Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reviews

• A Great Prequel

  
  By A1D2NDKVAS8NG1 on 2008-04-24
  I can't believe I am the first after weeks of this game being released to make a review!
  
  Nonetheless, here we go.
  
  This game is amazing for a portable game. The graphics and sound are just far above what you expect when you think portable gaming and they actually tied the story to the original well too.
  
  Gameplay: The Gameplay is top notch. Not only do you explore towns, talk to NPCs and have the Final Fantasy experience you would expect, but there are also side missions that act as a quick fix incase you don't have enough time to actually focus on the story. You can play these whenever you find a save point and they serve as a nice way to get you some extra potions and experience. Interactivity is similar to what you would find in the classic game as far as finding items by exploring the environment and seeing unique sights because you were curious enough to explore every nook and cranny. There are even side missions like having professor hogo making you face huge monsters in an attempt to kill you because you disturbed him. The Story is what shines the most in this game, and it is by far one of the most engrossing stories of the series.
  
  Graphics: This game seriously looks like the first Kingdom hearts on the PS2. Their facial expressions and animations are the best you can find on a portable system to date. This game could be ported to the PS2 and considered to have gorgeous graphics. The CG scenes are on par with Advent Children.
  
  Sound: The Voice acting is actually pretty good, and the music from Final Fantasy VII that was redone for the game isn't bad either, but the new music to the game is pretty forgettable. I honestly can't stand the shinra building's theme, which feels like it is 10 seconds long and just set to loop. This is one of the game's biggest strengths and downfalls at the same time.
  
  Replay Value: You could speed through the story and still expect hours upon hours to be spent doing side missions. The story itself takes a good amount of time to beat. Expect to invest maybe 30 hours into this game.
  
  This game is a fantastic deal. Expect to have a blast with it and you wont be disappointed.
  
  SPECIAL NOTE: There are some things to this game that you might want to take into consideration. I started playing this game on my old PSP then early into it bought the new model. The difference is HUGE. The load times on the new PSP are cut not only in half, but takes the load time from up to 18 seconds at some points to maybe 3-4 tops. There is also a very low amount of blur when Zack is running around on the screen on the new one compared to the old one. The new screen is brighter, higher refresh rate and the load time on the new one is way shorter. The new PSP is almost a must for this game otherwise load times will destroy the experience.
  
  
  

• Crisis Core

  
  By A2NOJVQUPKPTEI on 2008-05-05
  Since the other review is very lengthy, and covers pretty much everything, I'll keep this short and sweet. If you're a fan of the Final Fantasy series (particularly VII) then you should buy this game. If you don't have a PSP, this game is worth buying one for. I didn't have a PSP, this game came out, I bought a PSP to play it, I am extremely happy with my decision. I do recommend playing through Final Fantasy VII first as you will appreciate the characters, environments, and cameos a little more. If you do happen to play this first, I can almost guarantee you'll be shopping for a copy of VII when you're done.
  
  

• Spectacular

  
  By AJKWF4W7QD4NS on 2008-05-31
  I was never too fond of RPG's when I was younger, no matter how much I loved video games. Final Fantasy VII changed that, along with how I looked at the genre, as I, like many others, became addicted to the game's emotional storyline and well-rounded characters. Since then, we have seen a number of tie-ins, spin-offs, and even feature films based on the Final Fantasy VII universe, and now, Crisis Core has finally arrived. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is a prequel to the game, where you play as Cloud's old friend and partner Zack, and uncover secrets and revelations that are full of surprises, and lead up to the events of Final Fantasy VII. First off, the game is is simply gorgeous to look at. Not just the cut-scenes, which themselves are beautiful and stunning, but even the in-game graphics look great, making this undoubtedly the best looking RPG to hit the PSP, and the game's voice acting is even better. The game's combat system is also worth mentioning because it isn't quite turn based, and isn't quite real time. Instead, it is a fast moving system that is quite fun in itself, even if it may come off as a bit too easy for some. Leveling up and performing Limit Breaks is now determined by the slot machine-esque DMW system, which is a fun little twist as well. There are familiar characters abound as well: Cloud, Aerith, Tifa, and of course, Sephiroth. The game's story wonderfully weaves into FFVII mythology, and offers some new perspectives on Zack and Sephiroth, and those respects alone, Crisis Core is worth picking up. All in all, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is a stunning achievement that is an absolute essential addition to your PSP library, and needless to say, if you love everything Final Fantasy VII and you own a PSP, you have to pick up Crisis Core.
  
  

• The

  
  By AQHXJA7ZK1C2L on 2008-06-11
  Graphics: 5 out of 5. Apparently the entire production budget went into this. I've never seen such amazing visuals out of a handheld, especially in the full-CGI cutscenes (summons, etc). As anyone who's been holding a controller for more than a few years can tell you, though, epic graphics do NOT make an epic game.
  
  Music: 3 out of 5. There's more than one remix of previous FF7 themes, and some of the new music is kinda catchy. Doesn't hold a candle to the original FF7 soundtrack, however - somehow Nobou Uematsu did more with the midi format in FF7 than with CD-quality mp3 in Crisis Core. Less is more, I guess!
  
