A Quick Look at “Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII”
August 30, 2006
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Square Enix’ Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII, the third installment in the Final Fantasy VII compilation, takes place three years after the original game. For this first-person shooter game (that can be played with a PS2 controller or with a USB mouse and keyboard), you play as Vincent Valentine (pictured), a hidden character from the first game who had a ill-fated love affair with Lucrece (the scientist) and who was the subject of Hojo, the mad scientist.
Dirge of Cerberus certainly has some RPG (role playing games) treats: add magic, upgrade your guns, and buy and sell items. You can also customize three guns for short-, medium- and long-range fun. Ultimately, you’ll be squeezing the trigger more than employing any magic or upgrades. The missions in the game are few in number and optional. Points earned on them will level up Vincent between stages and help you purchase items and weapon upgrades.
As for your enemies, you’ll be facing soldiers and beasts that come from every angle. After a while, their location and tactics become predictable. Boss battles will be more difficult than your typical enemy encounters, so you’ll have to use some unorthodox methods to make it out alive. Be sure to look for…cough, cough…any explosive barrels that you can shoot. Just an idea. You play with very little interaction with your surroundings, which you may find unassuming and repetitive.
Character movements and facial expressions are fluid and life-like, easily placing them among the best in the world of PS2. And the CG movies? Awesome. On “Normal” mode, this game is not particularly difficult at all. There are plenty of power-ups around and your bullet supply is seemingly endless (a blessing for RPG fans that might not play FPS (FreeSpacePort) games). FSP aficionados might want to go straight to “Hard” mode.
