Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII

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Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII
Box art for Dirge of Cerberus.
Release Dates:	January 26, 2006 (Japan) August 15, 2006 (US) November 17, 2006 (Europe)
Rating:	ESRB: Teen
Platform(s):	Playstation 2

1 Introduction
2 Plot
3 Gameplay
4 US Version
5 DoC Directory Links
6 External Links

Introduction

Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus, is one of several new creations by Square-Enix that form the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. The main character happens to be Vincent Valentine, a hidden and optional character from the original Final Fantasy VII. It is an "RPG Shooter", combining traditional RPG elements like focus on storyline, HP, EXP and more but putting them into a third-person shooting game. The game's time frame is set 3 years after the events of Final Fantasy VII, with many flashbacks to about thirty years previous.

Plot

The game begins as a new group of Shinra soldiers cause havoc and destruction at the town Kalm, three years after Final Fantasy VII. They are named Deepground, because they come from a third, underground layer of Midgar. They have an elite group of five Deepground soldiers called Tsviets, one of which is Deepground's leader, Weiss. Deepground had become trapped underneath Midgar after the meteor incident. Now that they have escaped, they are seeking out Vincent, who they intend to get an item called the Protomateria from. Deepground's aim is to awaken the Omega Weapon and they need the Protomateria to control it. Throughout the game Vincent is under pursuit by Deepground, and on his journey he discovers more about his past, about things such as Lucretia Crescent and the experiments she and Hojo did on him.

Reeve Tuesti, controller of the robot Cait Sith, is now leader of the World Regenesis Organization (WRO), aimed at restoring the Planet and stopping any further damage to it. Vincent is working on the side of the WRO throughout Dirge of Cerberus, and is often supported by WRO soldiers. Yuffie is with them, as well. The WRO also has under its employ a new main character, Shalua Rui, who has ties to one of the Tsviets.

Gameplay

As previously mentioned, Dirge of Cerberus combines traditional RPG elements with a third-person shooter interface. Vincent uses three different types of guns: sniper rifles, machine guns, and his trusty Cerberus. Vincent's claw can be used for melee attacks as well. All the guns are fully customizable and all elements are upgradable, adding a strategy element as you choose the best setup for different parts of the game, and which upgrades to spend your gil on.

US Version

As the developers at Square Enix were unhappy with the final Japanese version of the game, they decided to make some changes for the North American release.

Vincent can move 1.2 times faster.
Vincent can double jump as well as perform melee and shooting combos midair.
There is keyboard and mouse support for a more PC-style FPS experience.
Easy mode has been removed and an Extra Hard mode has been added.
The online mode has been removed and replaced by extra missions.
Limits do not cost magic. Instead, items called Limit Breakers allow Vincent to transform.