Brace yourselves..it ain't a good review!

[Setzer Gabianni]

"The worst spin-off of all time"

Final Fantasy VII - Dirge of Cerberus

The best RPG ever is used, abused, and transformed into one of the most dire shooters we've ever seen. Yeuch.

We're disappointed in you, Square Enix. How can you follow up Final Fantasy XII, Kingdom Hearts II, and Dragon Quest with this? Not even our love of the source material makes it bearable. Final Fantasy VII has become a tepid shooter with nothing to offer but pretty CG and fan-baiting references to the PSone original. Ok, we chuckled when Yuffie appeared in the intro, but we're easily impressed sometimes.
The control system is its biggest fault. There are three ways of viewing the action; first-person, third-person and over-the-shoulder like in Resident Evil 4. Neither work particularly well and, for some reason only the developers will ever know, both the vertical and horizontal camera controls are inverted. It's like trying to do a crossword in the mirror and the lack of a lock-on (in all but easy mode) makes things distinctly ball-tightening. While you're shooting, Vincent lumbers around clumsily and dodging incoming fire is an exercise in randomness. Even regular movement is irksome thanks to the clunky controls and cardboard cut-out levels. In the intro Vincent merrily bounds around Matrix-style, but during the game a waist-high fence is an impassable onject. Stupid.

Dull as ditchwater:

Depressingly, the developers have taken the rich, memorable world of FFVII and turned it into something that wouldn't look out of place in 50 Cent: Bulletproof. Empty streets, gloomy villages, featureless deserts and - this annoys us more then anything - a sewer level. Half an hour of trudging through bland, identical tunnels! It makes Without Warning look like Mardi Gras. Worse yet, every level follows the same formula - shoot men, find key card, pass gate, shoot more men, fight boss, end level. Dirge of Ceberus is overcast with cheerless tedium and playing it is a test of patience, even if you love FFVII.

PSM2 Verdict:

Gameplay

+The gun customization is a good idea
- Simplistic, predictable and no fun whatsoever

Graphics

+ Gorgeous CG and nice character models
- Flat boring, and charmless

Sound

+Excellent theme tune by Jap pop star Gackt
- Otherwise, a fairly weak score, rubbishly

Lifespan - If you're playing it online - and you probably won't be - itll last a while. Otherwise it's your average 10 hour adventure.

Final Comment: Terrible. Overblown, opportunistic nonsense. If you're a FFVII fan avoid Dirge of Cerberus completely - it'll only sully your memories.

It's better then..

State of Emergency 2

It's worse then...

DMC3

Overall % - 36%


(Main review of the game from the PSM2 magazine)


I also posted this at ac.net and ffxii.net

[~SapphireStar~]

Wow, worst spin-off of all time? FFX2s been let off!
After reading that, Im going to avoid this game like the Plague. Im not a fan of shooters, and I was going to give it a go, but Im going to keep my £30 in my pocket.

[Crossblades]

Is this the review for the Japanese version or the American version? Because supposedly the American version is gonna have changes that'll make the game more enjoyable

[Setzer Gabianni]

Import version, but I am not sure the language of which it's in. My guess - Japanese. Still, I doubt the improvements will be that great. If you ain't going to buy it, try renting it or something.

~Setzer Gabianni

[Crossblades]

Import version, but I am not sure the language of which it's in. My guess - Japanese. Still, I doubt the improvements will be that great. If you ain't going to buy it, try renting it or something.

~Setzer Gabianni

If it's import then yeah it's in Japanese. But still to be considered the worst FF spinoff, that's kinda low, but it's making me have doubts about playing it. I'll give it a rental

[Amaru]

I wouldn't worry too much. If you have a look at the listed improvements, there's quite a lot. They are enhancing Vincent's movement / speed / reaction, adding a new side-dodge manevour, adding a double-jump feature, along with 40+ levels in-place of online play.

[PontiusPilate]

Their redoing this game. I expect at least a 90% since they now had time to go over their mistakes

[Setzer Gabianni]

A 90%?! For a spin-off? I think not, it isn't going to have that much of a % jump, no way! Ridiculous. Er, we are not getting the Online play apparently. Sure, these improvements all look nice, and lovely, but we haven't seen them in action, we have yet to see if it is going to make the game 10 times better then the Jap one.

