Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII | |
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Developer(s) | Square Enix [lower-alpha 1] |
Publisher(s) | Square Enix |
Director(s) | Takayoshi Nakazato |
Producer(s) | Yoshinori Kitase |
Programmer(s) | Yoshiki Kashitani |
Artist(s) | Yukio Nakatani |
Writer(s) | Hiroki Chiba |
Composer(s) | Masashi Hamauzu |
Series | Compilation of Final Fantasy VII Final Fantasy |
Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
Release | International
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Genre(s) | Action role-playing, third-person shooter |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII [lower-alpha 2] is a 2006 action role-playing third-person shooter video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2. [1] It is part of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII metaseries, a multimedia collection set within the universe of Final Fantasy VII . The game is set three years after the events of the original game and focuses on one of the game's playable characters, Vincent Valentine. In the story, Vincent is targeted by Deepground, a mysterious organization that plans to awaken a creature known as Omega, with the ability to destroy the Planet.
As the first shooter game in the Final Fantasy series, the game's staff had various problems during development, and producer Yoshinori Kitase found the experience challenging. The team added role-playing elements in order to make the game more entertaining for traditional fans of the main series. [2] When Dirge of Cerberus was released outside Japan, several aspects of the gameplay were modified in order to make it more appealing. In 2008, Square republished the game in Japan with the updates made for the Western versions. The game received mixed critical reaction.
Dirge of Cerberus is an action role-playing third-person shooter featuring real-time battles, with the HUD displaying information such as Vincent's hit points and magic points, the currently selected item and its quantity, and a cross-hair to aid in targeting enemies. The action is viewed from an over-the-shoulder perspective similar to Resident Evil 4 , although players have the option to switch to a first-person perspective. [3] Defeating enemies yields EXP, and at the end of each stage, the player can either use EXP to level up, increasing Vincent's stats, or convert it to Gil, the in-game currency which can be used to purchase items and equipment upgrades.
Unlike Final Fantasy VII, where a character could equip three types of equipment, weapon, armor, and accessory, Vincent's equipment consists solely of his weapon, which can contribute to his armor rating and enhance his stats through customization. Vincent has three basic gun frames available to him; a three-barrel handgun called Cerberus, a rifle called Hydra, and a machine gun called Griffon. There are also several different barrels available throughout the game; short, regular, and long, with longer barrels allowing easier long-range targeting, but reducing Vincent's movement speed due to their weight. Accessories, which can be attached to the weapons, include a sniper scope, charms that can increase Vincent's defense and decrease the weight of the gun, and materia, which enables magic shots with special properties that consume Vincent's magic points. [4] Ammunition capacity can also be increased through upgrades.
Vincent's Limit Breaks return from the original Final Fantasy VII, with two forms being available. The first is Galian Beast, in which Vincent transforms into a large creature with enhanced speed and strength, which lasts for 30 seconds. The second is Chaos, Vincent's most powerful form, which is only available in the final stages of the game.
Dirge of Cerberus centers on Vincent Valentine, who is the main playable character, although Cait Sith is playable for a single level. The game's main antagonists are the members of the organization Deepground, who plan to use the creature Omega to destroy the Planet's life. Their highest-ranking members are known as the Tsviets, and their leader is Weiss the Immaculate. The second highest-ranking member is Weiss' brother, Nero the Sable, who leads Deepground in the field. Other members of the Tsviets include Rosso the Crimson, Shelke the Transparent and Azul the Cerulean. [5]
The online mode of the game, which is only available in the Japanese version, also introduces a group called the Restrictors, who were the former leaders of Deepground before Weiss took over. The Restrictors' leader implanted microchips into the brainstems of all Deepground soldiers to ensure they never turn against the group. However, Weiss was able to overcome this control method, and the Tsviets wrenched control from the Restrictors. Although Weiss was successful in overthrowing the Restrictors, the leader of the Restrictors was able to implant a virus into Weiss' bloodstream.
Final Fantasy VII chronology |
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The game begins during the climax of Final Fantasy VII. As Vincent and Yuffie Kisaragi help to evacuate Midgar, which is about to be destroyed by Sephiroth's Meteor spell, Vincent finds the body of Professor Hojo slumped at the controls of the Sister Ray cannon. After a flash of lightning, Hojo's body seemingly disappears, and before Vincent can investigate, the cannon explodes, forcing Vincent to escape with Yuffie.
