I think that there are a few flaws in your review. Maybe you didn't pay too much attention, but Lucrecia was the
one responcible for putting 'Chaos' into Vincent which resulted in the claws, ect. Hojo was the one that
almost, well, did kill Vincent since he can't age anymore. Also Shelke wasn't waiting for Shalua to release
her, but for someone to rescue her. And there is some information about the deepground soldiers, the only one that
doesn't have a lot of information is Azul. Nero's and Rosso's past was explained in the cut scenes, and
of course Shelke's was provided. The reason why Rosso loves to kill is in that informative cut scene and is part of
her past. Killing is what she grew up with and when she left the area where she lived she killed a lot of people and
just reveled in their blood. That just left her thirsting for more. Also, I wouldn't call Rosso's accent
british. . .I think that it is more russian or german. I would have to listen to the actual accent from those places to
be sure. And the reason why Nero is so loyal to Weiss is because Weiss is the only one that loved him, Nero is also
Weiss's brother. I though that their love for each other was a bit too strong and morbid, but I guess that is just
how they wanted the game. Also Vincent does have the protomateria, it is what keeps the chaos in him under control,
untill he gains control of Chaos on his own. Oh, one more thing, WRO stands for World Regenisis Orgainization. As for
the rest of the characters and plot I can't think of anything that needs correcting right now.
Most of the piano music from Final Fantasy X was created from Nobuo Uematsu just so that you know. And the reason why
there wasn't as many of the Final Fantasy VII places is because they have at least six different spin offs for the
Final Fantasy VII series and the game would have been even more boring to most of the people playing it. Well, I am out
of other corrections. Besides those points your review is a pretty decent one. You had a nice layout for everything.
Good try! ^_^
Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus game Review
Story & Playability
Dirge of Cerberus features Vincent Valentine, an optional character from Final Fantasy 7 who also shows up in Advent Children. His tragic past is revealed in greater detail--particularly his relationship with Lucrecia, his love interest, and Hojo, the mad scientist responsible for his (literal) inner demons and claw-arm. It's a tragic story about unrequited love and revenge. The frequent and strategically placed flashbacks piece the story together.
The story starts off with the introduction of Deep Ground Soldiers, a group hidden under Midgar who are bent on destroying those deemed "unfit to live" and seeking the "protomateria" that Vincent supposedly has. It quickly develops into something more as we soon get to see how Vincent is connected to this group.
The main cast from Final Fantasy returns, but they make brief appearances. Reeve Tsuesti and Yuffie Kisaragi play a larger role, as part as World Restoration Organization.
The villains are disappointing with the exception of Shelke. They are two-dimensional and their past and motives are never explained. In the end, we don't really know that much about the Deep Ground Soldiers.
Shelke - She has suffered for ten years under the experimentation done to all Deep Ground Soldiers. All this time, she
was waiting for her sister to release her. She develops during the storyline and is a likeable character.
Rosso - Clad in a sexy red outfit, egotistical, loves massacres for no apparent reason and has a british accent. Not
interesting unless you're into homicidal redheads.
Nero - His powers are rather interesting. He has the ability to suck people into a black void and also to clone himself. As with Rosso, he is loyal to Weiss for reasons that are not explained.
Azul - He bears a resemblance to Guodo of Final Fantasy X. Other than that, I really don't know what to say.
Weiss - The leader of Deep Ground.
Rating:
Graphics
The in-game graphics could have been better considering that this game has been released only recently. However, the few CG cutscenes throughout the game made up for this flaw, as they were of Advent Children quality, stunning, detailed and colourful. Vincent doing aerial acrobatics while waving a gun was fun to watch.
The scenery was one of the darker aspects of the game. I was trapped in the door-a-banging, lights-a-flicking maze-like shinra mansion for an hour. I was also KOed more than enough times at the rainy, inky silent edge. It would have been a more pleasant experience if the environment was a little prettier. Also, there wasn't enough Final Fantasy 7 places as I would have liked.
