I loved Dirge. As someone who didn't have the ability to play the original FF7, I was obsessed with the universe. Watched Advent Children religiously and struggled with Crisis Core (my dyslexic brain never fully understanding the combat until reunion). But I was obsessed with Dirge, and quickly made Vincent one of my favourite Final Fantasy characters, along with Yuffie (who was originally introduced to me in Kingdom Hearts 1, and was a favourite then).
Completely agree. I can understand finding the game average or "meh". But then there's people like Maximillian Dood who acts like its the worst game in the world 😐
even if i like the gameplay i still wont say its a good game because the emotional damage everytime i remember the ntr between lucretia vincent and hojo
@@sheldonfredericks8034yeah I watched his playthrough and he just went way too far with it. It is actually a much better story than he gave it credit for imo. He just made it seem like a pain to play it was kinda overly exaggerated 😅
So here's a theory. Crisis Core remaster came between Remake and Rebirth when most people weren't expecting it as it no longer seemed to quite line up with the "new" story. But it came anyway mostly, I think -to squeeze more money out of people- to explain Zack's origins to people new to the franchise. What if after Rebirth we're gonna need some other character's background explained, like someone from Dirge of Cerberus? Wouldn't that be the perfect time for a Dirge of Cerberus remake to bridge the gap to the third main story game?
Cool theory but realistically I doubt it will happen just because of the fact that Dirge of Cereberus is a sequel to Final Fantasy VII so unless Nomura is planning to pull a Last of Us Part II I think we will get the DoC Remake after Part III
The human experiments are in FFVII Remake, the added earthquake and weird humanoid creatures under the sector I think were the first hints at Deepground returning. Also Yuffie not recognizing Nero in the original Dirge of Cerberus is easily explained in the the OG Collection is a different timeline to the Remake Timeline. Intergrade never happened and Deepground stayed secret before, but this time around they've been found out earlier.
I always liked FF7 Dirge of Cerberus myself and it's story of how Vincent was helping the world's new government the World Regenesis Organization (WRO) headed by Reeve against Deepground Shinra's dark and long hidden secret. This also went deeper into Vincent's past about when he was a former Turk in love with Lucrecia and why she suddenly left him for Hojo which was a big mistake.
This game reeks with great idea, poorly executed, but it's the only few games i would revive my PS2 to replay because this game, if given the right hands for a remaster, could actually be a good rpg shooter.
@@wahidpawana424 Yeah I also would like to see this remastered as well. Cause as I said the story that takes place one year after the FF7 Advent Children movie is very interesting.
The biggest issues this game has is the poor execution and how restrictive it feels playing as Vincent. If you're not familiar with the character it feels fine. But if you're a fan who knows all the things he's capable its easy to feel underwhelmed with his gameplay. Even if you're a casual fan you can still get your expectations raised extremely high from seeing Vincent do awesome things in the cutscenes. Only to realize that you can't do most of those things in the actual game. There aren't any cool takedowns or specific approaches when taking down bosses. You just shoot and shoot some more. But the redeeming factor is how it expands on Vincent's origin and gives him closure.
My fan theory has always been Lucrecia was actually pregnant with Vincent’s child not hojo Absent fathers being a constant theme in ff7 I can see it fit
Nomura confirmed a remake of any type for DoC would only happen after part 3, not before that. This (as he puts it) is due to spoilers. Take that for what you will. But Dirge would really need something more than a Reunion adjustment. You'd have to fix the dialogue, some of the weird plot points, etc, not just the gameplay. How do you get people like Max-dood for example to play a game that he just flat out despises with a passion? That is the challenge.
Nah, we're gonna get "Crisis Core-B" or what ever they decide to call it, a retelling of Nebilheim to Midgar with Zack to show the deviations in this universe for Zacks story. Part 3 will probably condense DoC into a couple of chapters for a short DLC.
A remake/remaster would be quite neat. DCFF7 has the potential to go from good to great. I've spent almost a decade playing this game and picking it apart. Highly recommend the speedrun!
@@BubbsGold story is a bit like FF8 in how convoluted it can feel, especially for a FF game, but that didn't stop FF8. Other stuff was fine for the ps2 era but a bit dated by now
Dirge is an ambitious attempt to evolve gameplay while also adding to the FF7 story without going off the rails like FF7R. Of all the SE games that deserve a remake Dirge is right up there next to FF8.
Yeah. True. Yet at the same time the game is such a Crapshoot of Ideas! Some good, others really bad! I’ve played DOC FF7! It Sucks! I’m glad Square did their best with Fixing some of the issues before shipping it overseas, but this game doesn’t give the Compilation of FF7 any closure! It only Creates more Gaps in the Narrative by allows characters like Genesis to be a Thing! Which is why FF7 Crisis Core had to be made/released so that character could get some light shed onto them! At the same time, it doesn’t feel worth while! Cause now we got FF7R that not only wants to retell the series, but completely Fucks up the Original Game narrative right Along with it! At this point, I’m just tired of this Compilation! It Never Needed to Be THIS DEEP! IT’s like a Fucking D&D world Setting, but without any of the Fans to dig in make and Fine-Tune the Experience for themselves with home brewed content! It’s just a barrage of nonsensical Ideas from Nomura and the other hack writers at Square! At Least with Advent Children it felt like a One-&-Done movie that didn’t try to leave you feeling unsatisfied and at a Loss! Nor did it try to Cliffhanger into More shit! Dirge does just that and then forces you to think that THAT STORY will bring about a New Sephiroth in Genesis! Another One-Winged Angel for our Heroes to Face off against in this established Canon! Oh But wait, That’s all bullshit! Cause after FF7R! We Got whispers Spoiling the Future! Alternate Timelines! And the possibility of a Sephiroth/Genesis Clusterfuck Combo of Bad storytelling Bullshit! But Fuck It! Who cares! Square Obviously doesn’t! So I am Out! Peace People!
@@danielramsey6141 true enough, for dirge the ideas are definitely there just the execution blows, imo. As far as the remake series I see no hope for its future. It’s like adding more deck chairs to the titanic that is the FF7 compilation.
😬 ff8 was pretty bad. I beat it in less than 9 hours. You don't need to level in the game at all ... Just draw the fuck out of specific magic to boost stats through the roof and make sure to never use the magic or your stats will lower... Pop a holy war or two on the great giant banana at the end and bam... Squall definitely died when he was impaled with ice... Because the rest of the fucking game is a god damned fever dream... Only good thing was the soundtrack and that damn card game
I don’t think FF8 is bad. I think it’s rushed and grossly unbalanced. A remake would serve it well as it has a very high ceiling if the right issues are corrected. Edit: I agree that the FF7 compilation is a mess. This coming from someone who enjoyed FF7R for the most part.
Well, FF7R is a Remake after all, a new way of going through the game with all the characters we love, honestly I’m glad they are doing what they are doing, a remaster for the original game and a Remake with all it can have, I am not dissapointed at all with it.
I Square ever decided to remake Dirge of Cerberus, they need to include the Lost Episode game that originally came out on mobile phone. Seeing as the Lost Episode takes place between Chapters 4 and 5, I always found it jarring how it went from Vincent leaving the WRO HQ for Nibelheim only for him to end up in the sewers leading to the Shinra Manor in the next chapter without any sort of transition (given how great a distance it is), and the Lost Episode details what happens in-between those chapters.
Very well put forth-- it's refreshing to hear this side of the fandom. And yes I agree-- so many people claim to hate it but they're nothing more than parrots repeating what they're told without knowing what they're talking about. I too believe Remake is a sequel to Dirge. In an interview with Nomura, he did mention they had every intention of making a sequel which would go deeper into the story. One major reference is the mako speck that falls onto Shalua, paralleled with the yellow speck that lands on Biggs in Remake. Nomura stated that that scene was hinting at Shalua awakening-- much like how Biggs did. Every compilation is canon to the story. If SE says it is, then it is, regardless of what we personally feel towards said games. This 'hot take' is actually a lot more popular now that Intermission has come out. Due to the loud negative voices, much of the positive voices were silenced. But now fans of DoC finally feel they can speak out. There are more who enjoy the game than one might realize. Also-- a recent interview from 2022 summer included Kitase (or Nomura, I can't recall who) stating that IF they made a DoC remake, it would be after part 3 since apparently the ending of DoC is a spoiler. Now THAT is pretty interesting... It needs a Remake badly. But I think it will need to address more than just the gameplay. SE will be challenged to try and appeal to those gamers like Maxdood who hate DoC with a passion.
