Another Lineup of Epic Battles
Square Enix is mixing things up a bit with the characters in this game. It seems that the lines of good and evil won't be as clear in Dissidia 012, as some protagonists and antagonists switch sides. Cloud, Terra, and Tidus—clear good guys in their respective games—will be on the side of Chaos, while Kuja and Jecht will be on the side of Cosmos. This could be due to some early-war moral confusion, and based on the lines drawn in the original game, we can expect that by the end of Dissidia 012, everyone will be back in their rightful place. It will also be possible to play on the side of Chaos, which should prove to be extremely awesome. The gameplay mechanics of Dissidia 012 will be similar to the original. There will still be Brave attacks and HP attacks, and the EX mode will be exactly the same as in the first game. What's new is the Assist Mode, wherein players can call upon allies to attack or defend them from opponents. With Assist Mode comes the Assist Gauge, which you build up by using Brave attacks. However, when a player uses an EX Burst, the Assist Gauge automatically drops to zero. This way the two modes balance each other out.
by Lindsey Weedston
Crossover fighting games are all the rage right now, and nothing capitalized on the fad like Dissidia: Final Fantasy. Dissidia brought together everyone's favorite characters from the highly popular Final Fantasy franchise and pit them against each other in epic battles. The result was the best selling PSP game of 2009. So, it's no surprise that Square Enix is rolling out another one.
Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy (012 is pronounced Duodecim, although who knows how that's pronounced) is a prequel to the 2009 hit which will once again revolve around the battle between Cosmos and Chaos. Not much is known about the plot so far, but we do know is that there will be several new characters added to the cast of the original. Joining the ranks are Kain Highwind, Gilgamesh, Tifa Lockheart, Laguna Loire, Yuna, Prishe, Vaan, and Lightning. The new characters should add further variety to a game that was already overflowing with customization, and if Dissidia 012's story is like that of the original, it's likely to make the new game quite a bit longer.
There will also be three countering systems: Assist Break, EX Break, and EX Revenge. An EX Break happens when the player interrupts the opponent's EX Mode with an Assist attack. EX Revenge occurs when a player is attacked while activating EX Mode, which slows down time for everything except the player. We can only hope the somewhat complicated technical aspects of the gameplay are better explained and executed in Dissidia 012 than they were in the original, otherwise the prequel could prove to be even more difficult to handle.
Another interesting change is found in story mode. Instead of a not-so-engaging chess-map style, players of Dissidia 012 will be able to explore an actual world map, Final Fantasy style. Screenshots show surprisingly detailed 3D landscapes where players can interact with other characters and encounter the Manikin baddies. There will be no towns in the world map, but there will be marked shops where players can pick up new gear and items. The original game will now come with Dissidia 012, updated with the world map and some new story elements. According to Tetsuya Nomura, playing both games will take about sixty hours.
