Dissidia: Sonic Alliance

Developer(s)	Sega, Square Enix
Publisher(s)	Square Enix,
Release date	23 June 2011
Genre 	
Action, Fighting,
Role-playing
Mode(s) 	Single player, Multiplayer
Rating(s) 	12+ (for Violence, Crude Humor, Animated Blood and Mild Language)
Platform(s) 	PSP
Media 	UMD
Dissidia: Sonic Alliance is a fighting/role-playing fanmade game, being the next installement of Dissidia franchise; it will be created by Sega, with cooperation from Square-Enix (the creator of the original Dissidia game; Dissidia: Final Fantasy), and published by Fantendo for PlayStation Portable.
The game is set to be released on 23 June 2011, as one of the games to celebrate Sonic's 20th anniversary.
==Overview==
Dissidia's genre has been described as "dramatic progressive action," featuring characters battling in a 3D environment with the ability to level up and customize characters.
The game unites thirty characters from various installements of Sonic the Hedgehog series, some of them being characters from fan games or anime Sonic X. Characters from Dissidia: Final Fantasy, Chaos and Cosmos, appear as god of discord and goddess of harmony, respectively. As well as every character in the game. Each of these gods has summoned twelve warriors to fight for them against the opposing god. Now, Chaos and the villains have shattered the Chaos Emeralds into tiny pieces and wounded Cosmos, and it's up to the heroes to recover the Emerald Shards and restore the Chaos Emeralds, and, in turn, balance to the universe.
==Gameplay==
In storyline gameplay, players move about a token representing their character on a tiled gameboard, and move up to objects and enemies and interact with them using "Destiny Points". Every time the player moves their character, they must use one Destiny Point, and can sometimes earn more by defeating enemies. If the player is able to finish a stage without using all their Destiny Points, they earn a special bonus. When the player reaches the Stigma of Chaos at the end of the stage, the stage is completed and the player is awarded Rings and Player Points (PP) depending on their remaining Destiny Points, HP, and other factors. Sometimes at the end of a stage, the player fights another character.
Dissidia is an action-based fighting game mixed with RPG elements. Battles take place on fully rendered 3D fields, with characters free to roam around as they please. The environment can also be interacted with, with characters able to run up walls, grind along railings and destroy pillars and floors with attacks. In battle, players have two types of attacks - Bravery and HP. Every character has their Bravery Points located above their HP bar, and whenever they land an HP attack, the damage done is equal to their Bravery. Striking an opponent with a Bravery attack will drain their Bravery and increase the attacker's, thus increasing the HP damage they can do. If a player's Bravery is reduced to below zero, they enter "break" mode, where they cannot inflict HP damage, Bravery attacks against them do increased damage, and their opponent receives a significant boost to their Bravery. Every character has their own unique fighting style and attacks, usually based on the character's abilities in their original game.
In addition to Bravery and HP attacks, players can use Summons from Final Fantasy games to assist them in battle, and can find new Summons in certain stages or as part of a stage bonus. There is also an "X Bar" meter which fills up during battle by collecting the X Force that appears when players strike each other, or the randomly appearing X Cores. Once filled, the character can enter X Mode which grants a character-specific bonus and gives access to an Final Attack, a special move that deals massive damage to their opponent. These moves are often a reference to each character's signature attacks in games, such as Sonic ramming onto enemy several times in super form or Nightmare using Bloody Piercing. After the battle is over, characters are rewarded with Rings, EXP, and Abilty Points (AP). Further awards may be given if the player fulfills certain conditions during the fight itself, such as winning within a time limit or landing an attack of a certain strength.
==Story==
The story follows the conflict between Chaos and Cosmos and their allies, drawn from Sonic games. Backstory for the various characters are also given in "Reports", which are divided into Cosmos Reports and Chaos Reports. Within the history of Dissidia, Chaos and Cosmos have been at war with each other for an eternity, but thus far neither side has emerged victorious. As the game begins, it seems Chaos has finally gained the upper hand. The Heroes of Light, led by Sonic, find Cosmos mortally wounded from a battle with Chaos. With the forces of light in peril, Cosmos entrusts the heroes with the task of recovering the shards of Chaos Emeralds and restoring them. This, in turn, can save their world.
