FINAL FANTASY: DISSIDIA 02

PLATFORM: EXCLUSIVE ON PLAYSTATION PORTABLE

GENRE: ACTION RPG

Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy (also known as Dissidia Duodecim Final Fantasy) is a rich hybrid of role-playing and fighting games. It adds a colossal amount of content to the original Dissidia Final Fantasy, which was already a total blast to play. Like many Final Fantasy spinoffs before it, Duodecim is not without faults. There's a definite learning curve to overcome here. But for those patient enough to invest some time in learning Duodecim's ins and outs, the reward is incredible. 

Most of the gameplay in Duodecim is similar to what you experienced in the original Dissidia. Combat takes place in large, open stages and two fighters battle one-on-one. The entire roster is composed of classic heroes and villains from the Final Fantasy series. When engaged in combat, each character has a bravery value and hit points. Characters use normal attacks to raise their bravery value and HP attacks to deal damage to those hit points. 

At its core, Duodecim feels more like Smash Bros. than Street Fighter. Moves are much simpler to execute but you still need to worry about timing, character placement, and reading an opponent's next move. There's plenty of strategy here, but you're not required to perform 30-button combos to succeed. 

 Some of those offerings are new to this prequel. There are new characters to experiment with and the returning fighters have more moves. There are also a number of new stages, including ones built in the Final Fantasy XIII universe. But one of the biggest changes to Dissidia's battle system is the inclusion of assist attacks. A game with lots of strategy just got deeper. Now, when the time is right, you can use your assist gauge to call another character into the field to provide some support. 

Every character can be powered up to level 100 and they learn new abilities along the way. Duodecim constantly rewards you after every battle; there's no match that doesn't level up your character in some way.The biggest shocker in Duodecim came to me after completing the main campaign. Following the final battle, I was amazed to discover that the entire campaign from the original Dissidia is unlocked and it boasts all the improvements introduced through Duodecim. So you have no reason to go buy the original -- you're getting two games in one here. 

Playing Dissidia Duodecim Final Fantasy is like learning a foreign language. It's intimidating and difficult at first, but the end result is always worth the effort. If you're the patient sort that doesn't mind experimenting, Duodecim is hugely rewarding and could be one of the best additions to your PSP library.

The story mode should be taken with a grain of salt, but everything else you'll find here is well worth the price of admission. I sank more than 100 hours into the original Dissidia, and it's not hard to imagine I'll do the same for Duodecim