My feelings on this precisely. One thing/tip I will add is that you can actually do a 7 hit combo. Do the 3 hit combo on ground, immediately jump and do air combo towards your target. I think air combo is 4 hits so in that string you can do decent damage and then throw in the gun after. Clawing (Controller holding technique) also helps a lot and faster sensitivity. Same thing with Galian form too I believe, ground combo into air combo. Its been a while since I labbed Dirge Of Cerberus, I might just record and show some combos. Gonna have to be from my phone though.
While I wouldn't dig out Dirge of Cerberus as game to play in 2023, I reckon you've made a great case for a remake. 100% agree with you on Advent Children - I never truly felt "served", it was just an excuse to get my favourite characters on the movie screen. Great review in any case dude.
The devs said that they aren't planning a Dirge Remake but if they were. They'd do it after Part 3 of the Remake trilogy. Just so they don't spoil the ending. Which makes sense.
@@MariusBoss11458 Oh yeah 100%. I'm not in a hurry for it either - but when the finish the Remake trilogy I'd be willing to bet fans will still be thirsty for more and, with an altered timeline, that could easily give the devs carte blanche to change bits here as well, if needed. I'll be patient.
@@theneedforspeeder9575 I think it was. It was an overall subpar game in maaaaany ways. Slow, sloggy...Its weird that vincent of all people was barely moveable. I think it would have been alot better if it was a bit more Devil may cry like. It certainly was a shell of what it could have been. overall very mediocre game. Not the worst out there of course buuuut...It certainly could have been better and there were ps2 games out long before that one that were just way better.
Vincent was also my favorite character from Final Fantasy 7. He might be my favorite character in the franchise tbh, even though I always heard Dirge of Cerberus sucked I didn't want to believe it because Vince gets to be the main character in it. I got to play some of it recently and it's been fun. Though for an action RPG the combat took some getting used to. Still been enjoying the game tho.
Dirge of Cerberus is really not as bad as people say. It's a bit unusual, but it was pretty good for the time. I bought the game because I absolutely loved Vincent Valentine when I was younger.
Biggest mistake most people make with Dirge is that they leave the Auto Aim on because it's on by default. Turn OFF Auto Aim and the game becomes way more enjoyable!
I played this right around the time I heard that FFVIIR DLC was gonna have Dirge villains. Wound up 100%ing it and ngl, got the most overwhelming rush of edgelord manchild glee when Vincent started flying around inside Omega and the Gackt song started playing.
it does. i remember picking it up when i was about 10 or 12. i had never played a FF game before that and that was my intro to the series ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS GAME.
I remember being the only one in my friend group to ever play Dirge of Cerberus. Everyone else hated on it, although they never played it. Now, after Remake Intermission and some really superficial explainations from me during a session with us all playing Final Fantasy TCG, now they are all like "Oh yeah, that game totally deserved a remake or remaster" and I was like "Yeah, and you people don't deserve to play it for hating on the original without actually giving it a fair chance." I really loved the darker tone in the story, although it's probably just your typical early 2000s edgyness like Shadow The Hedgehog for instance. However, I feel like they were really onto something in terms of the overall story and I really hope that someday, we might have a real conclusion to all of it.
For anyone that doesn’t know, the reason that GACKT’s song plays while Vincent fights Omega is because GACKT (Japanese celebrity and rock star) is the original Japanese voice of Genesis. He loves Genesis so much in fact that he did the live action cutscene acting AND he has his own Genesis cosplay that he’s worn to sing on-stage with before
I beat dirge of Cerberus when it came out paid like forty bucks for it lol it really wasn’t a bad game it could easily make a great game with a couple touch ups, the weapon customization and material system was actually a lot of fun and the final boss Weiss was pretty good actually the boss fights were all pretty memorable
Up to this day, I still have the copy and the memory card. I treasure it and don't care about what people say. The shooting game was fun and the story was what mattered the most.
dude, i FRIGGIN played the heck out of dirge of cerberus back in the day, sure there's a couple of game mechanics that wonky and need some fixing, but DOC really need a remake. i just played it again recently to proofing myself "oh maybe it's a nostalgia thing, maybe i'm liking it because i like it when i'm still young" but, nope, i'm still having a blast
"oh maybe it's a nostalgia thing, maybe i'm liking it because i like it when i'm still young" - Dude this is why I played it again. When I was talking to my friends about it I was like "maybe I'm just misremembering it it?" But nope, for all it's flaws, I still enjoy it
Finally someone who doesn't just say shit they heard their favorite streamer say. I appreciate you my guy. I loved Dirge when I played it back in the day and still do despite it's faults. Is it nostalgia bias? Maybe but I don't care. 🤷
Gonna HARD disagree with the part where you get to talk to people on Cid's ship! That is the highlight of the game for me. Everything there just clicked for me, the music, the characters, the "calm before the storm" they were going for- especially when you know the awesome cutscene that comes after it. I have made that place my spawn point everytime I dust off my ps2 to play this game once more, every year when I got home from boarding school. I'd play the game to the end then start over and stop playing when I got back on the ship. It was great! :D
My first experience with the actual gameplay and story was The Nyancave playthru of it. Where they described it best with ‘its just Final Fantasy Metal Gear’ Whether you love or hate it is dependent upon how you consume your media. If you like the campy hammy humour of Metal Gear, you might enjoy Dirge. 😁
I love this game. I love the story. I was beyond stoked to see Nero and deep ground in the FFVII dlc and I hope to god this gets a remake. Vincent is definitely my favorite character in this series and this game gets way too much hate.
Amazing retrsopecting - good arguments, good context of the era back then. I suscribed immediately. When launched I really loved the game cause of the reasons listed in the video. I played it and just as you did with Advent, I tried to love the game but couldn't - HOWEVER I loved what they did in Remake DLC Intermission. Personally, I would not like a full rebirth but many of its aspects I hope they return gloriously as Weiss did. Just as Remake incorporated aspects of DoC, Rebirth should too - Vincent backstory as part of his main adventure, Hoyo and Vincent previous relationship , Deepground under the service of Shinra, Omega as a secret weapon etc... even Genesis whom they asked to join them to control Deepground and he decided to seal himself in the original timeline... now that -destiny is changed- maybe we could have a sort of "parallel conclusion" to all those story points we did not in the compilation trough the RE trilogy.
What a breath of fresh air and yearning of nostalgia at once! Dirge of Cerberus has and always will be THE title of FFVII's Compendium I cherish the most. Got me onboard with the criminally underrated excellent soundtrack, the unique gunplay gameplay, and the good take at a hidden army against a Big Good army with a dose of fair use of FFVII cast. Really will love any chance of Lost Episode being restored from obscurity and a long overdue follow up on DoC's secret ending.
Found this video by accident while looking for an underrated game to play, I thank you for further convincing me to try a new game out sad to see the channel isn’t as big as it should be keep on grinding🥇
I loved Dirge of Cerberus, i thought it was weird that the next game for this FF installment was going to be a 3rd person shooter but i enjoyed my time with it. i would have to replay it to find gripes if i have any but the only one ontop of my mind is i wanted to see a full on fight between Cloud and Rosso.
I 100%ed this gem back in the day and kept playing the heck out of it even after that. Never understood why it was hated so much. Simplicity doesn’t automatically mean bad and this game was fun to master. Would play again in its original form in a heart beat. Hoping for a re-release or remaster 🙌🏼
Dirge of Cerberus was my first Final Fantasy VII I had ever played in 2007 after watching After Children in 2005. I started playing FFVII original in 2011
I enjoyed the hell out of this game. Game stop rep heavily advised against it so I had to walk to best buy to get it withoit being judged lol Certainly things I didn't like about the game but i did love ghackt
Most people that say the compilatipn is bad in general have not actually played or watched or. Or hold FF7 to a mythical standard which makes everything else seem terrible even though everything is much closer in quality than most people care to admit
Playing with manual controls makes some fights faster since you can actually target specific weak points. Also using a program to map a ds4, ds5 or switch controller gyro as the right analog really enhances the experience to another level.