Though they do not fully understand the quest Cosmos sets before them, the heroes set out to retrieve the Chaos Emeralds in the hopes they can end the war. Each of the twelve heroes has a storyline following their journey to recover the shards of Chaos Emeralds. Each storyline also parallels to a certain extent the events, or at least the spirit, of the storyline in previous Sonic games - Amy's story deals with her love for Sonic and and fierce rivarly with Rouge the Bat, Mimi's concerns her tragic past and the magical power within her, Knuckles is torn between helping his friends and fulfilling his duty, and so forth.
As the game progresses, the heroes confront both the "Manikins", Chaos' troops that resemble both heroes and villains from the game, as well as real villains, such as Dr. Eggman or Vision. Finally, after the 7 Chaos Emeralds are restored, the heroes return to Cosmos, but Chaos appears and incinerates the goddess, and departs back to his realm. With Cosmos gone, her power over the heroes fades and they begin to fade away. However, with the last of her strength inside them, the Chaos Emeralds are able to keep the heroes from fading. Determined to avenge Cosmos and see her will fulfilled, the heroes journey to the Chaos Shrine, confronting villains once again. At this time it is revealed that the villains allowed the heroes to collect the Chaos Emeralds, which contained Cosmos' light, and their shining caused Cosmos to weaken to the point she could not be revived, a "perfect death". Now that Cosmos is gone for good, the cycle of war is over, with Chaos as the ultimate victor. Resolving to destroy Chaos and claim vengeance for Cosmos, the heroes defeat the villains once again in battle.
At the Chaos Shrine, the seven Chaos Emeralds combine to open the path to Chaos' realm, and the twelve heroes confront the god of discord on his throne. After an epic battle, Chaos is defeated and is consumed in flames as the heroes vanish. They appear in the fields outside Green Hill Zone, and after some reminiscing, they part ways, saying they will meet again. Sonic begins dashing toward the horizon.
In the secret ending of the game, unlocked after obtaining all the Reports, Cosmos is shown to be alive in her world. She has a discussion with Spirit, implying that the war still has not yet ended.
==Gameplay Features==
===Arenas===
A total of thirty arenas appear, 28 serving as an important site of conflict between the heroes and the villains in Sonic games, and the other two hailing from Dissidia: Final Fantasy. Each arena can be played as a basic arena with no special features, or as a stage with a special "gimmick", effectively doubling the number of arenas to sixty. For example, the Station Square stage's alternate form is sometimes attacked by Perfect Chaos.
*Green Hill Zone
*Mystic Cave
*Angel Island
*Stardust Speedway
*Death Egg
*Station Square
*Space Colony Ark
*Night Babylon
*Hidden Palace Zone
*Final Fortress
*Central City
*Black Comet
*Metarex Starship
*Demon Castle
*X-Zone
*GUN Fortress
*Sand Ruins
*Blue Typhoon
*Spring Yard Zone
*Crystal Moon City
*Ice Mountain
*Soleanna Castle Town
*End of the World
*Eggmanland
*Pirate Storm
*Green Forest
*Order's Sanctuary
*Edge of Madness
Order's Sanctuary and Edge of Madness are originally from Dissidia: Final Fantasy. Those are arenas reffering to Cosmos and Chaos, respectively.
===Characters===
Player characters are split between supporting the cause of the "Goddess of Harmony", Cosmos, and the "God of Discord", Chaos. Both summoned the characters from the series with their own motives: Cosmos wishes to protect the Chaos Emeralds from the forces of Chaos and keep order, while Chaos wants to take control of the Emeralds and upset the balance of power between good and evil. The narrator of the events occurring in Dissidia is Spirit, one of the elemental gods, representing the wind.
