DMC First Impressions

While the 2010 Tokyo Game Show hasn't officially kicked off yet, that hasn't stopped Capcom from making a number of announcements regarding some of its current projects. The one underlying theme from Capcom development head Keiji Inafune at tonight's preshow event was a desire to become a more global publisher than it has been in the past, going beyond just selling games across the world and moving into making them more places on the map as well. Now you can add England to the list of countries where Capcom has staked its flag; the Japanese publisher has announced that it is teaming up with developer Ninja Theory (Heavenly Sword, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West) for a reboot of the Devil May Cry series dubbed simply DMC.

There wasn't a gameplay demo shown at the event tonight, but the audience was shown a brief trailer and given an explanation of the project courtesy of representatives from Capcom Japan, Capcom US, and developer Ninja Theory. While the game is being developed at Ninja Theory, representatives from all over the world seem to have their hands in the project. Producing the title from Capcom US is Alex Jones, who described DMC as the "interactive version of fusion cuisine," combining European, American, and Japanese sensibilities.

Ninja Theory creative director Tameem Antoniades was also onstage to give the audience some context for the game. Antoniades described DMC as both a "reboot" and a "reimagining" of the Devil May Cry series in which the clock has been turned back and the hero is a much younger version of longtime protagonist Dante. The hallmark signs of youth are all on display according to Antoniades, with Dante flashing more rebellion and attitude, as well as an edgier sense of fashion (which, considering older Dante's penchant for red leather jackets, seems quite the tall order).

Backing up those claims was a quick but stylish trailer shown to the audience. It begins with a sickly, dark-haired figure chained up in a room with an ominous voice asking, "What's your name?" A moment later, we're shown a close-up of that person outside looking right as rain, smoking a cigarette. The camera pulls out and we can see that this person has a ghastly looking creature in a headlock. And that's about when he puts the cigarette out in the creature's eye with a cringe-worthy sizzling sound. Then the action picks up and we see that usual brand of extravagant movement and melee combat the DMC series has become known for, including the hero running down the side of a building and effortlessly hurling a car into a swarm of enemies. After that initial question is repeated a few more times, the onscreen hero then answers what his name is: "Dante!"

After all this, Capcom Japan's Hideaki Itsuno took to the stage. Itsuno most recently served as game director on Devil May Cry 4 and announced to the audience that he will act as supervising director on DMC, completing the full circle of US-Japan-England production and development duties. And though his title sounds very high-ranking, Itsuno made sure to defer to Antoniades, stating that the two of them are "basically codirecting this title." Itsuno didn't stop there, however, stating that with this much experience and global reach, "there's no way we can fail. We'll most definitely make a great game."

With that, Capcom wrapped up its presentation of DMC. As you can tell, actual details on the game were rather scarce, with most of the information centering on how the development is structured and how this international organizing will affect the final product. Expect to see more details of DMC coming your way in the future, and be sure to stay tuned for GameSpot's ongoing coverage of Tokyo Game Show 2010 happening through the weekend.