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[PSP] Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core - grimsim

Discussion in 'Game Reviews' started by grimsim1, Jul 3, 2009.

  1. grimsim1

    grimsim1 Well-Known Member

    Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core


    Note: I realize that there are already two reviews written for this game on Romulation. However, I was really interested in presenting my views of this game as well. Two great reviewers did a fantastic job respectively and I am not competing, just wanting to present my own opinion of the game. Hope you enjoy my review, and my first in a long while. Therefore I bring you my own review of Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core. Welcome to Gaia.

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    Developer: Square Enix
    Release Date: 03/24/08
    Genre: RPG/Action/Adventure
    ESRB Rating: T

    I love Final Fantasy VII. It’s as simple as that. It’s a fantastic game no matter what anyone says or thinks, because to me what matters most is my own personal opinion. Countless hours I have spent playing through the game’s emotional and powerful story line. Growing up with a game like that makes it extremely difficult for any other title to come even remotely close to matching the fantastic memories embedded from a happy childhood. It’s the little things that made the game so enjoyable. Whether it was finally leveling up my “All” material to that last star, or obtaining the “Knights of the Round” summon, to breeding the perfect Chocobo; Final Fantasy VII had it all. Gameplay in abundance, storyline to ensure a clean sweep at any Oscars ceremony, deep and interesting characters, and solid graphics (for it’s time) to boot. It was everything that I look for in a game and more.

    It was difficult for me to accept the fact that Square decided to revisit the world of Gaia. Generally when developers try to cash in from an already successful franchise, they end up destroying the image and the fond memories that they had created. Why destroy something perfect? The answer is money of course. Square would cash in big time if they had to give us more of Final Fantasy VII and hence we saw the birth of a few spin offs to the main game. Advent Children, in my honest opinion, was a really solid film. On the other hand they developed a PS2 game called Dirge of Cerberus, which in all honesty was rather average shooter that had its ups (and a hell of a lot downs). But it is with Crisis Core that Square struck gold. Creating a solid game that would live up to the legacy of the immortal Final Fantasy VII would be no easy task, and when Square announced Crisis Core is to be released for the PSP, the pressure was truly on. To satisfy millions of fans would be a feat in itself. Can they pull it off? Read on….

    As soon as the game begins you are introduced to the main protagonist in the story, one Zack Fair. Zack, for those that are not too familiar with the FF VII story, is an old friend of Cloud’s from his days at SOLDIER. Fans of the series were a tad surprised to see him in the lead role as, in all honesty; he was a nobody in the original game, only being mentioned very briefly. It therefore becomes evident that the game takes place prior to the events of the original. From the first words that roll off Zack’s sharp and witty tongue, you can immediately determine that he is your usual smart ass type of guy. Over-confident, childlike, humorous and at times a tad annoying, Zack is a wise guy through and through. He is a very ambitious man and you will gradually see how he grows and matures as a character. You will see how the people around Zack influence him and how their actions reinforce what he stands for and how he handles situations. Needless to say, Zack is a fantastic protagonist. His sharp and witty character will immediately grab your attention. Zack is honest, loyal and grows on you as the leading role in Crisis Core. He fits perfectly within the game’s storyline.

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    Zack, the hero of Crisis Core

    It is this storyline that grabbed my attention from the start. The dramatic and emotional plot that this video game tells will have you hooked from the get go. It is difficult to attempt to explain the plot due to the complexity of its presentation, requiring for some spoilers to be shared. Rather, it tells the epic tale of events that occur during Zack’s ascent up the SOLDIER hierarchy. You will witness emotional plot twists that will surely stay with you for years to come. You will be introduced to amazingly deep and complex characters, such as the charismatic and honorable Angeal, and the sinister and philosophical Genesis. The interactions between the various characters (old and new) are always interesting and eventful. Each story segment is extremely exciting and by the end of the game you will have experienced an epic tale of action, romance, comedy and drama, exploring themes such as friendship, honor, loyalty, bravery and betrayal. It is a thrill ride that will leave you satisfied and impressed, yet longing for more. Every little detail has been carefully considered and optimized to perfection by the designers.