There are twelve characters of heroes, playable at start of the game and in their respective "Destiny Oddyseys", plus three secret hero characters and villains. The villains and secret characters must be purchased via PP Catalog in order to be playable (500 PP per villain, 1000 for secret characters).
Warriors of Cosmos
*Sonic the Hedgehog - A carefree and free-spirited hedgehog; he uses his speed as means of offense and defense.
*Warrior of Light - The main protagonist of the very first Final Fantasy.
*Miles "Tails" Prower - A prodigy when it comes to technical stuff; he uses various tools to help him overcome his opponents.
*Firion - The main protagonist of Final Fantasy II.
*Knuckles the Echidna - Guardian of the Master Emerald; his physical strength is unrivaled.
*Onion Knight - Main protagonist of Final Fantasy III.
*Amy Rose - Sonic's self-proclaimed girlfriend; uses her hammer and power of love to pound opponents.
*Cecil Harvey - Main protagonist of Final Fantasy IV.
*Shadow the Hedgehog - The Ultimate Life Form who walks his own path; uses Chaos Control to destroy his enemies.
*Bartz Klauser - Main protagonist of Final Fantasy V.
*Cream the Rabbit - Young, yet brave rabbit girl; she primarly fights using her pet Chao, Cheese.
*Terra Branford - Main protagonist of Final Fantasy VI.
*Blaze the Cat - Princess from alternate dimension; she uses her speed and fire powers to burns competition away.
*Cloud Strife - Main protagonist of Final Fantasy VII. Wields the Fusion Sword.
*Silver the Hedgehog - A hedgehog from the future and Blaze's friend; fights using his psychokinetic powers. (unlockable)
*Squall Leonhart - Main protagonist of Final Fantasy VIII. Uses his Gunblade to swipe away enemies.
*Vector the Crocodile - Leader of Chaotix Detecitve Agency; uses his raw power to defeat enemies.
*Zidane Tribal - Main protagonist of Final Fantasy IX.
*Mimi Prower - Tails' little sister; she uses her Moon Powers to fight.
*Tidus - Protagonist of Final Fantasy X.
*Zengar - The Sword That Cleaves Evil; his Zankantou allows him to cut anything.
*Kai - A young Dragon Knight; with his sword and shield, he plunges into battle.
*Nazo - A white hedgehog clad in mystery; he fights using elemental powers. (unlockable)
*Emerl - A battle weapon from 4000 years hence; he copies abilities of other Cosmos' heroes to overcome his foes. (unlockable)
*Cosmo the Seedrian - Seedrian girl; uses nature-based abilities to protect herself and attack enemies. (unlockable)
*Shantotto - Character from Final Fantasy XI.
*Lightning - From Final Fantasy XIII.
Heroes of Chaos
*Dr. Eggman - Evil genius scientist and Sonic's nemesis; he fights in Egg Walker and uses his creation to overwhelm his opponents.
*Garland - Power-hungry warlord and main antagonist of the first Final Fantasy. Uses two blades merged into one.
*Metal Sonic - Sonic's mechanical copy; he mimicks attacks of other characters, but also has few powerful attacks of his own.
*Rouge - A treasure hunter and secret agent; she uses kicks to bring her enemies down.
*Fang - Sneaky treasure hunter; he preffers to use his gun for a long-range fight.
*Gamma - A robot from Eggman's "E-Series"; fights using heavy weapons.
*Jet - The Legendary Wind Master; unrivaled in aerial combat.
*Black Doom - The leader of Black Arms; he uses Chaos Control as means of offense and defense.
*Nightmare - Ruler of Demon Castle; he specializes in draining energy from his adversaries.
*Mephiles - The concious mind of Solaris; he utilizes variety of dark powers in battle.
*Dark Oak - The Metarex King; fights with a big sword.
*Vision - The Seeker of Darkness; he uses powers of gravity and darkness to obliberate his foes.
*Dusk - Vision's right-hand man, made of Dark Matter; in battle, he conjures familiars and has different dark powers.
