The latest issue of the popular Japanese magazine Famitsu, has as promised, provided a large and in charge DMC4 article this month. I checked, and this forum appears to allow scans (or in this case, snaps) so here they are for your curious eyes:

 

http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/2526/38815dmc4a122421loil4.jpg

http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/1791/38822dmc4b122312louz4.jpg

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/7892/38828dmc4c122328losa1.jpg

http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/6941/38834dmc4d122559lorw8.jpg

 

Things have been goddamn crazy for the past few hours, with rumours, speculation and news just flying around back and forth. It’s chaos, pandemonium, the internet (or all PS3/DMC4 related parts anyway) is in turmoil. But let me cut through all that and bring you the most direct news on DMC4.

 

-DMC4 is set between DMC1 and 2. (this has been obvious for a while)

-The gameplay will be similar to the previous games, especially DMC3, but tweaked based on the fan response to DMC3s combat system

-DMC4 will run at 60fps

-Yuji Shinomura is once again directing the cutscenes (hell yeah!)

-The snaps themselves are very low quality, so the graphics certainly appear below par compared to what we have seen, and some are very hard to make out. People with the magazine and those that squint claim however, that DMC4 looks fantastic.

-Vergil is back as we all expected, and is confirmed to be fully playable. Only in DMC4, his name is Nero. (this will probably become Nelo by the time it hits us over here, but I will say Nero for now) Nero has his hair down and styled like Dante, and is wearing some very Dante-eque clothes. Nero’s main sword for DMC4 is apparently a new weapon called the “Red Queen”, and early translations indicate he will be using guns as well this time. (he can be seen with a revolver esque firearm in the snaps) Which is odd, as it is extremely out of character for him… code of honour etc And the “arm” reference from the teaser site was apparently literal after all… Nero is confirmed to have a demonic right arm, which allows him to pull off “devil actions with the devil bringer” (rough translation) something which was supposedly not possible last gen. News suggests that the arm also gives Nero telekinetic abilities, allowing him to pull and throw enemies. Oh, and according to early news, the TGS demo features Nero, not Dante.

-Very early news went as far as to suggest that Vergil/Nero was the main character of DMC4. Later news confirmed that BOTH Dante and Nero are fully playable, although some translations still indicate that DMC4 will focus more on Nero than Dante, at least in terms of storyline, and tbh Dante gets only a very small section in the article. They make him out be a side character or something… Dante isn’t Lucia damnit… Dante can be seen to use Rebellion and E+I in the snaps, which seem the same as ever. His design is IMO pretty basic, and nothing special, but also, not bad. A quick translation stated “Dante is very grim in this game, unable to settle down”. Hm, DMC2 Dante on the way? I hope not.

-Speaking of DMC2, translations indicate the return of the elemental orb DT system (craaaaap) and many have noticed in terms of large open camera angles, character design and even location, it reeks of DMC2 in many unpleasant ways

-A huge flaming fire elemental enemy can be seen in various pics. Looks like the badass lovechild of a Balrog, Beowulf and Furisaur. The lesser enemies are seen in various places, but I can’t make them out.. THEY look like the lovechild of a blood mary and an Enigma. But I’m not sure.

-The environment appears to be some kind of gothic cityscape, for at least part of the game. (sigh, but the snowy environment looked so awesome…) There is even what appears to be an industrial area. Again, DMC2 returns looks on the cards… However, some shots have backgrounds that look VERY DMC1, with lovely gothic designs. I also notice the area is quite picturesque in places, featuring bright gardens and outdoor areas. Takes me back to when we were guessing locations for the TGS 05 trailer. Maybe they ARE in France after all…

-“Do it! Come on! Big Up! All that!” The combo meter has gone all ghetto on us! (if that offended you… well stop being such a wuss)

-Someone mentioned that you played Nero and Dante defiance style, as in the game alternates between Nero and Dante missions. I would hate that tbh, that system is always unpleasant. I would rather both get their own story arch and missions. This has yet to be confirmed.

 

OK guys, hope you all found that interesting/exciting/scary. I will keep you all updated on news from the article as it appears. ;)

---

Be afraid... be VERY afraid.

I can imagine that some people are already glittering with joy at the brand new pics. I for one, amd not excited AT ALL with this news. Dante loosing his main character part? Dark and grim? We all know from previous experience *coughDMC2cough* that the franchise depends heavily on Dante's arrogant personality. To take him back to his quiet DMC2 self is suicide. And they are giving guns to Vergil? correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't he against firearms? Again, a mistake. Vergil also had a very defined personality, and they are pretty much ruining it...

Let's see what other news time will bring us... 

---

UPDATE:

IGN released an article based on their own translations of the article and talks with Itsuno, with its own brand of information. And it is a shocker.