  Game Mechanics: 2.5 out of 5. The DMW system is definitely new, and somewhat fun if you can get past the fact that "summons" aren't really summons if you can't.. summon them. Magic is mostly useless (Quake, Firaga and Ultima are the only spells that are really worth casting, Ultima only in a few rare cases). Ultimately, you don't need anything other than your basic attack to advance the story. Easy mode is too easy. Haven't tried Hard. There are WAY TOO MANY MISSIONS that all feel exactly the same, no one but the most hardcore of completionists could ever endure it. Materia Fusion is useless, unless you're playing Hard Mode I would assume, but for the basic game it has no real place. Looking into some of the mechanics behind fusion on GameFaqs, they couldn't have made the system more complicated if they tried. It amounts to a lot of mindless grinding that's (for me at least) difficult to tolerate. But if you're into that kind of thing, more power to you.
  
  Characters/Plot: 1 out of 5. This is where the game seriously falls short. Zack is the stereotypical hyperactive RPG protagonist, yet strangely the only male character that's voice-acted even moderately well. For some reason, the writers saw fit to include new characters such as Genesis and Cissnei, both of whom fail to capture one's imagination like the original cast of FF7. Genesis is obsessed with a play and seems to have a pathological compulsion to recite it, Cissnei hints at a mysterious past but nothing is ever revealed, and pretty much all of the characters are one-dimensional. Aeris gets a few scattered scenes, but nothing like what a long-time fan of FF7 might hope for. She also comes off as a bit unhinged (fear of the sky? talking to flowers? Riiiight). Not only that, but the ENTIRE GAME'S (indeed the entire series') plot can be summed up in the following phrase. "Hojo is a [...]". I was kinda hoping for more than that.
  
  Either Square Enix's localization team has really downsized in recent years and the original Japanese version of CC:FF7 is far more involving, or Crisis Core was simply produced just to cash in on the swarms of rabid FF7 fans. The problem with this kind of business strategy is that only the most hardcore of fans (the ones who dress up as their favorite characters and go to conventions) will continue buying anything with a FF7 label on it, whereas the rest of us operate on a "once bitten twice shy" basis.
  
  Crisis Core falls completely short of being a respectable prequel to one of the best-selling (if not THE best-selling) RPGs of all time. Much like Xenogears and the Xenosaga series that followed it, a story that was once carefully and lovingly written has been essentially turned into an empty attempt at capitalization. The VERY few plot developments revealed in Crisis Core could've easily been condensed into a 90-minute movie a la Advent Children, which would've been far more preferable than wasting the money and time spent playing through CC.
  
  I'd like the week or two I spent playing through this game back.
  
  
  
  tl;dr version: If you liked Xenogears but hated Xenosaga, you will hate Crisis Core.
  
  

• Just barely short of perfect!

  
  By AN9J46667D80O on 2008-07-18
  Ah, the Final Fantasy series. Who can forget fine games like Final Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy XII?
  
  Of course no one can forget Final Fantasy VII. This is largely because Square-Enix won't let us forget it. We have games like "Before Crisis" and Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus, and of course the incredibly well-done movie Final Fantasy VII - Advent Children (Limited Edition Collector's Set) (go find my review of it and vote it helpful! Please? I'll be your friend! ^_^ ). Now into this fray of Final Fantasy fantasticness, we have "Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII".
  
  Now, I never played "Before Crisis" (though neither did anyone else), and I haven't played "Dirge of Cerberus" either, so I can't compare this to those.
  
  What I can do is say that this is one hellishly good game! The graphics are amazing. The music reminds one of the music from the original game without directly copying it (except for in a few places). The plot, at least so far, is compelling and interesting. Further the game really opens up the world we were introduced to way back in 1997.
  
  The game isn't perfect. I still haven't found away to remove the annoying subtitles, and I do have to join in the complaints about how all you really have to do to win is press "X" a lot. Plus having the DMW screen pop up every few moments gets old. I'm also really sick of "Active Combat mode activated" message you get when you go into, well, active combat mode.
  
  That said, this is, without a doubt, one of the finest games on the PSP, joined in competition only by God of War Chains of Olympus (which I also enjoyed). It's probably one of the best RPGs I've ever played.
  
  Overall, if you like good action, great graphics, nice music and a plot you can chew your way through, then buy this game! If you don't like those things, well, heck, why would you buy ANY Final Fantasy game? :)
  
  
• Critical review, includes the good and the bad
  By ABOJRY1SK4J on 2008-09-07
  First off I will just say I loved the game, but there are a few areas I'm going to note on in my review that could have used a bit of work. So don't think this is any sort of hate-bashing review, because it isn't.
  
  First I will cover the scales. 1 is the worst, 10 is the best
  
  Story: 10 - Accurate and informative. Takes you back and reveals the FF7 history
  Battle System: 6 - I will explain this in detail below as to why it is a 6
  Game Mechanics: 8 - Decent convenience factors added such as stores and missions from the main menu
  Replay Value: 5 to 8, situational based - Will explain below
  Graphics & Visuals: 10 - Top notch for a hand held
  Game flow: 8 - This is how often you actually get to play the game without being interrupted by cut scenes or movies
  Mini-games: 7 - Some are enjoyable, others are very tedious after a while
  Over-all: 8.5 - Extremely enjoyable, has a few faults, but none detract too much from the overall enjoyment.
  -------
  
  Further Explanations of above noted sections, note these are going to be the faults I found, that doesn't mean this game is bad, it just means it has these faults as any game has a few:
  
  Battle system-
  
  You may be asking why I rated this so low, well... while the non turn-based elements that they incorporated into this game are good in theory, in practice they are a bit cumbersome in places. The first place they missed a bit here, was the DMW system. Now you might be thinking, "Yes, I have read about how people don't like the system". The problem is, it is not that I don't like the system, I just think that they could have polished a few elements with it. I will name these polish points as "smudges".
  