*Dark Sonic - Sonic's dark side; he uses deception and brute force to destroy his adversaries. (unlockable)
*Erazor Djinn - A power-mad despot, hailing from alternate dimension; he fights with sword and magic. (unlockable)
*Aeon - Warlord from Netherrealm; focuses on melee combat and brutal attacks. (unlockable)
===Game Modes===
In total, Dissidia: Sonic Alliance features four game modes. The first is "Story Mode", where the player picks a storyline composed of seven stages from which the game's plot unfolds. The storylines are composed of the Prologue, which acts as a tutorial, Destiny Odyssey I to XII, which feature the story of how each of the Heroes of Cosmos obtains shards of Chaos Emeralds, Shade Impulse I to IV, which mark the events after the heroes gather with all Emeralds obtained until the defeat of Chaos, Distant Glory: Mysterious Darkness, Distant Glory: Metarex Wars and Distant Glory: Magical Will, challenges thrown by Nazo, Aeon, Cosmo, Dark Oak, Emerl and Erazor Djinn and the ultimate challenge, Inward Chaos, where the player faces ultimate versions of the game's characters. The elementary "Quick Battle" can be used for a quick battle between any two playable characters of the game, and a "Connection Mode" is present, where the player may fight an opponent via ad-hoc or "PS3 Party", or an AI Ghost, activated via Chaonet or through a code. Finally, there's "Arcade Mode", where the player is given pre-defined characters to face against a gauntlet of five characters, rewarding them based on their performance.
==X Mode and Final Attack==
X Mode is a state when a character has filled its X Meter to full and the player pressed R+Square to enter it. In X Mode, the character receives different bonuses that enchance its performance, such as increased strength, or even moves unique to X Mode. The most notable feature is a possibilty to perform a Final Attack, which is different for every character and deals massive amount of damage to the opponent. Below is the list of X Modes, with abilities that activate upon entering it, and Final Attacks for each character.
NOTE: Every X Mode gives character "Regen", that slowly recovers HP.
Heroes of Cosmos:
Sonic - Super transformation; Sonic, instead of running, flies (Flight); he also gains even greater movement and attack speed (Supersonic Speed).
*FINAL ATTACK: Sonic Overdrive; Rams onto the opponent with the speed of light. Press the directional buttons that appear to hit opponent up to 10 times.
Tails - Turbo Tails; Tails can now fly without getting tired (Vigor) and whenever he attacks, four Flickies assault the enemy, dealing additional damage (Flickies' Flight).
*FINAL ATTACK: Hidden Potential; Assaults enemy with rapid attacks before firing a giant laser at them. Input the combination of buttons that appear on screen.
Knuckles - Power of the Ancients; Knuckles' attacks always deal critical damage and he can block most HP attacks (Ancient Power).
*FINAL ATTACK: Burning Rave; Delivers punches strong enough to rend the ground. Press the combinations of buttons that appear on screen.
Amy - Power of Love!; Amy's Bravery constantly rises and becomes immune to Break (Indomitable Spirit).
*FINAL ATTACK: Heart's Wrath; Relentlessly pounds enemy with hammer before smashing them away. Rapidly tap Circle to hit opponent up to 15 times.
Shadow - Super transformation; Shadow, instead of running, flies (Flight); whenever he attacks, Chaos Spears assault his opponent (Ultimate Power).
*FINAL ATTACK: Chaos Blast; Stores great amounts of energy, before unleashing an all-powerful blast. Hold Circle, until you reach 150%, then release.
Cream - Purity; Cream becomes more resistant to Brave attacks (Chao Knight).
*FINAL ATTACK: Flower Power; Throws Cheese, who rebounds of the opponent, dealing more damage. Press the Circle button with correct timing to hit opponent up to 3 times.
Blaze - Burning Blaze; Blaze, instead of running, flies (Flight) and her fire-based attacks deal more 1.5x more damage (Fiery Soul).
*FINAL ATTACK: Surging Fist; Fires a stream of fireballs and detonates them with immense force. Press Circle button with correct timing to increase damage.
