Reviewed on:
PS2
The Good:
A stunningly beautiful extension of the Final Fantasy VII universe, with occasionally enjoyable, if forgettable, action.The Bad:
Doesn't succeed as either a third-person shooter or as an RPG, and the majority of the challenge comes from remembering the complex controls.The Verdict:
Unlikely to please fans or new converts, Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus is the very definition of mediocre.
REVIEW:
The Final Fantasy series is one of the most beloved in the entire video gaming canon, with eleven indirect sequels to the 1987 original available. Unusually however for a series that already alleges finality in its title, the most popular titles in the franchise have recently begun being exploited with "side stories". The first to be released was Final Fantasy X-2, a frothy and feminine sequel to the PS2's first Final Fantasy, and was a well received by fans of the smash hit original.
Few games, however, are viewed with quite as much reverence as the Playstation's Final Fantasy VII. Considered a watershed moment in video games, it opened the eyes of many gamers to Japanese RPGs, not least because of a storyline considered mature enough to still have resonance with some today. Square-Enix's decision to give the game a direct sequel in the form of CG movie Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children was therefore met with emotions ranging from joy to disgust by many, but was well received by fans world wide on release.
The same can not be said of Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus. Set three years after the events of Final Fantasy VII and one year after the events of Advent Children, the core of the story is Vincent Valentine, a largely irrelevant player-character from the original title who achieved an almost Boba Fett-like popularity thanks to strong character design and the lingering mystery of his origin. Despite Vincent's status, Dirge of Cerberus was very poorly received in Japan, with the title largely ignored and quickly discounted to the bargain bins.
The game attempts to flesh out Vincent's character, framing the story of his past with his current battles against a mysterious new enemy force, Deep Ground, that threatens the entire existence of the world. The story is recounted to the player in extensive cut-scenes, in either beautiful CG or the in-game engine. While the story can be long-winded and veers from foolishly cheesy and sentimental to incomprehensibly philosophical, it's no better or worse than players have come to expect from the worlds of Final Fantasy. The definitive aspect that has led to the title's failure in Japan is the unusual path Square-Enix has taken with the design of the game.
Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus is a hybrid third-person shooter/RPG; it takes an uneasy ground between the intense gun fighting action of a title like Halo and the more constrained design of an RPG. The RPG elements include a system of levelling-up that allows Vincent to increase his health and power, and an extensive gun modification system that allows you to tailor your weapons exactly to your own playing style. In effect, however, as pleasing as it is to create your own perfect weapon, this seems to have little effect on the experience, and simply leads to some unusual game-balance issues when you come across enemies either too difficult, or too easy, for your current level.
Not that it's likely that you'll find any of the enemies too difficult, with the majority of the challenge coming from battling against the over-complicated controls, which seem to use every possible input on the PS2 pad, and avoiding the gunshots of enemies that can't be seen due to the often dark and muddy levels. Having said that, of course, Dirge of Cerberus is can be an intensely beautiful game, a real showpiece of just how wonderful the graphics on PS2 can be this late in the system's life. There is rarely a hint of slowdown even in the most extreme firefight, and the lighting of cut scenes is perfectly pitched to give characters a warmth that almost makes up for the occasionally dull and lifeless areas Vincent finds himself traversing.
Most damaging to the third-person shooter design is the inability of the designers to get away from the heavily linear design of an RPG; Vincent will almost always find himself unable to use his double-jump ability to leap even the smallest wall. Firefights sadly soon take the nature of being little more than battles of attrition in corridors or arenas, with little room for tactical play.
Despite the many flaws of Dirge of Cerberus, the obvious beauty and extreme ease of the title can make it an occasionally enjoyable short blast of bubblegum entertainment, if you're willing to sit through (or skip) the cut scenes. Sadly, however, its hybrid design is far less than the sum of its parts, and this is a game that is ultimately forgettable.
