If you've been paying attention to upcoming PSP games, you'll know that Final Fantasy: Dissidia has been one of the most anticipated titles on the list. Dissidia is the wet dream of every Final Fantasy fanboy: it pits heroes and villains of Final Fantasy I-X (along with a few others) against each other in a very stylish fighting game.
I was able to get an import copy, so this is for the Japanese version, but I doubt that the core gameplay will change that much. This game is somewhat import-friendly: equipment and accessories will be the biggest stumbling block, but otherwise you can just fight.
Graphics: If someone showed me this and said it was for a home console, I wouldn't be too surprised. The arenas look amazing, as do the effects and the characters: Square-Enix has managed to squeeze everything they could into making this game look as gorgeous as possible.
Sound: Almost all of the fan favorites are here, in beautiful rendition, as well as a couple of new ones. You can choose which theme you want for each battle, which means you can recreate epic match-ups with the replay feature (explained below).
Gameplay: Gameplay consists of two modes: adventure mode and battle mode. Adventure mode is basically just a board game: you move your character around, collecting treasure and fighting enemies.
Battle mode is actually quite good, but strange: the game's balanced in the fact that everyone is overpowered. To explain this, I'll have to explain the controls.
There's a number gauge on top of your HP meter which is your brave, and you have two different types of attacks: Brave attacks and HP attacks (done with Circle and Square, respectively). Brave attacks change the Brave values of you and your opponent (i.e. if my Brave attack hits for 15 damage, I gain 15 Brave and you lose 15 Brave). HP attacks, on the other hand, damage your opponent's HP meter, but they don't have a set value. If your HP attack hits, it'll do damage equal to your Brave and then drain your Brave to 0.
If your HP meter goes to 0, you lose the battle. If your Brave meter goes to 0 (or rather past 0), then you enter a state called Break mode. In between you and your opponent's meters, there's a third number. It's like a running tab: the more you fight without either person Breaking, the higher it accumulates. Once someone Breaks, the other person gets ALL of the Brave in there, which can mean instant death if they then hit you with an HP attack. You have to balance between attacking and preventing Break at all times, and it's a unique and fun system.
Unlockables: What would a JRPG be without extras? The extras in this game, however, are amazing. You have two secret characters (surprisingly somewhat balanced), a trading/blacksmithing system, accessorizing, summons, alternate costumes/voices, regular characters, etc. But the gem of all of these is the replay feature.
The replay feature is unlocked once you complete two of the ten basic stories. It allows you to record any match you want, and then has a built-in converter AND editor. The converter changes them to AVI format, which means you can move it over to your computer and do basically anything with it. The editor, on the other hand, can make a basic battle into an epic story: it removes the meters, and you can play with camera angles, so you can make it look like a cutscene.
Multiplayer: This is probably the only stumbling block, and it's not even that big a deal. Dissidia uses Ad-Hoc multiplayer, which means that it supports local multiplayer with the PSP and online multiplayer with the PS3. There's no built-in on-line support with just the PSP, but Dissidia supports Xlink Kai (which is a program that allows you to do on-line multiplayer with just the PSP).
My opinion? BUY IT. Even if you don't like Final Fantasy that much, every thought you've ever expressed about wanting to beat Cloud's head in can be done, recorded, and put up on Youtube. If you have a PS3, are familiar with Xlink Kai, or just want to play locally, I'd suggest Day one purchase: it's just THAT good. Let me put it another way: I got the game three days ago, and I've logged 40 hours in it already.
I'm no good with video editing, so what I'm going to post isn't really a "review supplement", but I'll post one of my replay videos instead.
Dammit you stole my idea...although i was gonna review it when it came out in north america. Decent review none the less although you forgot to mention another great feature they put in for the game...DATA install. You can install the game on your mem stick to make load times and such quicker and extra smooth. I decided i was gonna buy this game from day one, and all the videos out there of people using different characters just enforces it. The game looks great and is certainly a breath of fresh air to a rather stagnant genre.
Daymo: It seems quite repetitive from the video, there doesn't seem to be all that many different moves, is that a problem in it?
name one fighting game that isn't. Also you unlock more moves as you level up your character.
