Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII

This game should not disappoint fans, it is different for sure, but it is also an excellent, very well executed shooter, which still retains the elements of FF we all love - the complex plot, upgrades, EXP, and even a chance to discuss chocobos if you just find the right girl to chat with!

There are some glaring mistakes in Dirge of Cerberus that even your most hardcore of fans cannot overlook.

Just a completely average game.

At its very best, Dirge of Cerberus is an average action game with RPG elements, nice ideas, and a decent fan service. [Sept 2006, p.80]

Ripping on Final Fantasy VII is nothing short of blasphemy to some, but this follow-up just doesn't impress.

If you're a fan of Final Fantasy VII, do yourself a favor, pretend that this doesn't exist and hope that if a remake ever does happen, that it gets done under the care of someone else.

Dirge is an ugly, cynical and tiresome videogame, the likes of which the next generation will hopefully eradicate. [June 2006, p.130]

While this game is nothing like a normal Final Fantasy game, it definitely delivers a unique and fun experience. With the 3 main guns you have at your disposal, the game is very replayable as I find it's best to pick one and upgrade only that throughout the game. The cutscenes are skippable and the game is not too long if you've beaten it before, so that combined with the significantly different gameplay you get with the different guns extended the gameplay quite a bit. I also loved the story and seeing more of the side characters in FF7 like Vincent, Yuffie, and Cait Sith getting fleshed out more in this game.

un gioco sottovalutato ma con una bella idea e una bella storia peccato sia troppo lineare,comandi pessimi e difficoltà sbilanciata

Whenever something in life prospers, there's always something waiting to capitalize on it before the opportunity is gone. In some cases, it makes things better and in some cases it makes things worse but in every case the decision is forever a part of it's legacy. This is the story of Vincent Valentine who happens to be a vampire from a prosperous game, FFVII. And lets just say that in more ways than one, that game lived forever. FFVII had many memorable characters and trust me I know, dissecting that entire game from front to back was basically my day job but up until this point Vincent was only a side character in FFVII until the fans loved him so much they thought he deserved his own game... and this is that game. They say "You only live once" but in Vincent's case... he's a vampire destined to live forever. Vampires on their own aren't that interesting until you start adding guns that is. The aiming system in this game isn't exactly what you'd expect but for a game that isn't COD, it controls pretty well. I wouldn't consider this an FPS personally but there's plenty of room for disagreement. Visually, this game is in a class of it's own with it's shiny, almost glowing aesthetic that's very pleasant to look at. It works in the game's favor by placing you in an environment contrary to the dark depressing and flat-colored world of FFVII. Although, the game-play could've been improved quite a bit, it didn't control badly but the mechanics felt very surface-level. And If it wasn't FFVII related, I probably wouldn't have played through all of it but looking back at it, It's surprising that Square Enix even gave so much backstory to a side character. I don't know many companies that dedicate entire games to characters like that. The characters, music and story were enjoyable enough to make it worth the play-through. However, I would never say that I regret playing this game because it helps me fully appreciate the true story depth of FFVII. There are a few redeeming qualities though, the first being how amazing the menu is front to back. Another being the way it looks and all the stats for each weapon. Every time you're customizing you can see exactly what you're changing along with detailed descriptions for each upgrade. The menu itself also has descriptions for each of the options and you can configure the camera in a variety of ways to fit your needs. There are so many stats for everything, it's insane. Items are also fun to use and never get in the way but help you during really tough times. It also has very smooth movement animations during cutscenes and fights making it nice to look at. And finally, the map is crystal clear to understand and easy to use whenever you might get lost. There's much to be said about a game as controversial as Dirge of Cerberus. I see people on both sides of the spectrum every time. With the backing of a company like Square Enix it's very hard to fail and in this case they succeeded in terms of creating a great addition to an already wonderful story. The events that appear in this game also had a notable effect years later in FFVII Remake Intergrade and FFVII Rebirth once again, proving its worth. This game isn't meant to appeal to mainstream audiences but rather the die-hard FFVII fans. Square Enix made a risky move in trying a different genre of game for the same title and at the very least I have to respect their boldness in doing so. But sometimes we as the players also have to take risks in the games we play allowing our perspectives to widen and allow new information albeit good or bad. In my opinion, the potential positives outweighed the negatives so I took that risk and can say I came out more fulfilled on the other side. My advice is to look back at these specific characters that are present in Dirge of Cerberus only if you've already played FFVII and ask yourself if you need more... not want but need and if the answer is yes, than this game does not want but needs you as well.

Possiedo questo gioco, l'ho finito e non mi ricordo quasi nulla di cosa succede nella storia, immagino sia una cosa negativa.

Good character design and music but let down by everything else. combat is repetitive, clunky and at times feels broken. dialogue in the game is abysmal, stale, disjointed, confusing and with a story that makes no sense. this game having Final Fantasy VII in the title is an insult.