  First smudge - 'phase modulations', you will on countless occasions run into a situation where you are JUST about to finish off the last monster and end a battle when you get forced into one of these phase modulations. Sure it's cool the first few times to finish off the monster with a cool attack, but after this happens 20+ times it will start to irritate you because you just want to kill that last monster and move on. A lot of the times when this happens you will get either a useless result out of it, No result, or a longer attack that finishes off the monster but was a waste of time since you were just about to deal the killing blow with your sword. The useless result factor comes into play when you get a buff to an element that was already maxed/buffed before the phase modulation. They also on occasion added flashing images while the DMW is spinning the middle image. These images cannot be bypassed after seeing them a first time, which wastes even more of your time. This also leads into my next area to cover.
  
  Smudge two, Phase Modulation Attacks - Aside from not being able to skip the aforementioned images the attacks that come from the DMW also cannot be skipped. The summon attacks you get can be skipped, however only certain ones. Why SE (Square-enix) chose to punish the player like this by making them watch the same attacks over and over without the option to bypass them after the first few times is beyond me. It just adds even more wasted time to what could have otherwise been a good idea, if only they added an option to skip these after the first time it would have been MUCH better. Do you as a player honestly -WANT- to sit through the same 5-10sec long attack sequence over 50 times throughout the game? I didn't either. You can also land a 'late' phase modulation attack which will occur after you've killed all the monsters. That means you will have to watch the sequence anyway, even after the battle should have ended.
  
  That is it for the things that could have been fixed with the DMW, the next aspect that didn't seem to work quite as well as it could have, would be the pace of the battles being too fast to actually execute needed commands. You will be left running and dodging just so you can use a healing item, or curative spell. It isn't hard to scroll over to items or a spell, but with the speed of the battles and the constant attacks coming from the monsters it makes it very difficult to pull off. Far more difficult that it needs to be. This adds to the 'cumbersome' factor that I mentioned above.
  
  Replay Value elements mentioned above:
  
  This game has replay value, that I won't deny, however depending on how you played the first time through it could either have great replay value, or almost none at all. If you went through the game the first time just to see the story and play the game casually then the second play-through with the New Game+ will be enjoyable. However, if you spent time getting levels, powerful items, and doing all the missions then your second play through will be so easy that most replay value will be taken out. The only remaining value at that point would be to watch the story a second time. While this is enjoyable the rest of the game will have almost all of the challenge removed. I don't recommend a New Game+ if you went through and made your character a powerhouse. If you fit this category then you will get more replay value if you simply start the game over from scratch.
  
  Finally, I am going to cover missions. Since this is one of the major side-quests/mini-games in CC. This is also why that section only received a 7. Mission, these were a GREAT idea, HOWEVER, poorly implemented. Why do I feel these were poorly implemented? I feel SE wasted far too much time working on the quantity of missions, but didn't spend as much time working on their quality. As you play through them you will notice there are only about 10-15 maps total that get recycled over and over again in different ways. There are some places where dialogue is also recycled. However there are very few missions where you actually get dialogue, and only one mission where you get dialogue scenes in every sub-mission. The lack of dialogue adds to the fact that they didn't have any real storyline added to the missions. It was pretty much just: Accept mission, collect items in a recycled map, find and fight mission objective boss/monsters, rinse and repeat. After the first 150 or so missions of doing exactly what I just mentioned it will get painfully tedious. All tedium could have been removed had they just cut the missions in half, to say 150, and used the rest of the time adding quality to them. In other words, adding storyline or making a larger selection of maps. Personally I don't care if they recycled the maps, but I wish they added some sort of storyline to missions so that they weren't just the same exact thing repeated over and over again x300. In fact, after the 153rd or so mission I started to get more enjoyment out of reading the Shinra briefs you get when selecting the mission than doing the missions themselves.
  
  -----
  
  Phew! Now with all of that out of the way (Sorry I am long winded) I'll get to the actual review since I covered a lot of things above this might be shorter than the above areas.
  
  CC, being the prequel to the very famous FF7 delivers what I consider to be a KO punch as a game. The storyline does not disappoint you, if you were playing this game in hopes to learn what happened before FF7 then you will not be disappointed. The flow of the story I felt was very smooth and well organized. From the development of bonds such as you will see Cloud and Zack form, to Sephiroth's descent into insanity. All of this in recognizable locations from FF7 that have been redone in stunningly beautiful graphics. The game starts out right away grabbing you firmly with a great action movie sequence done in what can only be described as PS3 quality graphics. I was shocked at just how detailed and realistic this was for a hand-held system. The real-time graphics (what you see when you are running around fighting, etc) are not as high quality as the movie sequences, but they are still amazing. The movies give the graphics a 10, while the real-time graphics get an 8. They are still visually amazing for a hand-held system.
  