~Setzer Gabianni

[SephiRave]

Music is the worst?
I surely dont think so.
I think its music is the best out of all Final Fantasies.
The quality of the sound of the instruments sound as if they are all orchestrated(Many orchestrated piece inside) and i can say it is damn good.....and they were so dramatic!
Although I am a Uematsu fan,but i have to admit that DOC's sound is the impressive.You dont get much repetitive music styles in it.
Maybe they just write it like that just because they are not even used to Hamauzu composing ambient-music style.

why bother about the Japanese version's flaw? We still have NA version and they have made some tweaks to it.Just wait patiently.(Do you think that KH2 sucks that much when IGN gave it a rating of 7++ only?? It is surely biased)

If we are the not real ff7 fans,we would not have loved ff7 so much(considering ff7 at that time has poor real time graphics,poor sound quality,annoying traditional ATB......)

For the magazine thing,just let them say what they want.................

[DudeSon2004]

Just because it didn't get a good review dosen't mean it's a flop (we have to see for ourselves).
I have played games that got bad reviews & they turned out to be pretty good.
Go Vincent!!!

[Setzer Gabianni]

I love the bias here. Heck, you're accusing these guys of being biased, yet you are yourselves xD?

FFXII has a better soundtrack, orchestral too - thing is, even though that was a Jap review too, more effort must have been put into FFXII.

The reviewers aren't biased, they LOVED FFVII, they LOVE Vincent, they are FF fans -

They do credit the FMV's tho =P

~Setzer Gabianni

EDIT: BTW, though I do not like the look of DoC much, I wish to see English reviews also. But some of you make good points.

[LunarWeaver]

I never had very high expectations for this in the first place. I figured it would be good but not the best thing ever, and I'm cool with that. To be honest, anybody who thought this game was going to be so perfect they'd nerdgasm over it was just asking to be let down. Spin-offs aren't really notorious for making you do the awesome dance. Whatever that is.

[pyro psychosis]

i kinda wish i woulda read that review before i reserved the freakin game. i still have faith though. i think the people are having high expectations for DoC as a follow-up to FFVII but that doesn't mean it won't be a fun game.

[My Bloody Valentine]

i kinda wish i woulda read that review before i reserved the freakin game. i still have faith though. i think the people are having high expectations for DoC as a follow-up to FFVII but that doesn't mean it won't be a fun game.

Same here, I reserved it too. I still think that it will be a good game.

I own the soundtrack, and it's not just Gackt that sounds good, the whole soundtrack is pretty awesome. Gackt just makes it better. ;)

I'm still getting it, despite the fact it has one bad review, and over ANY other reviews out there. I have faith in it as well.

[Setzer Gabianni]

Several other reviews gave it 3/4's but one gave it 76% - I'd have LOVED to see what they praised in there.

~Setzer Gabianni

[Rase]

I've seen everything from 3/10 to 7.5/10 for this game, which only leads me to believe the best choice for those interested in it is a rental to test it out. Personally, I think Square should have made this a team effort, perhaps with Capcom (DMC fame), considering this is thier first outing into the Shooter genre. Most of the gripes seem to center around the gameplay area, which is where Capcom's expertise could have come into play.

[Omni-Odin]

I respect your review, and I'll rent it first, probably even like it just for the fact that FFVII is amazing. However, I'm also the guy who thinks FFX-2 was pretty well done.

[Setzer Gabianni]

Remember, this isn't my review :P

~Setzer Gabianni

[Psychotic]

After reading that, Im going to avoid this game like the Plague. Im not a fan of shooters, and I was going to give it a go, but Im going to keep my £30 in my pocket.Based on just one review? When this thing comes out, I'm going to check several reviews (and indeed, posts in this very forum) and then decide whether I will buy it or rent it.

[PontiusPilate]

A few minor changes doesn't change a 36% to a 90%. I have incredibly low expectations for this game.

[Amaru]

A few minor changes doesn't change a 36% to a 90%. I have incredibly low expectations for this game.

I'd hardly call any of those minor changes. They are completely overhauling Vincent's mechanics. He is going to move much faster, shooting is much more fluid, and they are giving him those 'Matrix style' moves that the review said there was an apparant lack of. They are doing this by giving him a special side-dodge feature, and a double-jump manevour. Not to mention that you'll be able to use your magic a whole lot more since Vincent's Limit Breaks will no longer drain the magic bar but by collecting special Limit icons.

And we haven't gotten to the 40+ levels to replace the online mode.

Now, don't get me wrong. This isn't going to get a 90%. But these are hardly minor changes and aren't exactly going to add nothing to the score.

Like someone else mentioned, best to wait till the american version, with all these changes, is reviewed. 'Coz from all that's been mentioned, I just can't see it getting the same low score.

[Setzer Gabianni]

40+ levels mean nothing if it's just meaningless rubbish put in - if all levels repetitive, what's the point? Special side dodge and double jump? Doesn't make it anymore special then anything else really.

