[Review] Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII

No matter what words I place here, truly devoted Final Fantasy VII fans will undoubtedly be interested in this review regarding the new PSP game, Crisis Core, the prequel to the original RPG classic. I'm pleased to say that Crisis Core is a great game and, barring a few minor issues here and there, will not disappoint.So if you were planning on picking up a copy regardless of what I say, rest assured that you'll have a colossal amount of fun. But we have quite a bit of material to cover, so let's start with the basics. While the original Final Fantasy VII followed Cloud and company as they attempted to stop Sephiroth from undoing the very fabric of the world, Crisis Core puts a much different spin on the canon. For one, you'll only be playing as Zack Fair, Cloud's friend who only had fleeting appearances in the original game.

Here's a video review adapted from IGN:


and for those who watched Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children before, here's a tribute video to Zack Fair.


Game Play
Crisis Core has action- and menu-based elements. The new battle system is known as Digital Mind Wave, or "DMW", and revolves around a series of reels at the upper left corner of the screen which spin continuously as long as there are Soldier Points, or "SP" left to consume. Each reel rotates independently and upon lining up three reels of the same character and value, a power-up or a "Power Surge!" will be rewarded to Zack.


The player has full control over Zack when moving around, and can rotate the camera with the left and right triggers. Enemies abound in the field screen, battles against whom take place in real time.



Enemies can be attacked physically and magically. Spells such as Fire and Cure are located on the command bar rather than in a separate sub-menu like in Final Fantasy VII, and used in the same fashion as previous titles. Materia makes a return, fully customizable and in the multiple varieties from Final Fantasy VII, including green (spells) and yellow (extra commands: Steal, Sense, etc.). In addition, Materia can be fused together to enhance one Materia's abilities (such as making a Cure Materia that increases HP), or to make an entirely new Materia. The Materia the player has equipped determine the Magic and special commands on the in battle menu. Defensive and evasive maneuvers can also be used, such as dodge-rolling and blocking incoming attacks.

Following the completion of the game, the player will obtain a New Game Plus option.

I'm sure that Crisis Core would complete the missing puzzle for all Final Fantasy VII fans. And that's that. Issues aside, Crisis Core is a great PSP game -- no question. It honors Final Fantasy VII's legacy.
Which i think is yet another fantastic reason to own a PSP. Enjoy it.

If you would like to know more about Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII.
For more info, please visit http://www.crisiscore.com/