Crisis Core is the prequel of Final Fantasy VII and is the fourth installment to the Final Fantasy VII compilation. The game has been announced since E3 04 and since then, information for the game has been minimal. After years of waiting, Crisis Core has finally arrived. Does this game hit a fan service or is it just another failed FFVII spin-off title?
Like most Final Fantasy games, the presentation is amazing. It is simply impressive for a handheld game. The graphics is quite simply one of the best you’ll ever find in a handheld. Crisis Core’s graphics are definitely PS2 quality. Most cutscenes here are CGI, and quite frankly, they don’t disappoint. They are amazing to watch. The bad thing about it is that cutscenes can’t be skipped, but they can be paused. Summons also have their own little cutscenes, and they are done in CGI. Unlike the cutscenes, the summon sequences can be skipped.
The music in the game is simply incredible. It includes a few remixes from the original Final Fantasy VII and Last Order. Some are well done, but other classics have been ruined like “One Winged Angel.” The music from Crisis Core includes a lot of hard rock tunes and a few classical tunes which definitely fits with its respective situation such as battles. The theme song “Why” is a very beautiful song, and it captures the feeling from the game. The voice acting is good. When I first heard Zack Fair’s voice, the main character, I was quickly disappointed. The voice acting was bland and uninspired, but later on, you’ll get used to his voice. The others can sometimes sound bad, but then sound good. It goes back and forth. For a highly anticipated and budget game, Square could’ve definitely hired some more experienced voice actors.
Crisis Core is an action-RPG. You can slash, dodge or block. Along with that, materia can be used to acquire new skills, status, or magic attacks. Materia can also be fused to create new materia or make materia stronger. At first, Zack can use a very limited amount of materia, but after a while, more can be used. The battle system is very well organized. You can switch to different spells, items or attacks by using the R and L buttons. Zack pretty much uses the same weapon throughout the whole game. Zack can be customized with armor. After leveling up, he can hold more and more armor. You can sell armor no longer needed to purchase new armor or items at the store which is located in the menu. The game has a lot of depth for a portable game. The game is pretty linear for the most part. Zack can’t travel from city to city. The game takes Zack to the destination he needs to be. There is no world map or traveling to places. The environments are well done, and many fans of the original will remember these places.
The DMW (Digital Mind Wave) is a series of reels activated randomly. In this reel, Zack can perform a limit break or level up himself or materia. It pretty much comes out randomly, and it gets annoying when it happens every second in a battle. I went from level 7 to 10 in just one battle. The combat system is pretty fun and addicting at first. After hours of playing, it just gets so repetitive and not the good kind. The game is pretty easy on normal. Pretty much the whole game can be beaten by pressing X. Attacking an enemy from behind gives you a critical hit which deals more damage than a normal hit. The camera angles are a little annoying. The cameras are controlled by the R and L button, but they can’t be moved up or down. The way the battles are activated are bad. Once you find out how battles are activated, you’ll pretty much want to it and avoid battles. The main portion of the game can be beaten in around 10 to 15 hours. There are a lot optional missions to complete. The bad thing about it is that the missions are very repetitive. Later on, the missions get so difficult that the enemy can kill you in one hit.
The main protagonist, Zack Fair, is a 2nd Class SOLDIER who wants to be a 1st Class SOLDIER and be a hero. Zack spends his days training under the guidance of his friend, 1st Class SOLDIER Angeal. One day, Zack is called for a mission down in Wutai, along with 1st Class Sephiroth and Angeal, to search for another 1st class SOLDIER, Genesis. The story starts out from this mission all the way to the Nibelheim incident. Along the way, Zack will meet some familiar faces from FFVII such as Cloud and Aerith. The story is pretty boring at the start. It’s simple and drags on for a while. The Nibelheim incident is pretty interesting. It shows how the events lead up to the original Final Fantasy. Fans of the original will love it, and newcomers would want to know what happens in FFVII. The ending is brilliant; I’ll even go to say that Crisis Core has one of the best endings in a video game. The characters are well developed with personality. You’ll feel a connection with the characters especially Zack.
Overall, Crisis Core is an impressive game for a handheld. It resembles like it was something made for the PS2. There are a few gameplay issues that bring the game down, but it shouldn't stop you from getting the game. With a new game mode, optional stuff to do, and a hard difficulty, there are a lot of replay value. Square-Enix deserves the praise for creating a great RPG for the PSP and putting a lot of work into it.
