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FIRST LOOK

First Look: Video Game Footage from Dante's Inferno

by Alex Billington
February 24, 2009

No, we're not a video game site, but it's a slow news day, and this does actually pertain to a movie in the end. On Halloween last year, we wrote about a bidding war in Hollywood over an unannounced video game from Electronic Arts called Dante's Inferno. Nothing was publicly known about the game, besides that it would involve a journey through the depths of hell and was a modern interpretation of the epic poem from Dante's Divine Comedy. EA has finally debuted a real trailer for the game (via SlashFilm) which means we now get our first look at the visuals, which will obviously be a big part of the eventual Hollywood adaptation.

When a big bidding war like this occurs in Hollywood, it definitely means this is a game we should take an interest in. But usually, the game is already out or we know more about it, but this is a rare case where none of that is true. Which is why I'm featuring this trailer, because I'll be damned if that doesn't look badass!

While I'm sure the story is going to differ from what was actually written in The Divine Comedy, the first poem, "The Inferno", follows Dante as he ascends through the nine circles of hell and observes the horrors found there. The nine levels are organized primarily by sins: limbo, lust, gluttony, greed, anger, heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. Universal ended up winning the bidding war and is still planning to adapt the game, most likely once it hits shelves and proves to be as popular as they're expecting it will. I will say, though, that if the movie looks anything like the game in the end, we're in for one hell of a wild ride.

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Related categories: Cool Stuff, First Look, Hype

Hilander

Says video is no longer available ...
http://firstshowing.net Andy Adair

The third or fourth video worked, if you look on the bottom...
Ivanhoe Martin

Too much like God of War for Playstation 2 & 3.
Lopretni

Yeah, it's just a ripoff of another game that's supposed to have had a movie deal ever since it sold a few million units.
http://www.youtube.com/snears Nick Sears

If the movie's ANYTHING like this trailer, its sure to be epic! The hell seems to be like a combination of the Hell depicted in 'What Dreams May Come' then coated in all things Clive Barker. The whole diving off the cliff into darkness - nuts
F.C.

"Diablo" anyone? It looks good though.
Icarus

Geez, that was fucking intense. Looks like EA was looking for their own God of War Clone and decided to use Dante's mythology instead of Greek Mythology. This game is going to be TERRIBLE, but the sequel, Dante's Purgatorio is going to be eh... ok. And the third game in the series, Dante's Paradiso, is going to be fucking next to God!
http://www.galaxykid.net Johnny Neat

Since it's from the makers of Dead Space which became a sleeper hit which is getting a sequel & is getting the movie treatment, I'll give this the benefit of the doubt that Dead Space didn't get because of EA's recent image of making too many games causing quality to fall.
Moviegimp

Does look very similar to God of War, which is not a bad thing by any means, those games are pretty awesome. This being a video game about Hell though in our culture they will focus heavily on violence and avoid the sexual sins at all costs. I predict the game will be quite successful and have a sequel then a few years down the road Uwe Bowl will make a crappy movie out of it. He will probably even replace the male character with a sexy female and focus more on the sexual sins than the violent ones. Also every shot will be very dark and hard to see great detail.
Mike Deez

This trailer made me Laugh more then the wow effect. How can they take an epic story from Dante Allegory and turn it into this? But then again it's just a game. All I got to say when "he" (If the main character is Dante or not) reaches the ninth circle, Lucifer better be brutal!
ethermay

god of war is MY game. i love it more than any other.... and it just draws too many similarities. makes me kind of upset. and im not a fanboy. i just know a copy when i see one.
Oranges

#11 Your precious Kratos is nothing more than a copy of Diablo II's Barbarian. Throw in a different story line and some cheesy kill animations and there you have it. God of War.
Bo

actually, the group that made this game is the same team that made dead space, and also this isn't a ripoff, it's based on a old book, how could it be a ripoff
Dan W

I would just rather them base the movie more on the Poem and not on some warrior going through hell killing everything in sight. The game seems O.K. I never played god of war and I have 360 so it will be cool to play a game that plays similar to god of war since those games seem really cool.
Mike Deez

