Platform: Playstation 2
Publisher/Developer: Square Enix
Rating: T
Genre: Adventure
Final Fantasy VII was released on the Playstation in 1997 and was one of the most popular and beloved games ever made. When Square Enix planned on creating a compilation of games based on Final Fantasy VII, FF fans, including me, were filled with joy. That’s until I played one of the first games from the compilation, Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII.
Carrying the title of one of the greatest games of all time, Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII was greeted with high expectations before it was even released. But all we got was a plain and boring Devil May Cry wannabe. Dirge of Cerberus steps out of the traditional role playing game, and puts gamers into the role of Vincent Valentine in a third-person shooter. Set three years after Cloud and the rest of the Final Fantasy VII gang saved the world from annihilation, Vincent starts a new adventure to save the world, but this time he’s going solo.
The game starts with a beautiful prerendered cutscene reintroducing us to Vincent and the world of Final Fantasy VII. Although set in the Final Fantasy VII world, the story and new characters really don’t feel like the Final Fantasy type. Vincent squares off against a group known as the Deepground Soldiers, who of course, want to take over the world. And from here the game is basically the same throughout the whole story.
Vincent is equipped with his trusty three-headed gun, Cerberus, a double jump and a melee combo attack. The game is mostly repetitive gunplay against the same brain-dead A.I. enemies. Although the game does incorporate different types of guns and magic, it’s nothing we haven’t seen before.
Vincent is also able to transform into his Chaos mode from Final Fantasy VII using his Limit Breaker. In Chaos mode, Vincent is pretty much invincible but it only lasts for a few moments.
If you’re a huge Final Fantasy VII fan you might just want to buy this game for that reason alone. But if you’re really looking for a great third-person shooter game, look elsewhere. Although it’s set in the Final Fantasy VII world and has the beautiful prerendered cutscenes Final Fantasy games are known for, Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII isn’t the game we all hoped for.
It’ a few fantasies short of a real Final Fantasy game.
