Dirge Of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII- (PS2)

A spin-off of the Final Fantasy VII RPG series, Dirge of Cerberus stars Vincent Valentine, and takes place one year after the Advent Children movie.

The third installment in the COMPILATION of FINAL FANTASYVII is unveiled! Following two other titles based on FINAL FANTASY VII BEFORE CRISIS and ADVENT CHILDREN the newest title in the series is DIRGE of CERBERUS, soon to be released for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system. The world of FINAL FANTASY VII comes to life once again in this multiplatform endeavor!

The time has come to cleanse this world. Hunt down the unworthy...and show them no mercy. Three years have passed since the events of FINAL FANTASY VII. Buried alive following the Meteor disaster, a mysterious group known as the DG (Deepground) Soldiers emerges and begins raiding the city.

The enigmatic Vincent Valentine is somehow connected to these attacks, and he may be the only one who can save this shattered world. When the world is engulfed in darkness, his gun will toll a dreadful dirge... Other characters from FINAL FANTASY VII join Vincent on his journey, and as the story unfolds, you will bear witness to shocking truths never revealed in the original game.

• Discover the hidden truth behind the FINAL FANTASY VII storyline as Vincent Valentine`s tale is finally told Revisit memorable locations and see familiar faces from FINAL FANTASY VII
• Utilize a variety of weapons and unleash devastating melee combo attacks
• Unleash the Limit Break attack to transform Vincent into an unstoppable beast
• Customize and upgrade Vincent`s weapons, including handguns and machine guns, with five different varieties of parts that affect power, range, firing rate, and more
• Fully voiced, cutting-edge CG cinematics in the renowned Square Enix style
   

In a nutshell:
Revisit the world of Final Fantasy VII three years on from the end of the original classic game. Take control of the mysterious ex-Turk Vincent Valentine in this wholly original third person action adventure.

The lowdown:
Part of the “Compilation of Final Fantasy VII”, that already includes Advent Children and a mobile game, this is the first official follow-up to the series’ most popular entry on a home console. You may have heard though, that it didn’t go down so well when it was released in Japan earlier in the year. To Square Enix’s credit though the game’s being given a thorough revamp for its Western release so that it’s faster and much easier to control, with a lot more combos and aerial moves and a slicker first person view. The game was originally intended to be a role-playing version of Half-Life, so hopefully the new Western version will properly realise this goal.

Most exciting moment:
Shoot ‘em-ups like this are unpopular in Japan so just seeing a developer of Square Enix’s standing attempting a game like this is exciting. It even includes an option to use a mouse and keyboard as a controller, just like a PC shooter (although the Japanese game’s online mode is being removed).

Since you ask:
Apparently Square Enix see Final Fantasy VII (and XIII) as twenty year long projects so even after the Crisis Core game on PSP this may not be the last time you see Cloud Strife and co. in action.

The bottom line:
One of Final Fantasy VII’s most obscure characters stars in the most unlikely spin-off ever.
HARRISON DENT