In the Hot Seat: Hiroyuki Kobayashi

We grill Devil May Cry 4's lead producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi on the hot seat. Did we, you know, make him cry? Read on...
1/31/2008 12:00 AM | 0 Comments | Page 2 of 3

Crispy Gamer:With the exception of Devil May Cry 2, the series is very successful. And yet there isn't a likeable character in the game. I don't know what the Japanese word is for "asshole," but Dante is one of the most unlikeable characters in videogame history. He's corny. He acts like a jerk. He's not nice to women. The only character I liked was perhaps Lady from Devil May Cry 3, or maybe Trish from the original game. But otherwise, there's really nobody to root for. And yet, we still love these games. Talk about that conflict.

Kobayashi: [Laughs] Actually, a lot of the characters in the games do have fans. Believe it or not, there are people out there who do like them. In the game, I agree, there's probably not anyone you might want to be friends with. Yet, I do think they are characters that are sexy, that are cool, and that have their own unique appeal. Sure, they're not the traditional types of characters. But I do think they are interesting in their own right.

Crispy Gamer:From a U.S. point of view, the games seem to function as this odd sort of refraction, or oddball distillation of American culture. Dante rides around on a motorcycle. He skateboards on the backs of enemies. There's cleavage and cheesy rock music. But as Americans, we don't see it as "cool." We laugh at it, and we see it as satire. I guess what we're trying to ask is, are you making fun of us?

Kobayashi: Well, I don't think it's based on any commentary on America itself. For us, it's just the fact that doing these over-the-top things is fun, it's interesting. If it makes you laugh, or if you think it's cool, either way that's good. I would compare it to a movie like 'Back To The Future,' which has all these crazy, over-the-top moments. And that's one of the things that people like about that movie. And that's what people like about the Devil May Cry series as well.

Shimomura-san and his team were always saying, "Yes, go further, make it even more over-the-top, make it more crazy!" So, that's kind of the thinking behind the game.

Crispy Gamer: And we just thought you were making fun of us.

Kobayashi: [Laughs] We are definitely not making fun of all Americans, that's for sure. Even though Dante does speak English, he's not meant to be a real character. If you saw this guy in a red coat walking around the streets, you'd think he was completely nuts.

Crispy Gamer: Except in New York.

Kobayashi: [Laughs] Right. But you know, in all seriousness, yes, he's an English-speaking character, but more importantly he's an interesting character, and that was really our only intention with him.

Crispy Gamer: The phrase "over-the-top" has been uttered plenty of times during our talk. Is that what you guys do -- be over the top -- to try to distinguish yourselves from the great many other third-person-action franchises out there? Is that what makes the Devil May Cry series different?

Kobayashi: Well, every time you have a new entry in any action series, you can't do what you've done before. You've got to have new abilities. You've got to have things that you haven't done in previous games in the series. That's really the only important thing in an action game, or an action movie -- to create things that nobody has ever seen before. So that's perhaps where all of this over-the-top talk comes from.