A writer meets a young socialite on board a train. The two fall in love and are married soon after, but her obsessive love for him threatens to be the undoing of both them and everyone else around them. Leave her to Heaven
I have rewritten this section too many times. I wanted to do more than just summarize, but I can't seem to do it without degrading into a pile of squees and joyous giggles. So, I'll be as short as possible (for me) and see if I can't do this. I was incredibly excited when Dirge of Cerberus came out. There were several reasons but the most dominating was that it was a game that featured my all time favorite character for Final Fantasy VII. In particular, I was overjoyed by the idea that Vincent would finally get to take center stage which would mean that his story would become a lot more apparent, his past would be less mysterious.
I was disappointed only in the fact that I'm terrible in shooter type games and that I missed one G-Capsule so I couldn't get the "secret ending". Over all, I enjoyed running around and experiencing the world through Vincent's eyes. There was much to be desired in his relationships with Lucrecia and Shelke, of which I don't have much nice to say (and you probably gathered that from the short and curt section before this one). The game didn't elaborate as much as I would have liked on Vincent's past nor did it do anything but give him resolution (absolution?) and I admit I enjoyed the game. I've actually heard very few positive reviews about it, so that bugs me, but I try not to let it get me down. You see, the thing about my "guilty pleasures" is that I don't feel guilty about them at all. This is most true for Vincent.
I was head over heels when I heard Vincent was getting his own game. I didn't get to preorder but I spent so much at the game store that the guys sold me a copy on release day anyways (probably because they didn't have so many preorders, I like to think it's because they are awesome). I took several babysitting jobs to save up the money. Why? It's not because it's Final Fantasy VII. It's Vincent. I thought of all the pretty cut scenes and how nice it would be to have Vincent as lead because he'd be so different from Cloud! (What was I thinking, they're both brooding about choices and how although they tried their best they didn't succeed.) I loved that Dirge of Cerberus explored Vincent's relationships with the others, particularly Cid (whom he admired), Reeve (whom I don't think had anything in common with Vincent) and Yuffie (who still annoys him). I feel like I got to see more of Vincent and I couldn't be happier with that.
But why do I love him so much? There are three very simple reasons. I like gunners. I like monsters. I like mysterious pasts. Vincent was all three, I was doomed. In all seriousness, though, I often felt like Vincent was a strong and silent character. I always got the idea that although he tried his best he just couldn't seem to do what he wanted. He suffered alone and he didn't try to take it out on anyone. He decided he finally wanted to do something about it and went after the person that caused him grief. In all versions, Vincent is finally able to come to terms with that he did do something and that he tried his hardest and that it was always Hojo that messed up. And I feel like he gets the justification we all need when we have a problem with someone else.
He's also pretty snarky when you do take him places with you - he points out that Corneo is an idiot and he pretty much says that trains should be Cid's expertise when the train is about to crash into Corel. Rather he says something along the lines of how Cid should be able to do something (even though Cid is certain that trains, planes, and rockets are all dramatically different). Yet for as snarky and cold as he can be towards men, he never confronts women about things that annoy him. He calls Cloud to get Yuffie to leave him alone (and he simply takes to ignoring her when she doesn't). I figured much of this stemmed from his respect from Lucrecia or that he worked with her frequently and simply wasn't allowed to argue with women.
I don't have a short verstion. Final Fantasy VII was the first game I ever bought. Vincent Valentine was one of the coolest characters I've ever run across. I love a good horror movie, I love a good mystery. I love that Vincent combined the two for me. It's not coherent, it's not fantastic. I'm drawn to him, I can't help it nor am I going to try to at this point. Over the years, I feel like I understand him better than I did when I was a kid. And I may never understand him, but that's okay. Because I'll most likely always adore him, he tries his hardest and he laments over his choices - he's surprisingly human even though he thinks he's not.
Although I think I'm mostly drawn to his struggle and how he overcomes the trials he faces. He gets to come to terms with his past (in both FVII and DoC). I've always wanted to be able to resolve my issues and it's not rare that we draw strength or inspiration from characters we admire. And it's true. I admire Vincent. He is strong, even though he tends to think himself weak. He tries his hardest but often doesn't get the solutions he wants. For an optional character he had a huge impact on the story and that always amazed me (especially when I didn't understand silly things about budgets and time crunches). I can't verbalize specifically why I genuinely like Vincent, but I do. His struggles are real enough (being unable to be with the one he loves), he tries to do the right thing, and he doesn't know how to deal with people, but it doesn't make him any less of a good friend.