such a good job with Dead Space I have the utmost confidence they'll deliver again.

I'm rather pleased to hear they're hiring experts for the art design. I know this is a common thing nowadays but it still shocks me a little. I remember the days when a game's art direction was solely based off the creativity and imagination of the programmers.

AncientUnknown1

Those guys weren't kidding about Wayne Barlow. His imagery is intense, as you've witnessed, and the dedication to the details of torment and deformation will be the distinguishing factor between this game and God of War. I can't speak for the second game, but the first game only briefly took place in Hell (Hades), and as it was a Grecian version it couldn't hope to convey the kinds of visuals you'll get outta' this game, which is now on my "recommend" list. Also, he's a really nice guy.

Brilliant...Just Brilliant. Please make Parts 2 and 3 and Dead Space 2!!!! p.s. I'm talking about the Scale and enemies. Deadspace has some awesome designs. Did you see how he killed that one enemie in this video? Brutal!

Hezekiah Hicks

@Oreot: You haven't seen Wayne Barlowe's work then have you? Giger is probably the most influential artist in my life, but Barlowe is a very close second. He is all over this game and while Giger may be able to portray ominous, evil, dark, seductive and so forth... Barlowe is one of few modern artist to capture "hell" in ways that even Giger has not.

Sabbatai

@ThursdayNext: What about.. "Dante's About To Make You His Bitch....Suck it down."

Vagina Dentata! What a wonderful phrase, Vagina Dentata! Ain't no passing craze, It means nightmares for the rest of your days, It's our problem-free philosophy... Vagina Dentata!

Mentuss

@aNiMeMaN14: Seconded. This source material was MEANT for a game, shame it's taken so long for a developer/publisher to grow the balls to finally do it.

ShoopDaBoofs

Wow, they're really going all the way with this. Now I don't know whether to buy this game because it looks good, because I loved Inferno, or because I'm just morbidly curious.

Wayne Barlowe is one of my favorite artists and so I have to own this game. As to being true to the source material... maybe Barlowe's but I don't think Mr Alighieri's work can really be translated into an action game and be called "faithful".

Sabbatai

I've just realized that this looks lot like the Realm of Torment in Guild Wars. Not calling it a rip off, mind you! While the game doesn't too shabby it doesn't look like it'll be memorable, either. Everything but the setting seems very generic and with Bayonetta I'm sure this game will have a run for its money. GoW; not so much.

iEro-Sennin

@ThursdayNext: I thought it was kind of clever really. Sounds more like an invitation than a curse.

Showmeyomoves!

Holy I've played just about everything out and not batted an eye but this game has me feeling disturbed o.o;

if they are going to model after another game, God of War is a pretty good one. im interested to see what the bible thumpers will have to say about the game.

Using the source material as a game doesn't sit well with you? Shit, I've been WAITING for this game for a long, LONG time.

Derivative of God of War or not, this game's art style is fantastic. They are making some truly grotesque and disturbing creatures. I, for one, can't wait to slice them in half.

I bet all undertaklings are complex. They rocked Dead Space, so I'm confident they'll do a great job on DI*. *(as good a job as can be done turning an epic poem into a game).

@ThursdayNext: I agree with you entirely on the Go To Hell tagline. It's pretty much as bad as Nero in DMC4 telling 'the Holiness' to go blow himself. It's just so out of context.
Also part of me based on the post was thinking this was going to be ass/boob/wang/etc monster fest. Part of me feels that it's been done and the other part of me thinks that this game is trying too hard to do justice to some aspects of the story while making the actual premise seem retarded (when it of course wasn't originally).

@pd771: Doggy style monsters are no joke my friend. No joke. :(

Deathbearer

the more and more that I see about this game the more and more I want to play it. Kudos to the developers they are changing my mind about this game. I think I'm going to end up buying it.

"Could have been"? so it won't be? that sucks. There's no point in doing a game based on the Inferno if you're going to be squeamish about what you show.

Personally, I can't wait for the sequel, Dante's Purgatorio. Lots of mountains to climb, and the source of the river Lethe

Charax

And why shouldn't there be sex? The act of sex and all pertaining is a part of the Divine Comedy of which this game is based off of, so why should the game skirt around it like it's a plague? Don't get me confused, I'm not giving Kotaku shit for asking that question, but rather society at large that embraces violence and law breaking in media but not human procreation.

