I just started playing Dissidia a few days ago, and thought I’d just sum up the random thoughts about the game I’ve had since I started.

Graphics and Design

Very Kingdom Hearts-ish if you ask me. But then again, Crisis Core looked pretty much the same too. As always, Nomura has been inhaling paint fumes to get high while designing the costumes, but I guess that’s how he rolls. There’s a noticeable lack of belts and zippers though, though there’s still a lot of weird beads/decorations going on. And the colors hurt my eyes sometimes.

Plot

Screw it, don’t even get me started on the crummy plot. Most crossover fighting games have really weak plots anyway (take a look at Warriors Orochi for example), so let’s just skip this.

Gameplay

The gameplay is fun, which is good since that’s probably the most important thing in an action fighting game. Lots of moving/flying around and interactive environments too; for example, you can smash through pillars to get to your opponents on the other side – or even smash your opponents through the pillars for extra damage.

The characters’ fighting styles are diverse (long-range, close range, magic, the works), so there’s really something for everyone here.

Characters

I’m relatively satisfied with the character line-up since my favorite Final Fantasy male lead, Squall, is in the mix, but I just wish that they included more characters from FFXII. I mean, they threw Gabranth in here, why can’t we have some Ashe too?

And yes, I know that Square-Enix is aware that their fanbase is mostly composed of crazy fangirls who love their pretty boys, but it wouldn’t have hurt to have included some more female characters. Like Ashe.

…yes, I love Ashe and FFXII, and am disappointed that only Gabranth was included. So sue me.

Sounds and Voices

Since they included characters from FFI-XII here, they also included music from the characters’ respective games. Some were remixed/altered, while some, like the music from FFX, remains the same.

The English voices are…erm…okay, I guess. Yuri Lowenthal, one of my favorite voice actors, is here as Cecil Harvey, and the equally talented Johnny Yong Bosch is also here as Firion. Some of the voice actors who did the voices for the other characters in previous games also reprise their roles, like James Arnold Taylor (Tidus; Final Fantasy X), Steve Burton (Cloud Strife; Final Fantasy: Advent Children, Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts II, and Crisis Core), Doug Erholtz (Squall; Kingdom Hearts II), and George Newbern (Sephiroth;  Final Fantasy: Advent Children, Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts II, and Crisis Core). Ultimecia’s voice actress (Tasia Valenza) has an awesome voice here, but I absolutely hate Terra’s voice (I’m sorry, Natalie Lander).

Final Thoughts

Despite the really cheesy dialogue and the shallow plot, Dissidia‘s a fun game to play. Just don’t start out thinking that it’s a story-driven thing; let’s just admit that this is just mostly a fanservice-oriented game where fans get to see their favorite characters (or at least the more popular Final Fantasy characters) in one game.