~Setzer Gabianni

[Amaru]

40+ levels mean nothing if it's just meaningless rubbish put in - if all levels repetitive, what's the point? Special side dodge and double jump? Doesn't make it anymore special then anything else really.

~Setzer Gabianni

Since we have no idea what those 40+ levels contain, it's a point that can't be argued.

Did you read the review you posted? Vincent's movements were slow and he couldn't do anything that they saw him do in the CGI. Now he can. I think that means alot.

But hey, it's obvious that you already made your mind on the game from the sound of your reply.

[PontiusPilate]

A few minor changes doesn't change a 36% to a 90%. I have incredibly low expectations for this game.

I'd hardly call any of those minor changes. They are completely overhauling Vincent's mechanics. He is going to move much faster, shooting is much more fluid, and they are giving him those 'Matrix style' moves that the review said there was an apparant lack of. They are doing this by giving him a special side-dodge feature, and a double-jump manevour. Not to mention that you'll be able to use your magic a whole lot more since Vincent's Limit Breaks will no longer drain the magic bar but by collecting special Limit icons.

And we haven't gotten to the 40+ levels to replace the online mode.

Now, don't get me wrong. This isn't going to get a 90%. But these are hardly minor changes and aren't exactly going to add nothing to the score.

Like someone else mentioned, best to wait till the american version, with all these changes, is reviewed. 'Coz from all that's been mentioned, I just can't see it getting the same low score.

I know it will raise its score up, but their making a followup to a classic and therefore it should get at least a 9/10

[Rase]

It may, depending on the reviewer. If someone gave the original a 7/10 (which people have), they could easily see the changes as grounds for raising it to a 9/10.

[Setzer Gabianni]

A few minor changes doesn't change a 36% to a 90%. I have incredibly low expectations for this game.

I'd hardly call any of those minor changes. They are completely overhauling Vincent's mechanics. He is going to move much faster, shooting is much more fluid, and they are giving him those 'Matrix style' moves that the review said there was an apparant lack of. They are doing this by giving him a special side-dodge feature, and a double-jump manevour. Not to mention that you'll be able to use your magic a whole lot more since Vincent's Limit Breaks will no longer drain the magic bar but by collecting special Limit icons.

And we haven't gotten to the 40+ levels to replace the online mode.

Now, don't get me wrong. This isn't going to get a 90%. But these are hardly minor changes and aren't exactly going to add nothing to the score.

Like someone else mentioned, best to wait till the american version, with all these changes, is reviewed. 'Coz from all that's been mentioned, I just can't see it getting the same low score.

I know it will raise its score up, but their making a followup to a classic and therefore it should get at least a 9/10

Follow ups arent always good, you have to understand that.

[PontiusPilate]

A few minor changes doesn't change a 36% to a 90%. I have incredibly low expectations for this game.

I'd hardly call any of those minor changes. They are completely overhauling Vincent's mechanics. He is going to move much faster, shooting is much more fluid, and they are giving him those 'Matrix style' moves that the review said there was an apparant lack of. They are doing this by giving him a special side-dodge feature, and a double-jump manevour. Not to mention that you'll be able to use your magic a whole lot more since Vincent's Limit Breaks will no longer drain the magic bar but by collecting special Limit icons.

And we haven't gotten to the 40+ levels to replace the online mode.

Now, don't get me wrong. This isn't going to get a 90%. But these are hardly minor changes and aren't exactly going to add nothing to the score.

Like someone else mentioned, best to wait till the american version, with all these changes, is reviewed. 'Coz from all that's been mentioned, I just can't see it getting the same low score.

I know it will raise its score up, but their making a followup to a classic and therefore it should get at least a 9/10

Follow ups arent always good, you have to understand that.

Thats a poor excuse, every game has the potential to be good, it just depends on wether they will work hard enough to do it

[nirojan]

i herad that they might change the inverted controls beefore it goes overseas due to japeneese complaints! obviosly you reviewed the jap version. Cause a 36%? That's almost imppossible!

[Rostum]

I never have liked the tone of most reviews on PSM2, and this is no exception.

Sure, they've given a bad review, I can understand that. Sometimes games don't live up to their expectations. I didn't hear anything about the story, or anything that important than the battle mechanics. Which as far as I know, they are changing for the english release.

The soundtrack, bad? I have the soundtrack, a lot of the songs are really well done and are very high quality mixes. They give a great mood, for what the game is. I have no idea why they'd think it's a bad soundtrack, I've heard really bad ones from movies and games, and this is by far not one of them. -_-;

I seriously don't know why these people import games to review, and I don't think they really gave it that much of a chance. I'd rather wait and hire the game when it comes out, rather than judge it before it has reached my shore, especially when they announced there will be a lot of changes to be made.