Silver - Super transformation; Silver's Brave attacks increase his X Meter (Infinite Force).
*FINAL ATTACK: Psionic Storm; Unleashes destructive psionic energy in form of lightning bolts. Input three pairs of button combinations.
Vector - All-Out!; Vector can use "Sattelite Beam" (hold R+Square) to call down a massive beam of energy at the enemy that deals HP damage.
*FINAL ATTACK: Chaotix Recital; Performs the infamous Team Blast together with Espio and Charmy. Press buttons that appear on screen.
Mimi - Lunar Cry; Mimi becomes completely invincible while dodging (Moon Sense).
*FINAL ATTACK: Sanity's Eclipse; An expanding blast of bright, burning light that shines in even the deepest of darkness. Input two combinations of buttons that appear on screen.
Zengar - Warrior's Soul; Zengar's movement and attack speed increases (Furious) and he can block most HP attacks (Master Guard).
*FINAL ATTACK: Hissatsu!; Slices opponent with Zankantou. Choose one of 4 finishing techniques at start, then input the combination of buttons that appear on screen (they are randomized every time). The finishing techniques are:
*Zankanotu! Shippu Dotou;
*Zankanotu! Ichimonji Giri;
*Zankanotu! Unyou no Tachi;
*Tatsumaki Zankantou
Kai - Power of Dragon; Kai's Brave attacks deal 1.5x damage (Inner Strength) and he deflects weak projectiles (Dragon Blood).
*FINAL ATTACK: Laser Blade; Slashes enemy with a blade of energy. Input four pairs of D-pad commands in quick succession.
Nazo - Full Power; Nazo's HP attacks don't return his Bravery to 0 (Spiritual Control) and he can use "Energy Blast" (hold R+Square) to charge and fire a bolt of energy, dealing HP damage.
*FINAL ATTACK: Terra Force; Charges power, before unleashing a huge ball of energy that explodes upon contact with enemy. Hold Circle until you reach 100%, the release.
Emerl - Ultimate Mode!; Emerl's movement speed is greatly increased (Haste) and his attacks become more powerful (Wisecrack).
*FINAL ATTACK: Sonic Driver; Repeatedly attacks an enemy before firing a massive ray of energy. Press directional buttons in sequences that appear on screen.
Cosmo - Adult Form; Cosmo's HP and Bravery regenerate much faster (Nature's Blessing) and she can use "Entangling Roots" (R+Square) to render opponent immobile for a second.
*FINAL ATTACK: Cosmo Memory; Immobilizes opponent with vines, before firing beams of cosmic energy at it. Press a sequence of buttons as they light up around Cosmo.
Heroes of Chaos:
Dr. Eggman - Maximum Power; Eggman can use his attacks twice in a succession (Genius) and effectively chain Brave to HP attacks (No Escape).
*FINAL ATTACK: Final Egg Blaster; Fires a laser of unmeasurable power. Input the button sequence that appears on screen.
Metal Sonic - Neo Metal Sonic; Metal Sonic is completely invincible during dodging and can immediately attack foe after dodging (Vicious Attack).
*FINAL ATTACK: Darkness Zone; A devastating combo attack, followed by an implosion of dark energy. Input the combination that appear on screen, then hold Circle until counter reaches 0, then release.
Rouge - Dominatrix; Rouge can continue her Brave combos, even if the first hit misses (Full Combo).
*FINAL ATTACK: Sadistic Rouge; A violent and sadistic beatdown. Input the 5 button combinations that appear on screen. When fighting male characters, Rouge uses kicks and grapples. When fighting female characters, Rouge uses kicks and stomps.
Fang - Sniper Rifle equipped!; Fang's attacks become more precise, stopping enemy in their tracks for a second (Maim); he can use Killer Shot (hold R+Square) to inflict Break on his opponent.
*FINAL ATTACK: Marvelous Queen; Rides over the opponent in a hover bike . Repeatedly tap Circle button.
