Heroes of Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy

joshuaboy
joshuaboy Members Posts: 10,858 ✭✭✭✭✭
edited February 2011 in IllGaming
A detailed look at the six fighters joining the Goddess of Harmony.


I know the title of Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy can be confusing, but don't panic: it's just the prequel to the original Dissidia Final Fantasy, which launched on the PSP in 2009. If you didn't play the original Dissidia, I forgive you. It was a fantastic Super Smash Bros. take on Final Fantasy, using Square Enix's characters instead of Yoshi and that dude from Fire Emblem (see: Marth). Dissidia 012, which adds plenty of new content to the mix, unravels the events that took place before the divine battle in the first Dissidia.

I've already invested more than a few hours into Dissidia 012 and I can tell you that it's spectacular. Warriors are flying around 3D environments and battling with an array of weapons, spells, and melodramatic insults.

One of the most important additions to Dissidia 012 is the update to the roster. At the beginning of play, gamers have access to six new heroes that have joined Cosmos, Goddess of Harmony, in her struggle against the forces of Chaos. These heroes include Lightning, Vaan, Laguna, Yuna, Kain, and Tifa. Much to my surprise, all six characters are strong additions to an already stellar lineup. Usually there are a few duds in the bunch, but that's not the case here.


Dissidia 012 Trailer

For those of you that never touched Dissidia, here's a crash course. Every character learns a set of abilities which serve as their attacks. There are Bravery attacks and HP attacks. Landing a Bravery attack builds up your character's power and the HP attack causes damage to the opponent equivalent to your character's Bravery. Got it?


Lightning
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Let's start with the cold heroine from Final Fantasy XIII. Out of the six newbies, Lightning is the most difficult to use. As was the case with Cecil, Lightning is like three different characters combined into one. She can switch Paradigms in the middle of battle, which will be familiar to anyone that played Final Fantasy XIII. What does this mean, exactly? Lightning can switch between the role of Commando, Ravager, and Medic with the press of a button. This changes her set of skills and how she behaves in combat.

The Commando Paradigm is the most comfortable of the three because it gives Lightning access to her sword and firearm skills -- easy abilities to pull off. The Ravager Paradigm unleashes the spell-casting side of Lightning, granting her control of water, fire, and -- wait for it -- lightning magic. These spells seem more like support skills than anything else. Watera, for example, unleashes a sphere of water that slowly -- but surely -- finds its way towards the enemy. Mix this with a few fire spells, then change back to the Commando role to charge in and finish the job.

Vaan
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The shirtless hero from Final Fantasy XII is one of my favorite new fighters. This was a pleasant surprise, because he annoyed me when I first played Final Fantasy XII. Vaan is special because the abilities he uses in combat take advantage of different weapons. This might not sound too special, but the beauty of his fighting style is how he chains those abilities together.

Vaan's attacks are always more powerful if he's switching from one weapon to another. For example, one of his attacks uses a spear. If he uses multiple spear attacks in a row, they'll be standard attacks. But if he switches from his sword to his spear, his spear draws in his opponent and causes damage. With this in mind, players are encouraged to switch from one ability to the next in order to maximize the effectiveness of Vaan's weapons. This play style kept me on my toes and it's satisfying because it requires a little extra effort to keep the battle flowing in your favor.


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Laguna loves his rocket launcher.


Vaan's HP attacks are also brutal. Cataclysm causes a startling explosion of rocks to burst from underground, while Torrent is just as fast and sends a mass of water down from the sky. These attacks, when used correctly, are difficult to dodge and give Vaan a commanding presence on the field.

Comments

  • joshuaboy
    joshuaboy Members Posts: 10,858 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited February 2011
    Laguna
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    The carefree soldier of Final Fantasy VIII fame should be a favorite in the Dissidia community. Most of his Bravery attacks are long-range affairs that force opponents to keep their distance. This is most clear when Laguna uses his Machine Gun attack, which unloads a torrent of bullets at the enemy and pushes them back a ways. Laguna also has a Shotgun attack which can be fired multiple times in a row, and a Grenade ability that hurls a small explosive into the air.

    Things get more interesting when you unlock his other attacks, like the Ricochet Shot. When executed, Laguna pulls out a large rifle which can be manually aimed while charging. The resulting shot bounces off any environmental surface and breaks apart to form a sort of buckshot. It's a fun technique to experiment with and it's deadly in enclosed spaces.

    Yuna
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    Final Fantasy X's Yuna, despite her gentle exterior, is a strong warrior in combat. The majority of her attacks are summons which bring her trusty Aeons (powerful magic critters) onto the field. This gives Yuna several distinct advantages. As she's not the one doing the attacking, she can hold her ground and force opponents back with the Aeons' support.

    One of Yuna's HP attacks, Energy Ray, sends a pillar of fire streaming along the ground. This is a devastating attack, as it covers a huge amount of ground at a sickening pace. With her summons, Yuna can strike a balance between long-range attacks and close-range combat.
  • joshuaboy
    joshuaboy Members Posts: 10,858 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited February 2011
    Kain
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    How many people loved Kain from Final Fantasy IV? I know I did. The proud dragoon was the first character I ever saw in a role-playing game jump clear off the screen, so you better believe that Kain's Jump ability returns. In fact, most of Kain's attacks are about changing his or his opponent's vertical location. Many of his combos, for example, can be modified to send his opponent skyward or towards the ground, and his best HP attacks that I experimented with are executed in the air.

    Kain's classic Jump is fun because it can easily close the distance between fighters and it's hard to track Kain as he leaps into the air. Like Zidane, Kain is designed for players that enjoy aerial combat.


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    Tifa! I <3 you.


    On a related note, Kain's Gungnir HP attack is all sorts of badass. With this attack, Kain hurls his lance at the enemy and, if it lands, the lance will push the enemy back until he or she hits a wall. If you're fighting on one end of the battlefield, this can lead to a hilarious exchange where you send the opposition careening across the screen.


    Tifa
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    Last but not least, we have Final Fantasy VII's Tifa. A favorite character of mine for reasons I can't publically disclose, Tifa is all about close-range, hand-to-hand brawling. Several of Tifa's attacks can be made into combos, and these combos are special because they can be executed even if the first attack doesn't land. This is different from the other characters in Dissidia, and gives Tifa the ability to surprise her opponents with a follow-up attack they might not expect.

    Another of Tifa's notable features is her speed in battle. On a scale from 1 to 10, it's hella' fast. This maneuverability makes sense because Tifa needs to get in close to do some damage. Also, she has long legs -- it's scientific fact that people with long legs run faster, right?



    Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy is scheduled to launch on March 22nd. Look for my review next month.
  • glowy
    glowy Members Posts: 3,995 ✭✭✭
    edited February 2011
    Should have gave Vaan the Durandal sword design.
  • ocelot
    ocelot Members Posts: 10,019 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited February 2011
    my ? Laguna's in it...

    the first one was very underrated... it was better that i would have ever guess it was going to be

    also FFXII is not even Vaans story