[PontiusPilate]

yeah i dont believe PSM2. Does anyone realize how bad a 36% is? You have to like try to get that bad of a score.

[SephiRave]

I never have liked the tone of most reviews on PSM2, and this is no exception.

Sure, they've given a bad review, I can understand that. Sometimes games don't live up to their expectations. I didn't hear anything about the story, or anything that important than the battle mechanics. Which as far as I know, they are changing for the english release.

The soundtrack, bad? I have the soundtrack, a lot of the songs are really well done and are very high quality mixes. They give a great mood, for what the game is. I have no idea why they'd think it's a bad soundtrack, I've heard really bad ones from movies and games, and this is by far not one of them. -_-;

I seriously don't know why these people import games to review, and I don't think they really gave it that much of a chance. I'd rather wait and hire the game when it comes out, rather than judge it before it has reached my shore, especially when they announced there will be a lot of changes to be made.


IMO,i think PSM2 is just trying to attract its readers by being so sarcastic. Else there will be nothing special about PSM2...For DOC, IGN and Gamespot's preview(import playtest) were far better than PSM2.

And how could they say the soundtrack is rubbish? Even for Nobuo Uematsu's previous soundtracks,i can say there some badly done musics(although i like most of his tracks). Masashi Hamauzu was better in terms of the sound quality and it's more consistent in terms of quality. i think it truely show the true power of the PS2 128-bit sound chip. (Uematsu's FFX Brave Advancement sounds the worst,featuring PS1 quality sounds)

And one thing, I really doubt if the reviewers of PSM2 knows Japanese?
If they dont,how are they gonna review?

[Setzer Gabianni]

What makes your opinion better then theirs? You know, take into consideration that they played the game, not you? I'm actually hoping for people to actually "respect" what they wrote, but, that seems hard here.

~Setzer Gabianni

[Rostum]

What makes your opinion better then theirs? You know, take into consideration that they played the game, not you? I'm actually hoping for people to actually "respect" what they wrote, but, that seems hard here.

~Setzer Gabianni

Everyone's opinion is more important to themselves. We're all saying we'd rather try it for ourselves, once the changes are made and it's released to other countries.

I don't know about you, but I don't really need some stangers telling me what games I should and shouldn't play/buy, especially with the tone PSM2 use in that review (and many others of theirs). And I don't know why, just because they've played the game, that you'd assume we must respect what they wrote about the game.

I can't begin to imagine how easily influenced you are by reviews. So, just so you know, they're not the end-all be-all of what a majority thinks of a game.

Edit: Another way I can not trust their review, is their remarks on the soundtrack. Which I actually do have, and I can't understand their reasonings.

[Amaru]

What makes your opinion better then theirs? You know, take into consideration that they played the game, not you? I'm actually hoping for people to actually "respect" what they wrote, but, that seems hard here.

~Setzer Gabianni

Everyone's opinion is more important to themselves. We're all saying we'd rather try it for ourselves, once the changes are made and it's released to other countries.

I don't know about you, but I don't really need some stangers telling me what games I should and shouldn't play/buy, especially with the tone PSM2 use in that review (and many others of theirs). And I don't know why, just because they've played the game, that you'd assume we must respect what they wrote about the game.

I can't begin to imagine how easily influenced you are by reviews. So, just so you know, they're not the end-all be-all of what a majority thinks of a game.

Edit: Another way I can not trust their review, is their remarks on the soundtrack. Which I actually do have, and I can't understand their reasonings.

Exactly. Thank you.

[Setzer Gabianni]

Excuse me? I'm so totally influenced by THEIR reviews? No, I am not, and don't go thinking that either Amaru. I had my doubts about this a long time ago, and like I have said, I am waiting for an English review/reviews before wasting my money on a game, thank you very much.

~Setzer Gabianni

[Laguna]

Hmm, frankly Im not one to listen to reviews like this any more. Most playstation magazines are so mainstream it's untrue. I swear, to get a score above 90% a game has to be:
- The next GTA (OMFG!111!1ones! It's set in a city! It's new! It's teh best game evaaar!)
- Pro evoultion soccer or Fifa (ironic how most fans can usually like one or the other, but according to the magazine both are the best football games of all time!)

Anything by Electronic Arts is guaranteed an 8/10. Movie tie-ins score at best 7, at worst 2.

Anyway, my observations of magazines aside, I have seen footage of DoC and frankly im interested. It looks to play a lot like Resi 4 (a game I played into a hole in the ground). Im not expecting a game of the year from DoC, but I am expecting a decent game with a storyline. It's not like SE are forcing me to payout £50 for this. I'll probably be able to pick it up for £25-£30 brand new. This is good enough for me.

