Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus - T
Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this action game features lots of gunplay, sci-fi weaponry, and some sword fighting. Players blast humans, monsters, and robots, although there's no blood. Some cut scenes have intense (but gore-less) violence, like point-blank shootings or an implied beheading. A few scenes include smoking, some talk of drinking, and a lot of strong -- but scantily clad -- heroines.
Families can talk about game sequels and games that are part of a series. Are you more interested in a game if you like the characters from other games? Can you think of another game you'd like to see made into a series? Movie sequels never seem to be as good as the original; is the same true for games?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Chris Jozefowicz
Final Fantasy VII, from 1997, is one of the most beloved games in the long-running Final Fantasy role-playing-game series. But only die-hard fans will love the new spin-off, FINAL FANTASY VII: DIRGE OF CERBERUS, a repetitive shooter with too much storytelling.
Vincent Valentine, a minor character from Final Fantasy VII, is recruited to help the World Regeneration Organization in its war against the mysterious and aggressive Deep Ground soldiers. The battles take place in a compelling world that's part medieval fantasy and part sci-fi. The game's strengths come from the cinematic beauty of many of the cut scenes and the excellent music, both of which help bring this intriguing world to life.
As players push Vincent through this war, they learn about his painful past and inner demons. In fact, Vincent can briefly change into a powerful demon to thrash enemies, but he spends most of the game blasting soldiers with pistols, rifles, and machine guns.
Players can customize Vincent's guns, buying upgrades and mixing and matching dozens of parts to modify the weapons. The Cerberus of the title is a three-barreled gun (inspired by the mythological three-headed dog).
But despite the slick, techno-goth atmosphere and wealth of options, Dirge of Cerberus never manages to be more than an average action game.
Part of the problem is that the fighting is repetitive and becomes dull. Players guide Vincent through tightly controlled, linear environments, gunning down a few types of generic enemy soldiers over and over. The differences between the gun components are frequently hard to detect, and players can ignore options like Vincent's hand-to-hand combat and magic abilities entirely and still cruise through the missions.
What's more, the action and story elements are awkwardly integrated. A typical mission is book-ended by around 10 minutes of cut scenes, and the action is repeatedly interrupted by story-telling segments (and short loading times). Some levels spend more time showing cut scenes than putting blastable enemies on screen.
Players who really miss exploring the Final Fantasy VII universe may find the game interesting, since many characters from the previous game make an appearance in Dirge of Cerberus. But even fans might want to check this game out with a rental first.
Teens looking for a more engaging role-playing game should check out Guild Wars: Factions on PC or Kingdom Hearts 2 for PS2, which also features Final Fantasy characters.
Rate It!
| Content | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CS | adults | kids | ||
Sexual ContentEven in war, the women seem to like short skirts and skimpy clothes. |
 |
|
||
ViolenceLots of guns and sci-fi weapons, but no blood or gore. |
 |
|
||
LanguageAn occassional "damn" or "dammit." |
|
|
||
Message |
|
|
||
Social BehaviorLots of fighting, but the hero sometimes must protect innocents. |
 |
|
||
CommercialismThe game is part of a long-running series and has ties to a movie. |
|
|
||
Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoOne character is shown smoking, and he makes mention of drinking some "cold ones." |
 |
|
||
Educational Value |
|
|
||
