Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII

"It Was Awesome. Deal With It, People."

A very late review, but I have played it over recently due to boredom over the summer.

I have never played the original Final Fantasy VII (but I am very familiar with how the game play looked and the events of the game), thus becoming a fan once watching Advent Children and having a friend explain everything to me. I became a Vincent Valentine rabid, die-hard fan girl the moment I saw him, and when I heard that Dirge of Cerberus would be coming out, I couldn't sit still, waiting for the glorious day that it would come out. I played it constantly, entering the same mode that I did for Kingdom Hearts 2 (meaning, not leaving my room at all and playing hours straight), and I fell in love with Dirge of Cerberus and the new characters it brought along with it.

To begin with, the characters and Final Fantasy VII world blew me away. I was excited each time I began a new level, recalling past locations from the original Final Fantasy VII and Advent Children, such as Edge. The WRO Headquarters was one of the most interesting in the game, I thought. The new and old characters also played a major role in me liking it. Although few of the old characters like Cloud and Tifa only show up once or twice, you get to see Yuffie (whom I hate with a passion) more than once or twice and even play as Cait Sith! The newer characters I felt were well developed in the game time and their purpose, although probably confusing in the beginning, are explained.

The fact that Vincent Valentine was the main character of the game made it a must-buy for me. I have become frustrated every time I hear “You would only buy it if you're into the past of Vincent and Final Fantasy VII” because, obviously, that's why you'd buy a sequel to Final Fantasy VII, am I correct? The main part of the game is in fact Vincent, but it's, of course, another chapter to Final Fantasy VII, and (I shall not say much), there is a secret ending, so there's something to reel in other Final Fantasy VII fans, if not just Vincent.

Many have said that Squeenix has done a terrible job with its first shooter game. After being plagued with the battle systems from the previous FF games, it was quite refreshing to be able to play a shooting game. I was quite glad that I had gained aiming skills from Halo! I absolutely adored how I got to fight in the game.

Okay, I have to admit the story line isn't the best, but neither was Final Fantasy XII's, and I still played it. Trying to figure out what was going on with Deepground and why random villains were popping up isn't the most entertaining thing. However, being able to play Vincent made it all worth while, and don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed the story, especially the flash backs. Learning secrets of Vincent's past with Hojo and Lucretcia and how he came to be who he is today was incredible.

I love the fact that the tutorial of the game was separate from the actual game-play. I'm not bothered each time I play Dirge of Cerberus with boring tutorials on things that I already know how to do, and most important of all: the tutorial starred the 'nonemo' Turk Vincent! I screamed with glee when I started the tutorial, and it was exciting to do. I was able to get used to the controls quite easily with the step-by-step guide.

The weaponry is admirable. My favorite gun is the Cerberus, which I loved to upgrade often during the game. Vincent also uses magic—Fire, Thunder (Lightning), and Blizzard (Ice).

I have played Dirge of Cerberus many times. The game includes the hunt for those small, sometimes hard to see Memory Capsules that you have to shoot in order to see the scenes that they represent in the Extras, and you don't have to look for them ever again the game. I had to get those memory capsules so that I could see over and over again those memorable scenes that I love so much. Thanks to Squeenix, I had a productive reason to play Dirge of Cerberus more than once. Also, aside from the memory capsules, there are side quests and missions that are available in the Extras, which reward you with not only scenes, but official trailers, artwork, and the like.

A few of the cut scenes in Dirge of Cerberus were of Advent Children quality, and I put those scenes on my “Must Shoot the Memory Capsule for That Scene” list. Those scenes are stunning, but while in actual game play and many of the other cut scenes, the graphics are not so glamorous. To be honest, the quality of them had a bit getting used to, but also remember that the original FFVII's graphics were horrendous!

The music was spectacular. I have both of Gackt's (a Japanese rock singer) theme songs Longing and Redemption from the game on my iPod, both up-beat and beautiful works. I love them to bits and I love that I can play while my favorite song from the game is playing at the end.

I do not, under any circumstances, think that Dirge of Cerberus was intolerable or 'thrown together.' Squeenix did an excellent job with the game, and I am glad that I bought it. In fact, I have a strong urge to play it again now. For those who did not enjoy Dirge of Cerberus are obviously delusional and do not know what good games actually are... or just boys, because most males cannot know the awesomeness behind Vincent.

Dirge of Cerberus is not a step down from Advent Children and it is not the worst video game that you will ever play. I feel that it does not bring shame to Square Enix or Final Fantasy VII, and I think that you should buy it because every once in a while, you get that one urge to play a game that isn't as time consuming as many others to satisfy your taste for playing, and Dirge of Cerberus will the waiting for you until then!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 06/28/07