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    The game has a fantastic cast of characters, both old and new

    A game like Final Fantasy cannot rest on its laurels. It cannot just forge a fantastic story and expect to get away with other mediocre components within. Every aspect has to be solid and offer a thrilling experience for the gamer. Hence we arrive to this title’s gameplay. Crisis Core plays much like a typical RPG with heavy elements of Action and Adventure interwoven with a clever third person perspective. The game largely takes place within Midgar and the surrounding Sectors, as well as the Shin-Ra headquarters. Here you can explore the dark and gloomy streets of the metropolis, conversing with its denizens. You receive objectives that progress the story by interacting with specific characters in story segments. This usually results in Zack being whisked off to some other location within Gaia, such as Wu Tai or Junon. Exploring the various locales is always a lively experience. Staring at familiar locations recreated with beautiful 3D graphics is a joy to behold and brings back memories when you see and recognize certain areas or objects. Generally you will be required to reach a certain point in the map, fighting random battles in between and discovering treasure chests. The game could take approximately 15 hours to complete, however, an RPG would not be complete without the extra-curricular activities that you could take part in.

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    Exploring the world of Gaia is a great experience

    The most prominent of these is the SOLDIER missions assigned to you by the Shin-Ra company. There are 300 side missions to do which in itself is a huge amount. They are not compulsory but if completed, can add up to an extra 25 or even 30 hours to your game time, depending on how involved you get. As mentioned, they are not compulsory but are highly recommended due to the array of special items and materia that can be attained from completing them. Every summon in the game is obtained from the side missions, and they are well worth your while, trust me, but more on that a little later. The missions are generally unlocked by getting through story segments in the game; however some must be discovered by exploring Midgar and speaking to the people that populate the city streets. Once a certain set of missions is discovered, completing a mission in the list unlocks the next one, which has increased difficulty. They are ranked from Very Easy ranging through to Very Hard. As Zack’s levels rise and he becomes stronger, the mission ranking lowers, making it easier to complete. The missions take place in one of a number of locations, such as the underground caves or a desert wasteland. They contain practically no story aside from the mission briefing at the start. You will be faced with a map of the area and be required to explore and fight a “boss” battle in order to complete the mission. Some, however, thrust you right into the battle, requiring no exploration. Missions are generally fun and you will want to complete them all to gain all the rare items. There are, however, some problems with missions. You will find that fighting might get a little repetitive, especially when you are faced with weak enemies. When Zack is on a high level and you are faced with a Very Easy, Easy or Medium mission, you will find that the rewards are hardly worth your time and patience, yet that 100% completion rating at the bottom left of the mission list will bug you, forcing you to complete them. The environments within which you complete your objectives can also get rather repetitive and at times the temptation to continue with the fantastic story can be a bit too much.

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    The equipment screen where materia and accessories can be equipped

    The game also boasts a few mini games that offer rewards, as well as a bit of a distraction from the main game. A couple of these can at times be more frustrating than enjoyable, such as a rather unappealing game of attempting to guess how many children will walk past a certain shop in the slums.

    Fighting was perhaps the game’s most controversial point upon its release. It differed greatly from what one usually expects in a Final Fantasy title. Instead of the usual ATB type fighting schemes, the game offers a more action packed experience. Battles still happen at random, however you find yourself fighting at the exact place where the battle was initiated, with no loading time or fancy battle intro screens. The fights are much akin to those in the “Tales Of..” and “Starocean” series. They take place in real time and give you the opportunity to move Zack around the fighting arena. Commands are listed in the bottom right and differ depending on what materia you have equipped. You can also attack with a regular slash of the sword, as well as dodge or block incoming enemy attacks. Battles can usually be won by just hacking away at enemies, casting the occasional cure spell. However, latter battles may become a little harder, requiring strategy and thought to win as enemies get tougher. Your abilities in battles are largely determined by the materia and accessories you have equipped. The game does not disappoint in this department. There are tons of different materia to find in the game, as well as numerous accessories, each offering certain benefits and abilities to aid in Zack’s quest. Winning a battle usually attains you Gil (the game’s currency) as well as SP.

