Dissidia Final Fantasy (PSP)

[Johnny]

Got this this morning and have put a couple of hours in. So far I'm really loving it!
Basically, what you have is a one on one fighter featuring Final Fantasy characters, one good and one evil from each entry in the series.

Story mode is the main section of the game and takes place on a grid where you have a limited number of moves and need to defeat enemies and make it to the exit.
There is also a free mode where you can fight against CPU controlled characters in order to level up the characters you use in story mode.

Gameplay wise, you have a large arena (similar to Powerstone, Ehrgeiz etc) and the goal is to get your opponents HP to zero. Square performs HP attacks which take HP off the enemy but you can perform a bravery attack with circle which removes bravery points from the enemy. Basically, the higher you bravery points, the more damage your HP attacks will do. X jumps and triangle allows you to run up and across surfaces.
There is also an EX gague that when filled, can be unleashed by pressing R+square and this performs a character specific special.

I've only just scraped the surface but this, for me, has more than lived up to the hype and is a must for PSP owners and FF fans.
There is also a gorgeous CG opening movie!

[MisterBubbles]

i played the demo from the US PSN update on thursday and absolutely love it ...roll on 4th september

[hush]

sounds ok but i think i will have o check out a demo before i pick it up

[Daragon]

How the **** am I meant to beat

->Open Spoiler<-

Sephiroth

on WoL's first stage of story mode? I'm half his level and I'm getting myself raped pretty badly atm.

->Open Spoiler<-

Garland

wasn't this tough, talk about a difficulty spike!

[SuperBeatBoy]

Would buy it, but i don't have a psp. Going to wait for a pspgo thinks as i can get it using my commision on my catelogue. Hopefully it will be on the store on launch.

[Atticus]

Can anyone confirm which firmware it demands please?

[elaniel]

Argh, I wish the postal strikes didn't happen as this shipped on Wed. and still not here. I want to play it now, especially after reading impressions.

[Rep]

How the **** am I meant to beat

->Open Spoiler<-

Sephiroth

on WoL's first stage of story mode? I'm half his level and I'm getting myself raped pretty badly atm.

->Open Spoiler<-

Garland

wasn't this tough, talk about a difficulty spike!

Each character has a boss like that, usually guarding a treasure, the only one i've been able to beat is with Zidane, who is my best char (Chase, attack, dodge, HP etc). Also, doesn't WoL have a 5 star difficulty?

[Daragon]

I thought most of them had a fairly high star rating, I just wanted to do them in game order really.

I'd go and grind a bit more, but there's nothing else on the grid to kill

[Daragon]

Can anyone confirm which firmware it demands please?

Whichever the latest one is, won't play without you installing it.

[Rep]

I thought most of them had a fairly high star rating, I just wanted to do them in game order really.

I'd go and grind a bit more, but there's nothing else on the grid to kill

It doesn't really matter, as all the stories branch into one anyway, you could do them anyway you want and it would still make sense in the end.

[Daragon]

It doesn't really matter, as all the stories branch into one anyway, you could do them anyway you want and it would still make sense in the end.

Even if I went back and changed my route through at this point, wouldn't I still be fighting a level 10

->Open Spoiler<-

Sephiroth

with a lvl 5 WoL by the time I tried the chapter again? I'm really not too great at the game and the tutorial doesn't exactly do an awesome job of explaining how each mechanic works.

[teddymeow]

Argh, I wish the postal strikes didn't happen as this shipped on Wed. and still not here. I want to play it now, especially after reading impressions.

Ah, that might explain why my LE copy hasn't arrived from Game yet.

[C']

When this was announced a couple of years back I thought it was a disaster waiting to happen, so it was with some hesitation that I went into this but I was pleasantly surprised once I finally got into it.

As mentioned previously, it’s not a traditional one-on-one fighter but I actually get a strong Virtual-On vibe from it. Although not as in depth as those games, the main principle of utilising lock-on dashes to close down your opponent and knowing when to use your Close/Mid/Long range attacks in specific circumstances is very similar.

It can take a bit of time to get accustomed to the system (the game throws a lot of controls and techniques at you very quickly) but once you get a grasp of the basics, the flow of the battles becomes very smooth and you start linking aerial recoveries into wall runs to recover from attacks then lock-on dashing and countering.

What actually surprised me is the level of differentiation between different characters and the need to approach battles as appropriate. The likes of Cloud/Zidane/Warrior of Light have a more melee centred focus whereas Kuja/Terra are more ranged-based fighters relying on using magic from a distance to chip away at their opponents (Terra especially I found suffered from Bravery Breaks very asy if her opponent got in close range).

Like a lot of the Final Fantasy spinoff titles, some of the appeal is definitely down to familiarity with the series. From the familiar music themes I use (so many great FF music is used) to recognisable attacks from the previous games being employed in each character’s arsenal, it’s clear that Square-Enix have put a lot of care and attention in developing this.

[Rep]

Like a lot of the Final Fantasy spinoff titles, some of the appeal is definitely down to familiarity with the series. From the familiar music themes I use (so many great FF music is used) to recognisable attacks from the previous games being employed in each character?s arsenal, it?s clear that Square-Enix have put a lot of care and attention in developing this.

*See Onion Knight EX Move