For many Capcom fans and pretty much all Devil May Cry fans, Reuben Langdon is a familiar name. In addition to providing the voice and motion capture performances for protagonist Dante in Devil May Cry 3 and 4, he’s worked heavily with Capcom and many other major video game creators as an actor, stunt coordinator, and mocap expert on an impressive list of hit games.

Reuben recently took some time to field a brief interview with me in celebration of  Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition’s release earlier this summer. Hit the jump to read on.

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Capcom Unity: Some folks may not realize that you’re the man behind a number of beloved Capcom characters and games—not just Dante and Devil May Cry. For the uninitiated, can you give us a quick run-down of your various contributions to Capcom games?

Reuben Langdon: Yes, for many years I have been portraying or embodying Capcom characters. It started back in 1997 when I was selected to do the motion capture for Chris Redfield in the Dreamcast version of Resident Evil: Code Veronica. The audition and job took place in Japan and from what I understand it was the first time motion capture had been used in the game. 

Several Years after that I worked on Resident Evil Outbreak, doing some Zombie moves then I was cast as Dante in DMC3. I revisited the Chris Redfield role in Resident Evil 5 and 6, performing the motion capture for the character and also revisited Dante in DMC4, DMC4 Special Edition and Marvel vs Capcom, performing both voice and motion capture. Another Capcom fan-favorite has been the voice of Ken Masters in the English versions of Street Fighter 4. 

↑ Reuben in character as Chris Redfield

CU: You’ve been dealing closely with motion-capture technology for many years now; were there any notable improvements or changes to the technology between DMC3 and DMC4, and then from DMC4 to more recent video game projects you’ve done? And if so, what effect have those had on your work?

RL: Yes, the tech is always improving. The big leap from DMC3 to DMC4 was the use of facial capture. In DMC3 we didn’t do that, it was all animated by hand. For DMC4 we used a head-mounted camera system which got in the way of the big action sequences and even the more intimate scenes. Nowadays we use pretty much the same set up but the headcams have gotten smaller and easier to work with. 

CU: To what extent did the mocap and voice recording process itself help flesh out Dante as a character? Did you find that you were doing a fair amount of adlibbing and figuring out the character on the fly, or were his mannerisms and behavior pretty much set in stone from the outset? What guided your performance?

RL: For DMC3 it took a couple of days to really get a “feel” for the character. There were a lot of notes to read and become familiar with, because in DMC3 Dante was a complete re-creation of the character. Maybe not as much as the more recent DmC but still a big difference from the first two games in the series. Everyone seems to have a different take and it was very frustrating to try and make everyone happy. I finally got so frustrated at all the over direction that I just did my own thing and I used the frustration to create the character. He came out to be a cocky, rebellious teenager. Everyone loved it!

Dante in DMC4 was different and I started getting a whole new set of notes, but Itsuno-san being a fan of the Macross series told me that his image of Dante in DMC4 was Roy Fokker. Being a big fan of Macross myself, and Fokker being my favorite character, it was easy to relate. 

↑ Suited up for a shoot.

CU: How do you expect motion capturing technology and techniques to evolve from here?

RL: It is evolving quickly and I do see that one day we will have markedly less capture. Meaning we won’t have to wear the silly spandex or the head cams. Might be a while down the road but that day is coming! 

↑ Silly?

CU: What have you been up to lately? Anything you’d like to plug or tease?

RL: Ken Masters in Street Fighter V! 

CU: Any final message for all those adoring fans out there?

RL: I love the fans as I am one myself. For years I have been playing Capcom games and have fallen in love with the characters. I feel so blessed to have the opportunities to work on such epic games and help to give life to these amazing characters. It is a dream come true! I really honor the relationship I have had with Capcom over the years and I look forward to more collaborations in the future! 🙂

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Big thanks to Reuben for taking the time! Can’t wait to see more of him in action.

There’s a new round of T-shirts to vote on in the Resident Evil 0 In-Game T-Shirt Contest , so place those votes! Remember, anyone who votes at any point during the contest will get free early DLC access, so take a couple minutes!

If you’re up for a deeper dive, there’s still time to submit your own T-shirt design as well. Good luck to all entrants!

Number: DWN-033

Weapon: Gravity Hold

Weakness: Star Crash

He can control gravity, albeit within a limited range. Attack him when you fly past each other!

Whoa – somehow G-Man’s gravity powers distorted space and time, causing his blog entry to leap into the future – today – instead of its intended location back on Monday! Yes, that’s surely it, and not us accidentally skipping over him…

Anyway, Gravity Man may have a cherub-esque  face but his battle capabilities make him (on paper at least) one of the most formidable Robot Masters in the series. Throughout his stage you’ll be flipped and hurled around as gravity reverses, then returns to normal… and then inside his chamber, he’ll use this very power to flip around the room.

Being able to alter gravity, even in a small field around you, is a pretty cool power. But when you beat Gravity Man and obtain the Gravity Hold, this power is visualized with a flash… presumably symbolizing the crushing weight of gravity?

Ryuji Higurashi (Series Illustrator)

“Gravity Man’s unique silhouette and composition are terrifically designed, lending a strange sort of credibility to the claim that he can control gravity. The gravity reversal the occurs throughout his stage and during the boss fight are also unique and very fun.”

