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More of the same, but with more awesome fanservice!

The original Dissidia was one of those games where if you took a cursory glance at the game, or sampled it for ten minutes, you were likely to put it down and never pick it up again. Its combat system was a little dense for most, and it was pretty easy to get your butt kicked early on and not figure out what you were doing wrong. I'd venture to say that if it wasn't for the Final Fantasy license attached, and the devout fan base of that license, that it wouldn't have garnered the following that it has nowadays. Granted, it wasn't a critical darling for most, but there's a core group of players out there that have committed as much time to Dissidia as you would any other major RPG on the market.

I wasn't one of those people though, and while I did play a fair share of the original game, other stuff came up and I never stuck with it. When Dissidia 012 was announced, I was pretty eager to see what Square Enix came up with this time around. Having now played a good chunk of the game, and completing the 012 campaign, I got to say, if you were ever a fan of the original you'd do well to pick this one up. Hell, it actually contains the original game even, unlockable after you finish the initial story mode (which is more of a prequel but with a new roster). However, if the first game put you off, I'm not sure this one will float your boat either. It's damn fun once you get into the combat, and realize how to properly dodge, and when to follow up with attacks. But it can be downright frustrating early on, especially if you stumble into a couple boss fights in the first two chapters at a lower level than you should.

The story in Dissidia 012 is a little bit fan fiction, and a little bit traditional FF drama. Cosmos and Chaos, two gods, are battling it out via their selected Warriors. You'll control characters like Lightning from Final Fantasy XIII and Laguna from Final Fantasy VIII (both new to Dissidia), as you fight against classic FF villains such as Kefka and Sephiroth. There are a few surprises in store, certain characters end up on sides you might not expect them to at first. There's also the occasionally gorgeous looking CGI cutscene, and the majority of the voice acting is really pretty excellent. The music, as in the first Dissidia, is absolutely fantastic, offering up a lot of remixes from familiar tracks spread across most of the FF titles. Seriously, if there's a game soundtrack I'd buy this year, it'd be this one.

From a controls standpoint the game plays in a similar fashion to the first game. Two of the face buttons control your Bravery and Damage attacks. You've got a jump button, and then a dodge ability when combining jump with the R button. You can summon in support characters for quick attacks, and also activate EX mode if you've got the charge to do it. Just like the previous game, your goal is to use Bravery attacks to build up your Bravery points, which will then dictate how much damage you cause when you finally use a Damage attack. Using Bravery attacks can also break your opponent's defense, adding bonuses to your damage. You can't go into combat with a button mash mindset either, this game is all about attacking at the opportune moment. In later stages enemies will dodge a whole lot, and if you whiff an attack, prepare to be punished for it. It pays to get used to the dodge mechanic, as it'll be your primary ability that allows you to even land a hit in the harder stages.

Finally, there's a whole lot of content to Dissidia 012. Not only do you get the new story campaign, but once that's finished, you'll unlock the original game with some of the newer mechanics introduced here. Then there's the vs. mode, and finally the really awesome Labyrinth mode, which provides a huge dungeon to explore and awesome gear to collect. On top of that, there's a whole lot of side content to unlock, like alternate outfits, music packs, villains to unlock and play as, and so on. You can spend just as much time on this as you did in the original Dissidia, if not more.

This is definitely a title that I suggest wholeheartedly to fans of the original. While I'd like to extend that invitation to newcomers as well, I will say that if the original put you off due to the combat or story mode set-up, you're probably not going to dig this either. Not a whole lot has changed on both ends, but I sure had a blast playing it regardless. I'm not sure how much more time I'll spend with this one, but it probably won't be leaving my PSP until Final Fantasy IV Collection hits later this month.