Vincent has always been one of my favorite characters, and while i haven't played the game, ive watched the story and found it incredible. Nero and Weiss alone could carry this into an incredible remake and i really felt the humanity of Vincent and the evil of Hojo. The heartbreak and confusion, the bad choices and consequences...it was a great story❤❤❤
I appreciated this video. If you want more of the story, the cutscenes from the cut multiplayer are very worth watching. It shows more of Deepground and what they were doing under Midgar
Dirge of Cerberus is my guilty pleasure. I really enjoy it. Played it when it came out and regularly revisit. It's one of those games that gives you an experience you can't replicate elsewhere. I love the controls, reloading with R2 is so satisfying, air combing enemies with a short hop and the awesome visuals. It's a fantastic game that is a bit of an acquired taste.
I never got the chance to play dirge of cerberus. i’m 17, and when i got into final fantasy vii because of my older cousins my hands were too small to hold the controller. even though i couldn’t play, i could watch as much as i wanted. i watched the cutscenes to DoC and CC multiple times and i loved them both. eventually when i grew enough to be able to play these games i loved, the ps2 was almost obsolete. i never owned a ps2, and i never got to play DoC. the first ffvii game i played was the original, and then only a couple of years ago i was able to get a psp and play crisis core. of course, i love ffvii and crisis core, but not being able to play DoC has always been a letdown to me. seeing deepground and being able to fight them in intergrade was INSANE to me, and it’s giving me hope that DoC will finally have more importance in ffvii world. hopefully with viir bringing DoC characters back we can get a remake of DoC :D
Imagine a new Dirge of Cerberus Final Fantasy VII game whether a remake or sequel but with the same graphics as the FF VII Remake and Crisis Core but an improved gameplay that's blazing fast similar to something like Devil May Cry 5, Final Fantasy XVI or Gungrave Gore since it is after all a third person shooter but you can switch first person. Now imagine the game with much better combat and third-person shooter gameplay!
Finally someone else agrees that this game is good ^^ I still have this game on ps2, hoping that a new gen console will be able to play it. but if not, i'm fully intending to get a ps2 just to replay this game
Your comparison to twilight is perfect, i remember back when it was a thing 15 years ago (gosh, im old) i bought the books (i was the strange kid that liked to read) and surprise suprise, did not like it, but many people asked me why i bought and read a bad book and i was like “how i would know it is bad if i did not read it?” . People tend to take a group opinion and treat it like it was their own even if they never try the thing for themselves
Great video! And yes I really enjoyed Dirge of Cerberus back when it originally released, I was only going in for the characters and I was pleased, the gameplay was different, not quite there, but fun nonetheless, the story was interesting, a remake/remaster (quality CC:FF7R) could definitely bring the game to the level it should deserve.
I remember when this came out I was visiting my older brother. At the shop I bought it at the lad behind the counter tried to get me to buy ff12 instead. Glad my brother told him off for it as DoC is a great game to me. Will have to see if my old ps2 stil works and play it again soon
I think Dirge of Cerberus is definitely one of those games that isn't so horribly bad that it should be avoided, but it also was nothing special. It's only kinda okay. When the new lore meshes with the established world it can be pretty interesting. But when the game stinks, it is pretty rotten. Does it get an unfair rep? Yeah I think so. But I wouldn't recommend it to anyone either. It's very mixed but there are things to enjoy
I like it, but it was frustrating to finish it. I am glad I did it, enjoyed the story, but they will make a Remake of this as well, but for sure we have to wait until the last part of the Remake Trilogy.
It's always nice to hear someone talk about Dirge of Cerberus who doesn't go into it with the mentality of "This game is rubbish because everyone says it is". I enjoyed the hell out of it when I played it - the second time. Though I'm not sure the first time counts, I didn't get that far into it before I got stuck on a boss and then my sister moved out and took her PS2 with her. =D' But I remember being confused a few times, going "Who is this person, who is that person?" with everyone introduced in DoC specifically. But I also didn't even recognise Reeve back then because I had only watched my sister play FF7 a few years before and she'd often continue without me, so I was missing a lot of story and connections, even having seen Advend Children. So I left the game, not hating it, but also not having quite gotten into it. Years later, after I finally had a chance to play through FF7 alone I decided to give this one an other go as well. This time I knew what to expect and managed to play it all the way through - this time with mouse and keyboard instead of a controller, which made it a lot easier to handle - and I honestly loved the experience. Some aspects of the gameplay took a bit getting used to, but I treated it like I would most older games and accepted that some things simply could be improved uppon. Armed with that knowledge I had a lot of fun playing it and I was incredibly sad when it was eventually over; I'd have happlily played more. Since then I keep picking it up every few months and play it. =D
The only thing I was irritated about is the game had more cutscenes than it should have needed but I frigging love it I have been waiting for a remake since I heard ff7R. I hope they make it. Its apart of the 7 series along with advent children.
DoC is a favorite of mine and believe it or not is the game that got me into RPGs (before I only played Pokémon but I thought the genre was stupid despite liking Pokémon) and thanks to this game I found my favorite genre of games and have played so many games that have touched me like no other form of media so this game is genuinely very special to me and I hope it gets the same treatment Crisis Core got
After absolutely falling in love with Crisis Core Reunion, after somehow having an opinion that CC was bland despite not having had completed it? (in fact, all I could recall was how to get the Curse Ring....such a weird niche memory yet I couldn't even recollect Angeal, or LOVELESS or anything). CC:R is as good as RR7R, releative to their aims and genre. Both, absolute god'ang MASTER PIECES. To that end.... I'm am SO open to Dirge of Cerberus....PLEASE BRING IT INTO THE MODERN FF7 Cycle. I honestly can't emphasise enough just how good Reunion is, if you like FF7, especially if you like FF7R.... you NEED to play Reunion: the significance of the lore, the likely reason for the whispers, and FF7R's existence in general, is incumbent on Crisis Core Reunion.
05:36 thats an interesting point, the movie and the game feel like completely different versions/reads of the same world and so does the remake again feel like a completely different world from the game and even the movie, it's just that hard for square to recreate the world of ff7
As someone who never played the OG FF7 and knew little to nothing about the world and it's lore, I LOVED Dirge. It was the first FF game I ever played to completion. I knew about some of the main players in the world obviously, I think mostly from Advent Children and Kingdom Hearts, so Cloud, Sephiroth, Vincent, and maybe one or two others, but beyond that, I knew nothing about it really, other than some righteous chick Cloud was crushing on who got shish ke-bab'd by Sephiroth in the OG. I knew and understand nothing about the life stream, the materia, the ancients, the weapons, etc. I'm not even fond of shooters or cyber punk style settings but despite all of this, I thoroughly enjoyed Dirge and found the lore and the characters completely captivating, and that is he greatest strength of FF7 honestly.
I recently beat this game and I should've played it years ago after beating the original FF7. As it stands, it's an okay game on it's own, and it seems I was right that you have to be an FF7 fan to really get full enjoyment out of it, I just played this game since it was lying on my shelf for so many years and I felt bad for not playing it. The game still is far from the epicly bad game that it is said to be, and you are right that this game like many games suffer from the Twilight and Nickelback effect of the people insulting them not even playing the games. I used to be like that, but I have wised up since then and would rather be familar with media insult rather than talk out of my butt. The music is great and the visuals are pretty good and it has some decent third person shooting mechanics, I have played worse shooters than this. If anything, I have come to realize that groupthink is contagious and it pisses me off more than anything about human nature.
I've always liked this game. It was one of the games that got me back into gaming. I stopped gaming regularly around 2002. I just felt like I was getting older and couldn't find enjoyment anymore... Except for MGS: Snake Eater lol! Borrowed a ps2 for that. But yeah in 2006 the summer after graduation my friend left behind his ps2 with KH2, SMT: Devil Summoner, and Dirge of Cerberus. I decided to try it out and that summer the addiction took hold of me once again lol. So I've always looked back at this game fondly.
played it back then and actually enjoyed it despite the bad image this game has. Its fun playing and I didn't regret buying and playing it. Its special. I love the passage near the end with the strong musical track playing while getting to the final boss.