Three years later, Vincent is in the town of Kalm when it is attacked by a group of mysterious soldiers. Vincent, with help from his former comrade, Reeve Tuesti of the World Regenesis Organization (WRO), an organization dedicated to helping the planet recover from the events of Final Fantasy VII, [6] fights the soldiers and forces them to retreat, but many citizens are captured or killed. [7]
Reeve explains to Vincent that the soldiers were members of Deepground, a military organization created as part of a covert Shinra operation to create genetically enhanced super soldiers. [8] Vincent soon learns that he is one of Deepground's primary targets, as he is unknowingly in possession of "Protomateria". It is a substance which he uses to control the "Chaos" gene within him, and which Deepground claims they need to control "Omega". [9] According to ancient tablets discovered years ago, Chaos and Omega have an unknown but important relationship, with Chaos described as being "Omega's squire to the lofty heavens". The Chaos gene was injected into Vincent over thirty years ago by the scientist Lucrecia Crescent, Hojo's research assistant, whom Vincent was in love with. [10] [11]
In an effort to find answers, Vincent goes to the town of Nibelheim, where Lucrecia studied Omega and Chaos. [12] While at Lucrecia's research lab, Vincent is ambushed by Rosso the Crimson, who steals the Protomateria [13] but is prevented from killing Vincent by the arrival of Yuffie. [14] As they return to the WRO headquarters, they find that Deepground has launched an assault on the base. However, Deepground member Shelke the Transparent has been captured by the WRO, and reveals that she is synaptically interconnected to Lucrecia's memories, allowing the WRO to complete Lucrecia's research on Omega. [15] Shelke's sister, Shalua Rui, a high-ranking scientist in the WRO, soon discovers that Omega is a WEAPON, which activates when the Planet senses that it is in mortal danger. Omega's function is to absorb the Lifestream from the Planet and then move to another planet, leaving the inhabitants behind to die. Deepground plans to slaughter a huge number of people at once so as to 'trick' the planet into activating Omega prematurely. [16]
Vincent and the WRO launch a full-scale assault on Deepground's headquarters in Midgar. [17] While Reeve's team battles the Deepground soldiers and attempt to destroy the Mako reactors which serve as a means to revive Omega, Vincent heads to Deepground's center of operations to confront Weiss. [18] He is surprised to find Weiss slumped in his chair, dead. [19] However, as Omega begins to manifest itself, Weiss seemingly revives and confronts Vincent. [20] It is revealed that Weiss is possessed by Hojo; before Hojo was killed in the Mako Cannon three years earlier, he uploaded his consciousness into the Worldwide Network, then took possession of Weiss's body while he was online attempting to find a cure for the virus the Restrictors had infected him with. [21] Hojo/Weiss and Vincent battle to a standstill. However Nero, who had been defeated earlier by Vincent, emerges from the Lifestream and destroys Hojo. Nero then merges with Weiss to help him fuse with Omega, just as Vincent is fused with Chaos. [22]
While the WRO continues to fight the remnants of Deepground, Vincent transforms into Chaos in a desperate attempt to defeat Omega Weiss. [23] Shelke dives inside Omega to find Lucrecia's Protomateria, and upon finding it, she gives it to Vincent, telling him that his survival made Lucrecia happy. [24] [25] Vincent then takes control of Chaos and battles Omega. [26] Omega sprouts wings and tries to ascend from the planet, but Vincent manages to destroy it, disappearing in the process. A week later, he is seen visiting Lucrecia's crystalline tomb in the Crystal Cave. He states that both Chaos and Omega have returned to the Planet, and thanks Lucrecia for being the reason he survived. He is then found by Shelke outside the cave, and she tells him that everyone else is waiting for him. [27]
In the secret ending of the game, "G", a legendary warrior with unexplained connections to Deepground, [28] awakes beneath the ruins of Midgar. He finds Weiss's body and picks it up, telling him "It is not yet time for slumber. We still have much work to do... My brother". He then sprouts a large black wing and flies into the night, carrying Weiss with him. Crisis Core Ultimania explains that "G" (Genesis) returned from his three-year slumber to protect the Planet.
When Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children began development, the Square Enix staff agreed that one title from Compilation of Final Fantasy VII was not enough to cover the entire world, and so Before Crisis , Dirge of Cerberus and Crisis Core were conceived so as to embrace more aspects. [29] With no official word from Square on the genre of the game, many publications and gamers speculated that it would be an action game similar to the Devil May Cry series. In 2004, however, character designer Tetsuya Nomura denied this, and said that the genre would surprise gamers. [30] Producer Yoshinori Kitase decided the title to be a shooting game based on his love for first-person shooters and the challenge provided for the developers that would eventually improve their skills. He said that role-playing elements were added as the design work on pure action games was less appealing to developers. [2] [31] Monolith Soft assisted on development. [32]
Vincent was chosen as the game's protagonist due to the scope for expanding his backstory, which was left very vague in Final Fantasy VII. The fact that his main weapon was a gun also worked into the team's desire to create a more action-oriented game. Prior to the solidification of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, the development team originally considered using other gunfighter characters from the Final Fantasy series, such as Final Fantasy VII's Barret Wallace, VIII 's Irvine Kinneas or X-2 's Yuna, but after the release of Before Crisis and Advent Children, and with the expansion of the Final Fantasy VII mythos, they settled on Vincent. [33]
The main character designer for the game, Tetsuya Nomura, had also worked on both Final Fantasy VII and Advent Children. The Tsviets were designed with the idea of creating a sense of balance for the warriors with which players would already be familiar; primarily Vincent, Cloud Strife and Sephiroth. Nomura initially had doubts when designing Shelke's ordinary clothes for the end of the game, but he felt it was important for her to appear out of uniform so as to indicate she was truly free from Deepground. The character of G was based on the Japanese singer and actor Gackt, who wrote and performed the two theme songs of the game, and voiced G in the Japanese-language version of the game. [33] Hideki Imaizumi, the producer of Crisis Core, liked the mysterious role of G so much, he decided to expand his character in that game. [34] The character of Lucrecia Crescent, who features briefly in an optional quest in the original game, was redesigned so as to give her a similar appearance to her son, Sephiroth, based on portraits from guidebooks and in fan-art. Reeve Tuesti was also redesigned, as he only appears briefly in the original game as himself rather than through Cait Sith. [33]
Dirge of Cerberus was first announced in September 2004, and was scheduled for release in Japan in 2005. [35] The game's official site went online in April 2005. [36] In May, Nomura said that several snippets from the game would be revealed during that year's E3, [37] but no demo was shown at E3, as the staff were still trying to fix some issues with the controls in the game. [2] In September, the beta test program was postponed indefinitely. Listed as 60% complete, the company stated if the beta test started with the game's current state, they would not be able to fully utilize the beta testers. [38]
The North American and European releases of Dirge of Cerberus received a major overhaul as the developers were not completely satisfied with the final Japanese version of the game. They also wanted to make the game more single-player oriented, and as such, they removed Online Multiplayer support, primarily due to the lack of popularity of PlayOnline outside Japan, and lack of PS2 HDD support in the U.S. Missions from the Multiplayer Mode were reworked into unlockable secret missions in the English-language versions of the game, although none of the additional storyline presented in the Japanese Multiplayer Mode featured in the English versions. [39] The Easy Mode, which was originally featured in the Japanese version to assist gamers not overly familiar with shooter games, was also removed. [33] [39] On September 11, 2008, the English-language version was released in Japan as Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII International [lower-alpha 3] , as part of Square's Ultimate Hits lineup. [40]
The soundtrack for the game was composed by Masashi Hamauzu. Japanese singer and actor Gackt wrote and performed the two theme songs, "Longing" and "Redemption". For the game's ending theme, "Redemption", the staff originally planned for it to be a ballad, but Gackt decided to make it a rock song instead. Upon hearing Gackt's ideas, the staff were pleased with the direction in which he had gone. [33] The CD soundtrack, Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII Original Soundtrack, was released on February 15, 2006 in Japan. Consisting of two CDs, the soundtrack spanned 53 tracks. A limited edition of the soundtrack includes a "Cerberus Complete Case" deluxe box designed to hold the soundtrack along with the Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII PS2 game and the limited edition of Gackt's single for the game, "Redemption". [41] This single was released on January 25, 2006. A limited edition was also released featuring two "Redemption" video clips; Gackt's promotional music video, and an alternate video using clips from the game. [42]
