Dante’s Inferno: Get Set for a Hell of a Ride

Posted by Dustin On February - 8 - 2010

Come Tuesday, the gates of hell will open and players the world over will be thrust into the ultimate peril. A damned soul punished for his troubled past will be thrust into a journey only epic poems are made of. Our protagonist, Dante, will begin his search for his beloved Beatrice who is held in the grips of Hell. Based on the classic poem, Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, the cursed hero must journey through the nine circles of Hell to find his true love, and save his own soul.

MMOMFG has gone ahead and saved you the trouble of searching the Web for all of the information you need leading up to Tuesday’s release of the game. We’ve compiled the key news, videos and screenshots you’ll need to help determine whether you need to buy, rent, borrow or skip the title. Having previously previewed the title based on the PS3 demo, it is safe for us to say this game is worthy of a purchase. Thrust in the ultimate discussion of copy-cat title or original IP that offers its own value, Dante’s Inferno walks a tight line amongst critics out there.

Games like God of War have perfected this genre’s look, feel, play and offerings, but new titles like Dante’s Inferno and Darksiders are peacocking their feathers, as if to say they can do it too, but with their own flair. To squelch the sentiments of haters, Dante’s Inferno is a unique enough IP with its own skill systems, ability to play as Light or Dark, redeeming or damning souls alike, and a solid story that should keep gamers teetering on the edge of fear and despair. Let’s get onto what you need to know before launch day:

Is there a demo among us – A demo was announced by Visceral Games on December 1 stating the demo would be released on the PS3 on December 10, 2009 and on December 24, 2009 for the Xbox 360. According to executive producer, Jonathan Knight: “The world of Alighieri’s Dante’s Inferno is such a rich, detailed, and often alarming universe, that all of us at Visceral Games put our hearts, and dare I say souls, into creating something truly intense and exciting. We hope gamers enjoy this tease of hell, and come away from the experience lusting for more when the game comes out on February 9.” MMOMFG played the PS3 demo, as mentioned above and gave critical insight into the gameplay, visuals and storyline. The demo came under some scrutiny from Xbox 360 owners, due to the two week wait between the release of the PS3 demo and the Xbox’s own version. Despite the frustration, critics were generally pleased with the game’s demo, offering Dante’s initial storyline of losing Beatrice and his journey through the first circle of Hell.

Dante’s Inferno: PS3 Divine Edition - This is another example of a developer/publisher’s decision to offer an exclusive to one system, in this case, the PS3, leaving Xbox owners solely to be frustrated. The PS3′s Dante’s Inferno: Divine Edition offers a packed DVD containing the developer’s commentaries, a book of concept art by famed sci-fi/fantasy painter Wayne Barlow, a digital copy of Dante Alighieri’s complete works and a copy of the game’s soundtrack. This is all at the same $60 price tag that Xbox 360 owners will have to only receive a copy of the game, without any of these perks. Call it a marketing decision, but some will question these tactics and lead to a few less sales to 360 owners.

EA’s executive producer Jonathan Knight stated, “We are thrilled to offer an exclusive game pack for PlayStation 3 gamers. The PlayStation platform has a long history of delivering AAA action/adventure games. Adding Dante’s Inferno to that rich catalog is very exciting for the team. And with the demo now available on the PlayStation Network, players can finally get a taste of what awaits them in the full game on Feb 9th.”

Going to Hell at the Super Bowl is frowned upon - EA has made the decision to purchase its first ever Super Bowl commercial spot. It cost them around $3 million for a roughly 30 second spot; however, all that money couldn’t make CBS happy, requiring them to edit the commercial’s final statements of “Go To Hell”. The audience of the Super Bowl does include kids, so EA changed the tune of the game’s slogan for the commercial, but the visuals and trailer’s body didn’t require editing. We’ve provided the trailer below, along with two additional trailers to bring out the little demon in each of us.

And you’ll know us by the trailers of the dead… - Below we’ve chosen to highlight the story and gameplay trailers. Enjoy them below.

Gameplay Trailer

Story Trailer

MMOMFG’s take on Dante’s Inferno - If you’re an action/adventurer fan, there is a number of things to like in this title. Plenty of character customization, a deep storyline with stunning graphics and a classic tale will keep gamers gripped to their seats. The final game will likely feature upwards of ten hours of gameplay, with a reasonable amount of re-playability. Our choice? Buy it. Check out a handful of screenshots below that may influence your final decision, but let us say this, Tuesday should be a Hell of a launch day.

*Images and videos courtesy of EA and Visceral Games

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