I kinda enjoyed it when it came out. I was going through a high school phase when this game came out and, for all its shortcomings, the game delivered what I needed for that era. I cared enough to to play it through at least 4-5 times. It's a weird game, far from an A-list game, but it was polished enough for what it intended to do. It had tons of good ideas and had potential, but it felt kind of undercooked knowing what Vincent is capable of with his abilities and his agile movesets. Maybe they should expand on his abilities in a possible remake, going all DMC if they have to or they should capitalize on his cloaking abilities matching his Advent Children style. What I find it interesting that the Japanese version happens to be the gimped one where they had to add tons of improvements to the international release before the deadline, basically redesigning the mechanics and the camera system. Imagine how badly it could have turned out as without the improvements.
Yeah, in remake, I think the ultimania and some interviews confirmed both Sephiroth and Aerith sent their consciousnesses back in time. So your statement at ~29:20 is actually accurate. I've said it many times since FF7R came out that it's a Sequel Reboot. (I just streamed a full playthrough of DoC last night so I'm looking through any DoC videos)
I never understood the massive dislike for it. I played through it on manual aiming difficulty multiple times and such. I just like the game and still don't really know why lol
Dirge of Cerberus had TONS of potential. I have played nearly all FF games. I can honestly say that I like Dirge of Cerberus better than Crisis Core and virtually all of the other spinoff games. Dirge was a darker game with much more maturity than any of the other spinoffs. Crisis Core is for virgins. The dialogue is cringe worthy in A LOT of the scenes (especially with Aeris). The new characters I found boring (Angeal, Genesis, etc). Though I really did like the Genesis teaser in the bonus ending of Dirge. He seemed to be this VERY dark, mysterious and incredibly powerful figure that would rival even Sephiroth. He even had a more mature and interesting voice actor/script as well (not virgin and melodramatic). Most fans of final fantasy did not like Dirge of Cerberus because it was a third person shooter. Most FF nerds aren't into those games. The only big problem I had with Dirge of Cerberus was that exploration was extremely limited. I don't need an open world in it but I also don't want to run through a series of narrow hallways throughout the entire game either (Just like FF7 Remake!). If they could have developed a system to tackle missions and areas in your own manner with lots more secret areas and side missions then it would have been much better in that regard. Dirge had a KICK ASS soundtrack, GREAT new characters, an incredibly dark and interesting atmosphere, enjoyable villains and boss fights, also a relatively good upgrade system. The cut scenes were tremendous, especially the attack on Midgar. It was the best of the spin off games. People ONLY like Crisis Core more because of the ending, that's it (that's what they remember). The ending was pretty well done, but WAY too melodramatic for my taste (again, it was for the virgins). Dirge of Cerberus deserves a Remake (or at least an upgraded remaster, much like Crisis Core). It is hands down the most interesting spinoff game for FF7.
Despite the gameplay flaws and a bit of botched execution, I actually think that Dirge adds a lot of depth to the lore of the series and characters. The Deepground is an interesting idea that introduces several unique characters, the greater emphasis on Chaos adds more to the world lore, and the additions to pre-existing characters make them even more compelling. In particular, the relationship between Vincent and Lucrecia is easily my favorite aspect of the game. Although she was likely the biggest victim of the occasional botched execution, Lucrecia is still an incredibly important, compelling and tragic character. I’ve gone into more depth about her, but the gist of the matter is that she clearly loves both Vincent and Sephiroth (as a partner and a child, respectively) but was manipulated and abused by the embodiment of human sin that is Hojo. The reason she apologizes is because she feels overwhelmingly guilty about what happened to Vincent, Sephiroth and Grimoire. I could go on for longer, but I already have ranted about her mistreatment both in universe and by fans.
Dirge of Cerberus is a okay game. I like the music, story, & Vincent Valentine is my favorite. The reason I play because it takes place after Advent Children and know the protagonist's past.
I have a weird relationship with this game, and 7 in general I guess. You see I played Dirge of Cerberus and really liked it as a kid, but I had never played the original 7 (and still haven't to this day). I've seen all the media around it, I've watched Advent Children and I'm currently playing through the Crisis Core remake. But never played through 7 so I only know weird bits and pieces of the lore
Drige holds a special place in my game collection, i beat it quite a few times and absolutely love the twists and story in it so much, of course part of that has to do with the amazing end cutscene, but the overall direction of the story was so good, i had a rough time the first tine i played, but man it was so different from anything else ff or in the compliation
I haven't played the game, but I love the soundtrack and the cutscenes. Thanks for breaking this down. I agree, remake would be fantastic and is a good opportunity to get the clean up the story and gameplay for a new generation. Question for you: Where is "A Proposal" from the OST used in the game? I combed through an 8hr playthrough of the game and couldn't find it being used. It's a great piece, but I literally can't find any info on it.
This game was pivotal in my childhood ❤ I remember trying so fucking hard to try and get that damn cell phone he has. And the one and only game tattoo I have is the Cerberus keychain Vincent and his story of loss and redemption will always be my favorite and are close to my heart.
One of the few games I've played through multiple times. Loved it. Aiming is clunky sure, but I liked the vibe, art, characters, and gameplay must have been good enough for me too.
Nothing infuriates me more then hearing someone say they hate something they never experienced themselves. Like it's a band wagon people have to be on. It reminds me of the hate Dragon Ball GT gets. I loved it but if I say that people respond in a calice way and as soon as I ask them if they seen its almost always answered with a no.
I've honestly kind of come to hate the FF7 sub-series these days, mostly due to the presentation (and to a lesser extent the story changes) of the Remake/Rebirth games as well as its modern fandom's general conduct. However, the original FF7 was the first game to ever move me emotionally - the end of the first disc in particular messed me up as a kid - and so I was always curious about this game that never made it to my neck of the woods. This video is a good reminder - I'll see about checking the game out some time soon.
I'm glad some one respects dirge of Cerberus I played it when it went for 5 dollars used at GameStop back In The day I avoided it for years then the nerd girl employee who was a big RPG FF fan she loved it and swore by it on her words I picked it up and damn never regretted it so good
I loved Dirge of Cerberus. I hated parts of if sure. But it was the first time I actually played in the FFVII world. I actually saw the movie first, and loved the character, and I was totally on board with the game!
I still have this game original on PS2 disc. I adored this game, it added more to the lore of FF VII which was amazing to a younger me, I also agree what playing it more recently I think it holds up decently. But beyond that, Vincent's Story being explored more was amazing and seeing the entire team return even in just cutscenes was enough to make a younger me lose my mind.
I loved Dirge. As someone who didn't have the ability to play the original FF7, I was obsessed with the universe. Watched Advent Children religiously and struggled with Crisis Core (my dyslexic brain never fully understanding the combat until reunion). But I was obsessed with Dirge, and quickly made Vincent one of my favourite Final Fantasy characters, along with Yuffie (who was originally introduced to me in Kingdom Hearts 1, and was a favourite then).
Agreed. Dirge is good. Been arguing with people about this for 17 years.
Completely agree. I can understand finding the game average or "meh". But then there's people like Maximillian Dood who acts like its the worst game in the world 😐
even if i like the gameplay i still wont say its a good game because the emotional damage everytime i remember the ntr between lucretia vincent and hojo
Lol 😂 people don’t wanna hear my top ten list of final fantasy games I’d hurt a lot of peoples feelings dirge is in that top ten
@@sheldonfredericks8034yeah I watched his playthrough and he just went way too far with it. It is actually a much better story than he gave it credit for imo. He just made it seem like a pain to play it was kinda overly exaggerated 😅
Dirge was one of my favorites. I still own my original copy
So here's a theory. Crisis Core remaster came between Remake and Rebirth when most people weren't expecting it as it no longer seemed to quite line up with the "new" story. But it came anyway mostly, I think -to squeeze more money out of people- to explain Zack's origins to people new to the franchise. What if after Rebirth we're gonna need some other character's background explained, like someone from Dirge of Cerberus? Wouldn't that be the perfect time for a Dirge of Cerberus remake to bridge the gap to the third main story game?
Good point
its already confirmed
@@N03xperience what is confirmed? need some context
Think it is just to show new fans what was supposed to happen to Zack.
