OVERALL RATING		3.0
Presentation		4.0
Control		3.0
Gameplay		3.0
Fun factor		3.0
User Rating		4.0

Dirge of Cerberus Lost Episode -FINAL FANTASY VII follows in the footsteps of its PlayStation 2 counterpart and Vincent Valentine’s effort to uncover his own personal truth.  A shooting game by nature, it does a nice job of bringing the same action to mobile.

The game is very cinematic and moves the story along with various cutscenes that are quite impressive by mobile standards.  Of course, this means that there are some load times and extra downloading of game content, but in general that’s not too bad.  It breaks up the action and allows the game to provide a more console-like experience through imagery and storytelling.

The action in the game is very straightforward as you play Vincent exploring the world around and battling strange creatures with various weapons.  Familiar features from FFVII, such as Materia and limit break attacks can also be utilized.  As Vincent moves about the world finding items or smashing foes, two views become available to see the action through.

In Battlefield mode, you can freely explore the game's sprawling world with a third-person camera. When you encounter an enemy, the view instantly switches to FPS Battle mode. In this mode, you are able to unleash firepower with the accuracy provided by a first-person camera. This allows you to aim more precisely but the automatic aiming system also helps.  Unfortunately, like other vanguard titles first seen in 3D, the game’s enjoyment factor is marred by camera issues.

The problem here is that the camera does not stay locked behind the back of Vincent.  Instead, it moves around to show dynamic angles but this causes you many times to lose sight of what is ahead.  Sometimes, you end up running into walls or completely losing your bearings.  It eventually turns around and gets back behind him, but it takes a while and may cost you in battle.  Also, when it switches to FPS mode, there is a boundary as to how much you can look up or down so when an enemy is right on you, it is difficult to lock onto him since the sight is looking farther in the distance.  You must get far away from the enemy and then try to lock onto him.

Camera issues aside, Dirge of Cerberus Lost Episode -FINAL FANTASY VII is a decent blend of storytelling and action.  It does feel like a console-like experience and it should be applauded for that but right now, it seems incomplete because it is such a vast undertaking that the technology doesn’t let it truly shine.  Of course, fans probably still won’t care and will download it anyway.