I really hope they give this game down loadable content. I mean really...the amount of awesome characters they can put in here is just astronomical. It's a shame they had to exclude Lightning and Noctis (FF13/versus13 characters) so not to lock them down before their games are released.. They can easily have down loadable characters and maps. Can't wait till spring/summer when this comes out. The omission of infrastructure is not so bad as yu can ad-hoc party with the PS3, and well...a fighting games biggest turn off it lag, and infrastructure can bring about lots of that.
-Seraph-: Dammit you stole my idea...although i was gonna review it when it came out in north america. Decent review none the less although you forgot to mention another great feature they put in for the game...DATA install. You can install the game on your mem stick to make load times and such quicker and extra smooth. I decided i was gonna buy this game from day one, and all the videos out there of people using different characters just enforces it. The game looks great and is certainly a breath of fresh air to a rather stagnant genre.
Daymo: It seems quite repetitive from the video, there doesn't seem to be all that many different moves, is that a problem in it?
name one fighting game that isn't. Also you unlock more moves as you level up your character.
I really hope they give this game down loadable content. I mean really...the amount of awesome characters they can put in here is just astronomical. It's a shame they had to exclude Lightning and Noctis (FF13/versus13 characters) so not to lock them down before their games are released.. They can easily have down loadable characters and maps. Can't wait till spring/summer when this comes out. The omission of infrastructure is not so bad as yu can ad-hoc party with the PS3, and well...a fighting games biggest turn off it lag, and infrastructure can bring about lots of that.
Okay, that's pretty good that you unlock more as you play. Now I will seriously consider this game.
well that and he probably just stuck to a specific move set that be is comfortable with. In fighting vids I rarely see the full move set of a character shown because the player sticks with the moves he/she likes. If it's on a hand held don't expect a tekken library of moves either, less buttons means less combos.
ZantetsukenQ: I really want a PSP for this, Crisis Core, and God of War:Chains of Olympus.
*sigh* A price reuction would be welcome anytime soon.
Uh....it's like maybe 10 bucks more than the DS...well here it is. Beg your parents to get it for you for Christmas, or some crazy thing. 2009 has a really good lineup for PSP games, playstation in general is going to have a real good year.
ZantetsukenQ: I really want a PSP for this, Crisis Core, and God of War:Chains of Olympus.
*sigh* A price reuction would be welcome anytime soon.
Uh....it's like maybe 10 bucks more than the DS...well here it is. Beg your parents to get it for you for Christmas, or some crazy thing. 2009 has a really good lineup for PSP games, playstation in general is going to have a real good year.
And here I was trying so hard to justify not buying one. Well if I get one, it will be off my own back. Wait did I say if? I mean WHEN I get one. I also need to ask the question as to weather this is getting a European realease? Otherwise import it is.
ZantetsukenQ: I really want a PSP for this, Crisis Core, and God of War:Chains of Olympus.
*sigh* A price reuction would be welcome anytime soon.
Uh....it's like maybe 10 bucks more than the DS...well here it is. Beg your parents to get it for you for Christmas, or some crazy thing. 2009 has a really good lineup for PSP games, playstation in general is going to have a real good year.
And here I was trying so hard to justify not buying one. Well if I get one, it will be off my own back. Wait did I say if? I mean WHEN I get one. I also need to ask the question as to weather this is getting a European realease? Otherwise import it is.
Europe has yet to be announced. For north America it is speculated to come out July 13th or something like that. The reason I got that date is because Dec 18th was when dissidia released in japan, it was also the same day FF1 was first released in japan 20 years ago. July 13th was when NA first got FF1 and since this game is celebrating FF's 20th anniversary it kinda makes sense. I am certain there will be a euro release, if not you can always import the North American version, that's the beauty of PSP's not being region locked :) who knows, NA and Europe may get a simultaneous release, and if not import away.
All i know is it would be GREAT to have the option of having English or jap voices just because some people may prefer one over the other, also I will not accept anyone but Mark Hamil to voice Kefka, NO ONE!!
You can't really compare to crisis core, as in crisis core was a RPG and Dissidia is a fighting game (albiet aimed at RPG players).
This is a game for fans, who can enjoy playing out really cool moves with their favourite characters. So don't be expecting a super complex fighter.