[Rostum]

Excuse me? I'm so totally influenced by THEIR reviews? No, I am not, and don't go thinking that either Amaru. I had my doubts about this a long time ago, and like I have said, I am waiting for an English review/reviews before wasting my money on a game, thank you very much.

~Setzer Gabianni

Seems so, as you keep posting negative towards people who don't agree with the review, or with your opinion. Even if they haven't played the game, they still have a right to disagree with it.

[Setzer Gabianni]

I usually get carried away with arguing, so, ignore what I say because I seem to get quite a fiery temper :D

~Setzer Gabianni

[Avarice-ness]

I had gotten the OST online and when I listened to it, the first thing I thought is that it wouldn't fit in a game, -every- song is orchestrated as if your sitting in a concert hall. It's very not game style, but as a music person, I appreciate it because even though I don't see how it could -ever ever ever- fit into a video game, It's composed like any other high school symphony, maybe a town symphony. At first, before reading this and all the other things (mind you I'm an FF6 Girl, Not FF7) I was actually going to buy it for the straight idea of finding out, how the music could fit in. But after reading that and -all- the other one's i've read tonight maybe I won't. I think I'll just listen to the music, pretend I'm in a concert hall, and just erase the fact it was written for a video game.

If anyone at all has played it, can you tell me..
Do the songs really start they way they do, At the beginning of each song it's dramatic, as if introducing something new, but I highly doubt it gives me something new to go with the fanfare type thing. Does it help the game or not?

And yeah, the graphics are stunning, As I said, I'm not an FF7 person but you do have to feel sorry for something that was just thrown into the meat-ginder and mangled into defeat. Think of the kids that will want to play DoC, and have never played an FF game before, They'll be turned on by the graphics but once they realize that the game's not that great, they could shun all the FF's because of these really bad spin off's that are getting out of hand.
Think of the children. :cry:

[MysticD]

Considering the fact that Vincent looks so kick-ass and i LOVE shooting games,i'm gonna give it a shot...And i cant believe it got a 36%....These people must have really high expectations or something.

[Avarice-ness]

Considering the fact that Vincent looks so kick-ass and i LOVE shooting games,i'm gonna give it a shot...And i cant believe it got a 36%....These people must have really high expectations or something.
Alot of the reveiws I read said that they way the made the shooter aspect of it was just to complicated, like......... you have to stop to shoot things but they can keep running around and they don't need to stop to shoot you, and you can't hit an enemy unless locked on which makes things difficult because you have to stop and lock on to the enemy that's prolly running around and shooting you.

[Laugh at face of Danger]

I'm not so caring about what they say about these games, you know what your taste in games are so don't let a host of bad reveiws put you off. Anyway, any poor old game compared to FFVII will suffer by comparison, FFVII was a major breakthrough, and we shouldn't really be comparing it to the original, as it is a mere spinoff.

I'm still dishing out my money to get my hands on it (i hate shoot 'em alls, but i adore Vincent ^^;;)) purely as it's an FF title, and i don't care who slates it, it's gunna be in my colection

[Avarice-ness]

I'm not so caring about what they say about these games, you know what your taste in games are so don't let a host of bad reveiws put you off. Anyway, any poor old game compared to FFVII will suffer by comparison, FFVII was a major breakthrough, and we shouldn't really be comparing it to the original, as it is a mere spinoff.

I'm still dishing out my money to get my hands on it (i hate shoot 'em alls, but i adore Vincent ^^;;)) purely as it's an FF title, and i don't care who slates it, it's gunna be in my colection
Hehe, If I have the money I'll get it, I'm trying to move out and such so it wouldn't bother me if I didn't buy it, -but- I'm still curious on how the music plays into it. That's my only reason... the music.

[Rase]

And that's where renting comes into play. :)

[SephiRave]

I'm not so caring about what they say about these games, you know what your taste in games are so don't let a host of bad reveiws put you off. Anyway, any poor old game compared to FFVII will suffer by comparison, FFVII was a major breakthrough, and we shouldn't really be comparing it to the original, as it is a mere spinoff.

I'm still dishing out my money to get my hands on it (i hate shoot 'em alls, but i adore Vincent ^^;;)) purely as it's an FF title, and i don't care who slates it, it's gunna be in my colection
Hehe, If I have the money I'll get it, I'm trying to move out and such so it wouldn't bother me if I didn't buy it, -but- I'm still curious on how the music plays into it. That's my only reason... the music.

