Dissidia: Final Fantasy
By Harold Goldberg,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Admirable mix of RPG and fighting creates complex game.
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Dissidia: Final Fantasy
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What’s It About?
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.
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.
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.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
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?
Game Details
- Platform: PSP
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Square Enix
- Release date: August 25, 2009
- Genre: Role-Playing
- ESRB rating: T for Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Partial Nudity
- Last updated: August 31, 2016
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