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Review: Dante's Inferno
By Edge Staff
February 5, 2010
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BEYOND GOOD AND EVIL
Impale an enemy upon the tip of your scythe and you’ll have a choice to punish or absolve them via a finishing move. Punishment earns you Unholy points, opening up offensive moves for purchase on Dante’s ability tree, while absolution earns Holy points that unlock new defensive and ranged attacks. If the character is a notable soul from history – a Pontius Pilate, Elektra or Marc Anthony – then a Gitaroo Manstyle minigame must be played after absolution, in which you tap buttons in time with prompts to absolve their sins and reward Dante with bonus souls. The two paths to mastery are not, as you might expect, mutually exclusive, and balancing upgrades between each branch of the development tree is important throughout.
Format: 360, PS3 (version tested), PSP
Release: Out now
Publisher: EA
Developer: Visceral Games
Screenshot gallery
“I heard on all sides, lamentations uttered,” wrote Dante Alighieri as he opened his ears to those eternally condemned by his imagination. So too has Visceral Games grown familiar with cries of damnation in recent times, as news of its reimagining of Alighieri’s 14th century poem as a hack-and-slash videogame has been met with almost universal scorn. Relax, say we. Dante, for one, would be only too delighted at the thought of his hellish visions being thrust upon a new godless generation, and the threat of QTEs can only heighten the awfulness of his metaphors.
Besides, in truth the classic threatened with desecration at this developer’s hands isn’t so much Alighieri’s as David Jaffe’s. For while the language and tone of the game are lifted verbatim from The Divine Comedy, almost every other aspect of Dante’s Inferno is stolen from God Of War. Dante, a crusader’s cross stitched to his bare, ripped chest and with Death’s scythe in his hands, is almost indistinguishable from Kratos in the hands. He double-jumps around 3D environments with skittish abandon, tearing Hell’s minions limb from limb in strings of melee and ranged attacks, landing showboating finishing blows by following incongruous button prompts. He harvests souls and augments abilities to reveal his full, predestined potential. In terms of its systems and ideas, Dante’s Inferno fails to flare passions due to its sheer familiarity.
Neither do those imports from the source poem. For one, Hell hath lost its sting in our popular culture. The waxy crimson walls and monstrous visions that inhabit these halls feel like stock videogame tropes nowadays, closer to the recycled parody of Brütal Legend than an actualisation of our most feared punishments. As such, there are few moments here to move a player to celibacy, the literalised sins represented in the game’s enemies and environments as much there to provide titillating context (both violent and sexual) as disincentive for moral depravity. As you bat back knife-wielding babies that leap towards you from the exposed nipples of a 50-foot topless Cleopatra zombie, your primary concern will probably be that no one walk in on this ridiculous scene, rather than for the fate of your soul.
Dante’s significance rests on the quality of the tribute. The systems it bases its world upon are undeniably robust, and the levelling metagame is engaging, but the execution in play feels routine, and its platforming aspects throw up too many instant and infuriating deaths. As with all entries in this genre, the highlights are the boss battles, which in drawing from the most potent of Catholic nightmares and featuring famous sinners from history provide the game’s standout moments. But in the wider context, Dante’s Inferno fails to rise above its peers, the punishment for which is not damnation, merely a place in limbo. [6]
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Copyright 2006 - 2009 Future Publishing Limited, Beauford Court 30 Monmouth Street Bath, UK BA1 2BW
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Copyright 2006 - 2009 Future Publishing Limited, Beauford Court 30 Monmouth Street Bath, UK BA1 2BW
England and Wales company registration number 2008885
I enjoyed this game quite a bit actually. It was fun for the 9 hours I played it. Better as a rental, but it was entertaining nonetheless. I wasn't blown away, but it wasn't a bad game by any means. Oh, and I found it curious that the game got away with so much nudity, it even has a penis shot in it and it's not on some monster, it's on a regular looking male.
And the assholes (like literally) that spit fire...
This game is typical of the mediocre efforts of a notable percentage of developers these days.I understand that innovation and originality are difficult commodities to implement in a game but I am sick of lack luster copies that's existance is reliant on achievements of other, more talented developers. The source material for this game is exceptional, full of stunning imagery and emotive language, yet the end product of Visceral's efforts is a bland 'hack and slash' with no sole or identity. I try never to judge a game by it's demo, of obvious reasons, however, upon playing the demo of dantes inferno the realisation that this is just a limp imitation of god of war is made clear. Only copy from the best when you have the skill to match or better them!
Playing the demo for this was hilarious, best comedy of 2010. It would make a great Will Farrel movie.
I think there are a lot of people out there who are slating this game simply because they feel the need to defend a piece of literature they have probably never read which, of course, is pseudo-elitism in the extreme. Having said that, I think Edge's review is pretty much spot on. Even though it is a 'God of War' clone with nothing especially original to offer, it is a very good one and is certainly no hack-job. Also, I personally thought that, as a literary adaptation, it's actually quite enjoyable with plenty of praiseworthy elements. Plus, you've just got to love the delicious irony of a seemingly "immoral" ultra-violent, highly-sexualised video game based upon one of the most well-known Christian morality allegories of all time.