A supplemental soundtrack was released through the Japanese iTunes service and the Square-Enix Music Download page on August 22, 2006. Titled Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII Multiplayer Mode Original Sound Collections, this album consists of 27 tracks, including several songs from the single player game which were not included in the official soundtrack, as well as all of the original music composed for the multiplayer mode, and two new songs composed by Ryo Yamazaki for the North American release of the game. [43]
Aggregator | Score |
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GameRankings | 60% [44] |
Metacritic | 57/100 [45] |
Publication | Score |
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1Up.com | D+ [46] |
Electronic Gaming Monthly | C [47] |
Eurogamer | 5/10 [48] |
Famitsu | 28/40 [49] |
GameSpot | 6.0/10 [4] |
GameSpy | [50] |
GameTrailers | 7.2/10 [51] |
IGN | 7.0/10 [52] |
X-Play | [53] |
Dengeki PS2 | 313/400 [54] |
Dirge of Cerberus received mixed reviews from critics. At GameRankings, the game holds a score of 60%. [44] The combined score from Metacritic is 57 out of 100 based on 51 reviews. [45]
GameSpot stated that the game "does have a few interesting and even entertaining moments, but will ultimately leave action game fans and Final Fantasy fans feeling unfulfilled". [4] Despite stating that it is not "the best use of the Final Fantasy VII universe", IGN called it "a decent game with a strong story and occasionally-engaging rifle blasting". [55] 1UP.com criticized the enemies' artificial intelligence and weak scenarios, and labeling the story "boring". [46] Reviewer from Electronic Gaming Monthly 's Shane Bettenhausen opined that he found all of the titles (As of 2006 [update] ) in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII to be unappealing. [47] Eurogamer found that Dirge of Cerberus was a "risky gamble" by Square Enix, as their first shooter, and he criticized the fact that most of the main characters in the game were either optional in Final Fantasy VII or had only small roles. [48] GameSpy called its gameplay and plot "interesting", but found other aspects generic. [50] GameTrailers praised the game's storyline, calling it "convoluted, but incredibly impressive in its scope". They also praised the changes Square had made to the Western versions but found the game to be very similar to Devil May Cry , and felt that it didn't make good enough use of Vincent's abilities. While the CGI cutscenes and designs also received positive comments, the lack of variety in enemy types was criticized. [51] G4 's game review show, X-Play , responded negatively, citing poor level design, weak gameplay, too many cutscenes, and bad AI. [53]
Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII shipped 392,000 units in its first week. [56] As of August 2008, 460,000 units were sold in North America and 270,000 units in Europe. [57] Three months later, over 513,000 copies of the game have been sold in Japan alone. [58] In July 2006, Dirge of Cerberus was in Sony's Gold category of top-selling video games (the Gold category includes games which have sold anything from 500,000 units to 1 million). [59]
Dirge of Cerberus Lost Episode: Final Fantasy VII [lower-alpha 4] was co-developed by Square Enix and Ideaworks3D, and published by Square Enix. The game was released on August 22, 2006 in North America [60] and July 26, 2007 in Japan. [61] Initially only available on Amp'd Mobile phones, the game was subsequently made available on Verizon's V Cast network. It was also unveiled as a flagship title for NTT DoCoMo's FOMA 903i handset at the 2006 Tokyo Game Show. The title initially contained only a single player mode, with a multiplayer function introduced at a later date. Lost Episode involves a 'missing' chapter of Dirge of Cerberus taking place between two events of the main game.
IGN called it "passable", arguing that the graphics did not fit the mobile phone, causing a sense of imbalance. [62]
The game's storyline will be recreated in the mobile game Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis . [63]
Final Fantasy is a fantasy anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi which is owned, developed, and published by Square Enix. The franchise centers on a series of fantasy role-playing video games. The first game in the series was released in 1987, with 16 numbered main entries having been released to date.
Final Fantasy VII is a 1997 role-playing video game developed by Square for the PlayStation console and the seventh main installment in the Final Fantasy series. Square published the game in Japan, and it was released in other regions by Sony Computer Entertainment, becoming the first game in the main series to have a PAL release. The game's story follows Cloud Strife, a mercenary who joins an eco-terrorist organization to stop a world-controlling megacorporation from using the planet's life essence as an energy source. Events send Cloud and his allies in pursuit of Sephiroth, a superhuman who seeks to wound the planet and harness its healing power to be reborn as a god. During their journey, Cloud bonds with his party members, including Aerith Gainsborough, who holds the secret to saving their world.