  CC has also added something new to familiar elements such as materia. They have added what they call a materia fusion system. While I found this system to be a bit more confusing that it needs to be you can easily find information about it online and it adds a bit of an interesting twist and gives you something to work toward in strengthening a certain materia with specific stats. If you just wish to experiment it will provide plenty of that. However if you plan to seriously work on it then I'd highly suggest reading up on it because it is very difficult to figure some things out on your own.
  
  Phoenix downs in this game have also received a slight change in functionality. Since you are the only one that will be fighting monsters and bosses instead of using it on a fallen comrade you either use it on yourself during battle, or out of battle. What this then does is give you a buff called "raise" that does not go away until you die. When you die this buff instantly revives you with full HP. Very helpful for certain bosses, what this basically means is, if you have enough phoenix downs you can survive indefinitely as long as you always keep one active on yourself.
  
  The battle system, as mentioned above, goes off of the new DMW system. Which is something like a slot machine. Most of which consists of random results and overall not one of the most enjoyable aspects of the game. Adds a bit too much of a clunky and at times very interrupting element to the game. It is also incorporated into how you level up. Now, while I was not overly thrilled with how you level up in this game, I've learned that it is far from random. The level up system goes based off of what would seem like random DMW spins, but there is still hidden EXP that comes into play. When you get a certain amount of EXP over what you need for your level the DMW will have a 100% chance to hit the level up spin. This was confirmed when I was cursed and fought for about an hour, then after the curse wore off leveled up 5 times in a row.
  
  I didn't much care for the "Activating Combat Mode" and "Conflict Resolved" messages before and after every battle. Had they given you the option to enable or disable these then it would have been alright. The problem here is that after these messages happen for the 500th time they will start to either get stuck in your head, give you a headache, or just become -really- irritating.
  
  CC brings back an old element that you might have seen in other games you may have played. The ability to break the traditional 9999 values that we've been accustomed to, with the use of special accessories and materia fusion. With the right items you can get your HP to 99,999, and your MP and AP to 9999. Furthermore you have the ability to do upwards of 99,999 damage with a single attack. It all depends on what you have equipped and what abilities you use.
  
  In CC you get two combat bars other than your HP. The other two would be your MP, and your AP. MP should be self-explanatory, it is used to cast magic spells. Your AP is used for special attack materia, one such example is an attack materia that has you spin in a circle and attack all enemies around you in a 360 degree strike. There are many many other different types of attack materia that do all sorts of things, but you'll have to find out for yourself.
  
  The musical score in this game has been mixed up a bit. There is old and recognizable themes, some that have been revamped, and others that have not been. This is mixed with a all new musical score that personally I found to be enjoyable. I am one for nostalgia, so I personally would have liked to see more of the old FF7 music in this game, but that's just me.
  
  So what this all boils down to is a very solid game, it has a few places where it could have been improved upon, some places where painful tedium could have been removed, and a few irritating elements that could have either been redone, or completely removed. However no game is going to be perfect in every aspect, this one makes up for the few issues with a compelling and immersive storyline, an overall nostalgic feel, high quality and breath-taking graphics, and a cast of enjoyable characters, new and old. I highly recommend this to anyone, as it is one of the best games for the PSP.
  
  
  
  
  
• RATED TOO HIGH. NOT THAT GREAT.
  By A39QUZHA9N1J0D on 2008-06-05
  1. LINEAR STYLE A (-) FOR A GAME AS GREAT AS FFVII.
  
  2. CAMERA ANGLES STINK.
  
  3. THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
  
  4. IT WAS RUSHED.
  
  5. IF I WANT A HACK-AND-SLASH, BEAT'EM UP, BUTTON MASHER I'D GO PLAY
  GAUNTLET LEGENDS.
  
  5. IF IT WERE NOT FOR THE FFVII NAME, I WOULD HAVE TRASHED THIS GAME A
  LONG TIME AGO.
  
  6. STARTING TO GET TIRED OF IT. BECOMING BORING.
  
  
• No Doctorate Necessary
  By A1J1L81RQS9F8W on 2008-06-17
  There are plenty of reviews about the latest Square-Enix Final Fantasy game: "FFVII: Crisis Core," so this reviewer will focus more on explaining why the game is so popular, and why you don't need a PhD in Final Fantasy lore to enjoy it.
  
  Final Fantasy VII was a block-buster hit when it came out, and it comes as no surprise that a game which has sold more than 10 million copies as of this review has many, many devoted followers. The franchise as a whole may be the best-selling Role-playing Game (RPG) franchise ever. When Squaresoft decided to make a film about the flagship title in the FF franchise, people flocked to see it. When they announced that they were making a prequel to FFVII, fanboys and girls everywhere exploded with joy, but the game rises above mere "fan service."
  
  Even if you've never touched a Final Fantasy game, you won't be lost in a series of cliches, in-jokes and references to past plots and characters.
  People will rightly point out that the game does make some references to past games; FFVII cameos and events occur occasionally. Nonetheless, these moments rarely are integral to either the story or the gameplay. On the contrary, the game's plot is new, and as a prequel, the game's timeline fortunately precludes most of the drama and plot-twists of it's chronological predecessor. This means anyone can pick up this game and be able to appreciate and understand the vast majority of the story. In short, the game is a stand alone novel, and while some background knowledge can add further depth to a few dialogues and events, even a novice will be able to follow the rather straight-forward story.
  