Takekuni Uchida (RockmanUnity administrator)
“It’s not the character himself so much as his entire stage that I love! I’m guessing all our readers have experienced it for themselves, but the first time I played that stage and the gravity reversed on me, I was so surprised! 

“‘Am I falling up?! Am I rising down?!” Next thing I knew my neck hurt from twisting my head upside down while playing. I even tried holding the controller upside down (between you and me, I even tried playing while doing a headstand! It makes you lightheaded though, so I don’t recommend.)

“In any case, it’s super-fun, and that’s why I love Gravity Man(‘s stage). The Super Famicom (SNES) had already come onto the scene at that time, but this boss(‘s stage) showed us that even without the increased capabilities of new hardware, there was a lot that could be done with ideas and innovation alone.”

David Oxford (The Mega Man Network)

“Gravity Man is sort of like the mascot for Mega Man 5. Part of this is due to his being featured so prominently on the American box art, but also because he has one of the most unique gimmicks in not only the game, but also the series history as Mega Man has to quickly learn how to do his best Lionel Richie impression to reach the end.

“Sadly, despite his uniqueness, this would remain Gravity Man’s one and only appearance as any sort of active character in a Mega Man game. Perhaps if he didn’t dislike space so much, he could have found his way into the Game Boy game of the same name?”

All right people, the Lady submissions are in, the Top Five has been selected, and the vote begins now. Hit the jump to watch and vote!

The Bianco and Alto Angel enemies featured in this fight are some of the most mobile enemies in the game in contrast to the relatively immobile Lady, who only has a couple of tools for quick repositioning, and very few defensive options. Nevertheless, this round brought us some interesting applications of her moveset; look out for slick and creative evasive maneuvers, some aerial melee with jump canceling, and some devastating—and frankly bizarre—parries.  

Voting Deadline: Friday, August 14th at noon (PT).

• Mr. X
• GuardianE
• Leo Omega
• GarudaPSN
• IKevinX

May the most stylish player win!

Another important update today from producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi, regarding the buzz surrounding a possible RE2 remake. As you can see from the video below, we (will) do it!

Fans have been asking for an RE2 remake for years now, and we’re happy to finally confirm one is coming. However, as H mentions in the video, you’re learning this news practically as fast as it happens, so further updates may take some time. Game development is a long process and the team wants to deliver a remake that lives up to expectations.

With RE2R a ways off – but nontheless confirmed! – this is a good time remind folks about the Resident Evil 0 HD remaster coming early next year. With it, the RE1 remake and now RE2 coming, the opening acts of the Mansion and Raccoon City incidents will live on well into the 21st century 🙂

Number: DWN-035

Weapon: Power Stone

Weakness: Napalm Bomb

Made to control a mountain from which the hanging gardens could be attacked. He can’t be damaged when he’s falling apart.

At first glance, Stone Man looks like an updated version of MM1’s Guts Man . He’s a sturdy, rocky ‘bot seemingly designed as a blunt-object powerhouse. But once you engage him in battle, Stone Man’s unique construction reveals itself – he can collapse into numerous rocky pieces and then re-assemble himself. Guts Man just hops around and tosses rocks!

Now, despite such a cool ability, Stone Man is arguably no more of a challenge than his MM1 counterpart. Use the slide to get out of his way and return fire!

Doing so gets you the Power Stone (no relation!), which sends huge rocks spiraling outward. It’s an interesting ability for sure, one that uses visual tricks that maybe weren’t even considered back in 1987.

Kazuhiro Tsuchiya (Mega Man 5 debug)

The first team to which I was assigned after joining Capcom was the Mega Man 5 team. By that time, development on the game was almost at the final stage and I was assigned to take care of debugging. There I encountered Stone Man as the “first boss” of my career, so I have an attachment to him. He’s a great boss for training.

If you’re a North American PlayStation gamer, now’s your chance to catch up on some of the finest action games of all time and the series that redefined the action genre. Head over to the PlayStation Store’s Devil May Cry  Franchise Sale , in progress now!

The entire series including most DLC is on sale, so it’s the perfect opportunity to fill in any gaps in your experience with the series. Hit the jump for prices and links!

Games
Devil May Cry HD Collection –  $29.99 | $9.99 – PS3
Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition –   $24.99 | $18.99 – PS4
DmC Devil May Cry –  $29.99 | $11.99 – PS3
DmC Devil May Cry: Definitive Edition –  $39.99 | $23.99 – PS4
DmC Devil May Cry: Ultimate Edition –   $67.49 | $16.99 – PS3

DLC
Vergil’s Downfall ( DmC Devil May Cry DLC)  –   $8.99 | $4.49 – PS3
Proud Souls (200,000)(DMC4SE DLC) –   $2.99 | $2.49 – PS4
Lady and Trish Costume Pack (DMC4SE DLC) – $3.99 | $2.99 – PS4
Five Blue Orbs (DMC4SE DLC) –   $2.99 | $2.49 – PS4
Super Nero/Super Dante/Super Vergil (DMC4SE DLC) – $4.99 | $3.49 – PS4

Number: DWN-034