Dissidia Again: Knocking you all down!

[Kerensky287]

Hey, would you look at that? Somebody's gotten that latest trailer subbed already.

My thoughts:
-I think I will like Shantotto very much, oh yes.
-The following exchange made my day:
Sephiroth: "Shall I lead you into despair? Let me guide you there!"
Cloud: "I can find my own way."
Because nobody knows their way around despair like Cloud Strife does.
-I'm looking forward to more info on Gabranth because I never beat FF12 and "Weak people suck" doesn't really shed much light on his personality.

[Regulus Tera]

Yup, that confirms Judgemaster Gabranth is Shantotto's nemesis alright.

Go finish XII liek nao, btw. All I can say is he's a noble but troubled and guilt-burdened character. My favourite in the game after Balthier.

[POS Industries]

Originally Posted by Kerensky287

Because nobody knows their way around despair like Cloud Strife does.

Apparently, it's a family tradition.

[Regulus Tera]

The website has updated with screens of Shantotto, basically confirming that the roster will be limited to twenty-two characters.

http://community.livejournal.com/ffc...mos/31451.html

Originally Posted by Schala-kitty

Shantotto

An overbearing mage who destroys everything that does not please her. She is not only proud of her powerful black magic, but is also skilled in fighting with her staff. On her world, she was a minister of the Orastery in Windurst, as well as a hero of the Great Crystal War. With her magical power, she is a mage who weaves powerful high-ranking spells together in a repeating aria of pure energy.

There was no promotional video for FFXI. The bastards! Also updated are new individual pages for each of the first twenty characters, PSP themes for up to FFVI, and wallpapers.

On related news, the V Jump "Destiny Heroes Guide" is OUT. There's a profile on Gabranth with his Nomura full body artwork (looks great!) and some screens. The direction he faces confirms that he's a Chaos character.

[Ryong]

That sword seems familiar...But uh, what happened to his wavy-and-spiky dual swords? Not that I'm complaining, becuase that sword looks awesome.

[Regulus Tera]

His sword could be combined into one or separated for dual wielding. What one poster identified as a bow in the previous thread was actually both swords united by the handle. He wields it during the raid of the Sky Fortress Bahamut.

[Bells]

i still feel more and more that Shantotto and Gabranth are in the rigth teams, but they seem close to "neutral". Gabranth as a noble knight with his own personal demons, and Shantotto as a Good minded magician with a small bend towards world domination..

[Donomni]

Pretty much.

Anywho, now that we have a clear picture of her EX Mode, it looks like Nomura did tweak existing FFXI items into a unique look, because I can't find those specific armors anywhere, but can find a lot of lookalikes.

That or I have shitty search skills, who knows.

[Bells]

from what i could gather from the 5 trailers it seems that the overall storyline has Chaos creating a massive army and cosmos gathering the "Last force". But as it seems the heroes cant get past their own problems with themselves and each other and that nearly causes Cosmos to fall in defeat.

Some characters dont seem to care about the Crystals or the reasons why Cosmos say they should fight for. Some dont even know the Crystals (such as Cloud... as his world dont have a clear representation of the Crystals, nor squall.)

The villains on the other hand just seem to think they have the right to rule the world and that in fact, Cosmos is the Evil one...

Which is great... as it seems that we'll have true character development, and that the storyline itself is a bit more "meaty" than what you would expect from a Fighting game.

[Kerensky287]

...Just saying, they don't seem to have gone to much trouble for Shantotto's animations...

Speaking of going to much trouble, those awesome people at FFChaoticCosmos have another set of profiles for us today!

Firion

【Concept】

"Weapon Master/Weapon Specialist"
As he freely uses the 8 types of weapons from the original game (dagger, long sword, staff, bow, spear, axe, shield, bare-handed), he is comfortable fighting at any distance. However, he cannot move while attacking. He works best at luring his enemies in close, and then hitting them with combos the cannot guard against. While he is a master of ground combat, in the air he can only manage magic attacks which tend to move slowly. Therefore, during the demos it was really hard to time his aerial attacks properly, however, in the TGS demo he was also allowed to use his bow, and although this image as an "archer" was established, the staff were steadfast in saying, "Especially if you have mastered him in the air, you are a true Firion player."

【Position and Personality】

A man who is single-minded and serious, but not without his romanticism. He is continuing the unfolding battle between himself and the cold-hearted Emperor wishing to expand his autocracy. He is the owner of a hot heart who believes in justice, and who - once dedicated to something - will pour his soul into it, even if he appears to be simple on the surface. He seems to be almost randomly entwined with Tidus.

【EX Info】

EX-Mode Effect: All of his weapons are dyed red. Some of his armor also changes its coloring, such as his breast plate switching from black to gold.

EX-Mode Bonus: "Blood Weapons" (Recovers HP in proportion to the damage he does)

EX-Burst: "Fervid Blazer" He uses all of his weapons in a series of attacks, and the end all of the arms are unified as he draws his bow, and shoots straight through his opponent. On the screen 5 commands will appear (three directional arrows, and two from the O, X, Square, and Triangle buttons), and they must be input in order from left ro right. The power of the final attack is dependent upon how many are properly entered.

【Alternate Costume】

Confirmed in an interview, it draws upon the illustrations done by Amano for the original game, appearing in his yellow and orange based costume. It has not been seen up close, but can be glimpsed in screenshots.

Emperor Mateus of Palamecia

【Concept】

"Trap Maker"
He sets up traps all over the map, releasing magical spells that trail after him in order to corner his opponent, making sport of his battles. In order for the traps to remain on the map, he must maintain a smooth pace. As such, the geographical features of a map come into play, and as expected he works best in Pandemonium. On the other hand, if too many powerful traps are left out, there is the danger that he may be the one caught in them. He is much easier to use on the ground than in the air, and does have a counter-attack in case he is engaged in close quarters combat. His powerful HP attacks "Meteorite" (air) and "Flare" (ground) will chase after his opponents, giving some interesting meanings to the term "powerful impact." The staff sums up his style as, "Fighting dirty," but really it's a type of battle that involves his head as much as his skills. And yes, his death cry is "Uboar."


【Position and Personality】

Adept at trapping people in his web of schemes, Emperor Mateus* stands as Firion's bitter enemy. He is a callous person who believes that the ends justify the means. His desire to rule is as extraordinarily strong as his conceit, so much so that nothing could break the prideful attitude he possesses while looking down on the rest of the world. He is extensively involved with the story, as he pretends to ally with the other troops of Chaos, all the while considering them to merely be his pawns.

*Yes, I know that he is only called "Emperor" in this game, but I love using his first name... 'cause I'm kinda the person who connected it to him in the English-speaking fandom.

【EX Info】

EX-Mode: His color scheme is darkened, and his appearance is changed to the demonic one he received after gaining the powers of Hell.

EX-Mode Bonus: "Blood Magic." Recovers HP in proportion to the damage he does.

EX-Burst: "Absolute Rule" His magic reaches its height as he blows his enemy away in a wave of mines, damaging his opponent repeatedly and culminated in a grand explosion. A glowing set of directional arrows and buttons appear on the screen. The power of the attack will be raised if all five are properly input within the time limit. If you fail, instead he will cast the less powerful "Tornado."

How fitting it is that Firion's Ex-Mode uses the Blood Sword... I hear it was pretty useful against the final boss.

And the Emperor sounds like a fun character to play. Traps and Flare are a winning combination!