Difficulty:

Easy

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Highly addictive"

Lets face it. Final Fantasy VII has been beaten into the dust time and time again with poorly made spin offs, each which is a slap in the face to fans who cry to Square for one simple thing... a graphics overhaul right onto the original game. As the first 6 games have all received graphics enhancements and updates to modern systems... they wish FFVII would too. Final Fantasy VII released on PSP would delight many a fan.

This game, Crisis Core, is a Final Fantasy VII experience fans have been waiting to play for years. It does the original Final Fantasy VII great justice.

Even though the game has a completely different battle system, a different way of telling the story, and a different way to level your character, it still captures the essence of Final Fantasy VII.

It is a wonder to behold the old two dimensional areas fleshed out in the third dimension. Some of the areas look quite beautiful and most of them capture the look and feel of the original perfectly. It is as if they just rotated the camera and 'viola', you can see it in full 3D.

The story is excellent. It is not so much about saving the world as it is Zack's personal quest to become First Class Soldier. The cutscenes are beautifully rendered and acted, from the CGI scenes to those using the in game sprites. There are moments when you can really feel yourself connecting to Zack's character... he really is a lovable guy. Though overused in the JRPG world, Zack's own personal journey from crazy rambunctious and overzelous kid to a solemn and contemplative hero is very well done. There's a good deal of fanservice in Crisis Core, though none of it really feels all that out of place... it brings a smile to my face to watch the antics of a young Yuffie already obsessed with treasure.

Gameplay is relatively entertaining. Combat is simple, yet fun. The problem is that it is relatively easy. Experienced gamers might want to start out on Hard instead of Normal.

There are absolutely no random battles, contrary to what I read in Gamespot's review, in fact, the battles are all static and placed in given areas on the map that are well suited to combat... usually the more expansive areas if they are going to throw multiple enemies at you at once... sometimes narrow corridors where you might fight one enemy, or perhaps be surrounded by two.

Occasionally I found myself frustrated at running into the barrier set up around the battlefield, but these occasions were few and far between.

Contrary to what I originally surmised, much of the combat can be eased through by systematically tapping the X button. However, Boss Battles and fights later in the game are not so easy, and just tapping X after every attack will be a sure way to get yourself killed quickly.

As I stated previously, the game is relatively easy - due to the extreme ease of shopping ( you can shop with your cell ), the ability to completely over-level, and the wimpy enemies early on - you won't find yourself dying too often. especially when you use a pheonix down, which basically acts as a reraise buff that doesn't wear off until it is used.

The materia system is kinda fun, though extremely simplistic. You can upgrade your materia and increase its parameters by combining two materia and or an item. This can be done anywhere, you actually don't have to go to the Materia room in Shinra HQ to do it.

This game's mission system is perfect for a handheld gaming system. You can access missions from any save point in the game. Each mission is rated on its difficulty level, from Easy to Very Hard. Every mission ends with you receiving an item, from potions to Summon Materia and everything in between. The missions don't take very long to complete, the first mission you receive only takes about thirty seconds. I don't believe I was given any mission that took more than five minutes to complete.

Overall, the game is amazing. It's not the remake Final Fantasy VII fans have been waiting so desperately for, but it has the spirit.

I will have to giveCrisis Core a...

9.0