Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII (PSP)
Publisher: Square Enix
Developers: Square Enix
Genre: Action RPG
Release: March 25, 2008
Platform: Playstation Portable

Reviewer: Dan

Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII (PSP) Hey, what a surprise. The PSP has yet another RPG for you to waste another 200 hours on while staring at your handheld's screen. But what makes Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII worth your time? Well, you can't just say "It's a FFVII game, it has to be good." Recent efforts by Square Enix have proved that not to be the case. I can almost be certain that Eric wouldn't like this game because I know the type of RPG he likes. I'm thinking that the person who is new to RPGs will find this game fun, same with those who are just casual RPG fans.

But before I get too much into that part of the review, I guess I can mention what I know of the plot. The 9 hours I've put into it so far have indicated that it's fairly good. This game is supposed to be the events that took place before the original FFVII (which I still haven't played (...I know...)). I've only seen the basic setup to the story, but I've left off at a good part to write this review for you.

Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII (PSP) The ONLY character you control is named Zach. He's a member of SOLDIER, working for the Shinra Corporation, and, like seemingly every other character in the FFVII world, he gets a really big sword. He also gets a nifty cell phone to communicate with the other members of SOLDIER and recieve text messages to give you info about various assignments, missions, and other goings on in the game. I think I like these parallels with current technology add an interesting feel to the game that other RPGs don't have. Sometimes I don't want to play a game with its style rooted in Medieval times. Anyway, you'll also run into a few other familiar faces from the original FFVII game, including everyone's favorite bad guy Sephiroth.

I really need to beat the game to give a full report on the story, but what I can tell you is that it will take you a very long time for you to beat the game. Well, I take that back. It will take you a very long time to get 100% complete on this game. Along with the assignments that take you through the main storyline, there are numerous missions can complete to learn side story, get valuable items, and gain valuable experience. Wait, never mind. You don't actually gain experience in this game. I'm not quite sure how you even level up in this game. I know that you do, it just seems to come at the random at the slots-like screen that you'll see a lot of. That's one thing I'm not quite sure about. Perhaps I should explain.

Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII (PSP) During combat, these wheels, like a slot machine, will rotate and stop on various numbers and faces. Combinations of certain numbers will give Zach certain abilities during the battle like reduced damage or zero mana cost for magic. When two of the faces match, you enter a larger slot machine screen. When you're in this screen, combat stops while you wait to see what you get. Sometimes you'll get boosts to your HP, MP, or AP. Sometimes you'll perform special attacks, while other times you'll gain levels for either you or your equipped materia. I think that it will give you a level if you've defeated enough enemies automatically, but I know that at least once that I gained two levels in very rapid succession without defeating a boss or something like that.

Many people might mistake the combat system for just a simple hack 'n slash. To the casual observer, it looks exactly like that. But the game really is an Action RPG. This game plays a lot like a cross between Kingdom Hearts and FFXII. The combat is fluid and continuous, but you must select each attack you perform. While you may think that this will just slow you down, it almost forces you to stop and think at times. It actually gives me a few moments to think about my enemy and choose the best course of action. It basically causes you to actually want to use magic attacks instead of just using melee attacks constantly. The other thing I really like about this control scheme is that you can actually block and evade attacks. If you're good enough, you can almost never be hit by certain enemies. I also like the fact that if you get behind an enemy, your melee attacks deal critical damage; a useful tip for boss battles and other large enemies.

The graphics of this game are fairly impressive as you can see. I'd almost say they're better than some PS2 games. I do think that the text, at times, can be a little hard to read due to its size. Iduno, maybe that's just because I stare at a computer screen all day. The sound and music are good enough to make you want to play this game with at least headphones on. I did decide to play this game using my component cable for a bit and I have to say that I was quite impressed.

Final Verdict

I can probably go on to make more assumptions about Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, but I'd rather beat the game before I say anything else. I can't say that the concept of the game is anything new, but hey, people still buy first person shooters. I'm fairly certain that I like the story and the control scheme, otherwise I don't think I would have put so much time into it. I think I need to play it more to really get a good feel for it, but my first impressions of the game allow me to give it somewhere in the 8.5 out of 10 range for being a game at least compelling enough to make me want to play on.


Cutscene and Some Gameplay


#83 Amalgamut00 wrote:
The biggest problem I have with this game is the leveling system. I love spending hours upon hours just fighting random creators. In reality you can do this to level up, but it's all on the luck of the draw. Play the slots and win a level!

Also another problem I have (I'm almost 10% into the game) with this game is healing your character. I have no idea if I'm missing anything, but how do I do this? Did the programmers really expect me to buy items for the shop all the time?

I know all I did was complain, but I still like the game. If you've played FF VII (it's overrated, but still good) then pick this up. My score on Crisis Core would be...

7.50 out of 10

#84 jakebonz wrote:
Like I said, I don't think it's entirely just luck of the draw to gain a level. I've noticed numerous times that it instantly starts the slot machine up and gives you a level when you defeat a hard, boss-like enemy. But yes, you can also gain levels at random.

Healing comes as simple as making sure you have a cure materia in one of your slots. And I'm happy to say that I finally figured out what Pheonix Downs are used for in this game. Since you don't have anyone else to heal, they're used as a premptive strike. You use one when you're fine, then you just come back to life when you would otherwise die.

Also, the fact that you can sort of "Use the Internet" to get items delivered to you is kinda awesome.

#85 Amalgamut00 wrote:
What happened to the days when RPGs were simple? Go outside, level up, buy new equipment and jump for joy whenever you learned a new attack. My relationship with Crisis Core is good one minute and then the next I am annoyed. Still I think if you're a fan of the series then you should pick it up.