I've played the game.And i can say,mostly the dramatic musics are for the cutscenes and FMV.For the rest, the music is just like ambient-type which creates a suspense :" Oh,will there be a DEEP GROUND appearing next?" If listened from the OST,it might not create an impression in our hearts. But if it is played in a game......I can say that it is of top-notch quality and suits perfectly.Example,the battle themes are not like old-school FFs.Instead,they are played according to bosses you fight.(No need to listen to the "Battletheme" and "fanfare repeatedly already!)

[Avarice-ness]

I'm not so caring about what they say about these games, you know what your taste in games are so don't let a host of bad reveiws put you off. Anyway, any poor old game compared to FFVII will suffer by comparison, FFVII was a major breakthrough, and we shouldn't really be comparing it to the original, as it is a mere spinoff.

I'm still dishing out my money to get my hands on it (i hate shoot 'em alls, but i adore Vincent ^^;;)) purely as it's an FF title, and i don't care who slates it, it's gunna be in my colection
Hehe, If I have the money I'll get it, I'm trying to move out and such so it wouldn't bother me if I didn't buy it, -but- I'm still curious on how the music plays into it. That's my only reason... the music.

I've played the game.And i can say,mostly the dramatic musics are for the cutscenes and FMV.For the rest, the music is just like ambient-type which creates a suspense :" Oh,will there be a DEEP GROUND appearing next?" If listened from the OST,it might not create an impression in our hearts. But if it is played in a game......I can say that it is of top-notch quality and suits perfectly.Example,the battle themes are not like old-school FFs.Instead,they are played according to bosses you fight.(No need to listen to the "Battletheme" and "fanfare repeatedly already!)
Oh wow, Thanks. ^^ Maybe I'll give it a go...... Maybe.

[MysticD]

Considering the fact that Vincent looks so kick-ass and i LOVE shooting games,i'm gonna give it a shot...And i cant believe it got a 36%....These people must have really high expectations or something.
Alot of the reveiws I read said that they way the made the shooter aspect of it was just to complicated, like......... you have to stop to shoot things but they can keep running around and they don't need to stop to shoot you, and you can't hit an enemy unless locked on which makes things difficult because you have to stop and lock on to the enemy that's prolly running around and shooting you.

Wow..its gonna take some skill to beat that game!:eek:

[DarkLord]

"The worst spin-off of all time"
the developers have taken the rich, memorable world of FFVII and turned it into something that wouldn't look out of place in 50 Cent: Bulletproof.
This is a sad day for mankind... I only hope the improvements in the english version are big... VERY big...

[crayzee gamr]

Import version, but I am not sure the language of which it's in. My guess - Japanese. Still, I doubt the improvements will be that great. If you ain't going to buy it, try renting it or something.

~Setzer Gabianni
I always rent before I buy. I don't want to be hosed.

[Nakor TheBlue Rider]

Setzer Gabianni: ignore what I say
Done. :p

[Dreddz]

I was expecting average reviews, but 36% is very low. I doubt DOC is worth my time, still, its Final Fantasy and I will rent the game at least. Hopefully the NTSC/PAL versions will bump that score to at least 50%.
But I did tell everyone this game looked crap way back last year, in which I recieved flaming hotter than hell, guess i was right :p

[Rufinito18]

I doubt it deserves such a low score. Those PS2M2 people are just biased.

[Maux]

I doubt it deserves such a low score. Those PS2M2 people are just biased.

Ain't that the truth. They gave some of my favorite games low scores, I don't trust opinions from them. But I might be bias, but I don't usually listen to what any reviews say, I also don't rent games, I prefer to buy, that way I can both complete the game without a line and not waste five dollars + renting games I only get to keep for a few days. Some may say I'm stupid but it hasn't caused me any problems yet.

Personally I believe this game will be good. Not great, not terrible, just good. This after all is Square-enix's first attempt at a final fantasy game, you can't expect it to be perfect. Even if it does get bad reviews I'm still going to buy it(already pre-ordered and don't want to waste five bucks). If the game does poorly in sales we may never see another final fantasy shooter game again, and I believe that with experience they could make one awesome game down the road.

I'm a bit bias as I like the main characters in this upcoming game (probably one of the only people to actually like Cait Sith). Some games are good others bad, I believe this will be mediocre and will hold off on saying anymore than that until after I complete the game.

[darkchrono]

I think you guys are truly overeacting on this whole bit.

I read a review off of IGN on the game. And while they only gave the game a 7/10 what they said about the game I felt was pretty encouraging.

They said the thing that brought the game down was basically the shooter mechanics but that it still told a fantastic story. And that the story was the main part of the game.

And since the majority of people who will play a ff7 based game from here on out will be playing for the characters and the story and not the gameplay I don't think there is a whole lot to worry about. The aspect of the game that most people will be interested in got high praise.