Another thing which i think is cool is the offline battle mode. You can create a friend with whatever character you prefer, and leave your psp in search sleep mode. If it finds anyone with dissidia, it will swap the friend cards, and you can fight a ghost of the characters on the friend cards off line.
The gameplay style reminds me a lot of an OLD mech fighting arcade game, with really agile mechs that you controlled using two joysticks. The camera was exactly like that.
xitel: The gameplay style reminds me a lot of an OLD mech fighting arcade game, with really agile mechs that you controlled using two joysticks. The camera was exactly like that.
Virtual On: Cyber Troopers. It was praised for it's quick gameplay and intuitive combat system. It was ported to the Sega Saturn well, and a shitty version (which I bought) that was signifigantly slowed down, called Virtua On: Marz, to the PS2. It was never really big here in the states.
xitel: The gameplay style reminds me a lot of an OLD mech fighting arcade game, with really agile mechs that you controlled using two joysticks. The camera was exactly like that.
Virtua On. It was praised for it's quick gameplay and intuitive combat system. It was ported to the Sega Saturn well, and a shitty version (which I bought) that was signifigantly slowed down, called Virtua On: Marz, to the PS2. It was never really big here in the states.
Yay! Now I know what it's called! Thank you. I loved that game. It was in the laser tag place in my town, and I liked it even more than the laser tag. Then they got rid of it, and I almost cried.
xitel: The gameplay style reminds me a lot of an OLD mech fighting arcade game, with really agile mechs that you controlled using two joysticks. The camera was exactly like that.
Virtua On. It was praised for it's quick gameplay and intuitive combat system. It was ported to the Sega Saturn well, and a shitty version (which I bought) that was signifigantly slowed down, called Virtua On: Marz, to the PS2. It was never really big here in the states.
Yay! Now I know what it's called! Thank you. I loved that game. It was in the laser tag place in my town, and I liked it even more than the laser tag. Then they got rid of it, and I almost cried.
Ah! Sorry, see above for my edit. It's VIRUTAL On. Virtua just got me alot of hits for Virtua fighter (another Saturn title)
Virtual was the "64" title tag of the saturn apparently.
Anyway more to the point, your analysis is correct- Virtual On ALSO only had 2 (3 couting grenades?) kinds of attack and the effects were inteirly context sensitive dashing backwards or side to side had different affects from standing still, or jumping (jump attacks were usually AOE or homing, dash attacks were usually spray attacks or homing, standing still were usually charged attacks or more powerful, and the DISTANCE from your enemy had an effect too (attacking up close yeilded a melee attack which was more powerful but left you open).
Also, Fei-yin was the first time I found a robot sexually attractive. Uhh, that came out wrong...
xitel: The gameplay style reminds me a lot of an OLD mech fighting arcade game, with really agile mechs that you controlled using two joysticks. The camera was exactly like that.
Virtua On. It was praised for it's quick gameplay and intuitive combat system. It was ported to the Sega Saturn well, and a shitty version (which I bought) that was signifigantly slowed down, called Virtua On: Marz, to the PS2. It was never really big here in the states.
Yay! Now I know what it's called! Thank you. I loved that game. It was in the laser tag place in my town, and I liked it even more than the laser tag. Then they got rid of it, and I almost cried.
Ah! Sorry, see above for my edit. It's VIRUTAL On. Virtua just got me alot of hits for Virtua fighter (another Saturn title)
Virtual was the "64" title tag of the saturn apparently.
Doesn't change the fact that the game was awesome. And Dissidia looks very similar. That trailer up at the top of the thread has actually convinced me to pick the game up.
To me it looks like it combines the best aspects of smash bros, soul calibur, and power stone into one awesome package. so far nothing but good thigs have bin said about it.
There is a deity up there, and they are laughing their ass off at me. *Sigh* Batman: Arkham Asylum AND this being released in such a short time frame? Come on! As for Dissidia itself: It looks like a fighter that I can sink my teeth into. And the plethora of extras that I keep hearing of only sweetens the deal.
Oh man, I remember Virtual On. I played the port of that for the Dreamcast pretty often, fun game. I'd've never made the connection between the two either. That's pretty cool.
Though a friend said it was horrible, he compared it to Castlevania: Judgement. So it's gotta be bad. But I dunno, I'd never buy a PSP, so I suppose I'll never really know.
