Posted by Nicolas on
June 14, 2008
With the Final Fantasy games progressing through the years, and more additions to the series being made, most fans seemed to really pick one specific entry, as the best and most representative of the series. And this, of course, is none other than the VII saga. Some say it was the revolutionary first game of the series, some others say the story of the VIII is simply the best… some are even absorbed by the world and themes of VII. However, it is unarguably the most well received Final Fantasy game to date.
With the release of the original Final Fantasy VII in 1997, Square entered a new era of success. The phenomenal game obviously served as the basis of all the rest Final Fantasy games to come. Revolutionary 3D graphics, epic storyline, unforgettable music score and awesome gameplay synthesized the recipe of superbly positive reception by casual gamers and reviewers world wide. We can also say that the Final Fantasy series pioneered what we know today as “interactive movie” video games (along with the Metal Gear/Metal Gear Solid series), with deep storyline, including complex character development, storyline planning, catchy and memorable quotes e.t.c. However, as the legendary VII saga was praised as a definite favourite, VII was expanded as much as any Final Fantasy game ever did. Following the original game, three more games (”Before Crisis”, “Dirge of Cerberus” and “Dirge of Cerberus Lost Episode”), one movie (”Advent Children”) and one original video animation (”The Last Order”) were released, expanding the epic storyline even more and answering questions having to do with the story. However, one vital chapter was still missing…
Even though Cloud’s relationship with Zack was briefly presented in “The Last Order”, Zack still remained a quite mysterious character to all the fans. So guess what? Square releases one more chapter for the VII compilation, and this is none other than “Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII” exclusively for the PSP. Zack’s story is unfold, and he no longer remains a mysterious character. In fact, he is the character to become the most familiar with the gamer (in my point of view of course), as almost every single useful fact about him is revealed.
So let’s get into the actual review…
“Crisis Core” is one of the best, if not the best, game to ever be released for Sony’s handheld console, the PSP, since 2005 (2004 for the Japanese market). Of course, you might think this review is a bit biased, since I am quite a big fan of the series myself, but believe me: this review is not biased. Considering the very small amount of truly excellent games to be released on the PSP in the 3 (or 4 for the Japanese market) years of the system’s life, we can very hardly think of such a game. Just ask yourself: Which game is truly what a fan of any gaming series expected on the PSP? “Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops”? Well, since Metal Gear is my favourite gaming series along with Final Fantasy, I am not in going to be “picking” on “Portable Ops”. “Portable Ops” managed to revive the feeling of it’s series on Sony’s portable console (unlike what the “Ac!d” spin-offs did), but still, it was feeling a bit “out of place”. However it remains one of my favourites for the PSP. Square managed to “emulate” the spirit of their franchise (to a portable gaming platform) way better than Konami/Kojima Productions did (with all the respect, without suggesting “Portable Ops” is not a good game itself). Or we can just get the message from the fate many other PSP role-playing games had, like Untold Legends, Astonishia Story, Blade Dancer and many other.
Yet another desperate portable attempt? Think again…
“Crisis Core” succeeds in quite a similar way the original VII succeeded about a decade ago, although at a smaller scale of course. It manages to bring the “modern” Final Fantasy spirit into portable gaming. With the hardware capabilities of the PSP, this was possible. The release of the “Final Fantasy I” and “Final Fantasy II” (Aniversary Editions) for the PSP was not quite the thing fans were expecting for the series’ “portable” fate. Things were quite better with “Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions”, but still, the spirit, structure and presentation of a more recent Final Fantasy title were still missing. “Crisis Core” did exactly what the first VII did. It evolved the series on a portable gaming system, just like what the original VII did on the classic PlayStation in 1997.
Pre-rendered cut-scenes are absolutely stunning!
The first thing you will come across when launching the game into the main menu, is a very intense compilation of pre-rendered cut-scenes, which make you think that you have returned back to the “Advent Children” animation. The fact is: the game’s story is driven superbly by both pre-rendered and real-time cut-scenes, which are of course typical in a Final Fantasy game after VII. And of course, without a suitable soundtrack, things would just not feel right. Nobuo Uematsu’s classic hits from the original VII make a return along with some more great pieces composed by Tekeharu Ishimoto. And most of them, bring back memories… The Battle Theme, Aerith’s Theme, the Crisis Core theme (which is actually a recomposed piece form the first VII) revive the classic soul of the saga, keeping it a perfect combination between old, classic and and newer sounds.
