Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus is certainly a departure from the traditional kind of Final Fantasy game, but it's sold decently despite not being received very favorably by the enthusiast press. One thing's for sure; it's not the last of FFVII we'll see. We take a look at the FFVII phenomenon.
Final Fantasy VII is the most popular console style RPG ever in the U.S. and maybe the whole world. When it was published in Japan, it sold 2.3 million copies in the first three days, and when Sony published it in the U.S. where the fan base was much more nascent, it still sold over a half million units in three weeks. All told, Final Fantasy VII has sold over 9.72 million copies worldwide.
In addition to the quantitative records, it has its qualitative accolades. In Famitsu's Top 100 Favorite Games of All Time in March 2006, Final Fantasy VII placed second. Users of the popular gaming site GameFAQs voted Final Fantasy VII the "Best. Game. Ever." in 2004 and the game continues to rank highly in the top 50 FAQ pages on the site nearly a decade after its release.
With this sort of success and popularity, it's unsurprising that the Fantasy wasn't quite so Final this time. The CG movie Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children proved that there is still a market for the FF VII franchise, and now that sequel has begot a sequel of its own, the PS2 title Dirge of Cerberus. GameDaily BIZ examines the spin-off title's success.
Sephiroth May Cry
Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII sold over 200,000 copies during its release month of August. The game was the second best selling PS2 title for the month, which was good enough for fifth overall in the U.S. While not quite up to the multi-platinum status of standard Final Fantasy titles, it's still quite respectable for a spin-off series, especially when combined with the Japanese sales of over 400,000 units.
The game was enhanced by an extensive ad campaign that was (as ad campaigns usually are) punctuated by several television ads. These TV spots did a great job of highlighting all of the game's strengths: great graphics, brilliant pre-rendered scenes and good audio work. The gameplay clips also show all the good sides of the action, doing an admirable job to mask the many of the flaws harped on by critics (see below).
We can shoot things in Final Fantasy now? YEE HAW!
Square Enix is definitely aware of the different tastes of U.S. consumers compared to Japanese ones. Thus, Dirge of Cerberus was tweaked during the stateside localization—small differences, like increased walk speed, more freedom in the shooting mechanics and other gameplay tweaks that grant U.S. gamers the sort of exciting action that they're used to.
And speaking of the gameplay, it's hard to talk about Dirge of Cerberus without making a direct comparison to the seminal action title Devil May Cry. The two games share quite a bit in common thematically; both heroes (Dante and Vincent) appear dark and brooding with long red capes, both heroes use guns as their primary weapons but can scrap up in melee if they want to, and both have supernatural powers that allow them to change into a demonic beast. That, added onto the fact that Vincent is an uncommon sort of Final Fantasy hero and Dirge of Cerberus' unique place in the franchise has opened up the series to a whole new audience.
While Dirge of Cerberus expands the boundaries of what a Final Fantasy game can encompass, it also plays to the home crowd, the core Square fan, as well. The game, while primarily action based, still has a lot of RPG components at its core with a lot of customization options for Vincent's gun. Dirge of Cerberus also has many of the aesthetic qualities Final Fantasy fans demand, namely pre-rendered bits with high production values, memorable music, and professional voice work—all complementing an epic story.
Like Final Fantasies before? Well...
The Final Fantasy series has been marked by a long run of critical successes in the U.S. Since the release of Final Fantasy VII in 1997, all of the primary releases in the franchise have garnered a combined rating of over 90% on GameRankings.com. The reception for Dirge of Cerberus has been much more chilly, however, with an average rating of 59% among the media outlets. Common complaints center on the camera system, the slow pace compared to most action titles, and the pedestrian level design.
"Dirge of Cerberus ends up as little more than a mindless shooter," said Chris Faylor's Gaming Age review. "But it has pretty cinematics featuring the characters of Final Fantasy VII, and for some, that'll make all the difference. Yea, the game isn't all that noteworthy, but once the Final Fantasy VII fan service factors in, it goes from a mindless shooter to a bearable title featuring the latest happenings in the Final Fantasy VII mythology. Luckily for those folks, the game can be easily conquered within the span of a rental."
Despite the critical reaction, the game is still a hit with consumers and fans. This won't be the final Final Fantasy VII either. With three mobile titles under Square's belt in Japan, they're now prepping a prequel game in Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII for the PSP. They also did a mock up of the original Final Fantasy VII intro using prototype PS3 hardware for E3 2005. While they have insisted time and again that a full Final Fantasy VII remake for PS3 isn't in the works, the cumulative success of Dirge of Cerberus and Advent Children just might make them change their minds.
by David Radd - - biz.gamedaily