Cool theory but realistically I doubt it will happen just because of the fact that Dirge of Cereberus is a sequel to Final Fantasy VII so unless Nomura is planning to pull a Last of Us Part II I think we will get the DoC Remake after Part III
The human experiments are in FFVII Remake, the added earthquake and weird humanoid creatures under the sector I think were the first hints at Deepground returning. Also Yuffie not recognizing Nero in the original Dirge of Cerberus is easily explained in the the OG Collection is a different timeline to the Remake Timeline. Intergrade never happened and Deepground stayed secret before, but this time around they've been found out earlier.
I always liked FF7 Dirge of Cerberus myself and it's story of how Vincent was helping the world's new government the World Regenesis Organization (WRO) headed by Reeve against Deepground Shinra's dark and long hidden secret. This also went deeper into Vincent's past about when he was a former Turk in love with Lucrecia and why she suddenly left him for Hojo which was a big mistake.
This game reeks with great idea, poorly executed, but it's the only few games i would revive my PS2 to replay because this game, if given the right hands for a remaster, could actually be a good rpg shooter.
@@wahidpawana424 Yeah I also would like to see this remastered as well. Cause as I said the story that takes place one year after the FF7 Advent Children movie is very interesting.
Lucrecia is absolutely Nutty.
I have a theory she was experimented on by Hojo before-hand.
The biggest issues this game has is the poor execution and how restrictive it feels playing as Vincent. If you're not familiar with the character it feels fine. But if you're a fan who knows all the things he's capable its easy to feel underwhelmed with his gameplay. Even if you're a casual fan you can still get your expectations raised extremely high from seeing Vincent do awesome things in the cutscenes. Only to realize that you can't do most of those things in the actual game. There aren't any cool takedowns or specific approaches when taking down bosses. You just shoot and shoot some more. But the redeeming factor is how it expands on Vincent's origin and gives him closure.
The gun play needed a lot of work
Just a casual fan since i watched advent children lol
@@naegleriafowleri2230 I bet you were expecting more from his gameplay after seeing all the stuff he does in Advent Children 😁
I liked Dirge too. Vincent has an awesome story.
awesome ntr ma bruh
We'll get a Dirge "reunion" version after part 2 so they can give Lucrecia a bigger part in part 3.
That would honestly be pretty dope.
Great idea.
No way, Dirge wouldn't happen until after remake pt 3
My fan theory has always been Lucrecia was actually pregnant with Vincent’s child not hojo
Absent fathers being a constant theme in ff7 I can see it fit
Nomura confirmed a remake of any type for DoC would only happen after part 3, not before that. This (as he puts it) is due to spoilers. Take that for what you will.
But Dirge would really need something more than a Reunion adjustment. You'd have to fix the dialogue, some of the weird plot points, etc, not just the gameplay. How do you get people like Max-dood for example to play a game that he just flat out despises with a passion? That is the challenge.
Nah, we're gonna get "Crisis Core-B" or what ever they decide to call it, a retelling of Nebilheim to Midgar with Zack to show the deviations in this universe for Zacks story. Part 3 will probably condense DoC into a couple of chapters for a short DLC.
I loved Dirge of Cerberus. They should definitely create a modern sequel.
Port first game with improvements before
A remake/remaster would be quite neat. DCFF7 has the potential to go from good to great.
I've spent almost a decade playing this game and picking it apart. Highly recommend the speedrun!
Except it's not good, mechanics and story are awful.
@@BubbsGold story is a bit like FF8 in how convoluted it can feel, especially for a FF game, but that didn't stop FF8.
Other stuff was fine for the ps2 era but a bit dated by now
Dirge is an ambitious attempt to evolve gameplay while also adding to the FF7 story without going off the rails like FF7R. Of all the SE games that deserve a remake Dirge is right up there next to FF8.
Yeah. True. Yet at the same time the game is such a Crapshoot of Ideas! Some good, others really bad!
I’ve played DOC FF7! It Sucks! I’m glad Square did their best with Fixing some of the issues before shipping it overseas, but this game doesn’t give the Compilation of FF7 any closure!
It only Creates more Gaps in the Narrative by allows characters like Genesis to be a Thing! Which is why FF7 Crisis Core had to be made/released so that character could get some light shed onto them!
At the same time, it doesn’t feel worth while! Cause now we got FF7R that not only wants to retell the series, but completely Fucks up the Original Game narrative right Along with it!
At this point, I’m just tired of this Compilation! It Never Needed to Be THIS DEEP!
IT’s like a Fucking D&D world Setting, but without any of the Fans to dig in make and Fine-Tune the Experience for themselves with home brewed content! It’s just a barrage of nonsensical Ideas from Nomura and the other hack writers at Square!
At Least with Advent Children it felt like a One-&-Done movie that didn’t try to leave you feeling unsatisfied and at a Loss! Nor did it try to Cliffhanger into More shit! Dirge does just that and then forces you to think that THAT STORY will bring about a New Sephiroth in Genesis!
Another One-Winged Angel for our Heroes to Face off against in this established Canon!
Oh But wait, That’s all bullshit! Cause after FF7R! We Got whispers Spoiling the Future! Alternate Timelines! And the possibility of a Sephiroth/Genesis Clusterfuck Combo of Bad storytelling Bullshit!
But Fuck It! Who cares! Square Obviously doesn’t! So I am Out! Peace People!
@@danielramsey6141 true enough, for dirge the ideas are definitely there just the execution blows, imo. As far as the remake series I see no hope for its future. It’s like adding more deck chairs to the titanic that is the FF7 compilation.
😬 ff8 was pretty bad. I beat it in less than 9 hours. You don't need to level in the game at all ... Just draw the fuck out of specific magic to boost stats through the roof and make sure to never use the magic or your stats will lower... Pop a holy war or two on the great giant banana at the end and bam... Squall definitely died when he was impaled with ice... Because the rest of the fucking game is a god damned fever dream... Only good thing was the soundtrack and that damn card game
I don’t think FF8 is bad. I think it’s rushed and grossly unbalanced. A remake would serve it well as it has a very high ceiling if the right issues are corrected.
Edit: I agree that the FF7 compilation is a mess. This coming from someone who enjoyed FF7R for the most part.
Well, FF7R is a Remake after all, a new way of going through the game with all the characters we love, honestly I’m glad they are doing what they are doing, a remaster for the original game and a Remake with all it can have, I am not dissapointed at all with it.
I Square ever decided to remake Dirge of Cerberus, they need to include the Lost Episode game that originally came out on mobile phone. Seeing as the Lost Episode takes place between Chapters 4 and 5, I always found it jarring how it went from Vincent leaving the WRO HQ for Nibelheim only for him to end up in the sewers leading to the Shinra Manor in the next chapter without any sort of transition (given how great a distance it is), and the Lost Episode details what happens in-between those chapters.
Also the VinLu dance flashback is adorable.
Very well put forth-- it's refreshing to hear this side of the fandom. And yes I agree-- so many people claim to hate it but they're nothing more than parrots repeating what they're told without knowing what they're talking about.
I too believe Remake is a sequel to Dirge. In an interview with Nomura, he did mention they had every intention of making a sequel which would go deeper into the story. One major reference is the mako speck that falls onto Shalua, paralleled with the yellow speck that lands on Biggs in Remake. Nomura stated that that scene was hinting at Shalua awakening-- much like how Biggs did. Every compilation is canon to the story. If SE says it is, then it is, regardless of what we personally feel towards said games.
This 'hot take' is actually a lot more popular now that Intermission has come out. Due to the loud negative voices, much of the positive voices were silenced. But now fans of DoC finally feel they can speak out. There are more who enjoy the game than one might realize.
Also-- a recent interview from 2022 summer included Kitase (or Nomura, I can't recall who) stating that IF they made a DoC remake, it would be after part 3 since apparently the ending of DoC is a spoiler. Now THAT is pretty interesting...
It needs a Remake badly. But I think it will need to address more than just the gameplay. SE will be challenged to try and appeal to those gamers like Maxdood who hate DoC with a passion.
My feelings on this precisely. One thing/tip I will add is that you can actually do a 7 hit combo. Do the 3 hit combo on ground, immediately jump and do air combo towards your target. I think air combo is 4 hits so in that string you can do decent damage and then throw in the gun after. Clawing (Controller holding technique) also helps a lot and faster sensitivity. Same thing with Galian form too I believe, ground combo into air combo. Its been a while since I labbed Dirge Of Cerberus, I might just record and show some combos. Gonna have to be from my phone though.
