Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII

Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII
Developer: Square Enix Publisher: Square Enix Platform: PlayStation 2 Released in JP: January 26, 2006 (original), September 8, 2008 (International) Released in US: August 15, 2006 Released in EU: November 17, 2006 This game has regional differences.

Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII has you take control of Vincent Valentine, a purely optional character from Final Fantasy VII, in this third-person shooter with some Devil May Cry-ness sprinkled in for good measure. At least the opening movie explains away the fact that Vincent and Yuffie were MIA during the ending for FFVII.

Regional Differences

There are three versions of the game: the original Japanese release, the localized version, and a second Japanese release called "International".

Miscellaneous Changes

To do: Dig into the US version's files to see if any of the changes made resulted in unused content.

Changes from the original Japanese version to the localized release

• Vincent's running speed was increased by 1.2×.
• Attacking in mid-air is now possible.
• A double-jump move was added, which can also be done mid-air.
• Vincent's dodge roll move was replaced with a dash move. However, the dodge roll can still be performed in the training session in the Tutorial Menu.
• Vincent's gun reload speed has been reduced.
• The limit break is now triggered by way of a single-use item, as opposed to using MP.
• The camera angle during aiming was changed from an over-the-shoulder type to one that is more zoomed out behind Vincent.
• The Easy mode difficulty setting was removed and replaced with an Extra Hard difficulty setting.
• The online mode was removed from the localized versions entirely, due to the reliance on the PlayOnline Viewer. This is typically installed on the PS2 hard drive, but its install base was minuscule in the US and non-existent in Europe. This was further compounded by the existence of the slimline PS2 systems that had 86'd hard drive support. Due to this, the online-exclusive storyline is not carried over.
• The "Single Player" option on the title screen became "Game Start".
• A Mission mode was added with 40 missions, most of which are adapted from missions that were in the aforementioned online mode. However, none of the storyline in the online mode is carried over.
• An Extra Features menu was added, replacing the PlayOnline menu on the title screen. Here the player can access a cutscene viewer, a model viewer, a music player and the Mission mode.

Changes from the localized version to the Japan-exclusive "International" version

• Two years after the original's release, Japan received another version of the game dubbed "International". It includes all the changes and additions made to the localized version, this means it also lacks the online mode. However, the cutscenes from that mode can be viewed in the Extra Features menu. Audio is in English for the main game and Japanese for the online mode cutscenes.