Cloud Strife is the protagonist of Square Enix's role-playing video game Final Fantasy VII (1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020), Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (2024) & the computer-animated movie Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (2005). He acts in a supporting role in other Compilation of Final Fantasy VII titles, and is featured in several other games in the wider Final Fantasy series. He has also made guest appearances in various titles outside the franchise, such as the Kingdom Hearts series by Square Enix and Disney and the Super Smash Bros. series by Nintendo.
Masashi Hamauzu is a Japanese composer, pianist, and lyricist. Hamauzu, who was employed at Square Enix from 1996 to 2010, was best known during that time for his work on the Final Fantasy and SaGa video game series. Born into a musical family in Germany, Hamauzu was raised in Japan. He became interested in music while in kindergarten, and took piano lessons from his parents.
Midgar is a fictional city from the Final Fantasy media franchise. It first appears in the 1997 video game Final Fantasy VII, and is depicted as a bustling metropolis built, occupied, and controlled by the megacorporation Shinra Electric Power Company. The city is powered by electricity drawn from reactors which run on Mako, the processed form of spiritual energy extracted by Shinra from beneath the surface of the planet on which the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII takes place. Shinra's activities drain the world of its life force, the "Lifestream", threatening the existence of all life as the planet weakens. In spin-offs of the game, the city spanned a town named Edge.
Sephiroth is a character in the Final Fantasy series and the main antagonist of the video game Final Fantasy VII developed by Square. A former soldier of the megacorporation Shinra and the coworker of Zack Fair as well as the superior of main protagonist Cloud Strife, he possesses superhuman physiology as a result of an experiment in which Shinra injected him with cells from the extraterrestrial lifeform Jenova when he was still a fetus. Upon discovering this, Sephiroth becomes consumed by rage and decides to take control of the Planet by harnessing its life force and annihilating all life on it in order to become a god amidst the destruction. Sephiroth's background and role in the story are expanded upon in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. Additionally, he appears as a guest character in other video games and media, such as a recurring boss in the Kingdom Hearts series and as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is a 2005 Japanese computer-animated film directed by Tetsuya Nomura, written by Kazushige Nojima, and produced by Yoshinori Kitase and Shinji Hashimoto. Developed by Visual Works and Square Enix, Advent Children is part of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII series of media, which is based in the world and continuity of the 1997 role-playing video game Final Fantasy VII. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children was released on DVD and Universal Media Discs with Japanese voice acting in Japan on September 14, 2005, and on April 25, 2006 with English voice acting in North America and the UK.
Vincent Valentine is a character in Square's 1997 role-playing video game Final Fantasy VII. He is designed by Tetsuya Nomura, and also appears in various titles from the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, a metaseries set in the Final Fantasy VII continuity. He is the protagonist of the 2006 third-person shooter Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII and its mobile phone tie-in Dirge of Cerberus: Lost Episode. Vincent is voiced in Japanese by Shōgo Suzuki and in English by Steven Blum and Matthew Mercer.
Yuffie Kisaragi is a character from Square Enix's Final Fantasy series. She is designed by Tetsuya Nomura, and was first introduced in the 1997 role-playing video game Final Fantasy VII as a young female ninja princess and thief. She is an optional party member, and can be recruited through a sidequest. Yuffie reappears in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII series, which expands on her background and shows her after the events of the original game.
Final Fantasy is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and owned by Square Enix that includes video games, motion pictures, and other merchandise. The series began in 1987 as an eponymous role-playing video game developed by Square, spawning a video game series that became the central focus of the franchise. The music of the Final Fantasy series refers to the soundtracks of the Final Fantasy series of video games, as well as the surrounding medley of soundtrack, arranged, and compilation albums. The series' music ranges from very light background music to emotionally intense interweavings of character and situation leitmotifs.
The Compilation of Final Fantasy VII is a metaseries produced by Square Enix. A subseries stemming from the main Final Fantasy franchise, it is a collection of video games, animated features and short stories set in the world and continuity of Final Fantasy VII (1997). Officially announced in 2003 with the reveal of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, the series' core products are three video games and one film release. Alongside these are tie-in products and spin-offs including books, mobile games, and an original video animation. Advent Children and the mobile title Before Crisis are a sequel and prequel to VII, respectively focusing on Cloud Strife, the original game's main protagonist, and covert operatives known as the Turks. Crisis Core follows Zack Fair, a minor character in VII, while Dirge of Cerberus, a sequel to Advent Children, follows Vincent Valentine, one of the original's optional characters. The series has since been expanded to include more products, most notably a planned trilogy of games remaking the 1997 original; the first installment in this trilogy, Final Fantasy VII Remake, was released in 2020, while the second installment, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, was released the 29th of February 2024.