Gamma - Overdrive Mode; Gamma's Bravery attacks deal 2x damage (Sheer Force) and his weapons have greater blast radius (Full Upgrade).
*FINAL ATTACK: Devastator; Charges a powerful energy ball to knock opponent out cold. Hold Circle until you reach 150%, then release.
Jet - Power of Babylon: Jet is able to glide in the air by riding his Extreme Gear (Extreme Gear Type-J) and he fights with his bashyo fans (Sharp Wings).
*FINAL ATTACK: Dynamite X; Slashes enemy, forming a giant X mark, that explodes. Press Circle with the right timing.
Black Doom - Devil Doom; Black Doom becomes invurneable to HP atacks, and he steadily saps foe's Bravery (Black Mist).
*FINAL ATTACK: Black Comet; Calls down Black Comet to crush your adversary. Press a sequence of buttons when they light up around Devil Doom.
Nightmare - Power of Darkness; Nightmare restores HP after hitting opponent with a HP attack (Life Drain) and can use "Impale" (R+Square) to throw a pale and deal HP damage.
*FINAL ATTACK: Bloody Piercing; Vaccums in the opponent, stabs him and drains his blood. Hold Circle until counter reaches 0, then release, then hold it again until "Perfect".
Mephiles - Flames of Disaster; Mephiles deals additional damage when performing a Bravery attack and slows opponent when close to him (Pure Terror).
*FINAL ATTACK: Dark Chaos Lance; Fires a beam of light that pierces opponent's chest. Hold Circle until you reach 100%, then release.
Dark Oak - Final Effort; Dark Oak can use "Shockwave Pulsar" (hold R+Square) in an attempt to implode dark energy at opponent, dealing HP damage.
*FINAL ATTACK: Super Nova; Slashes opponent into the sun, which explodes and rapidly consumes the opponent. Rapidly tap Circle.
Vision - True Power; Vision restores his X Meter is he performs a successful HP attack (Shadowraze).
*FINAL ATTACK: Worm Smasher; Fires beams of energy at opponent, finishing him with a shot to the chest. Tap Circle with correct timing.
Dusk - Dark Matter; Dusk's Bravery attacks deal 3x damage (Genocider).
*FINAL ATTACK: Axion Buster; Traps opponent, before overwhelming them with dark orbs. Input sequence of buttons that appear on screen.
Dark Sonic - Full Power; Dark Sonic can teleport by pressing and holding R+X and moving with analog stick (Swiftness), he also reduces his opponent's X Meter (Intimidation).
*FINAL ATTACK: Hatred Unleashed!; Overpowers opponent with variety of brutal attacks. Shuffle options with R, then select one. The avaliable attacks are:
*Oblivion; (1st attack)
*Ruination; (2nd attack)
*Destruction; (alternate 2nd attack)
*Crusher; (3rd attack)
*Purge; (alternate 3rd attack)
*Dark Flare (finisher)
*Mega Flasher (alternate finisher)
Erazor - Seven Rings in Hand!; Erazor becomes more resistant to attacks (Protect) and his attacks deal 1.5 x damage (Fury).
*FINAL ATTACK: Absolute Dominion; Freezes, shocks and finally, burns an opponent. Press button combinations that appear on screen.
Aeon - Nether Power; Aeon's movement and attack speed are increased (Unstoppable) and his Bravery attacks deal 1.5x damage (Emperor's Might).
*FINAL ATTACK: Fatality; A series of brutal attacks, finishing the opponent. Input the button combinations that appear on screen in quick succession.
==Music==
The main theme of the game, Dissidia, is an instrumental piece that focuses on orchestra, potraying the heroism of Sonic and his friends, as they search for the shards of Chaos Emeralds and face-off against the villains. The game includes music from several titles of both Sonic and Final Fantasy series.
==Trivia==
*The game is regarded by many as "just a Sonic version of Dissidia: Final Fantasy" (which is, actually, quite true), but still praised for intense action and many references to past Sonic titles, which adds to nostalgic appeal.
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