  The gameplay is much the same vein. Many things--such as materia--will seem strange to newcomers, but the helpful tutorials (and instruction booklet) should help you overcome any confusiing parts of the game.
  On the other hand, if you've played Final Fantasy games before--especially the seventh in the series--then you need no introduction to the game: it plays very similarly to FFVII (with a few minor tweaks for the PSP.)
  
  Plot battles and CG movies are usually short, and perfect for a bus ride, waiting room, or any other brief moment during which you decide to use your portable gaming system. The main story itself is fairly robust for a portable RPG. I clocked in at around 20 hours, but I had neglected almost all of the side-quests, extra dialogues and the dozens and dozens of optional "Missions." Add those in and one can quickly burn 60 or more hours in a playthrough. As if that's not enough for a bargain game, you can even play a "Game+" mode which carries over some items from your previous save.
  
  In conclusion, FFVII:Crisis Core is very accessible to new players, yet it offers enough fan candy that "veterans" to the series won't be disappointed. In addition,it's a great game, as most of the reviewers here have already said. It is fun to play, lengthy for a PSP game, and has lots of extras to keep its replay value above average. I highly recommend this game to any with a PSP; it's truly a must have game.
  
  
• One winged angels fly in circles
  By A3JF8GQ8WA7U6K on 2008-07-03
  To brass tacks on the quick: The game is entertaining and beautiful, but ultimately relatively shallow. I won't go into the storyline, but what's there is a decent tale presented by a cast you don't see long enough to really empathize with. So that leaves the gameplay.
  
  Hack and slash with simple dodge and block buttons make for easy, repetative gameplay. Which is most of what Crisis Core is. Sure, there's magic and barrier spells and the DMW (don't worry about what it is, since it's completely random and more of a background feature than a prime component of gameplay despite how integrated it is)...but what it comes down to, ultimately is that it's a hack and slash game with a few more options than most for customizing your brawler. This is FINE and actually very fun when you're cruising through the main storyline...it is intolerable when it comes to doing the awful, redundant missions. A bare minimum of effort was put into the hundreds upon hundreds of copy-paste "missions" the game has available to you and they are pure drudgery in the interest of obtaining the game's most powerful and interesting items, equipment and materia.
  
  The negative tone here makes it sound like I don't like Crisis Core, which is of course, untrue. I think the game is gorgeous, fun to play and a blast to tool around with customizing Zack and his magic, strength or fused materia. I just wish it had more variety available in the sidequests since the main storyline is brief and the remaining gameplay after that is uninspired.
  
  Play it, but don't be surprised if you can't bring yourself to beat all the extra missions.
  
  
• Not your mama's FFVII
  By A2QUDHRJ0CFP8N on 2008-05-29
  I do enjoy the graphics and story behind this game. However, this is not the traditional RPG play. I was disappointed with the Kingdom Hearts style gameplay. I like the old school rpg. People cannot join your party, and the fighting gameplay is different. Instead of choosing the action and waiting for it to play out, you have to run around to fight. During boss fights it can actually be difficult.
  
  But I am not the greatest gamer out there!
  
  
• Great Game
  By A30ZI2K1LIZO7O on 2008-06-30
  If you have been a fan of previous Final Fantasy games, you will enjoy this game. The combat is different, but the game is still a blast. This is an excellent game for the PSP. If you own one, this is one of THE games to get for your handheld system.
  
  
• Rushed, repetitive, and uninspired
  By A39W3263A9HCMN on 2008-07-15
  F you could play FF7 the game or then watch FF7AC consecutively without any interruption, I don't think you'll have the same here. I have always loved FF7, it has been a good ride. I loved the original game, and I loved Advent Children. I can't say I liked Dirge of Cerberus, it just felt like they made a game just for the sake of making a game.
  
  And then there's Crisis Core...
  
  As soon as I started playing the game, I felt it was going to be just... OK. And sadly, my calculations were true. This is just as bad, if not even worse than Dirge of Cerberus. Sure, the graphics are good but that's about it. Need proof? I'll give it to ya:
  
  -Watch out for invisible walls! There are a few places in the game where you're trying to go to other places but you can't. The other games had this, but only in reasonable places. Here, they're EVERYWHERE.
  
  -The battles are so easy and predictable, you can do them while in a deep sleep. All you need to do is just hit the X button several times. It looks like Squeenix didn't put any thought into it.
  
  -The gameplay is VERY repetitive. You can care less halfway through, which brings me to my next reason...
  
  -The game is WAY TOO SHORT! About a couple hour in, I was already on Chapter 4. Just a matter of time later, I had finished the game. Again, this game is very rushed, as if they were on a deadline to finish the game. The creators were on a deadline to make the other ones, but you couldn't tell it because they were so flawlessly produced. Meanwhile here the game is so rushed and you could tell all the flaws.
  
  -The music. It sounds like leftovers from Halo 2. The music doesn't fit and at times they repeat the same song over and over, it's like hearing a guy's cell phone ring for 2 hours.
  
  -As usual, the voice acting...
  
  -The ending. Enough said. The depressing and melancholy feeling is good before being ruined by the "OMG I'M GOING TO HEAVEN PLEASE DO THESE THINGS FOR ME WHILE I'M IN HEAVEN" thing. It should have just ended after Cloud lets out his big scream.
  