Last Order: Final Fantasy VII, also abbreviated as Last Order or LO, is a 2005 Japanese anime original video animation produced by Madhouse and released by Square Enix. It was directed by Morio Asaka, and produced by Masao Maruyama, Jungo Maruta and Akio Ofuji. Tetsuya Nomura served as supervising director. The OVA is an alternate rendition of two flashbacks used for the video game Final Fantasy VII. Last Order was released in Japan with Advent Pieces: Limited, a special edition release of the film Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, and as a bonus feature in the North American "Limited Edition Collector's Set" release.
Final Fantasy VII is a role-playing video game by Square as the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy series. Released in 1997, the game sparked the release of a collection of media centered on the game entitled the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. The music of the Final Fantasy VII series includes not only the soundtrack to the original game and its associated albums, but also the soundtracks and music albums released for the other titles in the collection. The first album produced was Final Fantasy VII Original Soundtrack, a compilation of all the music in the game. It was released as a soundtrack album on four CDs by DigiCube in 1997. A selection of tracks from the album was released in the single-disc Reunion Tracks by DigiCube the same year. Piano Collections Final Fantasy VII, an album featuring piano arrangements of pieces from the soundtrack, was released in 2003 by DigiCube, and Square Enix began reprinting all three albums in 2004. To date, these are the only released albums based on the original game's soundtrack, and were solely composed by regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu; his role for the majority of subsequent albums has been filled by Masashi Hamauzu and Takeharu Ishimoto.
Final Fantasy VII, a role-playing video game developed by Square, now Square Enix, and originally released in 1997, features many fictional characters in both major and minor roles. VII has been followed by multiple sequels and prequels, grouped into the multimedia series Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. These include the 2004 mobile game prequel Before Crisis, the 2005 movie sequel Advent Children, the 2006 shooter spin-off sequel Dirge of Cerberus, and the 2007 action game prequel Crisis Core. Other media include spin-off books and the original video animation Last Order. The setting of Final Fantasy VII has been described as industrial or post-industrial science fiction. It is referred to as "the Planet" in most games, and was retroactively named "Gaia" in some Square Enix promotional material.
"Redemption" is a single released by Japanese musician Gackt on January 25, 2006. Its songs "Redemption" and "Longing" were theme songs of the video game Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII.
Yusuke Naora is a Japanese video game art director and character designer who worked for Square Enix. A former member of Toaplan, Naora served as the art director for several Final Fantasy and Compilation of Final Fantasy VII titles. He also served as the producer of the Code Age franchise. On October 1, 2016 he announced on Twitter that he had left the company, but would continue to contribute to Square Enix games as a freelancer.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable. The game was first released in 2007, and serves as a prequel to the 1997 video game Final Fantasy VII. It is part of the metaseries Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, which includes other products related to the original game.
Square Enix Image Studio Division, is a Japan-based CGI animation studio dedicated towards creating video game cut scenes and full-length feature films for Square Enix. Square Enix Image Studio Division was founded as Visual Works as the CGI department for Square and was responsible for creating the pre-rendered CG sequences for the company, starting with Final Fantasy VII in 1997.
WRO Member: With Jenova War hero Reeve Tuesti at its helm, our organization is dedicated to aiding the healing process of the planet, as well as protecting it from any who attempt further harm.
Reeve: Good work, Vincent. The enemy is retreating. It seems they have finally begun their withdrawal from Kalm.
Vincent: Reeve. Who were those men? / Reeve: Deepground soldiers. / Vincent: Deepground? / Reeve: Yes. The shadow of the Shinra Company, constructed by the former president and completely hidden from the rest of the world. / Vincent: Constructed? / Reeve: His goal was to create an army of superhuman warriors--not once letting morality interfere. The man you met earlier, Azul, is also a member of Deepground. But, he belongs to an elite unit known as the Tsviets.
Rosso: So you're Vincent Valentine. Keeper of the Protomateria. / Vincent: Protomateria? / Rosso: Yes. The key to controlling Omega. We know you have it.