This game is really fun! It’s definitely a bit wonky but I agree that this is not a bad game. I would love to see a remake or remaster of this game!
I'm sad that we never got the Online Story told outside of Japan.
Argento is a Tsviet that we don't know anything about.
While I wouldn't dig out Dirge of Cerberus as game to play in 2023, I reckon you've made a great case for a remake. 100% agree with you on Advent Children - I never truly felt "served", it was just an excuse to get my favourite characters on the movie screen. Great review in any case dude.
The devs said that they aren't planning a Dirge Remake but if they were. They'd do it after Part 3 of the Remake trilogy. Just so they don't spoil the ending. Which makes sense.
@@MariusBoss11458 Oh yeah 100%. I'm not in a hurry for it either - but when the finish the Remake trilogy I'd be willing to bet fans will still be thirsty for more and, with an altered timeline, that could easily give the devs carte blanche to change bits here as well, if needed. I'll be patient.
Dirge was one of my favorite games and story bc we got to see Vincent story
Dirge was amazing. It was limited to ps2 time but it was so much fun
It was not amazing. It was awful
@@BubbsGold it wasn’t
@@theneedforspeeder9575 I think it was. It was an overall subpar game in maaaaany ways. Slow, sloggy...Its weird that vincent of all people was barely moveable. I think it would have been alot better if it was a bit more Devil may cry like. It certainly was a shell of what it could have been. overall very mediocre game.
Not the worst out there of course buuuut...It certainly could have been better and there were ps2 games out long before that one that were just way better.
Vincent was also my favorite character from Final Fantasy 7. He might be my favorite character in the franchise tbh, even though I always heard Dirge of Cerberus sucked I didn't want to believe it because Vince gets to be the main character in it. I got to play some of it recently and it's been fun. Though for an action RPG the combat took some getting used to. Still been enjoying the game tho.
Dirge of Cerberus is really not as bad as people say. It's a bit unusual, but it was pretty good for the time. I bought the game because I absolutely loved Vincent Valentine when I was younger.
Biggest mistake most people make with Dirge is that they leave the Auto Aim on because it's on by default. Turn OFF Auto Aim and the game becomes way more enjoyable!
I played this right around the time I heard that FFVIIR DLC was gonna have Dirge villains. Wound up 100%ing it and ngl, got the most overwhelming rush of edgelord manchild glee when Vincent started flying around inside Omega and the Gackt song started playing.
it does. i remember picking it up when i was about 10 or 12. i had never played a FF game before that and that was my intro to the series ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS GAME.
I remember being the only one in my friend group to ever play Dirge of Cerberus. Everyone else hated on it, although they never played it. Now, after Remake Intermission and some really superficial explainations from me during a session with us all playing Final Fantasy TCG, now they are all like "Oh yeah, that game totally deserved a remake or remaster" and I was like "Yeah, and you people don't deserve to play it for hating on the original without actually giving it a fair chance." I really loved the darker tone in the story, although it's probably just your typical early 2000s edgyness like Shadow The Hedgehog for instance. However, I feel like they were really onto something in terms of the overall story and I really hope that someday, we might have a real conclusion to all of it.
For anyone that doesn’t know, the reason that GACKT’s song plays while Vincent fights Omega is because GACKT (Japanese celebrity and rock star) is the original Japanese voice of Genesis. He loves Genesis so much in fact that he did the live action cutscene acting AND he has his own Genesis cosplay that he’s worn to sing on-stage with before
I beat dirge of Cerberus when it came out paid like forty bucks for it lol it really wasn’t a bad game it could easily make a great game with a couple touch ups, the weapon customization and material system was actually a lot of fun and the final boss Weiss was pretty good actually the boss fights were all pretty memorable
Up to this day, I still have the copy and the memory card. I treasure it and don't care about what people say. The shooting game was fun and the story was what mattered the most.
still got my physical ps2 copy. dirge is amazing
dude, i FRIGGIN played the heck out of dirge of cerberus back in the day, sure there's a couple of game mechanics that wonky and need some fixing, but DOC really need a remake.
i just played it again recently to proofing myself "oh maybe it's a nostalgia thing, maybe i'm liking it because i like it when i'm still young" but, nope, i'm still having a blast
"oh maybe it's a nostalgia thing, maybe i'm liking it because i like it when i'm still young" - Dude this is why I played it again. When I was talking to my friends about it I was like "maybe I'm just misremembering it it?" But nope, for all it's flaws, I still enjoy it
You gave me the urge to try this on my Steam Deck, thanks
Finally someone who doesn't just say shit they heard their favorite streamer say. I appreciate you my guy. I loved Dirge when I played it back in the day and still do despite it's faults. Is it nostalgia bias? Maybe but I don't care. 🤷
There are people who have never had to hear NickleBack??! How I so envy those people
Gonna HARD disagree with the part where you get to talk to people on Cid's ship! That is the highlight of the game for me. Everything there just clicked for me, the music, the characters, the "calm before the storm" they were going for- especially when you know the awesome cutscene that comes after it. I have made that place my spawn point everytime I dust off my ps2 to play this game once more, every year when I got home from boarding school. I'd play the game to the end then start over and stop playing when I got back on the ship.
It was great! :D
My first experience with the actual gameplay and story was The Nyancave playthru of it. Where they described it best with ‘its just Final Fantasy Metal Gear’
Whether you love or hate it is dependent upon how you consume your media. If you like the campy hammy humour of Metal Gear, you might enjoy Dirge. 😁
I love this game. I love the story. I was beyond stoked to see Nero and deep ground in the FFVII dlc and I hope to god this gets a remake. Vincent is definitely my favorite character in this series and this game gets way too much hate.
Amazing retrsopecting - good arguments, good context of the era back then. I suscribed immediately.
When launched I really loved the game cause of the reasons listed in the video. I played it and just as you did with Advent, I tried to love the game but couldn't - HOWEVER I loved what they did in Remake DLC Intermission.
Personally, I would not like a full rebirth but many of its aspects I hope they return gloriously as Weiss did. Just as Remake incorporated aspects of DoC, Rebirth should too - Vincent backstory as part of his main adventure, Hoyo and Vincent previous relationship , Deepground under the service of Shinra, Omega as a secret weapon etc... even Genesis whom they asked to join them to control Deepground and he decided to seal himself in the original timeline... now that -destiny is changed- maybe we could have a sort of "parallel conclusion" to all those story points we did not in the compilation trough the RE trilogy.
What a breath of fresh air and yearning of nostalgia at once! Dirge of Cerberus has and always will be THE title of FFVII's Compendium I cherish the most. Got me onboard with the criminally underrated excellent soundtrack, the unique gunplay gameplay, and the good take at a hidden army against a Big Good army with a dose of fair use of FFVII cast. Really will love any chance of Lost Episode being restored from obscurity and a long overdue follow up on DoC's secret ending.
Found this video by accident while looking for an underrated game to play, I thank you for further convincing me to try a new game out sad to see the channel isn’t as big as it should be keep on grinding🥇
One of my favorite things about this game, is that you can hook a mouse/keyboard up via USB and actually play with that, it controls surprisingly good
I loved Dirge of Cerberus, i thought it was weird that the next game for this FF installment was going to be a 3rd person shooter but i enjoyed my time with it. i would have to replay it to find gripes if i have any but the only one ontop of my mind is i wanted to see a full on fight between Cloud and Rosso.
This game is slept on it's so similar too ff now
Dirge and AC are the reasons why we get a sequel in the first place. That says it all.
I 100%ed this gem back in the day and kept playing the heck out of it even after that. Never understood why it was hated so much. Simplicity doesn’t automatically mean bad and this game was fun to master. Would play again in its original form in a heart beat. Hoping for a re-release or remaster 🙌🏼
Dirge was an amazing game I loved it! I hope we see him in the remake trilogy
Dirge of Cerberus was my first Final Fantasy VII I had ever played in 2007 after watching After Children in 2005.
I started playing FFVII original in 2011
I enjoyed the hell out of this game.
Game stop rep heavily advised against it so I had to walk to best buy to get it withoit being judged lol
Certainly things I didn't like about the game but i did love ghackt
Most people that say the compilatipn is bad in general have not actually played or watched or. Or hold FF7 to a mythical standard which makes everything else seem terrible even though everything is much closer in quality than most people care to admit
Playing with manual controls makes some fights faster since you can actually target specific weak points.
