Because most video games originate in Japan, the Japanese are known for developing some of the best games ever created. In fact, it can be well argued that Japanese developers have a mastery of developing every type of gaming genre… all except for the FPS. The First Person Shooter is perhaps the only genre of video gaming that the Japanese have yet to grasp firmly.
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If you have played a video game in the last 10 years, chances are you have probably heard of Final Fantasy VII. Even though Final Fantasy XII is about it be released in the coming weeks, and some details of XIII on the PS3 have already surfaced, fans are still craving more of Cloud, Midgar, and materia. Taking place after the events of Advent Children, the sequel in movie format, Dirge of Cerberus puts Vincent Valentine at the helm instead of the fan favorite, Cloud. Within Final Fantasy VII, Vincent was an extra hidden character of sorts with a mysterious background. Dirge of Cerberus now answers many of the questions that have always hovered over the heads of both Vincent, and fans of the series.
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Final Fantasy VII was a turn based, menu driven RPG. However, given his more gun-ho attitude, the events of Vincent Valentine needed to be a little more action packed. Hence, the switch to a FPS. Dirge of Cerberus is a third person shooter, but it can also be played from the FPS perspective. Twisted with some RPG elements, Vincent’s first solo adventure winds up being a pile of awkwardness instead of the action game to end all action games that everyone hoped for.
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The gameplay controls are your typical dual analog Halo style scheme. The right analog stick aims while the left control movement. Aiming, however, is not as pure as it should be. Once the player moves the crosshairs over an enemy, the cursor will then follow the target while the player controls the inside crosshairs for an accurate shot. This strange auto assist form of aiming relies a little too much on luck than skill and takes some time to get used to.
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After each level, a score is tallied that decides how much Gil or Experience the player will receive. Experience is automatically added to Vincent’s stats, allowing him to take a few more hits or deal out some extra damage, just like a typical RPG. However, the game does feature a decent gun customization feature, allowing the player to mix and match gun parts like Lego pieces. Gil is not only spent on items, but also upgrading gun parts. The options that are available for gun customization are perhaps the best features of the game.
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Gun parts, upgrades, and items can all be purchased after each level, or by finding Juke boxes that are spread within each stage. While these Juke boxes may be life saving, they also throw the balance of the game entirely off. How? By putting these item shops in the same exact same area as a boss battle the player can just camp the Juke box, stand there until all his potions are used, hit the “X” button, stock up on more potions, and repeat until the boss falls dead. Hell, you can even buy ammo here, eliminating all semblance of difficulty. And with the game’s abundance of Gil, the player should never have a problem defeating a boss with a shop just a step away.
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What would a Final Fantasy game be without magic? Unfortunately, the magic system feels tacked on in Cerberus. I think throughout the entire game, I probably used magic five times, and three of those times were just to see what the magic spell actually did. All your basic spells are there: there is your fire ball that makes a big explosion, a lightning bolt that jumps from target to target, and your ice spell that freezes. The game contains several types of spells, all except for heal! Perhaps if the game had a heal spell, the magic system would have actually been worth implementing into the game.
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The game features FMVs that are built in the shadow of Advent Children. These cut scenes are so detailed and stunning that they very well may be the best on the PS2. Depicted in each of these high-res videos is the badass Vincent that everyone wants to see. Too bad playing as him is not as cool. For example, in one of the early FMVs, Vincent jumps sky high, bounces off the roof of a house, and shoots down a helicopter with a single bullet from his pistol. Yeah, that is pretty badass. My question is, why can’t players do that in the game? Instead, the developers give us a double jump that doesn’t even work. Because the environments are so dull, static, and repetitive, each stage is laced with invisible walls and shoddy collision detection. What good is a double jump if you can’t even jump over a crate that is waste high? You can’t even double jump to ledges above you. Instead, Vincent has to climb a latter, with his slow latter-climbing animation. Umm, excuse me. Didn’t I just see Vincent jump about 50 feet in the air and blast a helicopter straight to hell with a single shot? But now you want me to climb a 6 foot ladder to the ledge above me….? What?
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Vincent also has the ability to duck and roll if the square button is tapped. This feature, just as the magic system, was rarely if ever used. Why include it in the game if the gameplay does not call for it?
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Throughout the adventure, Vincent will meet up with the crappiest characters from FFVII. Cait Sith, Yuffie, and Reeve get the most camera time besides Vincent himself. The only time Cloud, Tifa, and Barrett make an appearance is in the high-res FMVs, which are still too few and far in between. Dirge of Cerberus has many dialog cut scenes, almost as much as Metal Gear. These cut scenes all advance the plot, which is the best thing Cerberus has to offer. It should also be noted that the player has the ability to pause during any cut scene without skipping it entirely. This sounds like a minor addition until you accidentally hit the Start button to pause a game to go to the bathroom, only to find out that you just skipped the best cut scene in the game.
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The entire game will last about 15 hours on your first play through. Once the game is completed, extra missions open up, allowing players to fine tune their skills using set rules. But because the gameplay is quite sub-par, I am not sure anyone will really want to. The best part of finishing the game is the ability to go back and watch any FMV you choose.
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Unlike the solid soundtrack that was FFVII, Cerberus’ takes a back seat. None of the tunes are memorable, expect maybe the Japanese rock band that performs the game’s theme song. But the voice acting is very well done. Plus, the mouths even sync up with the voices almost perfectly. And fans will be pleased to know, all the actors that lent their voice to the Advent Children movie also return to complete their role in Cerberus.
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The in-game character models look great. And thanks to motion capture, all move realistically. Unfortunately, all the game’s environments are very drab and repetitive. The invisible walls are also nothing short of annoying. But as previously stated, the Advent Children FMVs are very well done and highlight the game.
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Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII is the full title of the game, but nowhere in the game does Cerberus make an appearance. Unless there is some big metaphor that I am misunderstanding, I have no idea what the title of the game means. Never once did I fight a three headed hound from hell. The name Cerberus was not even mentioned. You know you are in for a confusing time when the title of the game, like the play control, does not make sense.
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In all honesty, I would not have played this game if Final Fantasy characters were not involved. The only reason I completed this game was to soak in as much Final Fantasy VII mythos as I possibly could. The awkward 1st/3rd person prescriptive just isn’t as smooth as one would want it to be. Instead of being fluid and balanced like Halo, Cerberus winds up stinking up your PS2 like the fat guy who was in the bathroom before you. If you love FFVII, and want to enjoy everything the FFVII world has to offer, then you can appreciate Cerberus. But you won’t play the game for its gameplay. You’ll play it solely for the story. Perhaps the developers at SquareEnix should have taken a note or two from the Western made Halo.