Shalua: I carried you back here from Edge after you collapsed during your fight with Deepground. It seems like the beast inside you went a little wild back there. This happen often? / Vincent: Went wild? Do you mean Chaos? / Shalua: Chaos? Your body harbors the Chaos gene? So that explains your relationship with Dr. Lucrecia Crescent. Were you the product of one of her experiments?
Shalua: Soul wrought of terra corrupt, quelling impurity, purging the stream to beckon forth an ultimate fate. Behold mighty Chaos, Omega's squire to the lofty heavens. / Reeve: Where did you...? / Shalua: A passage from Dr. Crescent's thesis. But that's all I know. Unfortunately, I only saw a fragment of the document. However, Chaos... Omega... And...
Reeve: Where are you... / Vincent: Nibelheim. / Reeve: Wait. Shinra Manor? But that is where... Understood.
Rosso: I'm sorry. Were you not expecting that? So, you cannot control the beast without this. Well, there will be no need for it when I'm done with you.
Yuffie: I was poking around Nibelheim and I found you looking all corpselike in Shinra Manor. So I saved you. Imagine that--me, saving the great Vincent Valentine. Do I get any thanks?
Shelke: Are you speaking of Dr. Lucrecia Crescent's findings? / Reeve: Yes. But how did you...? / Shelke: A large quantity of her mnemonic data fragments has been uploaded into my neural network. It was my prime directive to use this data to locate and retrieve the Protomateria. However, not only was the data incomplete, but part of her consciousness began interfering with my own thought processes. It was believed that the missing fragments may have been the reason for this. I can attempt to upload the WRO's files on the Omega Report. By combining it with the data I possess, you may obtain a clearer picture of what you will be up against.
Shelke: Omega is the same type of life form as the WEAPONs we encountered three years ago. The planet gave birth to these creatures to protect itself just as the planet will ultimately give birth to the final Weapon, Omega, when the end of the world is imminent. In essence, Omega is an elaborate safety mechanism designed solely to maintain and protect the flow of life. Normally, Omega poses no threat to us. It only manifests when the planet has detected something that may cause her danger. / Reeve: However, Deepground is attempting to awaken the beast early. Thus the kidnappings.
Reeve: Omega is being revived deep beneath Midgar in Mako Reactor 0. To increase the output of Reactor 0, all the other reactors have been tied into its mainframe. Our objective is to destroy 1 through 8 and slow the reanimation process.
Cid: Vince, don't worry about the reactors. We'll take care of them. You work on those four wackos. I don't like letting you have all the fun, but you know I can't leave my baby here alone. Cloud and the others will be shutting down the power, and there's no way we're lettin' Yuffie go down there by herself.
Vincent: This is Weiss? / Yuffie: It's--he's--it's dead? / Nero: But not for long.
Weiss: My body is one with Omega. Just as yours is with Chaos.
Weiss: Three years ago, while I was still running about looking for Sephiroth, I took it upon myself to distribute my data--my mind, my knowledge, my inner being, across the worldwide network. And even though my body had died, and the world had been left in ruin, I survived in a virtual reality. When the network was restored, the scattered data regrouped and I was reborn. A neo-Reunion, you could say. / Vincent: You... / Weiss: That's right, boy. It's me. Hojo!
Nero: Let us become one. Let us come together, so that none may ever tear us apart. / Weiss: Yes. Let us... Let us go join him. / Nero: Weiss... / Weiss: Nero... / Hojo: No! Stop it! You can't! This is my body now! No!
Shelke: Omega has awoken. And Chaos has been drawn out of the shadows to serve as a counterbalance. Or so it would seem.
Lucrecia: But I'm so happy you survived. / Vincent: Lucrecia!
Shelke (as Lucrecia): Take this... Vincent.
Cloud, Tifa, Barret, Yuffie, Cid and Reeve: Vincent! / Vincent: Guess I have no choice. It's time...to save the world.
Vincent: Lucrecia. Everything's alright now. Omega and Chaos have returned to the planet. Thank you. It was you. You were the reason I survived.
WRO soldier: Sir. I've been spending time analyzing the data retrieved from the files of former weapons development administrator Scarlet. Deepground. It used to be a medical facility for injured SOLDIER troops. Military personnel would be sent there for care and rehabilitation. However, over time, it evolved into a laboratory for madmen content on ignoring all laws of man and nature. And supposedly this evolution took place because of the existence of one rogue SOLDIER—a man known only as "G". However, that's all we were able to retrieve.