#13, I studied the Divine Comedy in college there's nothing really based off the book in the trailer and I highly doubt that the game is truly based off of the poems (cantos). It really does seem that the concept is based off of older games, i.e.; God of War, Diablo, and Ninja Gaiden. A warrior instead of Dante? No Virgil to lead him through the depths of hell? I’m thinking that the big demon at the end is charon the guardian of the gate. But then again, like I said before it's just a game and I'm not trying to overanalyze this for what it is. I could be wrong, but I'm basing this off of a 2 min. trailer. "Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate" (Abandon all hope, ye who enter here)
MaTT

The character design is really not so good. Its derivative, unoriginal and very proportionally laughable. As "Dante" is now i cannot take him seriously. Nobody is going to believe that anyone in any universe anywhere would dress like that. The visual style is confusing as well; its as if they are going for a style most similar to 1st generation ps2 era pre-rendered cinematic. Meaning that its lacking detail, atmosphere and cohesion. I know hell is supposed to be a disorienting and unreal place but it can still be coherent.
Caesius

Its kinda funny how everyone is comparing a cinematic from a game to God Of War(Which IMO, was a crappy button masher in which focused on story, although that story wasn't meant for long term games, got old too fast. was enjoyable. For the first day). So I guess every game just looks like shit when it comes down to it right? I mean well, Saints Row is sandbox, just like Grand Theft Auto was. Killzone is a First Person Shooter, has people from a different planet, just like Halo. And at #16, how are all these characters unoriginal? Yes I forgot that the monster 1:20 in looks just like every other monster used in every game. The cinematic shows off...what, 4, 5 character models? Do you honestly think that's all there will be? And even so, those character models are from a universe that has been established for hundreds of years, so I guess you could say that any other character that you feel this is ripping off, is unoriginal as well. The "main character" if you look closely, doesn't resemble anyone in particular, attire and all. The closest would be the prince of persia but even so, there's a noticable difference. You people really need to stop being so close minded and give things a chance. You judge from the first second, with no hands on at all, and hardly ANY depth or insight of the game at all.
Mister_Bubbles

"You people really need to stop being so close minded and give things a chance. You judge from the first second, with no hands on at all, and hardly ANY depth or insight" Welcome to the internet, enjoy your stay
http://www.elte.com/ Hand Knotted Rugs

Thank gawd. When I first saw this page I screamed a little inside cause I thought they were going to make a movie out of it. As a game it looks decent.
L

It looks interesting to play, but I get that Berserk/God of war feeling.
http://MaTT.com MaTT

@ Caesius aka #17 "And at #16, how are all these characters unoriginal? Yes I forgot that the monster 1:20 in looks just like every other monster used in every game. The cinematic shows off…what, 4, 5 character models? Do you honestly think that's all there will be? And even so, those character models are from a universe that has been established for hundreds of years, so I guess you could say that any other character that you feel this is ripping off, is unoriginal as well. The "main character" if you look closely, doesn't resemble anyone in particular, attire and all. The closest would be the prince of persia but even so, there's a noticable difference." Im not talking about characterS, I am talking about the one main character; Dante. Of course i don't think that what was shown in the trailer is EVERYTHING that's in the game, i never suggested such a thing. Something tells me you are responding emotionally after browsing through my message rather than analyzing and fully comprehending the content of said message. I give plenty of reasons to support my opinion. I specifically focus on main character design and visual art style of the game. So I'm not going to fully engage your response as you yourself didnt take the time to do so with your response. You ignore the details and claim I am arguing something I am not. If you want to respond to my message thats great, but as is you are just talking out of your as$.
Luis

What's more fun, that trailer or your guy's argument? hmmmmmm...
DoomCanoe

If Dante Alighieri saw this (taking into account that he some how knows of video games,HD-TV and the PS3) he would condemn the creators of the game to a hell he couldn't even imagine. fucking insulting to his great work.
Some guy

This game is a rip off of ninja gaiden 2 not god of war.
wow

holy fuck. this looks sick regardless of how closely it ties to any sort of previous story. graphics and concept kick ass.
Heckle

Isn't this a movie site?
Fisherr

The game is full of evil in it.I loved the art as well as the back ground song, hope this game will make it to the PC aswell.