  This game had so much potential, but wasted it. I really am sad to say this, as I used to LOVE FF7 to death. Overall, skip it. FF7 the original and AC were great, but with the way things have been going since DOC, the creators have been rushing as fast as they can to make a video game. They keep going "OMG, You'll LOVE this! It's gonna be like the original FF7!", but no. They haven't even TRIED.
  
  Please, give it up, Square.
  
  
• Ok but not a classic.
  By A3O3CQT0BW6Y20 on 2008-09-07
  I'm very familiar with the Final Fantasy series and I've brought alot of the versions dating back to the original playstation. I played this game for a few hours and to be honest its kinda childish and silly. Its not at all capturing like the original FFVII. Alot of running around hacking, slashing, button mashin like some of the other review submitters have posted. Not much strategy needed which makes for a boring game. I've been playing FF Tactics War of the Lion for almost a year now and I prefer to play that more than this. Too much hype and I think the makers of this game were looking for a way to take advantage of the FF name and the enormous fan base. This game has alot of holes in it and its missing the key ingredient that the early version of FFV II possesed; player involvement. I didnt "feel" any attachment to any character in this game unlike Cloud and Aeris. I wish I would have rented this game before or read more previews and reviews. Die hard final fantasy gamers will probably by it for the namesake but not much else. I doubt that I will even play it through till end. Rent it first, buy a reduced price trade in copy, or borrow it from a friend first.
  
  
• One of the best ff games since ffvii.
  By A2MGJ0PR0LV14U on 2008-05-19
  An absolutely amazing game with a great plot. By far the best ff game I've played since ffvii, probably cause its connected.
  If you haven't played this game you need to.
  
  
• Crisis Core delivers to all of its FF7 fans
  By A1FDWNDSJJADVY on 2008-05-29
  This has to be one of the best rpg games I own in my whole collection. With the events in this game it takes place before FF7 from the Playstation 1 so if you never played that one make sure you buy this first to get the storyline as it was meant to be and for those of you who played FF7 on the PS1 make sure to add this to your collection so you get to find out what happened before FF7 came out to the PS1. So many missions to beat, awesome gameplay, awesome cutscenes, plus hours and hours of fun gameplay. this has to be the best or at least one of the very best Final Fantasy games ever made. Highly recommended to any Final Fantasy fan or rpg fan
  
  
• Great Game, Not So Great Gameplay
  By ATA9YXH8JOLYA on 2008-07-09
  I'm new to the Final Fantasy FF VII universe. Crisis Core is the first FF VII game I've played. The story telling is awesome and the voice acting is superb. But the gameplay becomes stale after about an hour. You don't have to be very creative to complete this game, just be able to use a potion when needed.
  
  If you have the patience to play through all the missions and storyline, then you'll find a pretty long game. I completed the game in around 20+ hours, completing close to %30 of the side missions. I certainly took my time and enjoyed the game.
  
  Overall the game looks fantastic, and you'll grow with Zack and feel for the character by the end.
  
  
  I'd give the story a 5/5 but the gameplay a 3/5. Overall a 4/5.
  
  
• Great addition to FF series, but still lacks something...
  By A1MQTQOGG4XUHQ on 2008-07-12
  I agree with most that this game is one of the finest released in the FF series, as far as story goes. However, there are some areas in which this game does not hit the mark. Graphics are superb and some of the best on the PSP. Sound is amazing, original FF7 soundtrack; modernized and more complete. The voice acting is phenomonal, and the sound effects are great. The biggest problem I had with this game is the lack of the ridiculous side quests and mini games which shine so bright in other square titles (most importantly the original FF7). Though there are 300 missions you can complete on the side, they are pretty boring and repetitive. Forcing you to run through the same map countless times for a small reward at the end. There are also no real mini games that can be played freely. Not exactly what I have in mind when I think of all the original FF7 side quests and mini games. The worst part is there are no chocobos or moogles!!! At least none that are interactable with your character. All in all it is a great game that can get very addictive and is definitely worth buying; but it lacks the real FF feel that I was hoping for.
  
  
• A worthy addition to the Compilation of FFVII
  By ADHXAM2D4UQT9 on 2008-07-17
  I first beat CC in about 20 hours with 30% of the Missions complete. I was sad the game was so short, but I realized I had missed a lot of things, and I had a lot of fun along the way. Revisiting sites from FFVII was great, all the in-jokes (Sephiroth's shampoo usage: Rolling on the floor laughing!), and mastering a new battle system was really fun. I'm on a second play-through, have nearly 60% of the Missions done, and will probably do a third run as I am now aware of even more things that I've missed. Once you've cleared the game, you can start from a New Game+, getting to keep your current level, materia, and accessories. This makes the main line of the story very easy (if you start over on Normal again), but also the ease makes you able to complete the tedious, early Missions so quickly you can get to the juicy Missions that lie past 30%.
  
  One of the critiques people have of this game is that an element of the battle system, the DMW is "completely random". It is NOT. Once you understand what this slot-machine like device is actually doing, you find a more purposeful way to fight. Sure, the early Missions can get tedious, but fighting foes is the only way you'll be able to level yourself up and gain enough points to fuse your materia up, and this opportunity is what the Missions present. The goal of this is to beat the extra boss Minerva. Let's be honest, when has powering up to beat a game's Super Duper boss ever been fun in any game? (Racing Chocobos to be able to get Knights of the Round, anyone?) Like many other goals in real life, the desire for the ends make it easy to go through the means.
  