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    A battle in Crisis Core

    SP is used for another of the game’s controversial, yet bold and successful addition known as the DMW. The DMW serves numerous purposes. Firstly, it is important to explain that it is three wheels found in the upper left corner of the screen during fights. They are constantly spinning (provided you have SP of course) and stop after a certain time, landing on portraits of the various characters in the game. Obtaining a certain combination of numbers or faces eventually gives you a certain benefit for the fight, such as “No MP cost” or “Invincibility”. It is very similar to slot machines at a casino. The DMW also serves as the way to launch Limit Breaks and leveling Zack up. Yes, you read correctly. Zack can only level up by obtaining three of the same images (jackpot) with a triple 7 number on them. Crisis Core has no experience points and all leveling of material and Zack occurs by chance through the spinning of the DMW. At first, I was pretty disappointed to see this, yet after a while the system really wins you over. Leveling up happens more often than you would think with this system, yet it can be a little frustrating due to the fact that often you will go lengthy periods of time without gaining a level, and at other times level up numerous times within a short period. It all sounds pretty confusing but with time and patience it is easy to grasp and works really well with the fighting system the game offers.

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    This is an example of the DMW landing on a triple 7, which means a level up. It is also resulting in a summon sequence

    One of the exciting aspects of the DMW is the Limit Breaks and Summons. Limit Breaks are launched once a match of a specific character’s portrait lands on the DMW. This executes that character’s Limit Break. Zack eventually gains a number of these by meeting the various people that make up the Limit Break cast. A special attack sequence commences upon successful Limit Breaks. These are usually helpful but later on in the game you might find some to be pretty useless as Zack grows stronger and because you cannot choose which one to execute, it can be rather frustrating. Summons are another of the game’s strong points. These are also randomly executed by the DMW upon matching three portraits of a specific creature. Once summoned, a fantastic FMV sequence of the creature begins. These sequences are breathtaking and beautifully designed. Seeing the likes of Itrit and Bahamut in glorious FMV, launching their attacks is incredible. Although the sequence can be skipped with the X button, you will rarely find yourself doing so as they are just simply amazing to watch. These summons are not given to the player but can only be obtained by completing certain of the optional missions in the game. They are basically divided into the major summons (i.e. Ifrit etc) and into the harder to find special summons (such as Cactuar and Chocobo). None are a necessity but finding them is a fantastic reward and will boost your chances of winning the tougher battles significantly.

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    Bahamut in all its glory

    The graphics of Crisis Core are amazing. The visuals are stunning and Square have done a fantastic job in depicting the wonderful world of Gaia. This is probably the best I have seen on PSP and rivals the best the Playstation 2 has to offer. It’s a fantastic job for a portable game. Environments are lively and well designed. The maps are well crafted. FMV sequences are spectacular. Characters look lively and fit in perfectly with the overall atmosphere the game presents. The camera is another strong point. It follows Zack from behind and can easily be rotated left and right thanks to the L and R buttons. It is near perfect as the view gives you a clear perspective of what is happening around you, and allows for easy access to what is happening behind Zack.

    Sound in Crisis Core is equally impressive. Sound effects from the various monsters, attacks and summons are terrific. Crisis Core uses much of the familiar music from its predecessor. Hearing the same tunes will bring back fond memories and gives one the feeling that they have never really departed Gaia to begin with. Voice acting in this game is superb. You can feel the emotion and drama during character interactions, whether it is the mysterious soliloquies of Genesis, or the banter between Aerith and Zack, each conversation is well voiced.

    Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core offers fans and newcomers an exhilarating experience. Everything from the story to the graphics is crafted to perfection by the developers, every detail has been thoroughly examined. This is a truly memorable game and Square are back on form. Crisis Core is a must have game for all PSP owners, and in fact the reason to purchase a PSP. The original has definitely been done justice. This is truly an epic tale that will stay with you for years to come, and one that you will most likely want to experience again and again.

