It’s fitting that I use the number ten on this next Gift of Game entry, for it brings together characters from (at least) ten different series. The game I’m talking about, of course, is Dissidia: Final Fantasy for the PSP, which pits ten heroes and ten villains from Final Fantasies past against each other for the fate of the multiverse. Click to read more…
Another Saturday marathon session on Dissidia has yielded positive results for me. I now have control of Shantotto (from Final Fantasy XI) and Gabranth (from Final Fantasy XII), the two playable secret characters on the roster. In the process, I think Bartz jumped about 16 levels…it took that much grinding to do.
Shantotto is a short little Tarutaru mage who specializes in chainspells. She only learns six offensive magic spells (but can learn a variety of Bravery-reducing attacks as she levels up), but she can cast up to three of them in succession for extra damage. Projectile spells like Fire and Blizzard seem to be good for starter attacks, while linking to Thunder, Aero, Water or Stone is a good way to keep them from dodging what you throw at them.
Gabranth is a big guy behind a suit of armor. Unlike the other characters, he doesn’t have any attacks that can reduce HP in normal mode. He instead charges his EX meter when you hold down the Square key, and he is usually able to do this faster than if you collected dust from the EX cores. Once Gabranth’s fully powered-up, he hits pretty damn hard.
Having just acquired them, it’ll probably be a while before I get either of them up to a level where they’ll be able to be used in serious competition. All I have left to complete now is the “Inward Chaos” storyline, and right now, nobody on my team’s prepared for that. Guess I’ll have to wait for another bonus EXP day to prepare for it…
After about fifteen tries and just as many levels to close the gap between myself and Chaos, I sealed the deal late last night. Beating him is no easy task, as he’s gotta be taken down three times in succession (without healing) before you can claim victory. In addition, he also has a unique summon-stone called Shinryu, which either boosts Chaos’ bravery, or cuts yours in half every second it’s active. He pulls this out repeatedly during the fight, unlike any other opponent, who can only use them once. Chaos also attacks surprisingly quickly for a big hulking four-armed demon. You’ll have to move fast and dodge a lot if you want to get a hit in on time.
After you managed to beat the last chapter of Shade Impulse (assuming you haven’t painted the wall with your PSP by this point), the real fun begins. Two more tales open up in story mode, allowing you a chance to unlock the last two secret characters: Shantotto (the cute little Tarutaru Black Mage from Final Fantasy XI) and Gabranth (of the Judges from Final Fantasy XII). You also get access to the Duel Coliseum, a mode where you compete to see how many consecutive battles you can win by drawing cards. Trust me…it’s much better than it sounds once you start playing it.
It didn’t take me long to breeze through Chapter 3 and the first part of Chapter 4 of Shade Impulse in Dissidia today. Unluckily for me, I have to face Chaos (remember him from the original Final Fantasy?) as the final boss. The same Chaos who would have kicked my ass had I made it to the end of the Chaos Temple in his original game. It may have something to do with my Bartz character being at level 40 and him at level 48, but I got smacked down by him in less than 15 seconds on six separate occasions. Maybe I’ll use my bonus day to bring Bartz’s level up to respectability, because according to one strategy guide, you have to duel against Chaos three times before he finally goes down. Guess I’d better get ready for an all-nighter.
After owning this game for only five days, I’ve already logged 20 hours on it. That was just long enough to complete all of the characters’ individual stories. Next up is Shade Impulse, which I’m told is much harder, meaning that I’ll have to do even more grinding if I want to survive long enough to see the good parts. Guess I’ll have to hit the Ghost battles, then…
Category: Uncategorized, Video Games
Author: WillyFourEyes
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Tags: dissidia, final fantasy, gift of game, psp, special features 