  Once you see the replay value of the game, the storyline's shortness is a non-issue. I'm currently at 70 Hours, just 20 short of what it took to create my all-mastered FFVII file. And I'm not done with CC yet!
  
  So you see that as a game, I really like CC, think it's very good, and offers fun for casual and hardcore gamers alike. I have only one major problem with it: I don't think there was a need to have a central villain (Genesis). And as much as I'm a fan of Genesis' portrayer, the Japanese rock artist Gackt (please forgive me for what I'm about to say!), I think his inclusion in one particular scene from FFVII was uncalled for. But that's just me being a rabid FFVII fan!
  
  
• Pretty humble
  By A170EKHHP2S51Q on 2008-08-04
  Unfortunately the gameplay is very repetitive and bland. The bummer is, it does have a decent story, and it's really neat to play in the FF7 era again. The graphics are beautiful. It's very bittersweet. The feel is great, it's so nice to see Aeris alive again and such.
  
  The problem is, the gameplay is just button mashing, the "missions" are bland and boring. There's no gameplay. It would have been better to just release the material as some sort of movie, or better yet, just re-release FF7 for PSP like they've been doing with so many other titles.
  
  Really, you can skip this one, unless you're really such an FF addict that suffering through boring gameplay is worth it just to get some final fantasy 7 into your veins.
  
  
• Too easy? NO.
  By AV8WWKAUIUPH1 on 2008-08-23
  For those of you who are saying this game was too easy, you are dead wrong. All you did was play through the story, that's it. That's the easy part. Once you get to missions it starts toughening up. Let's put it this way, when I completed the final mission which was only a boss with 10,000,000 HP my character was so strong that I defeated the final bosses of the story in 1 and 2 hits. But the final boss of the mission took me well over 15 minutes with constant healing, constant uses of Phoenix Downs, and each hit of mine dealing 99,999 damage. And that wasn't even the hardest part of the game. There were missions before that that were much harder. Yes, the missions are kind of boring since almost all of them are exactly the same (fight to the final enemy of the mission and beat it) but the enemies in the later missions are amazingly strong. I'm talking about if you don't have the costly punch materia (99,999 damage) it will take you about 10 minutes to kill one enemy.
  
  Basically what I'm trying to say is that if you venture PAST the story you will find this game to be quite difficult.
  
  
• Hard mode nets it 5 stars
  By A2OEQWI54AG13B on 2008-08-23
  So in the US version of the game, bad voice acting replaces the Japanese version, but no worries because the addition of hard mode in the US version makes this superior. Plus, it's good to know what the characters are saying, haha.
  
  Basically, Crisis Core is a very solid companion piece to FFVII, and while the story has some glaring inconsistencies with the original game (such as, while Genesis seemed like an incredibly important character in Crisis Core, he's not mentioned once--by Sephiroth, Cloud, or anyone at Shinra, in Final Fantasy VII, which is unbelievable considering all he does here), the gameplay helps make up for it. On Normal mode, the game's too easy, and the player need only press X most of the time. But on Hard, the challenge increases tenfold, meaning fast reflexes and good strategy are necessary to win, especially early on.
  
  It's true the game's a little linear for an RPG, but Crisis Core is perfect for the PSP because the missions are great to do while on-the-go. And for the story's faults, Zack's character is infinitely more likable than Cloud's which makes the events surrounding him all the more interesting.
  
  
• Took me by surprise
  By A2TD92Q4VZIVK7 on 2008-08-29
  I am one of those people who was never able to get into RPG's like the final fantasy series, all the characters to manage and tedious micromanaging gameplay just isnt for me. Back in the day however my brothers played Final Fantasy 7, and over time I caught onto the story and enjoyed it for what it was worth without playing. That being said, Recently I got my hands on this game, and with only a limited knowledge of Final Fantasy and several negative preconceived notions, this game simply blew me away.
  
  Most of what I knew about Final Fantasy was that Sephiroth was a very very bad man, and the reason I starting playing it was to find out why. However, an hour into the game i found myself finding new areas of interest, mainly Zack. The story follows his ultimate ending, and his journey along the way. This journey made for one of the coolest video games i have ever played. I found myself caring about the characters in this game more than in any other game, and when the ending finally came i even found myself getting choked up. Story aside, the game is perfect as far as gameplay is concerned. It has just enough complexity to not burden you, yet offers alot of depth and options as to appeal to the hardcore people out there. For people who enjoy action games like Devil May Cry or God of War, the gameplay and combat will bring you right at home (although nowhere near as fast or as complex... but thats also a good thing)
  
  I have played many videogames since my NES back in the day. Many were decent, some outright bad, and afew necessary of mention. This is one that deserves mention. If you own a psp you should own this, if you dont... its certainly reason enough to look into getting one
  
  
• you will be in a crisis if you miss this game!
  By A2P7YJY4XXBVXO on 2008-06-03
  ok so if you dont know about this game, then you have been living in under a rock. this is the prequel to the original epidemic final fantasy 7 for the playstation. you can excpect the same great quality story and graphics that final fantasy is known for. the game play on the other hand is a new spin on the kingdom hearts style of rpg. its still quite fun and inventive. and the new materia combinations and fusions keep things interesting and full of variety. i reccomend this game to all final fantasy fans and new comers. your going to have to get hooked some how. thanx
  
