Dissidia Final Fantasy (PSP)

8/26/2009 11:30 AM | 0 Comments | Page 1 of 1

The mash-up game is a particular chestnut for fandom. Capcom has proven to be particularly adept with the subgenre; the Marvel vs. Capcom and Capcom vs. SNK games satisfy fan-fiction impulses while offering genuine gameplay delights. Final Fantasy developer Square Enix is no stranger to the mash-up, either, having blended its own characters with Disney's stable in Kingdom Hearts. Dissidia Final Fantasy brings the characters from 12 Final Fantasy games together in what has been called "dramatic progressive action." Translate that phrase from the Japanese and you get "nice try, guys."

Though it looks like one at first glance, Dissidia isn't quite a fighting game. Think of it as a midpoint between a traditional fighting game, a Quick-Time-Event reenactment of the explosive battle effects from the last decade of Final Fantasy games, and a not-quite tactical role-playing game. Hovering over all those elements like a jealous god is the grind. Dissidia is for character obsessives much as Diablo is for loot hounds. The fighting is almost secondary. If you're not interested in grinding away to earn experience and cash to make that ultra-customized character, there's likely little reason to play.

But first, the fighting. The basic mechanic is both neat and tidy. You've got two number values to worry about: Bravery Points (BP) and good old-fashioned HP; and there are attacks that drain each value. The BP total represents how much damage a successful attack will do. But a Bravery attack will shear BP away from opponents and onto your character, so there's a push and pull over the course of battle.

Other attack options come into play (like the EX gauge, which can unleash ultra-powerful attacks), and characters fly all over the battlefield like gibs in a rocket-only Unreal Tournament match. But as I double jumped, ran on walls and generally sped impossibly through the environments after my enemies, I found my first real disappointment with Dissidia. Why isn't this game on the PlayStation 3? Through the ad-hoc multiplayer connectivity, that question answers itself: Dissidia is meant for a culture in which the PSP is far more common than it is in mine.

As I tried to manage amazing movement in three dimensions, keep an eye on my Bravery, and drain my enemy's HP, I found the PSP's screen a bit too tightly contained for my liking. The lack of a second analog stick means that camera control is an accidental, occasional blessing. And while the PSP's hardware isn't deficient for this application, the explosions of color and movement that characterize every Final Fantasy battle in the last 10 years are better rendered on full-size consoles.

This may be the point where you say, "hey, idiot, it's fine on the PSP," and that's a) utterly fair and b) not wrong. Taking the control constraint into account, Dissidia performs quite well on the handheld, with far more detail in the constantly moving battles than you'd expect to see.

Because I approach fighting games with no story expectations, I wasn't disappointed to find negligible plot lurking within Dissidia. There are warring sides of light and dark and a thin set of plotlines to explain how characters like Cecil Harvey, Cloud and Squall all fit into battle against Exdeath, Kuja and Sephiroth. None of these are actually engaging, however, and the real story in Dissidia is the way in which you level up. Buying extra speed, the ability to auto-lock on enemies, changing equipment and weapons, and classic FF summons can all tweak a character to the nth degree. And if I were a longtime Final Fantasy devotee more attached to battle than story, that would make Dissidia just about the best thing in months.

This review is based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.