    Story: 10/10 Fantastic and exciting. It is everything an RPG should be.

    Gameplay: 10/10 The action and role-playing elements give Crisis Core a perfect score…and that rhymes too.

    Graphics: 10/10 The best graphics I have seen on PSP.

    Sound: 10/10 Great sound and fantastic voice work.

    Replayability: 10/10 There is a high probability you will come back and play through this game again. It is something you will want to experience numerous times. Add to that unlocking a New Game+ and a New Game++, as well as the inclusion of a Hard difficulty level, and you have yourself a keeper.


    Total: 50/50 Many gamers believe that there is no such thing as the perfect game. Well I disagree. Sure, every game has its slight (and sometimes pathetically obvious) faults, but one cannot judge too harshly. Gamers must focus on the experience itself and Crisis Core provides a ride worth remembering, and to me deserves its perfect score.
     
  2. asdzxc123789

    asdzxc123789 Well-Known Member

    I believe in a perfect game.

    MGS 4
    FF: CC
    GTA 4
     
  3. dmac154

    dmac154 Well-Known Member

    I like this one grimsim :) It was very coherent and easily gave the insight of a true reviewer. Hope to see more.
    Sims is one the way!
     
  4. anandjones

    anandjones Well-Known Member

    Fantastic review grimsim :)
     
  5. sexywogboy

    sexywogboy Well-Known Member

    Awesome review and awesome game. :)

    It's a real pitty that the PSP doesn't have more high quality RPG games like this, I'm forced to play PSX eboots instead.
     
  6. insanecrazy07

    insanecrazy07 Well-Known Member

    I feel you on that one. I've been playing FF8 for the longest time.

    Excellent review. The only thing I hated about this game was that I had major OCD to do ALL of the sidequests until it was almost impossible before I went on to the next story mission. The story is so good that I wanted to just skip all that and go directly to the story, but then I would miss out on all of the sidequest goodies. The maps were rather boring after going into the same cave or same field or same city each time. It would have been nice to have more varied terrain to span over the 300 missions. Also, trying to beat the doc's nasty behemoth on my first playthrough was disappointing to find out that it was near impossible to on your first playthrough at such an early stage. However, I crushed that bastard on the second playthrough, making sure I wouldn't forget to go to the lab to talk to Hojo. I find discovering new materia rather difficult and the guides to create the good materia is equally confusing, but I never actually used Hell Firaga or anything MP-draining.

    I liked the dynamic character development on Zack. His personality changes after the Angeal incident and he changes his haircut (even though I didn't even notice until one of the NPCs said something about it).

    This game is near perfect, but they could've added just a leeetle bit more of pizazz to level out the monotony in between story missions. I mean, damn, this game is already 1.6 GB, (which is larger than a gamecube disc at 1.3 GB), but that extra map, maybe a forest, a venture out into random villages like Kalm, etc. would've made this game absolutely perfect. I wish we had at least one support character (maybe that 3rd Class SOLDIER that you do missions for...oh wait, that would be a bad idea...) so that I wouldn't have to waste a slot for Curaga all of the time.

    EDIT: Is it me or can no one post already reviewed topics in the Review section?
     
  7. anandjones

    anandjones Well-Known Member

    Because of the Review Submissions.
     
  8. ADGS231

    ADGS231 Well-Known Member

    Amazin, i never see a game 50/50 wow, final fantasys one of the favorites games of my brother.
     
  9. grimsim1

    grimsim1 Well-Known Member

    Thanks guys :) enjoyed writing this.

    @insanecrazy07: I completely agree with everything you said, as you can tell by the review. I just felt it's a little harsh to fault them on that because they have already done so much to make this a kick ass game.
     
  10. ir4

    ir4 Well-Known Member

    Very good game nice everything except its a little repetitive I hate the ending because he dies "sniff" BTW nice review