  
• Enjoyable and fun game
  By A2ILRXF9Y2VUX0 on 2008-06-06
  710,000 copies sold worldwide (as I write this)and only 7 reviews on Amazon.com?
  Nonetheless, this was a good purchase for me. I bought the game reluctant because it wasn't a turn based fighting RPG, and I'm glad I did. The game is like a prequel to FF7, it tells the story of how Zack got his buster sword and came to meet Sephiroth, Cloud, and Aeris. It was told in the original FF7 game but this includes some other 1st class Soldiers, and some more insight on the whole Jenova/Mako cell fusing and how the whole mess got started. I don't think you have had to have played FF7 to enjoy the story.
  So, basically you control Zack Fair, trough his adventures in becoming a Soldier Class 1, going through the town looking for stuff, talking to people and doing favors for friends, like a regular RPG. At save points you can select missions, they basically take you to different locales. You fight your way trough and at the end, there is treasure; these missions range from very quick and easy, to long, tedious and hard like hell. There are tons of missions; they have really useful items like summons and other goodies.
  The fighting is random, once it happens, you basically run around dodging attacks and smacking them up with your sword, or casting spells. You control Zack from a 3rd person point of view and have full control in a small map with 2 to 8 or more enemies depending on the situation, you have a list of various controls on the bottom right corner, you choose one, and Zack does it. The list is composed of what ever materia you have equipped; it could be spells to special attacks. Meanwhile, the DMW (digital mind wave) is spinning and stopping at random, like a slot machine, when you get the same 3 characters it will do a summon or a limit break, or level you or your materia up. This is the part that I don't really care for; you cannot control this thing, at all. leveling up is random, summons are random limit breaks are random, they provide some cool cut scenes, but sometimes you just wanna skip it and get it over with.
  I guess it goes without saying the cut scenes are great, they look like the ones in advent children. The whole style and look of the game is amazing. It's a really great game if you want to re-explore Midgar trough the eyes of Zack, and get to know some new characters and the details of how Cloud and Sephiroth came to loosing it. If you're new to FF7 get ready to be immersed in a world that has created hardcore fans for a decade.
  
  
  
• A classic hack N slash with a great FF story
  By A3NV0PCYDT8Q1S on 2008-06-12
  Great story with tons of play time. Tack on a wide variety of side missions and awesome cut scenes and this game will have you pulled in. One of the best 5 games on PSP.
  
  
• awesome
  By A328IT316KO889 on 2008-06-23
  final fantasy keep up to it's name. sweet battle system. great graphics. awesome CG. over all, it's worth your money.
  
  
• Fantastic Game
  By A1TVC8YZ6GMEGQ on 2008-06-25
  Just Fantastic, I never played the original FFVII but it does not matter.
  Loved it. This is a great reason to buy a PSP if you have not already.
  
  
  
• One of the Best Games for the PSP
  By A3PH7ML9YF2U8V on 2008-06-29
  If you are a final fantasy fan and own a PSP, this games is a must have. It goes a little away from the traditional RPG scheme as it allows you to manually move around and attack yourself, kind of like Zelda but in the final fantasy universe. The game is a spin off from one of the best final fantasy games, and the game play as well as the story line is one of the best.
  
  If you are not a fan of final fantasy, you still will probably enjoy it if you like Zelda type games. The game has amazing cut scenes that even a Nintendo Wii couldn't handle, and you get to be an active player instead of just sitting there taking turns casting magic, etc.
  
  Overall, one of the best games so far for the PSP. Check out IGN's ratings on their site, as they give an accurate review as well by awarding it one of their Editor's Choice Award. A definite buy.
  
  
• good game, mostly fan-service
  By A36O49L1ARKVRR on 2008-06-30
  this game is kinda repetive and the story really doesnt make sense that much but it was a fun game and it took me along time to play so if u need a good rpg game for psp the crisis core is the best choice!
  
  
• One Word: Finally!
  By A1QXVJ45ZUYI0N on 2008-06-30
  By finally, I mean... finally there is a game worthy of the title "Final Fantasy" and worthy of the roman numerals VII, in my opinion, the greatest RPG and Final Fantasy ever. Square Enix's previous attempt at making a spin off the VII, "Dirge of Celebrus", was a complete bust... but here they come with Crisis Core. First off, C.C. is breathtaking to view, as it is to play... the graphics from the original game on the first Playstation could never do the game justice. We all remember those awkwardly shaped characters with their pencil thin elbows and knees and their elongated eyes and lack of mouthes.. But with the PSP graphics engine, Square Enix was able to give gamers a masterpiece. Game play is superb..., but fans of the series will tell you the greatest part of the game is knowing more about the game's central characters, i.e. Sephiroth, Cloud, Aeris, and the mysterious and barely mentioned Zack. In the original FFVII, the entire game of C.C. is essentially summed up in a "flash-back" where Cloud tells his crew of his past. All in all, Square needs to get back to basics and continue to make games of this quality of of game play and story line, rather than dish out childish looking and sickening games (i.e. pretty much anything made on the DS these days).
  
  

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