Boss fights… Just like in any other Final Fantasy game
The actual game starts with one more pre-rendered cut-scene. In fact, you’ll hope those cut-scenes will never end (and you will later be disappointed to find out that they won’t appear so frequently). And after that, you come across another major element of the game: the DMW (which stands for “Digital Mind Wave”) battle system. While playing this game for the first time, I was prepared of the “uniqueness” of this battle system. It is basically a battle system combining some “Kingdom Hearts”-style interactivity and free roaming in a limited area, with the ability to dodge and move around the pre-determined battle area. And most obvious of all: the “slot-machine”, spinning continuously, as long as you have SP (Soldier Points) available. Get 2 identical characters, and you enter a “Modulation Phase”, where the game pauses, and the remaining slot spins on the screen. Get the same character as the other two and you’ll get a status (HP, MP, AP) power up, as well as a a traditional “limit-break” (which depends on the character that you “scored”, e.g. “scoring” Angeal will result is Zack doing a “Rush Attack” which attacks up to 3 enemies simultaneously, Aerith will result in a “Healing Wave” which will give Zack a massive boost for his HP, MP, AP and temporary invincibility e.t.c.). There are also numbers for 1 to 7 spinning. Get 777 in a “Modulation Phase”, and you’ll level up. Yes, you heard that right… leveling up depends on a slot-machine… It might sound random, but in fact it isn’t. The game seems to have an invisible experience counter. Avoiding and escaping fights will have an effect to the rate of gaining levels. Various number combinations exist, which can give grant you a wide range of temporary power-ups, like unlimited MP, unlimited AP, protection against certain effects of attacks or elements of magic, or even invincibility. Also, another pleasant addition, is the use of “classic” materia, which can be leveled up, or even combined (with “Materia Fusion” later in the game”) to form different, or enhanced materia.
The DMW is good, but not perfect…
However, even though the battle system fits the portable nature of the game very well, it has its flaws. Leveling up might seem easy in the beginning, but later, after beating the game in “Normal” difficulty in your first go and starting it over again in “Hard” while keeping the level and materia acquired, leveling up occurred only about 5 times (compared to about 35 in the first go). And “Modulation Phase” was also limited to a similar extent (which also meant: no limit breaks!). Even though the leveling up system isn’t 100% random, it is very unreliable. A visible experience counter would be much better, since you can also know how far you are from leveling-up again (which in my case, it really felt that I was just fighting enemies for nothing). The fact the limit-breaks are completely random is very annoying, since the can play a vital role in tough situations.
“Crisis Core” has the kind of story that will embed in your memory, for a very long time…
However, as the game progresses, you’ll find yourself sinking deeper and deeper into the actual story, which is of course, typical for a Final Fantasy game. And that is, as I said before, one of the game’s biggest strengths, since it’s really challenging to make such a game on a portable gaming platform. Crisis Core features a pleasing collection of characters, both old and new, everyone complex in his very own way. Who has been into the VII compilation and doesn’t remember Cloud, Aerith, Sephiroth or the Turks? New characters also play a vital role in the story as well, for example Angeal, Genesis (even though he appears annonymously at the secret ending of “Dirge of Cerberus”) and Dr. Hollander. The story is well written and many of the questions left by other VII games are answered.
Graphics are a work of art on the PSP!
If you want to take a break from the main flow of the game, you can try the side-missions that reward you with items and materia, which can be really good and difficult to find. However, if you really want to try those side-missions, be prepared, they are really boring and dull. Basically every side-mission consists of you moving in a free-roaming environment trying to find a certain, visible enemy, and then defeating him, which means that every side-mission is pretty much the same, and after playing them for a while, you’ll find you got dragged into a cloud of boredom. Its actually a pity, since some good side-mission would have been nice. However, the main game is quite long for a PSP game (about 16-20 hours to complete on the first go on “Normal”, without side-missions) and has plenty of replay value. It will atract you to go over it again several times.
On the technical side of the game, graphics are really great for a PSP game. Clear and well-rendered models, nicely textured enviroments and good use of colour and light, make “Crisis Core” a piece of jewellery for your PSP. Graphics also allow you to enjoy the story through real-time rendered cut-scenes, which are surely not the same like those pre-rendered ones, but still manage to get the job done well. Environments still keep the original character of the rest VII entries, most notably the urban area of Midgar, in which the VII fans will feel “at home”. The superb visual presentation of “Crisis Core” can be compared to a PS2 Final Fantasy game.
“Crisis Core” is a great attempt to implement a Final Fantasy game to a portable gaming platform. It might have it’s weaknesses, but the main strengths of the game manage to overcome the weak points, resulting in a truly worthy Final Fantasy game. PSP games rarely touch the point “Crisis Core” has set, and it’s sure the biggest PSP game of this year. A vital game for every VII fan’s collection. The game can also appeal to “outsiders” of the Final Fantasy series, but in order to gain the most out of the game, the basic knowledge of the VII compilation is need.
Gameplay: 9
Lifespan: 9
Graphics: 10
Sound: 10
Score: 95%
Pros:
*Intense, traditional story
*Battle system fits well to the PSP
*Graphics really good for a PSP game
*Awesome soundtrack
*Plenty of replay value
Cons:
*Battle and leveling system has flaws
*Side-missions are anything, but entertaining