[No.78]

Reviews are just the opinion of the writer! *shakes fist or something*

[I Am Stoner]

Reviews are just the opinion of the writer! *shakes fist or something*


Your words are so true.


My opinion on this subect is that it was a good decision for squareenix to make a spin-off like this, not because of the gameplay, but anything FF7 sells at the moment. So in terms of marketing and profit that was a good idea, but for the rest I say this..... Squareenix you have let your reputation down. Every other game I have played of thiers is a great game and deserves respect, but for me, this is a total let down. Squareenix, games better be getting better than this or my faith in your RPG's will start to waver. By the way, another game like this is coming out. Final Fantasy VII: DOC - The Lost Episode. Dude, square seems to be digging a grave at the moment, when all the FF hype has calmed down, how are they going to survive if thier original RPG fans dont stick with them? I mean, maybe it is time for square to move on from FF and make an entirly new game. A RPG better than any out there at the moment. Combining all the elements of a RPG and maybe mixing it with a little RT battles, i.e. like in star ocean: till the end of time, except a really good system, instead of only hard attack and light attack, have a great virety of attacks and movements. Well, that is what I think anyway.

Thank you for your time.:)

[darkchrono]

Have you played this game yet. If not how do you know it is not going to be good.


From reading through stuff about the game it looks like they put a heavier reliance on story rather than gameply (kind of like what the xeno franchise does).

In anycase I think that is a smart move on their part even if it may upset a few people. Because the majority of people who play final fantasy 7 related stuff will not be playing it for the gameplay anyhow.

[Distain]

In anycase I think that is a smart move on their part even if it may upset a few people. Because the majority of people who play final fantasy 7 related stuff will not be playing it for the gameplay anyhow.

Exactly.

[Vyk]

Is this one of those review places that think it has to be GTA to be good? There's a lot of hate and suspicion towards the reviewrs of this place and their motives. And the review really does sound like they didn't want the game to be any good so the moment they found a few flaws they stopped playing immediately and started bloating its critique way out of proportion. I agree a 36% is absurdly rediculous. Its not like they're the only reviewers importing games and reviewing them. I don't know who they're trying to fool. It must be europe's version of x-play or something.

Considering they obviously didn't listen to the music while playing, and their biggest gripes were movement and variety in level design, I think a few major tweaks could vastly improve the score. Though I doubt they'd change their minds much, they obviously want to hate it. But they're already tweaking movement and targetting. Put a little variety in level architecture and a few random NPCs scattered about, and mix-up the way you play through each level... It doesn't honestly sound like they need to change all that much. And then they're adding even more...

I don't expect the game to be stellar. But unfortunately for these reviewers, I've already heard from REGULAR people who have imported the game and beat it. And yes, in their opinions it was worth playing all the way through.

I pay attention to reviews, because I don't like wasting my money. But I also pay attention to bias in reviews. This review mentioned nothing of the story, just the play time. And that's plastered all over the internet. So I have to doubt they played much of the game at all, as I said earlier...

I will wait and read a real review when it's released

[Helios]

I tend to wait a while after games come out so they drop in price, then, if i dont like it. keep the receit and take it back saying i didn't like it or it didn't work. dishonest yes.....wrong.....yes
But I tend to like games that are spin offs from a franchise I like, hell I brought Aliens verses Predator:Extinction because i like both of them. And while that got bad reviews and I still quite liked it.Same with FFX-2 Although the reviews I got on that were around 6-8/10. I had heard bad things, and whilst its all "yeah go team" style I thoroughly enjoyed it and am, at the moment, going for 100% for the Tidus ending.
So I will get DoC for the fact that it's FF7, regardless of reviews when it comes down to about £10-£15 preowned etc.
Thats my "two cents worth":twocents:

[Rase]

I will wait and read a real review when it's released
Well, if you consider them the makers of real reviews, IGN recently gave the game American release of the game a solid 7/10 (http://ps2.ign.com/articles/724/724990p1.html). Not amazing, but not horrible.

[darkchrono]

And IGN said that the story was really good in the game but it was just the shooter mechanics of it that brought it down.

[Vyk]

I'm more interested in the story anyway. If I wanted a good shooter I could get that elsewhere

[G3ORGE]

It doesnt matter what it was given if you like it then you like it but they cant review it the way you want because there not you.

[G SpOtZ]

It doesnt matter what it was given if you like it then you like it but they cant review it the way you want because there not you.
I'm not surprised that I had trouble understanding that, considering it came from someone who spells his name with a 3 AND an E. So much for consistency, you failure.

