Review: Final Fantasy Dissidia (PSP)
Play as your favourite FF characters in this new fighting game.
Oct 8, 2009
Final Fantasy, is a franchise known to every gamer for its complex and involving RPG games. From Final Fantasy 1 to the upcoming Final Fantasy 13, these games have always been about providing an immersive experience for its players, with intricate plotlines and memorable characters.
However, Dissidia provides a different challenge for Final Fantasy fans. It concentrates on 1v1 fighting, with players picking their favourite characters from the series. Dont despair yet, the RPG elements so synonymous with the franchise have not been done away with entirely. In amongst all the duelling you will be able to do a suprisingly large amount of tweaking and modification to your chosen character.
A Final Fantasy Fighting Game?
Yes that's right, its not a fully fledged RPG game. In fact, the RPG elements of this game take more of a backseat as the focus is mostly on intense, high paced duelling between characters from the Final Fantasy series 1-10. At the beginning you dont have the full quota of characters, but you can unlock them via progress in the game, making playing as each character in their respective "story modes" a rewarding experience. In game, characters have two main forms of attack, HP and Bravery.
With HP attacks, the character will reduce an enemies health. With Bravery attacks, the character will reduce the opponents defence and increase his attack power without reducing the enemies health. So some thought is required during the battles.
Duelling:
The controls are well thought out which allows for easy control over your character. There are no frustratingly difficult sequences, things are kept simple but there is plenty of variety to keep things fresh such as varying attacks for both ground and air combat. The gameplay is solid, with battles flowing naturally.
There is no button bashing here, players must think before acting, some attacks are fast and some slow, they range in distance and power also. One must also cater to each opponent faced as each character is unique in ability. Cloud for instance is all about power and big strikes with his sword, whereas Zidane is an airborne master, providing lighting quick attacks and quick movements at reduced power.
What About The RPG Elements?
Each and every character is customisable in several ways. On a purely visual level, each character can unlock a second alternate costume which is a nice inclusion. All characters can buy, sell and trade new equipment as they go through their various story modes. Accessories are also available such as rings and artifacts.
However, the inclusion of the "Battlegen" section makes things more interesting here. As one battles, he may do something, such as defeat an opponent in 10 seconds, or slam the opponent into a wall that unlocks further accessories. It really is quite in depth and could easily be discussed on its own in a separate article. Levelling up through the accumulation of experience is a major part of the game also. If players are struggling in story mode, they can partake in a quick battle or 2 to gain some levels and make things easier.
Go On...
Even the moves and attacks each character has are customisable. As one gains experience and levels up, unlocking various abilities, they can include them in their movesets, or not, at will and change how the character plays.
This is an excellent feature for a fighting game and other companies should take note. Summons are also unlockable but play somewhat of a backseat role in the game, helping out randomly when the player needs it. As the player gains "PP" in the game, he can use it to pay for more unlockable treats as well. There really is so much on offer here that the game could be faulted for being overly complex.
How Does It Look?
Very nice is the simple answer. The graphics are good and the effects look great. However, some of the levels can be rather annoyingly cramped to fight in, restricting the natural flow. These levels can also cause issues with the camera. The voice acting and scripts are rather poor and cheesy to listen to as well.
Verdict: 7.5/10
This is a good game, succeeding as a fighting game and as a small RPG. There is a large cast to choose from, plenty of tweaking to be done and it looks great. However it does suffer from some minor issues and can be a little overwhelming due to the multitude of features.
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