“We’ll be making an announcement on the release timing later this month,” a rep told the press today.

The PSP Final Fantasy fighting game, which has a rough “mind 2009″ release date in the US, was the biggest selling title in Japan for the month of January.

From myself, and everyone else on staff, have a pleasant holiday season. May your next few days be full of cheer, happiness… and lots and lots of video games!

We hope you’ll join us back here in 2009, when we’ll be as active as ever. We have plenty of things planned for the start of the new year, including more additions to our extensive Dissidia: Final Fantasy guide, new instalments of our original Games ‘N’ Goblins video-cast, and a feature looking back at our favourite games of 2008.

And that’s only for the start of the year! Except much besides in the year ahead!

See you again in 2009, fellow gamers. Enjoy your holidays!

In our third Dissidia: Final Fantasy character guide, we take a look at Firion. This uniquely dressed hero, hailing from Final Fantasy II believes he’s so hardcore that he carries around not just one, not even two, but seven weapons in combat!

And we’re going to show you how to use them, and use them well.

 [Game of Origin] Final Fantasy II

 [Concept] Weapon Specialist

 [EX-Mode] Firion equips “Blood” versions of all his
 weapons; “Blood” weapons were weapons in FFII and
 other FFs which restored your health when you attack
 the enemy. His armour also takes on a gold tint.

 [EX-Mode Bonus] Matching tradition, Firion’s Blood
 Attacks restore your HP as you land blows on your
 foe; the more damage you do, the more HP restored

 [EX-Burst: Fervid Blazer] Firion attacks with all of his
 weapons. Five commands will appear when he draws
 his bow, and the power of his final attack will depend
 on how many of these the player inputs correctly.

 
[Firion - Gameplay Mechanics]

TIER RANKING: 85

Firion is not a character for beginners. Don’t pick him if you want an easy learning curve.

Mirroring Final Fantasy’s II freedom to allow you to equip whatever gear you want, Firion has taken this to the extreme; he carries around the signature weapons of the playable cast of that game – Ricard Highwind’s spear, Guy’s Axe, Maria’s bow, Leila’s dagger, and Minwu’s shield.

Thanks to his multitude of weapons, Firion has an unparalleled ability to juggle and combo his opponents; he can pull his enemy in close with his long range attacks, and keep them off their feet for extended lengths of time, unable to retaliate.

However, he cannot move while attacking.

Firion is an almost entirely ground based fighter. Winning with him relies heavily on using your long-range abilities to draw the opponent in, and keeping at them with combos, before spreading your distance again and repeating the same strategy.

Patience in regard to releasing attacks, knowing when to keep still, maintaining distance, and spotting an opening in your opponent’s offense are all key to winning with Firion. He is devastating in the right hands, and is easily one of the more complex characters in the game to learn.

A skilled Firion player is one that knows when to stand still, and when to move out of the line of fire. They will always take advantage of an opening in an experience player’s attacks, and can decimate an opponent without ever having to leave the ground.

 
[Background Story]

Firion is a man who is single-minded in his approaches and serious in his beliefs, but is not without a certain of romanticism. He possesses a hot and passionate heart, and believes strongly in the concept of justice and ideals of the Wild Rose.

This scene pays homage to a classic piece of Amano art

Once dedicated to something, he will pour his soul into it. He is now caught up in the unfolding battle between himself and the cold-hearted Emperor of Palamecia, who is pushing, at any costs, to expand his rule over the world.

Firion begins his journey in Dissidia in the company of Cecil, Cloud, and Tidus. At first, he believes that finding the Crystals will help him resolve everything.

As he walks this new path however, and as he meets new friends, his views gradually change, and he sees the lessons of “The Wild Rose” as the key to his truths.

 
[Personal Commentary]

Square’s means of connecting Firion in Dissidia to the gameplay of Final Fantasy II is rather a cute touch. In FFII, players could equip characters with whatever weapons and armour you wanted, so they figured… hey… lets have him use them all!

At the same time!

His appearance for Dissidia is almost perfectly faithful to Amano’s famous artwork from the original game, right down to the elaborately embroidered turban. For myself personally, it’s always been one of his best designs, and it’s great to see that Square decided to stay so faithful to that design for Dissidia.

From a gameplay perspective, Firion is definately one of my favourite characters in Dissidia.

 
[Firion Image Gallery]

 
In our next character guide, we will take a look at the main villain of Final Fantasy II, the deplorable Emperor of Palamecia, who brings a very unique play-style to the table, to match his rather… eccentric ways.

In our second Dissidia: Final Fantasy character guide, we take a look at Garland, the legendary villain of Final Fantasy I, who was hunkering around in metal armour and looking generally imposing long before the likes of Golbez and ExDeath came on the scene.

