with a man in a coffin. He was discovered a few hours in, holding himself to
an eternal punishment for the wrongs he could not right. Nonetheless,
persistence makes perfect. And in this case, a brand-new party member. The man
would eventually join your cause and embark on the longest journey of his
life. He would be a part of the world’s greatest battles, defeat the planet’s
weapons, and destroy the one who wished to summon Meteor – Sephiroth. Peace
would be restored. The Promised Lands were found (spiritually). Everything was
the way it should be.
Final Fantasy VII, the
greatest RPG of the PSone generation, enthralled millions, created new
interest in the genre, and made gamers all over the world wonder what the heck
happened to their favorite characters. Unlike the other Final Fantasy games,
FFVII ended with only a glimpse of Red XIII’s survival. The rest of the story
was left in mystery. Sure, we knew the world had been saved. But what happened
to our favorite heroes? We wanted closure. And if possible, a sequel and a
remake that would extend this most glorious experience.
Nine years have passed
since we first took the journey. Finally, after begging and pleading, Square
Enix is willing to take the next step and continue a specific chapter in the
Final Fantasy series. First a mobile phone game, then a full-length movie, and
now the first of at least two games for the PlayStation brand. The latest is a
spin-off that stars one of the most popular RPG characters – Vincent
Valentine. The game is Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII. It’s got a
lengthy story, references to the past, beautiful CG clips, a new soundtrack,
and character designs by the original FFVII artist, Tetsuya Nomura. Could
another lineup be more perfect?
Say hello to my friends:
barrel #1, barrel #2, and barrel #3.
Shooting Gallery
Dirge of Cerberus is a
shooter built for role-players. The gameplay is standard third-person shooting
plus auto-lock targeting, magic spells (Materia), and two punch/kick combos.
Vincent’s Limit Breaker is back, and this time he uses it to transform and
repeatedly attack enemies in real-time. Mouse and keyboard functionality means
not having to fumble with the analog stick, should you prefer a PC-style
setup.
Enemies come in droves,
and though some can be avoided, you’ll quickly learn that it’s better to clear
a room than it is to leave them hanging. Taking cues from Dino Crisis, Devil
May Cry, and Square’s own Parasite Eve II, Dirge of Cerberus calculates EXP
based on the number of enemies you’ve killed in each level. It also considers
the number of allies you’ve saved and/or protected, the number of times you’ve
died (if any), and how long it took you to complete every required task. Ranks
are applied to every requirement, "S" being the best. Higher ranks lead to
greater EXP rewards, which can either be applied to Vincent for status
improvement or exchanged for more Gil.
If you don’t know what
Gil is by now, read no further – this game is not for you. But to cover all
bases, it is the currency used in Final Fantasy games, including this one. Gil
lets you buy new items and modify your weapons and attachments. There are
three main weapons – a handgun, shotgun, and machinegun. Barrels may be
lengthened (to increase their shooting range) or shortened (to increase speed)
using optional attachments.
Once Fire, Thunder, or
Blizzard Materia has been equipped, Vincent will have the ability to fire a
deadly blast that assaults multiple enemies. Thunder is particularly useful in
that respect.
Magic is limited by MP,
which depletes quickly and may only be replenished by items like Ether. HP is
the same, but it’s nothing a few potions, hi- or regular, can’t replenish.
Phoenix Down works a
little differently in this game. Vincent doesn’t have a partner to revive him
after being killed. Thus, instead of waiting for Mr. Death to come knocking at
his door, he can apply one Phoenix Down to himself at any time. Once applied,
the item will automatically revive him once his HP reaches zero.
Just an average day in the
city until somebody goes and turns on the man-eating gun-toting robot. Darn
those super-villains.
Graphically Speaking
Dirge of Cerberus’s intro
is rich with beautiful, movie-caliber CGs, showcasing the true power of Square
Enix’s art team. Characters are fluidly animated with lifelike gestures,
facial expressions, and hair that sways accurately. The mouth movements don’t
line up with the original story’s dialogue, which was done in Japanese. But I
don’t think many will care, especially when you consider that these CG visuals
are on par with those featured in the full-length Final Fantasy VII movie.
Dirge borrows a clip or two from that movie, but most of what you’ll see is
new. Prepare to be in awe.
Shooting Gallery 2.0
Let’s briefly recap the
facts: Dirge of Cerberus is a third-person shooter with elements of Devil May
Cry. I love DMC – many of you do – so we already know that it’s a winning
formula.
The action is paced
evenly throughout each mission, taking only a couple of detours to give
players the option to chat with several characters. You’ll also get the chance
to be stealthy, albeit briefly, and take out a handful of enemies using the
old roll-an-explosive-barrel-into-them technique.
Though the stealth aspect
is not much more than diversion, the core experience of shooting everything in
sight will remind gamers of the PS2’s earlier days. Enemies will attack
repeatedly, seemingly without reloading. This can be frustrating, annoying,
and very cheap. You’ll lose many lives and use many Phoenix Downs trying to
avoid and these assaults.
In contradiction, enemies
will also run away in fear if you chase them, turn their back on you for no
apparent reason (making them much too easy to kill), and have the strange
habit of hiding behind the many explosive canisters lying around each stage.
Boss battles are like a bad joke. At best they’re cheap; at worst, a cakewalk.
Puzzles consist of
killing enemies to acquire cardkeys that unlock gates. You snag these cards
while exploring linear corridors in environments.
It’s recommended that you
tweak the camera and targeting movement settings at the start of the game.
