 Direct from the "news so big even Brandon Sheffield didn't catch it" department <Brandon's note: I did, I just couldn't bring myself to post about it>: it turns out that J-rock's cruel god, the one and only Gakuto Kamui, aka Gackt, will indeed be performing the theme song, "Redemption," for Square-Enix's upcoming monsterpiece Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus. Japan's ever-studious Game Watch reports (or, uh, reported four days ago) that the once-and-future "Most Gorgeous Situation in Japan" will be performing another song, called "Longing," for the game as well. His next song will most likely be called "Obsession." Wait, maybe he's already had one by that name. Who cares, though?! Gackt is a sexy man from a man's perspective, and as a (sometimes frustrated) player of Final Fantasy games, I, for one, am glad to have him aboard.
In addition to providing the two songs, both of which are "music and lyrics by Gackt" productions, Mr. Kamui will also lend his appearance to the game. "Not motion-capture -- it's actually me in there," he told Game Watch, probably icily. Other details of his involvement with the game remain unknown, though I'm probably not alone in hoping he performs Vincent's voice in addition to whatever character they schlock him into; if anyone could do it, it's him. He was born for it. And for Alucard, maybe, too, now that I think about it.
Before we get our hopes too high up, however, let us remember that Gackt has been disappointing fans very much recently, most recently (and relevantly) being when it was revealed that the voice actor for Vincent in "Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children" wasn't him. His song for the new "Gundam" movie was dismissed as schlock even by his hardcore fanbase, that being chubby Japanese girls in maid outfits. "His lyrics are getting boring," says a girl I know on mixi (which is like Japan's MySpace, only with functionality; I hereby consider it as viable a news source as any). The girl, whose user icon depicts her cosplaying Alice in "Disney's Alice in Wonderland," goes on to say that Gackt needs to start "actually playing an electric guitar again" if she's going to buy another one of his albums. When asked about the game, she says, "I played it at the Square-Enix Party in July and it really sucked." Will she be buying it? "Of course! Did you see the photo of the costume Tetsuya Nomura designed for Gackt to wear? It looks bitching. I would wear it every day."
The game was indeed rather choppy as of its most-recent playable build, at the Square-Enix Party in Chiba in July 2005. The aiming system was floaty; they could have just asked cavia to do the whole thing; it would have been a nice enough franchise for them to tinker around with, while making money.
Game Watch reports that Gackt played the game for a full thirty minutes and, when asked of its quality, remarked that it is "an exceptionally well-put-together piece of work." Yeah, like Bujingai, huh? Oh, I'm kidding! Or am I? His remarks, either way, seem just about in-line taste-wise for a man who released his latest mopey album on the same day as an equally mopey Mr.Children album, two months ago, to dismal sales. He also spoke the male narration on the trailer for the mopey Korean amnesia/blindness/infidelity feel-good-tragedy of the year, "April Snow," starring the one and only Young-Joon Bae, known as "Yon-Sama" to the Japanese. That's what we think of him.
   See these three guys? They're all executive producers of Dirge of Cerberus, and they refuse to wear cheap ties. Repeat: they are not taking cheap ties for an answer. This is why, when the game launches on Thursday, January 26th, 2006, it's going to cost 8,190 yen. That's about eighty dollars. Gackt's single goes on sale the day before that, for only 1,260 yen. There is a special limited box in the works; the contents are yet unknown, though it will probably include the game and the CD single wrapped in tinfoil for 19,000 yen. Buy responsibly -- and eBay even more responsibly!!
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