 [Game of Origin] Final Fantasy I

 [Concept] Power Attacker

 [EX-Mode] Garland appears as the noble knight he
 once was; his cape turns a dazzling white, and his
 armour is adorned with bright, silver hight-lights. A
 far removal from the Garland we know.

 [EX-Mode Bonus] Removes knockback. This allows
 Garland to keep attacking even when hit, since hits
 on him will not trigger the usual flinching animations.

 [EX-Burst: Soul of Chaos] The player must constantly
 press the O button to build up Garland’s power gauge,
 making his attacks stronger and causing a different
 weapon transformation for his final blow.

 
[Garland - Gameplay Mechanics]

TIER RANKING: 71

If his general appearance (and that giant transforming sword he carries around) weren’t enough to give it away, Garland is a physical attack based character who relies entirely on brute force to take down his opponents. The benefits of this raw power come with some major drawbacks, however.

Garlands attacks take precise memorization and, in some cases, a bit of luck. At close range, his slow Brave Attacks means that he can be easily decimated by faster character. His HP Attacks are somewhat more user-friendly as a result, but his Ex-Mode bonus is his real trump card.

In Ex-Mode, his “flinch” (the animation that causes you to be knock out of your attack when someone hits you) is turned off. He still takes damage, but his sluggish moves can be completed without being interrupted by faster character’s counters. Use this every chance you get.

Garland posses a few basic magic attacks, such as Earthquake and Flame, but there usefulness is limited. A patient offensive approach is the best approach to take with this tin can giant.

 
[Background Story]

Recalling the classic “good vs. evil” nature of the original Final Fantasy, Garland stands tall as leader among the troops of Chaos, opposite the Warrior of Light, who stands as leader of the forces of Cosmo.

Once a famous knight in his own right, he now stands in eternal rivalry with the legendary hero.

Is he an old friend of Kuja's, or is FFIX's Garland only a namesake?

He believes deeply in the concept of “reincarnation”. As he leads Chaos’ troops, he stops at nothing to prevent the warriors of Cosmos from obtaining the Crystals, but he seems to be actively enjoying the fighting.

The whims of his “master” Chaos mean little to him, though he feigns interest. It’s obvious that he aims to serve only one person’s interests… his own.

 
[Personal Commentary]

Garland’s design is unique for one reason; no known concept art of him from the original game exists. As such, his appearance is vaguely inspired by the constantly evolving sprite of him used in the many remakes of Final Fantasy 1 over the years.

Hailing from the first game in the series, his characterisation was always going to locked into the classical role of pure evil, with little reasons to make his motives or desires any more complex.

That said, he shares an unique role in Dissidia due to his relation to Chaos, the “final boss” of FFI, and the main villain of Dissidia.

It’s also curious to note that he converses with Kuja in Dissidia. Many fans will recall that Kuja’s “mentor” of sorts in Final Fantasy IX was a man who also went by the name Garland; whether these two characters are one and the same has yet to be revealed.

Hopefully Dissidia will offer some answers.

 
[Garland Image Gallery]

 
Tomorrow, Tuesday, we move onto Final Fantasy II, and take a look at Firion, the orphaned hero of the game, searching for the “Wild Rose”, and a dream of his own.

Here you will find a detailed resource on the PlayStation Portable title Dissidia: Final Fantasy.

Updates will be daily, excluding weekends.

[Dissidia: Final Fantasy Details]

1 – Dissidia: Final Fantasy Gameplay Mechanics

[Character Guides]

[Special Thanks]

- Shawn Collier, for access to valuable graphical resources.
- Kraiden, for the use of his high quality battle videos.

In our first Dissidia: Final Fantasy character guide, we take a look at the character who jump started the franchise, the iconic Warrior of Light, who makes his appearance in Dissidia looking similar to how he was originally designed by Yoshitaka Amano, over 20 years ago.

 [Game of Origin] Final Fantasy I

 [Concept] All-Rounder

 [EX-Mode] The Warrior of Light changes into Amano’s
 rendition of the Knight class from the original NES
 box-art. His armor design is more complex, and the
 horns on his helmet point forward, instead of up.

 [EX-Mode Bonus] “Protect” Defence is increased.
 The Warrior of Light will also be able to defect his
 opponent’s magic attacks.

 [EX-Burst: Oversoul] 6 directional arrows will appear on
 screen. Correctly inputting all 6 of these will raise the
 power of his Ex-Burst attack, while missing will result
 in a weaker attack.

 
[Warrior of Light - Gameplay Mechanics]

TIER RANKING: 78

Although the Warrior of Light will likely be the first character that traditional Final Fantasy fans will want to play as first, he still requires some difficulty to master. Extended play will give you a better feel for the timing of his move.

His usefulness in battle relies heavily on you positing yourself above or below the opponent to take advantage of his best abilities. Placement is key with him.