That was unnecessarily rude. Don't bother next time. -kikimm

[ValkyrieWing]

It might get bad reviews, but that's not going to prevent me from playing this game...I've been waiting too long, my friend has it reserved, and I have faith that they can fix whatever problems there might be.

[Hyperion4444]

I don't think it deserves such a bad score. (Even for the import)

[darkchrono]

Review from gamespot is in. It only got a 6/10 but it also backs up what people have been saying in that it tells a good story but the thing that brings it down is just the gameplay. So if if you are going to get it for the story and don't really care about the gameplay it should still be a good buy or rent for you.


Here's the link

http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/dirgeofcerberusfinalfantasyvii/review.html?sid=6155471

[falco9956]

This game was awesome. I have played both versions and true, the jap version sucks, but dang, you dont have to go banging on the eng version. That one was improved 100%. Double jump, slide dodge, another level of the cerberus, cerberus relief item, elixer, cait sith, and another machine gun. Plus more health and gil for level completions. Come on, just cause you think it is bad doesnt mean you can put it down. Some people like it and some dont, and for people who are expecting it, you are convincing people who even like gun games to put this game down. That is not right. Dont ruin it for others.

[Zeromus_X]

The gameplay is actually improved from the Japanese version. So in addition to a nice little storyline with Mr. Valentine, we have smoother gameplay. Not a bad game by any means.

[BizarroSephiroth]

"The worst spin-off of all time"

Final Fantasy VII - Dirge of Cerberus

The best RPG ever is used, abused, and transformed into one of the most dire shooters we've ever seen. Yeuch.

We're disappointed in you, Square Enix. How can you follow up Final Fantasy XII, Kingdom Hearts II, and Dragon Quest with this? Not even our love of the source material makes it bearable. Final Fantasy VII has become a tepid shooter with nothing to offer but pretty CG and fan-baiting references to the PSone original. Ok, we chuckled when Yuffie appeared in the intro, but we're easily impressed sometimes.
The control system is its biggest fault. There are three ways of viewing the action; first-person, third-person and over-the-shoulder like in Resident Evil 4. Neither work particularly well and, for some reason only the developers will ever know, both the vertical and horizontal camera controls are inverted. It's like trying to do a crossword in the mirror and the lack of a lock-on (in all but easy mode) makes things distinctly ball-tightening. While you're shooting, Vincent lumbers around clumsily and dodging incoming fire is an exercise in randomness. Even regular movement is irksome thanks to the clunky controls and cardboard cut-out levels. In the intro Vincent merrily bounds around Matrix-style, but during the game a waist-high fence is an impassable onject. Stupid.

Dull as ditchwater:

Depressingly, the developers have taken the rich, memorable world of FFVII and turned it into something that wouldn't look out of place in 50 Cent: Bulletproof. Empty streets, gloomy villages, featureless deserts and - this annoys us more then anything - a sewer level. Half an hour of trudging through bland, identical tunnels! It makes Without Warning look like Mardi Gras. Worse yet, every level follows the same formula - shoot men, find key card, pass gate, shoot more men, fight boss, end level. Dirge of Ceberus is overcast with cheerless tedium and playing it is a test of patience, even if you love FFVII.

PSM2 Verdict:

Gameplay

+The gun customization is a good idea
- Simplistic, predictable and no fun whatsoever

Graphics

+ Gorgeous CG and nice character models
- Flat boring, and charmless

Sound

+Excellent theme tune by Jap pop star Gackt
- Otherwise, a fairly weak score, rubbishly

Lifespan - If you're playing it online - and you probably won't be - itll last a while. Otherwise it's your average 10 hour adventure.

Final Comment: Terrible. Overblown, opportunistic nonsense. If you're a FFVII fan avoid Dirge of Cerberus completely - it'll only sully your memories.

It's better then..

State of Emergency 2

It's worse then...

DMC3

Overall % - 36%


(Main review of the game from the PSM2 magazine)


I also posted this at ac.net and ffxii.net


I don't trust magazines anymore. Ever since they said Bloodrayne 2 got a 5.5 out of 10, i played it and loved it.

Dirge will still be mine!

[Orophin]

Lifespan - If you're playing it online - and you probably won't be - itll last a while. Otherwise it's your average 10 hour adventure.

He played the japanese version, there is no online in the NA version of the game.

[Rase]

Welcome to almost three months ago.


Is this the review for the Japanese version or the American version? Because supposedly the American version is gonna have changes that'll make the game more enjoyable


Import version, but I am not sure the language of which it's in. My guess - Japanese. Still, I doubt the improvements will be that great. If you ain't going to buy it, try renting it or something.

~Setzer Gabianni