Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is a better game for Ishimoto's reassuring work and, despite its faults, the overall experience is well worth your time. As the first real fruition of the nearly boundless promise inherent in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, it's just a shame that Crisis Core is the last spin-off in the series. The road towards its last, glorious act might be bumpy at times, but the whole comes together well enough that it's easy to overlook the peculiarities of its various parts and revel in the pleasure of a long-overdue story well told.