His attacks tend to move in straight lines, and because of their general slow speed, it can be harder to land hits on opponents. Only with a lot of practise will you be able to accurately predict your opponent’s movements and place yourself accordingly to make hits count.

While the Warrior of Light might be the heart and soul of Dissidia’s story (and the Final Fantasy franchise itself), the rest of the cast tends to come across as godly in comparison to him, due to his limitations.

 
[Background Story]

The Warrior of Light stands at the heart of the warriors of Cosmos as their leader. A legendary knight blessed by the power of light, he cast off the darkness that gripped a world slowly tumbling towards ruin. While fostering the light of justice within himself, he dedicated himself to battle in order to rescue this world from chaos.

He is austere and honourable in dealing with himself and others, always remains composed, and harbours a strong sense of responsibility. His heart is deeply empathetic towards his companions, and he is every inch the hero one would wish to entrust with the world’s safety.

Under the guidance of the princess Cosmos, the Warrior of Light comes to learn of the state of the world, caught in the whirl of chaos. He sets out alone to find the one thing that can save the world… the Crystals.

But along the way, the troops of Chaos attempt to knock him from the noble path. If the “truth” they preach is correct, then how can the Warrior continue to believe in the “Light?” Can even the most noble of all heroes lose his way?

 
[Personal Commentary]

It’s interesting (and refreshing) to see that Square Enix choose to use the Warrior of Light as the “leading man” in Dissidia’s story, when they could have chosen one of the more recognisable characters in his place.

It’s an endearing nod to fans that the hero of Dissidia is the character who kicked off the franchise, and it seems only fitting for him to be so.

Seeing as your entire party of adventurers had a completely blank slate when it came to personality in the original title, this gave Square Enix the ability to retrofit Anamo’s classic design with the most noble of personalities for Dissidia’s story; a hero amongst heroes.

It may not be realistic characterisation, but it fits into the context of his character in the overall mythos of Final Fantasy; he was the first true hero.

 
[Warrior of Light Image Gallery]

 
On Monday, we will take a look at Garland, the original Final Fantasy villain, who stood in opposition of the Warrior of Light in the first game, and takes up the role as the leader of the forces of Chaos in Dissidia.

It looks like the PlayStation portable still has some life left in it yet. On its first day at retail in Japan yesterday, Square Enix’s Dissidia: Final Fantasy sold a whopping 350,000 copies!

40,000 of theses sales were of the 20th Anniversary Limited Pack, which came with a limited edition PSP-3000 system. This makes Dissidia’s launch equal to the success of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII — mind you, it doesn’t even come to the first day sales of Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G; an insane 670,000 units.

As you already know a US release date has already been confirmed for mid-2009. Here’s hoping it repeats the same success over here.

“Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of Square Enix(R) interactive entertainment products in North America, announced that DISSIDIA(TM) FINAL FANTASY(R) for the PSP(R) (PlayStation(R)Portable) system will be available mid-year 2009 in North America.”

Could you be any more vague, Squenix?

Well, at least we know it’s coming out in the west, which will be joyous news for many of us.

In the meantime, you can get all the information you want on the game here on The Gaming Vault over the coming month, starting with our detailed Dissidia gameplay guide.

Kicking off The Gaming Vault’s month of dedicated Dissidia content, we start right at the beginning, with a detailed look at Dissidia’s gameplay mechanics and its battle system. We explain many of the game’s exhaustive features, as well as providing some advanced tactics for more skilled gamers to muse over.

Gameplay features outside of the main battle system will be detailed in later guides.

[1] BATTLE MECHANICS – THE BASICS

Like most fighting games, the general objective of each battle is to reduce an opponent’s HP to zero. In the case of Dissidia: Final Fantasy though, this is done a little differently.

We’ll start things off with a simple demonstration of the controls, and go from there.

[1.1] Brave Attacks & HP Attacks

Every character in Dissidia has two basic forms of attack… HP Attacks and Brave Attacks.

HP Attacks are single-hit moves which do direct damage to an opponents health bar. You win the fight through reducing the enemies HP to zeros, but this proves difficult without the use of Brave Attacks

Brave Attacks are combo-able attacks that steal Brave Points (or BP) from an opponents Brave bar. The more Brave Points you you have, and the greater the difference in BP between yourself and your opponent, the more damage you can do with your HP Attacks, and the more HP you will remove from your opponents HP bar.

HP is represented by the small numbers, whilst BP is represented by the large numbers.

Traditionally, you can equip a character with three Brave Attacks and three HP Attacks. Passive abilities such as “Ground Guard” and “Air Guard” can also be equipped, allowing you to bolster your defences against different forms of attacks.

[ADVANCED TIPS]

– Brave Points controls the tide of battle, and are the lifeblood of victory in Dissidia.  Unless you focus on keeping your brave points maximised, you will be easily beaten, especially against another player.  The tricky part is that HP Attacks reduce your Brave Points, which means that you will want to keep a careful focus on building up your BP before attacking an opponent’s HP.

