Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII

Written by Jason Young  on June 28, 2006

First Impressions: Dante... eeer, Vincent stars in this much-anticipated sequel to Final Fantasy VII.

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Part of the Final Fantasy VII Compilation, including Before Crisis and Advent Children, Dirge of Cerberus follows in the footsteps of Final Fantasy X-2 as one of the few sequels to a Final Fantasy game. When it was first announced that Final Fantasy X would get a sequel, many fans clamored for a sequel to the 1997 smash hit Final Fantasy VII. Dirge of Cerberus is that game. Starring everyone's favorite mysterious vampiric gunman, Vincent Valentine, the conclusion to the Final Fantasy VII series takes place three years after the events of Final Fantasy VII and one after Advent Children during a raid in Calm.

Announced as a Уthird-person RPG shooterФ by Square designer Tetsuya Nomura, many Square fans were left bewildered and puzzled by the news. Would Square Enix, known for their traditional RPGs, actually be able to create a fun third person adventure/shooter that many people have presumed comparable with Capcom's legendary Devil May Cry series? Secondly, why would Square Enix choose to star a minor character such as Vincent rather than featuring Cloud Strife in yet another Square game?

Borrowing from the gameplay layout of FFVII, Dirge retains the materia junctioning system, HP/MP format, usable items (such as potions), and limit breaks that many players have become accustomed to. Differences are present however. In Final Fantasy VII materia was used as a container for magic, where as materia in Dirge of Cerberus act as an enchantment for Vincent's weapons. For example, when players УjunctionФ a piece of fire material to his gun, it suddenly becomes a rocket launcher (deriving from the fact that rocket launchers are apparently fire-based). Additionally, Vincent is able to use his limit break to УtransformФ himself into various creatures including the Galian Beast and Chaos from FFVII fame.

The background of Final Fantasy VII lends itself perfectly to this type of genre as its dark and full of underground conspiracies. The game centers around the Deep Ground SOLDIERS (DGS) who were developed by Shin-ra during the events of Final Fantasy VII. Their goal: to search for Vincent who would help them reawaken OMEGA weapon.

Vincent certainly meets the requirements for a hero of this genre. He has the type of mysterious aura surrounding his background that provides much of the needed angst, aggression, and УcoolФ factor that have made characters such as Dante a household name. Armed with a high-calibur customizable pistol, Vincent is able to jump, shoot, and generally kickass when need be. Not to mention his popularity with the ladies. With a cool hero and the legendary Square Enix there's no way that gamers could expect anything less than a quality game, right?

Wrong. From my limited exposure with the Japanese version of the game, there are control issues a plenty. Players are presented with the choice of either playing in a third-person action mode with a horrible camera or a first-person shooter mode (FPS) with a horrible camera and targeting system. Switching between the two modes of play requires the pressing УR1Ф button in order to attack with a projectile weapon, which then requires you to target and pressing the button again.

With most of the time being spent in FPS mode, you would have thought that the developers would have actually tried to make it fun. Instead, trying to target an enemy would most likely result in your death as the lack of an auto-targeting feature makes the game damn near impossible to beat at times. Not to mention the fact that every box, crate, and paper in the game tend to defy the laws of physics. Who knew that a box would remain in perfect condition after being peppered by a stream of bullets? Incredible what they can produce in an industrial society these days.

Secondly, when the game requires Vincent to use close-combat melee, the punches and kicks will leave a lot of players feeling as if they were playing a subpar game to that of Devil May Cry. During melee combat, the only button you'll need to pay attention to is the УXФ button and you'll be spamming it quiet a bit during the game. In fact, its pretty much the only button you'll need during melee combat, including finishing combos.