 

-Nero is being put forward as a “new” character to the series, who “slightly resembles Dante”. Vergil is not mentioned at all… if in fact Nero isn’t Vergil then who the hell is he? (If this is a 3^rd brother storyline, well then goddamn, DMC4 is lame)

-Original news was correct. Looks like they have pulled a fricken Raiden on us. It has been confirmed that Dante isn’t the main character. Instead “the classic Devil May Cry hero will appear in the game as a "mysterious person." From Nero's perspective, Dante is an enemy who appears out of nowhere and kills his allies.” So despite screens and early translations, Dante MIGHT NOT EVEN BE PLAYABLE. Itsuno refused to specify either way. (BTW, given this news we might assume that Nero is Vergil, he has just lost his memory)

-“Director Hideaki Itsuno stated that the change was made in part to put fans and newcomers on equal ground with the game. One of the worries was that if the game looks too much like a sequel, new players will have a hard time of playing.” To that I say. Bull****. What about loyalty to the current fans?? When they said more accessible I didn’t expect this.

-Further translations see Itsuno say that Dante was “overused” already (haha, how the hell do you overuse the main character of a series?), but he did give Nero a red coat with silver lining, because THAT is a DMC staple. wow.

-“All the classic Devil May Cry moves are also planned for the game. Nero can wield two guns and has access to a variety of swords, including the powerful Red Queen”

-“There are a few mysterious new systems, including one where your sword has an element of "acceleration" about it, but details will have to wait until a certain late-September game show.”

-The “story volume” will be greater than the previous games.

-Direct confirmation, Nero is playable at TGS, where DMC fans can “sample” his gameplay.

-In addition, Capcom will hold a Devil May Cry stage event which will include a surprise announcement. (if this is DMC for 360, I will probably disown the series)

---

I just heard this myself over on the gamefaq message boards. This is AWSEOME news. I love Dante and he'll always be my fav DMC devil hunter, but I'm really happy to see the series take this new direction. I fully expect DMC4 to be the best DMC yet.

As for who this "Nero" guy is, I have no idea. At first thought I would think it HAS to be Vergil. But the fact he's in red and holding a gun seems to suggest otherwise. Maybe Nero isn't and well not change to "Nelo", maybe he is indeed a new character. Whatever the case is, whether he's Vergil or someone new, there's one thing I'm sure of, he looks like a freakin' bad ass and that's all that matters.

Anyway, the offical site is up:
http://www.capcom.co.jp/devil4/

- Still on vacation... at least until I beat Xenosaga III and Dirge of Cerberus -

i guess its bye bye vergil and hello nero.I cant believe they had a completely new character in the logo.That was the least of my guesses.

the scans are amazing.Thank u dexterXS.I jus hope it is as legendary as DMC3.
 

---

oh...dear...god.   I really hope Capcom know what theyre doing.  I'm trying to keep an open mind but its hard to at the moment.  I have to say I am extremely worried for those of us who DO like Dante as the MAIN character, that wanted to see Vergil's trimphant return (somehow) and see how the brothers would develop after the fall of Mundus.  This is NOT looking promising at all.  I'm getting this horrible DMC2-style sickness in my stomach about this game.

 I would love more than anything in the world to be proven wrong and for this to be an amazing new chapter in the DMC series...

 

..but for the moment, I'll stick to the version of the story I wrote.

 Good luck Capcom.

J.

---

First Release Teaser Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuo_OCj2Xzk

Fanfilm coming soon.
http://tearsofsparda.com

Vergil with guns?...eeeeeewwwww lol Man I really hope they know what there doing. they probly wer going too make it becaus evory one liked Vergil...but it looks like they killed his charicter...

as for Dante not being in it....O_O he's been in all the games he had BETTER be in there threw moast the game...

---

Anime im watching: Bleach
Anime watched: Elfen lied

RP's im in
Castlvaneia
Devil hand
Silvermyths bane
28days later
Vergil the new king of Demon;s RP

***BREAKING NEWS***

Further direct/Literal translations have revealed the following information:

- "Nero" is a knight within the Order of the Demon Blade, a religious order which protects the secrets and powers of demons from the world.
- There's no indication that he is the Vergil that we know from DMC3 and DMC1.
- The game is set in a huge city known as Fortuna.
- The people here believe that Sparda is a god, and the Order that Nero works for wants to undo Sparda's seal.
- It is for this purpose that Nero ends up in this city, but here his entire unit is slaughtered by the demon hunter Dante.

I am not amused in the least.

---

I'm still very pleased to see how this turns out. The series is good, but if it just kept the same basic sotry-line and characters no matter how good the gameplay is the games were in danger of getting stale. This new stuff is very interesting to me. Although some of the stuff does sound like it might be going too far away from it's roots.

I guess this new info confirms that Nero PROBABLY isn't Vergil, so who knows where Vergil is or even if he's still amoung the living?

Although I do have to note, giving Vergil a gun doesn't kill his character or even change his character. A character is determined by how he acts and his personallity, Vergil holding a gun doesn't change that in one bit. Dante would be the same character with or without Ebony and Ivory, if Nero is indeed Vergil the gun wouldn't make a slightest difference.