Otherwise the controls may seem to move very slowly, as they did when I first
started playing.
I also suggest that you
turn the semi-auto targeting function off, or switch it to full-auto for
ultra-easy gunplay. Semi-auto makes it difficult to select targets – the other
options will give you what you’re looking for.
The CG animations are
exciting, beautiful, and feature the best parts of the story.
Story Time
If there is one element
Final Fantasy VII fans were looking forward to most (myself included), it’s
the continuation of our favorite story. Dirge of Cerberus delves deeper into
Vincent’s world, introducing gamers to a cast of new characters and new plot
revelations. Blissful and triumphant moments aside, this is where the game
really disappoints.
First and foremost, the
story isn’t interesting. Whereas Final Fantasy VII took us on a journey of
hope and survival, with characters that are on par with some movies and TV
shows, Dirge of Cerberus takes us through a series of uninteresting dialogue
sequences.
The story moves at the
pace of liquid hand soap being squeezed into a soap dispenser. You should note
that soap moves slightly faster than molasses. Regardless, when someone’s not
getting killed, someone else is standing in a room, reciting boring and
predictable lines with little to no enthusiasm. New cast members lack the
appeal of FFVII’s heroes, having generic designs, whiny voices, and dialogue
that sounds like it came from one of NBC’s failed dramas.
Nearly every scene begins
with slow camera movement. Vincent walks a little too slowly for his own good.
It does not help build the drama – again, aside from a few moments,
"drama" is something this game lacks. Eventually, when you’ve had to sit
through (or skip, as you’ll most likely do) your 20th scene, you won’t be able
to stop yourself from yelling at the screen, "Get on with it already!" Make
something happen. Give us some excitement for Cloud’s sake.
The final scenes bring
some joy, but
it’s minimal and not exactly worth the effort. For a game that bears the Final
Fantasy VII name, it does little to live up to its legacy, appease the diehard
fans, or attempt to create new ones. Newcomers will be bored out of their
minds while fans are left scratching their heads, wondering if they should
have been satisfied with what they had and not spent so much time dreaming of
a sequel.
Hmmm, I wonder who this
could be?
Funeral Song
The primary reason for
playing through the original FFVII was to find out what happened to our
beloved characters. Cloud, Cid, Tifa, Barret, Aeris, Cait Sith, Yuffie, and of
course, Vincent. Technically that should’ve been the primary reason for
playing this game as well, as it is an important, long-awaited spin-off to an
RPG that sold over 10 million copies worldwide.
Dirge of Cerberus doesn’t
meet that need – the need of its intended market. FFVII fans will be extremely
disappointed. Not just in the story, but really, the gameplay doesn’t do much
to excite the player either. The game knows exactly who it’s targeting – it
says so right on the box, "Final Fantasy VII." That subtitle is calling to a
specific group of hardcore fans. A very large and very vocal group who have
created their own sequels in the form of fan fiction.
If this were any other
shooter, with any generic name, gamers could walk away thinking this was just
another below-average release. But with FFVII’s name attached, it’s hard to
imagine what gamers will feel.
|
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Gameplay: 6.9
An immensely
repetitive shooter with the flavor of Devil May Cry, Dino Crisis, and Parasite
Eve II baked right in. The finished dish isn’t as delish as the menu
indicated, but it isn’t entirely bland. Fans might like the taste, but they
won’t love it.
Graphics: 7.5
The
non-interactive CGs are gorgeous, exciting, and most certainly worth watching.
The game itself, however, isn’t overly colorful. While Grandia III and other
recent RPGs have been equipped with colorful, awe-inspiring locales, Dirge of
Cerberus’s environments are bland and boring. I expected a bit of darkness.
FFVII was dark, and I wouldn’t want a sequel or a spin-off to be done in any
other way. However, I also expected the game to feature the same level of
detail as Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy X, the latter of which is a
five-year-old RPG whose visuals blow this game out of the water.
Sound: 7.8
What’s the first
thing people will say when they hear Dirge of Cerberus’s music for the first
time? “That’s not Final Fantasy VII music.” No unfortunately it’s not, but
rather a new soundtrack that sounds nothing like the original. There are some
really enjoyable tracks, especially during the cinematics. Early battle music
is repetitive and follows the trends of other games – techno over substance.
Later battle music is a bit more involved, and a bit more orchestral.
Dirge’s voice acting is
mostly weak. Shelke, one of the new characters, is the primary cause. The
majority of lengthy dialogue sequences are wasted on her. Not only is her
appearance generic, but her voice sounds like it came from every bad anime on
the planet. Cheesy dialogue (from all the characters, not just Shelke)
prevents the game from achieving true FFVII status.
Difficulty: Easy
Enemies are
cowards and fight cheaply when in great numbers. Meanwhile, boss battles are
purely cheap, leading to a long scuffle of endurance. Stock yourself with
Phoenix Downs, Mega-Potions and other aids and the game will be a snap.
Concept: 6
Half the package
is the story, which severely misses the mark. The other half is comprised of
average, copycat gameplay that fails to live up to the standards set by Final
Fantasy VII. It can be fun at times but lacks any form of original content.
Overall: 6.9
I had high hopes
for Dirge of Cerberus and looked forward to taking this new Final
Fantasy VII journey. It would’ve been great if it had worked, but alas, not
every masterpiece receives an equally memorable sequel. The gameplay is
alright, if not a little unexciting, but don’t expect a wonderful story.
Hopefully Zack’s adventure (planned for PSP) will bring the series back to
glory, and take us back to that place we first visited in 1997.