Daymo: It seems quite repetitive from the video, there doesn't seem to be all that many different moves, is that a problem in it?
name one fighting game that isn't. Also you unlock more moves as you level up your character.
I really hope they give this game down loadable content. I mean really...the amount of awesome characters they can put in here is just astronomical. It's a shame they had to exclude Lightning and Noctis (FF13/versus13 characters) so not to lock them down before their games are released.. They can easily have down loadable characters and maps. Can't wait till spring/summer when this comes out. The omission of infrastructure is not so bad as yu can ad-hoc party with the PS3, and well...a fighting games biggest turn off it lag, and infrastructure can bring about lots of that.
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If you've been paying attention to upcoming PSP games, you'll know that Final Fantasy: Dissidia has been one of the most anticipated titles on the list. Dissidia is the wet dream of every Final Fantasy fanboy: it pits heroes and villains of Final Fantasy I-X (along with a few others) against each other in a very stylish fighting game.
I was able to get an import copy, so this is for the Japanese version, but I doubt that the core gameplay will change that much. This game is somewhat import-friendly: equipment and accessories will be the biggest stumbling block, but otherwise you can just fight.
Graphics: If someone showed me this and said it was for a home console, I wouldn't be too surprised. The arenas look amazing, as do the effects and the characters: Square-Enix has managed to squeeze everything they could into making this game look as gorgeous as possible.
Sound: Almost all of the fan favorites are here, in beautiful rendition, as well as a couple of new ones. You can choose which theme you want for each battle, which means you can recreate epic match-ups with the replay feature (explained below).
Gameplay: Gameplay consists of two modes: adventure mode and battle mode. Adventure mode is basically just a board game: you move your character around, collecting treasure and fighting enemies.
Battle mode is actually quite good, but strange: the game's balanced in the fact that everyone is overpowered. To explain this, I'll have to explain the controls.
There's a number gauge on top of your HP meter which is your brave, and you have two different types of attacks: Brave attacks and HP attacks (done with Circle and Square, respectively). Brave attacks change the Brave values of you and your opponent (i.e. if my Brave attack hits for 15 damage, I gain 15 Brave and you lose 15 Brave). HP attacks, on the other hand, damage your opponent's HP meter, but they don't have a set value. If your HP attack hits, it'll do damage equal to your Brave and then drain your Brave to 0.
If your HP meter goes to 0, you lose the battle. If your Brave meter goes to 0 (or rather past 0), then you enter a state called Break mode. In between you and your opponent's meters, there's a third number. It's like a running tab: the more you fight without either person Breaking, the higher it accumulates. Once someone Breaks, the other person gets ALL of the Brave in there, which can mean instant death if they then hit you with an HP attack. You have to balance between attacking and preventing Break at all times, and it's a unique and fun system.
Unlockables: What would a JRPG be without extras? The extras in this game, however, are amazing. You have two secret characters (surprisingly somewhat balanced), a trading/blacksmithing system, accessorizing, summons, alternate costumes/voices, regular characters, etc. But the gem of all of these is the replay feature.
The replay feature is unlocked once you complete two of the ten basic stories. It allows you to record any match you want, and then has a built-in converter AND editor. The converter changes them to AVI format, which means you can move it over to your computer and do basically anything with it. The editor, on the other hand, can make a basic battle into an epic story: it removes the meters, and you can play with camera angles, so you can make it look like a cutscene.
Multiplayer: This is probably the only stumbling block, and it's not even that big a deal. Dissidia uses Ad-Hoc multiplayer, which means that it supports local multiplayer with the PSP and online multiplayer with the PS3. There's no built-in on-line support with just the PSP, but Dissidia supports Xlink Kai (which is a program that allows you to do on-line multiplayer with just the PSP).
My opinion? BUY IT. Even if you don't like Final Fantasy that much, every thought you've ever expressed about wanting to beat Cloud's head in can be done, recorded, and put up on Youtube. If you have a PS3, are familiar with Xlink Kai, or just want to play locally, I'd suggest Day one purchase: it's just THAT good. Let me put it another way: I got the game three days ago, and I've logged 40 hours in it already.
I'm no good with video editing, so what I'm going to post isn't really a "review supplement", but I'll post one of my replay videos instead.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-jSLCUIHZU&feature=channel_page