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Dissidia: Final Fantasy

(2009, Video Games - Role Playing Games, Rated T, Play it on: PSP)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 12, age appropriate for kids over 14; suggested age 14.
  • Is it any good?

    4.0
  • Common Sense says

    Admirable mix of RPG and fighting creates complex game.

In this game kids can:   battle others, be creative, become a hero, kill non-humans (without blood), live vicariously, play in a virtual world, play multiplayer games, play with others

Why We Rated This on for Ages 14 and Up

The good stuff

  • Ease of play:

    Medium. This is a complex game with role-playing elements, card trading, and fighting aspects that is made easier through tutorials.
  • Educational value:

    Not an issue.
  • Online interaction:

    You can fight others and trade cards online. You might have to wait a while before you can find a partner to play with.
  • Messages:

    The message is that peace can be accomplished through war, tempered by ethics and morals. But war, even the one-on-one variety, is hell.
  • Role models:

    While some of the godly and heroic characters are complex regarding morals, they all work together to form a team that defeats evil.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Fantasy violence abounds here with fireworks-like magic used to hit your foes. Players participate in battles during which they can summon magical creatures, cast their own magic, or use swords, axes, or boomerangs. The Final Blow -- the end of the battle -- is particularly over-the-top because it is shown in slow motion. But there is never any blood or guts.
  • Sex:

    There is a handful of female playable characters and a couple of these are dressed in teen dream video game staples: tight corsets and short pants, partially displaying breasts and buttocks.
  • Language:

    Mild language includes "damn," "hell," and "bastard."
  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Not an issue.
 

What Parents Need to Know

This review of Dissidia: Final Fantasy was written by Harold Goldberg

Parents needs to know that this game combines role-playing and combat elements to create a complex gaming experience. But there is a thorough tutorial to help newbies out. The violence is mostly magical with some sword play, and it is never bloody. Scantily clad female characters can be seen. And light cussing is part of the dialogue.The message is positive, going beyond the usual save-the-world pablum. If you don't like the RPG element, you can just play the game as a fighter.

Families Can Talk About

Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
  • After playing Dissidia, would you like to play other Final Fantasy games? Would you rather play a new unique game or a sequel involving a familar world?
  • Would you like to live in a world of ruled by gods? Why or why not? Which of the godly characters would you like to be?
  • Do the opening movie and the cut scenes add or detract from the gameplay? How so?
Did this review help you decide?
Do you play it? Review It!

More on Dissidia: Final Fantasy

What’s the Story?

There may never have been a more powerful battle of the gods for Sony’s PSP. In DISSIDIA: FINAL FANTASY, goddess of harmony Cosmos and god of destruction Chaos have come to tragic blows. Brutal Chaos seemingly has won over the peaceful Cosmos. In this role-playing game with gigantic, over-the-top battles on earth, in the sky, and in space, you fight so that your character can become stonger or "level-up." You can play as about two dozen characters, who all try to save the universe and restore peace to a very troubled planet. Close

Is It Any Good?

Dissidia sports one of the most awesome, most stunning opening movies ever seen. That’s saying a lot since the game’s presented on the smaller PSP screen and made by Square/Enix, a gaming company known for its detailed, film-like sequences.

But once you get into the gameplay, there’s a feeling of repetitiveness as you fight to try to level-up and become more powerful. While there’s no blood, the fighting is tough, glorious, and ego-filled, full of hubris at the end of each battle. The oft thin dialogue is godly, full of talk about ethics and morality, and has you thinking about what’s right and wrong. While the fighting can be banal if you don’t try new moves, the amount of things you can do with powerups and collected treasures is impressive. Overall, this is an admirable, though not perfect, addition to the ever-broadening Final Fantasy series.

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Publisher’s Details

Released on 8/25/2009, price $39.99, online enabled
ESRB rating: T (for Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Partial Nudity)

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Our Members Say

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    I rate this title on for age 12 and give it 4.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence

    hitler is back from the dead

    ht

  2. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    I rate this title on for age 14 and give it 5.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate language
    • Excessive consumerism

    • My highlights are:
    • Positive messages
    • Good role models

    Long, fun, it's the ultimate Final Fantasy!

    Easily one of the most dominant games on the PSP, with literally hundreds of hours of gameplay, as the main story spans ten different Destiny Odysseys and four chapters of a mode called Shade Impulse. Along with the fact that there are twenty characters (and two secret ones) to level all the way to one-hundred...well, the problem here would be tearing ourselves away from the PSP. This game is also far more understandable if one is already a fan of the series. It was made for fans, and there's plenty of fanservice (not the sexual kind!!), but the story is still quite understandable. Being a fan just gives an added bonus of catching all the little details and references. Also--Golbez's English voice rocks.

  3. Parent Reviewer
    I rate this title on for age 13 and give it 4.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language

    ok for teens

    love it

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