Think of it this way, who you are and your beleifs are determined by your past. If Nero is indeed Vergil with his memory lost, than he no longer has his past nor his memories of what weapons he prefers or doesn't.

Anyway, like I said, with this new info I'm beleifing Nero is NOT Vergil. But of course, only time will tell.

 

 Besides, it seems to me the game makers are moving closer to what the creator of DMC wanted, a new hero each game. MOST people see DMC1 as the best game so far, so it SHOULD be good news if their starting to take more ideas from the orgional DMC1 team and creators.

hmm..this is gonna be interesting....

---

Dancing on the blood of the dead....

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/7162/comb7us9.jpg

Signature too big. Please resize or remove - Yavanna

Giving Vergil a gun DOES kill his character. He considers that guns are not the weapons of a true warrior, therefor, he takes pride in only using his sword. And we all know how pride is important to Vergil. So Vergil waving a gun around DOES change him alot. The only time we saw him picking a gun was when finishing Arkham/Sparda, but it had great meaning, since this meant that he was willing to forget his rivalry with Dante for just a bit.

Same goes for Dante's guns. They are his trademark. It would be inconceivable to have a Dante nowadays without them.

The reason I say this sucks badly is because we had precedents in gaming history, where changing the main character is bad. Take a look at MGS2. Raiden. Need I to say more? You don't change a charismatic character overday without having the constant bitching of fans. Dante's wild personality itself has become a major key characteristic for the sucess of the DMC series. And looking at the screenshots, we can see that the game reminds us too much of DMC2. Now, I guess we can pretty much afirm that DMC2 is a stain on the DMC franchise. One of the reasons for it is that Dante is sooooo dull in this game, he lacks interrest. Now, unless Nero is a perfect clone, you can bet your *** that his personality won't be as seductive or interresting as Dante's.

My two cents for now, there's still a long way until the game comes out. But until I see some reassuring news, I'll be on skeptical mode about this game. 

---

I have to agree with Saks.  You put a gun in Vergils hand for any reason other than sentiment with his brother, and you destroy the character that is Vergil.  He's supposed to be Dante's polar opposite. If he suddenly starts using guns and (god forbid) smiling..... then it totally detracts from the character build up we got of him in DMC3. 

---

First Release Teaser Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuo_OCj2Xzk

Fanfilm coming soon.
http://tearsofsparda.com

I can not believe this... Dante as a side character? COMON!!!!! he is the staple of the frikken series. and honestly, i was hoping vergil would be fully playable. but this new guy sounds dumb imo. The gates to the demon world have opened my friends, and we are being overrun.if only dante were here to save us......

 

On another note. the japanese language doesent use the "L" sound. comonly using "R" instead. therefore it is possible that this NERO fiend could be NELO. just thought i'd say that incase you guys didn't know....

---

I know great sig huh?

Kuraudo Sutoraifu:

the "L" sound. comonly using "R" instead. therefore it is possible that this NERO fiend could be NELO. just thought i'd say that incase you guys didn't know....

Yeah, as I said, "Nero" might well become "Nelo" by the time we see the game, or at least get some news in english. If so, it is much more likely that our new character is an amnesiac Vergil. If not, it is more clear than ever he is intended to be someone brand new.

---

Latest translations:

-The order/cult of the demon sword/blade was formed by people who possess demonic powers. (half demons maybe)

-Their goals seem to be the same as Dante's, but somehow, they are being brutally hunted down (by Dante apparently) So Neros mission is to investigate this incident.

- Nero is a sarcastic misanthropist (that is, a world-weary, pessimistic, unfriendly person)
-It was hinted that there might be some connections between Nero and Dante
-Kobayashi said in the interveiw that they wanted Nero to be new, and at the same time familiar to the gamers. The reason why they decided on a new protagonist is because DMC4 is on a completely new plateform and they wanted to give those new to the series a “fresh start”. But they kept the red outfit and the silver hair as a trademark for the hero of the series.
-They also kept Dante's fighting style on Nero so the old fans can have a easier time getting use to him.

 

I have held my tongue but it is opinion time.

 

Capcom makes me sick.

 

I knew it. I knew the horrible truth all along. I knew it the minute “Nero” was announced, and I have been saying it for at least the last few hours. Capcom is totally redesigning DMC for next gen. DMC4 is designed to be as attractive and accessible as possible, to newcomers and noobs. What about us? DMC fans who have been loyal to the series for years, what attention are we paid? What respect is given to the series, the characters, the story, that WE love? This is complete BS. Oh, but I am of course ecstatic that our “new” main character is a complete rip off of Dante, with all his moves, the same fighting style, similar weapons, and lets not forget, the white hair and red clothes. Because, ZOMG, THEY are a staple of the series. And I am so glad that all this was included to help US access the game easier. The ones how have been playing and supporting DMC since the beginning. How goddamn considerate of them! Absolute scum. DMC is dead, long live DMC eh?

 

Oh and PS: I am expecting the confirmation of a 360 release any day now. Only going multiplatform could mess up DMC this bad.

---