Also using a program to map a ds4, ds5 or switch controller gyro as the right analog really enhances the experience to another level.
Vincent has always been one of my favorite characters, and while i haven't played the game, ive watched the story and found it incredible. Nero and Weiss alone could carry this into an incredible remake and i really felt the humanity of Vincent and the evil of Hojo. The heartbreak and confusion, the bad choices and consequences...it was a great story❤❤❤
I appreciated this video. If you want more of the story, the cutscenes from the cut multiplayer are very worth watching. It shows more of Deepground and what they were doing under Midgar
Dirge of Cerberus is my guilty pleasure. I really enjoy it. Played it when it came out and regularly revisit. It's one of those games that gives you an experience you can't replicate elsewhere. I love the controls, reloading with R2 is so satisfying, air combing enemies with a short hop and the awesome visuals. It's a fantastic game that is a bit of an acquired taste.
Can’t forget that before Weiss’ super boss fight there is a scene where he quotes his line from Dirge regarding purging
I never got the chance to play dirge of cerberus. i’m 17, and when i got into final fantasy vii because of my older cousins my hands were too small to hold the controller. even though i couldn’t play, i could watch as much as i wanted. i watched the cutscenes to DoC and CC multiple times and i loved them both. eventually when i grew enough to be able to play these games i loved, the ps2 was almost obsolete. i never owned a ps2, and i never got to play DoC. the first ffvii game i played was the original, and then only a couple of years ago i was able to get a psp and play crisis core. of course, i love ffvii and crisis core, but not being able to play DoC has always been a letdown to me. seeing deepground and being able to fight them in intergrade was INSANE to me, and it’s giving me hope that DoC will finally have more importance in ffvii world. hopefully with viir bringing DoC characters back we can get a remake of DoC :D
Imagine a new Dirge of Cerberus Final Fantasy VII game whether a remake or sequel but with the same graphics as the FF VII Remake and Crisis Core but an improved gameplay that's blazing fast similar to something like Devil May Cry 5, Final Fantasy XVI or Gungrave Gore since it is after all a third person shooter but you can switch first person. Now imagine the game with much better combat and third-person shooter gameplay!
Finally someone else agrees that this game is good ^^ I still have this game on ps2, hoping that a new gen console will be able to play it. but if not, i'm fully intending to get a ps2 just to replay this game
I've always said that myself. Very underated game.
Your comparison to twilight is perfect, i remember back when it was a thing 15 years ago (gosh, im old) i bought the books (i was the strange kid that liked to read) and surprise suprise, did not like it, but many people asked me why i bought and read a bad book and i was like “how i would know it is bad if i did not read it?” . People tend to take a group opinion and treat it like it was their own even if they never try the thing for themselves
Great video! And yes I really enjoyed Dirge of Cerberus back when it originally released, I was only going in for the characters and I was pleased, the gameplay was different, not quite there, but fun nonetheless, the story was interesting, a remake/remaster (quality CC:FF7R) could definitely bring the game to the level it should deserve.
Fanbase: this thing fuqqin sucks ( literal coolest thing ever )
I remember when this came out I was visiting my older brother. At the shop I bought it at the lad behind the counter tried to get me to buy ff12 instead. Glad my brother told him off for it as DoC is a great game to me. Will have to see if my old ps2 stil works and play it again soon
I played dirge on release. I remember it well enough. I thought it was okay.
I think Dirge of Cerberus is definitely one of those games that isn't so horribly bad that it should be avoided, but it also was nothing special. It's only kinda okay. When the new lore meshes with the established world it can be pretty interesting. But when the game stinks, it is pretty rotten.
Does it get an unfair rep? Yeah I think so. But I wouldn't recommend it to anyone either. It's very mixed but there are things to enjoy
I like it, but it was frustrating to finish it. I am glad I did it, enjoyed the story, but they will make a Remake of this as well, but for sure we have to wait until the last part of the Remake Trilogy.
It's always nice to hear someone talk about Dirge of Cerberus who doesn't go into it with the mentality of "This game is rubbish because everyone says it is".
I enjoyed the hell out of it when I played it - the second time. Though I'm not sure the first time counts, I didn't get that far into it before I got stuck on a boss and then my sister moved out and took her PS2 with her. =D' But I remember being confused a few times, going "Who is this person, who is that person?" with everyone introduced in DoC specifically. But I also didn't even recognise Reeve back then because I had only watched my sister play FF7 a few years before and she'd often continue without me, so I was missing a lot of story and connections, even having seen Advend Children.
So I left the game, not hating it, but also not having quite gotten into it.
Years later, after I finally had a chance to play through FF7 alone I decided to give this one an other go as well. This time I knew what to expect and managed to play it all the way through - this time with mouse and keyboard instead of a controller, which made it a lot easier to handle - and I honestly loved the experience. Some aspects of the gameplay took a bit getting used to, but I treated it like I would most older games and accepted that some things simply could be improved uppon. Armed with that knowledge I had a lot of fun playing it and I was incredibly sad when it was eventually over; I'd have happlily played more.
Since then I keep picking it up every few months and play it. =D
I'm heavy fps gamer. And like the ff7 series. Vincent game with raw mouse input + materia from ff7 sounds like a dream game to me lol.
Mannnn i play it almost 13 years ago, and still remember how awesome the game at that time. And believe me IT IS THAT GOOD!
Loving the Tsviets? A man of taste I see
The only thing I was irritated about is the game had more cutscenes than it should have needed but I frigging love it I have been waiting for a remake since I heard ff7R. I hope they make it. Its apart of the 7 series along with advent children.
The same people who hate this game love earthbound despite never playing either.
DoC is a favorite of mine and believe it or not is the game that got me into RPGs (before I only played Pokémon but I thought the genre was stupid despite liking Pokémon) and thanks to this game I found my favorite genre of games and have played so many games that have touched me like no other form of media so this game is genuinely very special to me and I hope it gets the same treatment Crisis Core got
@Alpha Beta yeah XD I’m also a fan of the 3rd birthday
After absolutely falling in love with Crisis Core Reunion, after somehow having an opinion that CC was bland despite not having had completed it? (in fact, all I could recall was how to get the Curse Ring....such a weird niche memory yet I couldn't even recollect Angeal, or LOVELESS or anything). CC:R is as good as RR7R, releative to their aims and genre. Both, absolute god'ang MASTER PIECES. To that end.... I'm am SO open to Dirge of Cerberus....PLEASE BRING IT INTO THE MODERN FF7 Cycle.
I honestly can't emphasise enough just how good Reunion is, if you like FF7, especially if you like FF7R.... you NEED to play Reunion: the significance of the lore, the likely reason for the whispers, and FF7R's existence in general, is incumbent on Crisis Core Reunion.
I haven't played it, but looking at those cinematic cutscenes, I'd say the production value is there and worth giving it a chance.
05:36 thats an interesting point, the movie and the game feel like completely different versions/reads of the same world and so does the remake again feel like a completely different world from the game and even the movie, it's just that hard for square to recreate the world of ff7
As someone who never played the OG FF7 and knew little to nothing about the world and it's lore, I LOVED Dirge. It was the first FF game I ever played to completion. I knew about some of the main players in the world obviously, I think mostly from Advent Children and Kingdom Hearts, so Cloud, Sephiroth, Vincent, and maybe one or two others, but beyond that, I knew nothing about it really, other than some righteous chick Cloud was crushing on who got shish ke-bab'd by Sephiroth in the OG. I knew and understand nothing about the life stream, the materia, the ancients, the weapons, etc. I'm not even fond of shooters or cyber punk style settings but despite all of this, I thoroughly enjoyed Dirge and found the lore and the characters completely captivating, and that is he greatest strength of FF7 honestly.
I recently beat this game and I should've played it years ago after beating the original FF7. As it stands, it's an okay game on it's own, and it seems I was right that you have to be an FF7 fan to really get full enjoyment out of it, I just played this game since it was lying on my shelf for so many years and I felt bad for not playing it.
The game still is far from the epicly bad game that it is said to be, and you are right that this game like many games suffer from the Twilight and Nickelback effect of the people insulting them not even playing the games. I used to be like that, but I have wised up since then and would rather be familar with media insult rather than talk out of my butt.