When I first heard Dante's Inferno, or should I say, heard of it. My first initial thought was that this was something to do with "Dante". You know, the guy with white hair, flashy guns and even flashier, if not often cheesy, on liners. But lo and behold it was not, but the cynic I am not and so began reading up on the games offerings. What I saw was a hack and slasher with genitalia and nothing else. But the cynic I am not, so i waited for the demo to arrive. Upon the arrival of the demo, I sat down with the game for half an hour to soak it in. All I saw was a hack and slasher with genitalia, and nothing else. There was no substance to the game, the gameplay seemed a little behind Devil May Cry 1 for a start, and the constant gore and obscenities were only a reminder of what this game was trying to be and failing at. GOW. None the less, the game is playable, and the leveling system palpable. But, if you were expecting style and class in the leagues of Ryu and Kratos, it wont happen.
this will probably become a 'cult' game in a few years time, when new consoles come out with very little to offer at launch, and people look back for something to play on the cheap.
as it stands, it seems worth a rent i guess. but i'd rather play bayonetta, or wait for GoW 3.
this doesn't look good for EA; first mirror's edge, and now a poor review and generic-sounding hack n' slash. they'll probably go back to their old strategy of yearly sports cash-ins and spin-offs. kind of sad, but i knew this would happen if they simply re-skinned GoW with some gory textures..
WTF... EA just sold 3m copies of Mass Effect 2. They sold 2m copies of FIFA10. And they sold 800,000 copies of Battlefied 1943 - which only cost 10p to make. Thats why they've already greenlit Mirrors Edge 2 & Dante's Inferno - the squeakquel. I cant wait
Squazzil4. EA have a rich tradition of playing the poor cousin to superior games made by more innovative gaming studios with less money. For example the MW series VS Bad Company. Gran Turismo and Forza VS well all the need for speeds. NBA2K VS NBA Live. The list goes on. And up until very recently, that list included Fifa VS Pro Evo. EA love playing second fiddle, and delivering a shallow experience that is borrowed, bought and stolen from other game companies. Sure EA can bring a very small handful of triple AAA titles to the fore when called upon but thats a very small hand. An embarrassing phenomenon given the colossal size of their budget and employee count. By and large their portfolio continues to be saturated with rushed, marketing rich, content poor titles.
Bullshit, EA published Medal of Honor which predated COD, Need for Speed predated Forza and Gran Turismo, Lakers vs Celtics predated NBA2K and Pro Evo itself along with ISS was developed as a rip off of SWWS.
Um. What?
Sure, they go for the cheap lowest common denominator coin sometimes, but you exaggerate for effect. What about Mass Effect 1, 2 and (next year) 3? Dragon Age: Origins? Dead Space? Brutal Legend? Bad Company 2 is by all accounts far better than the hackfest that is MW2. Add to that, you're comparing apples (Forza/Gran Turismo) with oranges (the Need for Speed series).
You say
"Sure EA can bring a very small handful of triple AAA titles to the fore when called upon but thats a very small hand"
Well what do you want? Developers develop the game, and EA gives developers money and a chance to create a game and have it published. Just because not all developers create AAA titles, doesn't mean EA is (wholly) to blame.
Agreed and they have been doing so for years now. I have no doubt in my mind that each individual developer they get would do much better on their own or with another publisher.
"Dante Would only be delighted that his hellish visions should be inflicted on a new generation of sinners"
Actually, I doubt that quite a lot. The fact that they turned a classic tale of life after death to nothing more than an action game would probably have him spinning in his grave.
"Besides, in truth the classic threatened with desecration at this developer’s hands isn’t so much Alighieri’s as David Jaffe’s."
Well said. I think shameless rip-offs like this should really be punished.
I can't wait to completely forget about this stupid game and all its idiotic marketing stunts.
Don't screw up Dead Space 2, Visceral Games!
I think they have have fucked it up already , i read in the week that they wanted to make Dead Space 2 more of an action game rather than a horror .Dead Space was awsome fun played it through 3 times in my opinion it put RE5 to shame making it look quite dated , but heres hoping anyhow !
Let's hope that Dead Space 2 doesn't go the same way as RE5 which was a huge backward step for the series after the brilliant RE4.
THEY'D BETTER NOT but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't already worried, too. I loved Dead Space and at no point in playing it did I wish for multiplayer or 'more action' (or for that matter a stupid Megatron mask, but that's a comparatively minor quibble).
Ive just read on IGN that EA are now pushing Dead Space 2 as an ACTION/horror as opposed to the first which they describe as a Survival/horror ! oh and they have an online mode ? EA are talking about the game as being as action intense as ModernWarfare2 and Uncharted .
Dead Space was awesome as it was. Also why is there an online option shoehorned into everything? Some games are better without it.
Agreed. This was also one of the things that had me worried about BioShock 2 (well that and the fact that the work got split up between 5 developers). Fortunately, the early word is that BioShock 2's single player turned out well despite the shift in focus. Hopefully the same can eventually be said for the Dead Space sequel.
Come to think of it, Uncharted 2's single-player emerged none the worse for wear too. Unfortunately, not every developer is talented enough to pull that feat off though.
Too bad this game didn't turn out well for Visceral - I was really optimistic after the job they did with Dead Space.
...oh dear