Dirge of Cerberus and Crisis Core

Even though I shouldn't have, I purchased a few more games the other days. I finally saw Dirge of Cerberus for under $20 so I decided to pick it up, along with Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, and Lost Odyssey.

I played through the first level of Dirge, and was disappointed. Not because the game was junk per se, but it just wasn't up to par with today's action game standards. The game is a bit more action-oriented than it's PSP cousin Crisis Core, but you'll wonder why Vincent isn't pulling Ryu Hayabusa wall-runs and Dante aerial combos. It would have made the game immensely more interesting. However, the FMV cutscenes are worth seeing, especially since they are of Advent Children quality.

Thinking back to Crisis Core, I'm beginning to wonder why the chose the PSP for it. It really wasn't necessary, and I know I'd rather experience it on the PS2. Maybe the weak gameplay mechanics were better suited to a portable, but looking at the small PSP screen gets tiring. The TV hookup helps, but being tethered to the TV isn't exactly an awesome experience.

These extra games have really upped my appreciation for the FF7 universe. I still enjoy FF8 and FFX more because they focus on the characters' humanity. It made it easier to connect with the characters. FF7 has great characters but the story focus seems lead away from humanity aspects and more toward the fictional environment. I'm sure Aerith's death would bring many to disagree though.

Other than that, I'm waiting for the Chinese version of the PerfectShot for RE:UC. That PerfectShot is difficult to find, and I was tired of looking. If it's a decent peripheral, than I will post a mini-review on it.

I'm trying to remember what I was doing in Lost Odyssey before I had to stop playing it a couple months ago. One thing I think should be noted by RPG developers, was Xenosaga's II story summaries. They helped remind players of the situation if coming back from a forced hiatus.