This is similar to the Mass Effect sex scene, and the transgressions Rockstar's GTA series has had in the past, and it's not a good trend. When will it become all right to feature such an important aspect of human interaction such as sex? Sure, there will be immature people who'll giggle and squeal "boobies" any time they come on screen, but it's slightly offensive we as gamers aren't considered grown enough to handle this particular part of Dante's Inferno.

I think it would be an even greater crime by omitting or censoring the sex in Dante's Inferno than to keep it authentic to the source material.

While I think Dante's Inferno is the best source material for a game, this looks like it could be a decent hold me over until God of War 3. Dante is no Kratos.

I wonder if Dante held back the last chapter and then made everyone pay extra for it a month later.

Two things. 1) I can't see that huge "lust"woman boss without thinking "Death by SnooSnoo." 2) I like almost everything about the game that I've seen so far, apart from the "Go to Hell" tag line. The rest of the product seems faithful to the source material, to an extent. That tag line however is so brash that IMO it detracts from the whole.

ThursdayNext

Crecente has his mind in the gutter today. :P You should have put "if you thrust this video". As for bodies all over each other being disturbing and replusive? Yeah, someone show me the way to Dante's inferno.

I don't see how anyone could object to the source material. Let's all stop being so damn oversensitive, shall we?

ShoopDaBoofs

The whole thing gives off a "God of War" style of game with violence just for the sake of violence. Whether that's good or bad, I don't know...

They need H. R. Giger to pitch in if they are going to try and render hell. Especially lust. Let him do the boss, it would be the best 50 foot dick monster ever.

Oreot

For the sex appeal? I dont see why not. If GoW could do and get away with it(and go on to receive plenty of awards), any game could if it wasnt excessive. Alternatively, just put in a sexy sidekick with boobs dangling out of her skimpy cloth. Preferably she would be a brunette too. An Asian one at that.

Jesus, I thought you were kidding about doggy-style monsters.

Honestly, I think this game looks awesome. I really enjoyed reading The Divine Comedy, and this is exactly the kind of thing I imagined when I heard they were making a game about it. Can't wait. Although, I wonder how Virgil plays into this...It won't be Dante's Inferno without him.

Solertia

Wow, the first video i saw made me feel a bit dissapointed, sort of a quick copy of GOW mechanics, but this video gives me hope that the game willa ctually be quite good.

Wow, those are some seriously messed up creatures, especially the female designs. o.O If you're from 4chan, and you regularly browse /d/, you know you're going to end up fapping to this. Me? I'm just gonna flee in terror.

Still kinda on the fence about this. I mean, if this is fair game (no pun intended...okay maybe it was) then what's next? A Canterbury Tales MMO? Actually...hmmm. That kinda got me excited...

You might also say that it could have been packed with packing, amirite?

Bitch all you want about this game's relation with the source material.

The art direction is still amazing.

Ugh... the more I see of this game, the more disgusted I am.

Seriously, everything from the God of War rip-off gameplay to the controversy-seeking sodomizing of a Christian literary work just reeks of a "me too!" desperation.

I'm not religious at all (Agnostic) and I find this high-school-drop-out/Michael Bay approach to The Divine Comedy to be pathetic and offensive to my intelligence.

I never expected this to be an accurate translation, the moment I heard DI was being made into a game... let alone an action game, I expected nothing less of failure, But i have to say the visuals are very well done and it looks well programmed, Hell DMC could say it has origins in the divine comedy, so I'll give this a shot and see if it's good as a stand alone title, But I do realize the point of making a DI Video game should be about the source material.... But I'll be happy as long as the game isn't utterly unplayable, and maybe this can rope more people into reading the Divine comedy^_^

it looked cool at first, then it just became a bit disturbing...

Jonny2806

It looks interesting to me, love myself som hellish art.

side note: anyone else think that the dev Jonathan Knight looks a lot like actor Evan Seinfeld(Jaz Hoyt in OZ)? imdblinkz:
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3793197568/nm0782640

unpur3

Dante's Inferno is pretty much the only game i'm actually "excited" about. Although in about 10-30 years i'm sure i'll be seeing it all in person:-)

cwatson71

"We could just hang a giant penis out there and call it a day" That's how I live my life each and everyday.

Repulsive? I dunno, that was prettttty hawt.

M1911