The music is great and the visuals are pretty good and it has some decent third person shooting mechanics, I have played worse shooters than this.
If anything, I have come to realize that groupthink is contagious and it pisses me off more than anything about human nature.
I've always liked this game. It was one of the games that got me back into gaming. I stopped gaming regularly around 2002. I just felt like I was getting older and couldn't find enjoyment anymore... Except for MGS: Snake Eater lol! Borrowed a ps2 for that. But yeah in 2006 the summer after graduation my friend left behind his ps2 with KH2, SMT: Devil Summoner, and Dirge of Cerberus. I decided to try it out and that summer the addiction took hold of me once again lol. So I've always looked back at this game fondly.
played it back then and actually enjoyed it despite the bad image this game has. Its fun playing and I didn't regret buying and playing it. Its special. I love the passage near the end with the strong musical track playing while getting to the final boss.
I kinda enjoyed it when it came out. I was going through a high school phase when this game came out and, for all its shortcomings, the game delivered what I needed for that era. I cared enough to to play it through at least 4-5 times. It's a weird game, far from an A-list game, but it was polished enough for what it intended to do. It had tons of good ideas and had potential, but it felt kind of undercooked knowing what Vincent is capable of with his abilities and his agile movesets. Maybe they should expand on his abilities in a possible remake, going all DMC if they have to or they should capitalize on his cloaking abilities matching his Advent Children style. What I find it interesting that the Japanese version happens to be the gimped one where they had to add tons of improvements to the international release before the deadline, basically redesigning the mechanics and the camera system. Imagine how badly it could have turned out as without the improvements.
Yeah, in remake, I think the ultimania and some interviews confirmed both Sephiroth and Aerith sent their consciousnesses back in time. So your statement at ~29:20 is actually accurate. I've said it many times since FF7R came out that it's a Sequel Reboot. (I just streamed a full playthrough of DoC last night so I'm looking through any DoC videos)
i've been wanting to play dirge of cerberus for YEARS ever since i've seen the cover art.
Can’t be that bad if they’re working it into the remake series. 🤷🏾 It was always an okay game to me. Had its ups and downs.
I never understood the massive dislike for it.
I played through it on manual aiming difficulty multiple times and such. I just like the game and still don't really know why lol
Dirge of Cerberus had TONS of potential. I have played nearly all FF games. I can honestly say that I like Dirge of Cerberus better than Crisis Core and virtually all of the other spinoff games.
Dirge was a darker game with much more maturity than any of the other spinoffs. Crisis Core is for virgins. The dialogue is cringe worthy in A LOT of the scenes (especially with Aeris). The new characters I found boring (Angeal, Genesis, etc). Though I really did like the Genesis teaser in the bonus ending of Dirge. He seemed to be this VERY dark, mysterious and incredibly powerful figure that would rival even Sephiroth. He even had a more mature and interesting voice actor/script as well (not virgin and melodramatic).
Most fans of final fantasy did not like Dirge of Cerberus because it was a third person shooter. Most FF nerds aren't into those games. The only big problem I had with Dirge of Cerberus was that exploration was extremely limited. I don't need an open world in it but I also don't want to run through a series of narrow hallways throughout the entire game either (Just like FF7 Remake!). If they could have developed a system to tackle missions and areas in your own manner with lots more secret areas and side missions then it would have been much better in that regard.
Dirge had a KICK ASS soundtrack, GREAT new characters, an incredibly dark and interesting atmosphere, enjoyable villains and boss fights, also a relatively good upgrade system. The cut scenes were tremendous, especially the attack on Midgar. It was the best of the spin off games.
People ONLY like Crisis Core more because of the ending, that's it (that's what they remember). The ending was pretty well done, but WAY too melodramatic for my taste (again, it was for the virgins).
Dirge of Cerberus deserves a Remake (or at least an upgraded remaster, much like Crisis Core). It is hands down the most interesting spinoff game for FF7.
Despite the gameplay flaws and a bit of botched execution, I actually think that Dirge adds a lot of depth to the lore of the series and characters. The Deepground is an interesting idea that introduces several unique characters, the greater emphasis on Chaos adds more to the world lore, and the additions to pre-existing characters make them even more compelling. In particular, the relationship between Vincent and Lucrecia is easily my favorite aspect of the game.
Although she was likely the biggest victim of the occasional botched execution, Lucrecia is still an incredibly important, compelling and tragic character. I’ve gone into more depth about her, but the gist of the matter is that she clearly loves both Vincent and Sephiroth (as a partner and a child, respectively) but was manipulated and abused by the embodiment of human sin that is Hojo. The reason she apologizes is because she feels overwhelmingly guilty about what happened to Vincent, Sephiroth and Grimoire. I could go on for longer, but I already have ranted about her mistreatment both in universe and by fans.
The only FF game I have ever played, and it was awesome.
I had a friend who lend it to me and binged it to finish it.
Dirge of Cerberus is a okay game. I like the music, story, & Vincent Valentine is my favorite.
The reason I play because it takes place after Advent Children and know the protagonist's past.
I have a weird relationship with this game, and 7 in general I guess. You see I played Dirge of Cerberus and really liked it as a kid, but I had never played the original 7 (and still haven't to this day). I've seen all the media around it, I've watched Advent Children and I'm currently playing through the Crisis Core remake. But never played through 7 so I only know weird bits and pieces of the lore
I highly recommend playing the original 7
Drige holds a special place in my game collection, i beat it quite a few times and absolutely love the twists and story in it so much, of course part of that has to do with the amazing end cutscene, but the overall direction of the story was so good, i had a rough time the first tine i played, but man it was so different from anything else ff or in the compliation
Makes me wonder if Shinra hadn't have been stopped or if Sephiroth had done enough damage, would that haven awake Omega?
I haven't played the game, but I love the soundtrack and the cutscenes. Thanks for breaking this down. I agree, remake would be fantastic and is a good opportunity to get the clean up the story and gameplay for a new generation.
Question for you: Where is "A Proposal" from the OST used in the game? I combed through an 8hr playthrough of the game and couldn't find it being used. It's a great piece, but I literally can't find any info on it.
This game was pivotal in my childhood ❤ I remember trying so fucking hard to try and get that damn cell phone he has. And the one and only game tattoo I have is the Cerberus keychain Vincent and his story of loss and redemption will always be my favorite and are close to my heart.
One of the few games I've played through multiple times. Loved it. Aiming is clunky sure, but I liked the vibe, art, characters, and gameplay must have been good enough for me too.
Nothing infuriates me more then hearing someone say they hate something they never experienced themselves. Like it's a band wagon people have to be on. It reminds me of the hate Dragon Ball GT gets. I loved it but if I say that people respond in a calice way and as soon as I ask them if they seen its almost always answered with a no.
Bro I loved Dragonball GT! I don't know how it holds up now, but when I was in college I thought it was great!
Definitely agree I think this game is overhated for no reason
Yall are high...
@@Eversoul12 high on mako
@@Eversoul12 explain.
I've honestly kind of come to hate the FF7 sub-series these days, mostly due to the presentation (and to a lesser extent the story changes) of the Remake/Rebirth games as well as its modern fandom's general conduct.
However, the original FF7 was the first game to ever move me emotionally - the end of the first disc in particular messed me up as a kid - and so I was always curious about this game that never made it to my neck of the woods. This video is a good reminder - I'll see about checking the game out some time soon.
It's like you said. Parrots. If you didn't play it you don't know. I remember it fondly. A shooter spin off with my boy Vincent? I was so ready
I'm glad some one respects dirge of Cerberus I played it when it went for 5 dollars used at GameStop back In The day I avoided it for years then the nerd girl employee who was a big RPG FF fan she loved it and swore by it on her words I picked it up and damn never regretted it so good
I loved Dirge of Cerberus. I hated parts of if sure. But it was the first time I actually played in the FFVII world. I actually saw the movie first, and loved the character, and I was totally on board with the game!
I still have this game original on PS2 disc. I adored this game, it added more to the lore of FF VII which was amazing to a younger me, I also agree what playing it more recently I think it holds up decently. But beyond that, Vincent's Story being explored more was amazing and seeing the entire team return even in just cutscenes was enough to make a younger me lose my mind.