Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII

Overview

Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII is Square Enix's PS2 entry in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. The game is set one year after the film Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and casts the player in the role of Vincent Valentine as he assists the World Regenesis Organization in stopping the remnants of an old Shinra super-soldier project called Deep Ground. The game also explores Vincent's once enigmatic past in great detail, particularly in regards to his time as a Turk and his relationship with Lucrecia.

Instead of an RPG, Dirge of Cerberus is an action game with a heavy emphasis on gunplay and weapon customization mixed with RPG concepts such as leveling up and using magic. Over the course of the game, Vincent can acquire and upgrade a variety of firearm types including a pistol, shotgun, rifle, and machine gun. Upgraded weapons allow for better accuracy, more attack power, and reduced recoil. There is also a brief section in which the player takes control of Cait Sith that is more focused on basic stealth gameplay.

Introduction of Deep Ground

Deep Ground is the name of the secret military unit that serves as the game's antagonists. The name "Deep Ground" was taken from the fact that the program to develop these soldiers was housed in an underground facility deep beneath Shinra Headquarters. The program was so heavily classified that of the company's top-level executives, only President Shinra, Heidegger and Scarlet were aware of its existence, and the project became dormant and forgotten once all three of them died. It wasn't until three years after the events of Final Fantasy VII that Deep Ground emerged as a threat led by a core group of especially powerful super-soldiers known as the Tsviets.

Multiplayer Mode

With the release of Dirge of Cerberus in Japan, a multiplayer mode was available through Square Enix's PlayOnline service. The Hard Disk Drive attachment for the PlayStation 2 was necessary for the online mode. For 800 yen a month, players could take their own character and progress through online modes such as a Team Deathmatch, Team Base Storm, Team Capsule Run, Team Survival Mode, and a special single-player timed survival mode.

Also, several special missions were added through the online component. These were added episodically through version update patches every 4-6 weeks, and told an additional story about the Deep Ground group. These events took place during the timeline of the original Final Fantasy VII.

Unfortunately, the price Square Enix was asking for to allow players to play an online shooter put the game in a bind, as most other PlayStation 2 shooters that had online play did so for free. As a result, the game's online component acquired a low subscriber base during its time in service. The online component was discontinued on September 29, 2006 ater only seven months of operation.

The online mode for the game was removed in the North American and European markets due the lack of HDD support, and the overall negative reaction the PlayOnline service had received after the release of Final Fantasy XI. The additional missions were added as bonus missions in the "Extra Missions" mode for the two regions.

Soundtrack

Composed by: Masashi Hamauzu, Gackt

Mixed by: Masashi Hamauzu

Sung by: Gackt (Disc 2, tracks 17 and 22)

Released: 15 February 2006

Disc 1

Disc 2