Character designs are superb. The child-look proportions of Shelke and the bulky Weiss provided variety. The main cast all look more or less the same as they were in Final Fantasy 7 and Advent Children. Cloud still has those ridiculous looking sunglasses. I rather like Yuffie's new outfit.
Rating:
Sound
The soundtrack is composed entirely by Masashi Hamauzu, with insert songs by Gackt (Longing, during the game and Redemption, during the ending credits, and featured in many Dirge of Cerberus PVs). Hamauzu is the genius behind piano arrangements for Final Fantasy 10 and Sailing to the world (Yasunori's composition). His style is said to be a mixture of Debussy, Chopin and Ravel, impressionist/romantic composers. The music in the game fits, from the lyrical and emotional "Lucrecia's Theme" to the highly energetic and suspenseful fight tunes. The entire OST is highly recommended. Gackt's Redemption is fitting for the ending as it is full of emotion and convey one of the themes of Vincent's story very well.
The voice acting did not meet my expectations. Reeve did not sound intelligent and Cait Sith sounded like a teletubby (I know he's a stuffed toy, but it could have been better). The emotion in Lucrecia's voice seem forced. Vincent's voice acting was alright (same actor for Spike in Cowboy Bebop).
The sound effects I found annoying. Vincent's gun sounded like a pop-gun, his "hoo hah hah" was repetitive and doors slamming were annoying.
Rating:
Fun
Given my gaming (or rather, non-gaming) background, I'm glad I got into DoC. Game critics and die-hard gamers are raging about the linear gameplay, bland scenery, dumb-as-a-brick AIs, convoluted plotline and the ridiculous amount of cut scenes. And I agree. But all of those elements are not necessarily a bad thing when you're someone like me. My gaming background comprises of a handful of RPGs, 2D platform games, DDR, mini-games of the how-fast-can-you-click-a-mouse variety, and other mindless diversions.
Despite the apparent "simplicity" and repetitiveness of picking off stationary enemies that seem to pop out of nowhere, I enjoy it tremendously.
In addition, this game is not meant to be just a shooter game. Square Enix wanted to combine elements of an RPG with a shooter. Whether or not this "works" is debatable, but I think it is adds a bit of action to your conventional RPG.
The customizable guns were a nice touch as well. Different limit breakers rather than just the galian beast would have been nice as well.
Overall, the gameplay is excellent if you are looking for a light shooter game that is not too complex. If you are interested in Vincent's past and want to play it for the plot, go for it. If you are looking for some intense gaming action, then I suggest looking elsewhere.
Rating:
Final Verdict
7.3333 (above average)
Reviewed by prirky, Apr 11, 2007
Comments
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kaisui1tatsu Apr 18, 2007
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tareren Apr 22, 2007
I think you did a pretty good job with the review... it's quite detailed and all.. and though as the person above me mentioned that there are a few errs, well that could be rectified... and I do not agree with giving too much info in a review anyway, cos it will spoil some of the joy of playing the game (or watching the anime)... Some more could be put in the story though, rather than describing characteristics of villain ;P Good job on this =)
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jaderabbit May 23, 2007
I also agree that u did a good job with the reveiw, i personally haven't played the game but from what i see of it ur on the money. So there isn't alot of the original places in the games? damn i wanted to see what they looked like when they where redone in better graphics ;_;
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prirky Jun 28, 2007
Kasui: Thanks for correcting what WRO stands for.
I am aware that Lucrecria was responsible, but I don't want to spoil anyone. From what we know from ff7, HOJO was the one responsible for vincent's transformation.
I have always been under the impression that Shelke was waiting for her sister, not just anyone.
While yes, they did provide a bit of information about the villains, there was ZERO character development. It's easy to say, "oh she had a dark past, therefore she likes to kill just for the heck of it." From what information they had, it was not enough for anyone to really understand their motives.
Actually, Hamauzu did do the piano ARRANGEMENT of the FFX soundtrack. I own both the FFX soundtrack and the arrangement, and he is one of my favourite japanese composers so I am quite clear on what he does.
Otherwise, thank you for the comment. : )
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pappo1 Jun 09, 2009
is a great game, good review
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SchRita Jan 15, 2010
Thanks for the review!
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