– Attacks fall under the categories of physical attacks and spell attacks; the former is focused on close range attacks, and the latter on hitting your opponent from range. They both fall under HP and Brave categories.

– Some characters specialise in close range combat, and some are focused on ranged battle, whilst others fall somewhere in the middle with both. Take each characters’ strengths and weaknesses into consideration when gearing them out, and especially during the fight.

[1.2]Abilities
Abilities are divided into two categories; Action (Active), Support (Passive), and Extra Abilities (Misc.)

Action abilities such Aerial Guard and Ground Guard allow you to guard well against oncoming blows from the ground or air. You can also learn abilities that provide you with extra jumps, more speed, the ability to parry moves, or even dash multiple times in mid-air.

Support abilities are passive abilities whose effects are applied just be equipping them. Lock-On, for instance, allows you to lock onto your enemy and keep the camera focused on them, while EX Lock-On which allows you to lock onto the location of EX-Core when one appears on the battlefield.

Extra abilities are bonus abilities that tend to expand what your moves can do. As an example EX Critical Up, increase the chance that your attacks will do critical damage while you are in in EX Mode, while Turn EXP into HP, does just that; instead of gaining experiences during battle, you will restore HP.

Better abilities = more versatility.

[1.3] Stats in Dissidia

Just like the traditional RPGs of yore, your characters will have stats that can be increased in numerous ways – through leveling up, equipping items, and other means.

Statistics in Dissidia included Attack, Defence, Speed, and Luck, as well as Ability Points (AP).

Ability Points are especially important because they allow you to unlock new moves for your characters. They’re the bread and butter of building your character into the precise character you want them to be.

Attack and Defence are self-explanatory stats; they increase your attack and… well… defence!

Speed determines your character’s movement speed on the ground or in the air, and is often the hardest stats to increase.

Luck is a rather basic stat, but useful; it determines how close Ex-Cores (see above) appear to your character, and as a result, the frequency you get to use them.

[2] BATTLE MECHANiCS – ADVANCED

[2.1] EX-Mode and EX-Burst
Certain items, known as  EX-Cores, will randomly appear on the battlefield. These help to  fill up your  EX-Meter. There are two types of EX-Cores. One-winged, and Two-winged. A One-winged Ex-Cores only fills about half of your character’s Ex-Meter, whilst a two-winged one will fill it completely.

When full, a character shifts into EX-Mode which provides completely different benefits depending on which character you’re playing as. Some characters even go through drastic visual changes.

In this mode, you will be able to activate an EX-Burst, a super-charged attack that does large amounts of HP to your opponents, requiring different button inputs depending on the character you’re playing as.

We’ll elaborate on each character’s Ex-Mode abilities and Ex-Burst attack in their dedicated profiles, which will we present over the coming weeks.

[2.3] Use of Terrain

Terrain will play a big part when planning your strategy. You’ll interact with the environment via running along walls, grinding on railings, and destroying surrounding objects.

[ADVANCED TIPS]

– Generally, the character will be proficient in either Ground attacks (that take place while on the ground) or Aerial attacks (that take place while in the air.) Depending on the character, focusing on one of these styles will yield you better results.

– Most ranged physical attacks (obviously) can’t go through walls. Plan out your placement carefully on the battlefield before trying to bridge the distance between yourself and your opponent.

Now, you’re tooled out with all the knowledge you need to play Dissidia well… although we sadly cant provide you with that “skill” thing. You’ll have to find that one on your own!

Tomorrow: We take a look at the Warrior of Light, the archetypal hero of Final Fantasy I who helped launch the now legendary franchise.

It seems like forever since the game was announced, and us here at The Gaming Vault have made no secret of about being excited about the game, but the day has finally arrived… Dissidia: Final Fantasy has finally been released in Japan!

To celebrate the occasion, The Gaming Vault will be running features every day for the next month dedicated to the game, detailing the ins and outs of Dissidia’s gameplay, looking into all 22 major characters, and constructing an exhaustive guide of every facet of the game.

If you’re looking forward to Dissidia, and want all the information before anywhere else, you’ll find it here first!

I’ll save the banter and just let you watch the trailer… enjoy!

Instead of boring you with details, Just watch it, and see.

The video’s under the cut. Enjoy!

Bartz appearance, as with the rest of the roster, is highy reminisce of Yoshitaka Amano’s original character design, and has a look inspired by ancient Roman history. Terra’s design is also identical to Amano’s original art, and as such she will be ditching the green hair for a more traditional blonde. Cloud will appear in his classic get-up, instead of his more recent Advent Children garb.

This news pretty much completes the 20 character roster for Dissidia. Now all we have to do is wait for the game to be released…

The fight that started it all.

Still can’t wait for the game to be released. Nothing much more to say. Enjoy the video.