Its taken me a little while to play a respectable amount of Crisis Core and write this review, but I wanted to get a feel for the game as a whole before I did so. I'll break my review down into sections detailing each part of what makes this game a worthy prequel to Final Fantasy VII. I will also warn that the review may contain some slight spoilers, but I will try to keep them to a minimum, and there's nothing that will spoil any major plot points. I'll attempt to remain as unbiased as possible, but will still throw my opinions in at the very end.
Visual Presentation - 9/10
When Square-Enix makes an RPG, you're pretty sure to see some amazing graphics in the form of FMV sequences and images generated by the game engine itself. Crisis Core sure doesn't disappoint. From the game's opening FMV onward, its a feast for the eyes, especially in the dungeons and other locations that progress the main story. The character models are very well detailed and bring the characters to life. For example, there's one sequence, rendered with the game engine, that shows Aerith scolding Zack for stepping on her flowers. You really get the sense that she is annoyed by her facial expressions during that cut scene.
Although the visuals may be above par during the story segments, I feel they lack a little bit when it comes
to the mission maps and various free-roaming areas of the game. Early in the game you'll get to go out into Midgar and explore a couple zones right outside of Shinra Headquarters. The zones are rather bland and lifeless. From all appearances, Midgar is a dead city with not many inhabitants. You can't go inside houses and can only interact with the few NPCs that are stationed throughout the streets. I would have hoped for a more bustling, interactive city. Also, the limited number of mission maps make for a rather boring experience if you sit down and play a whole bunch of missions in one sitting, but its not bad if you scatter your mission romps in throughout the story segments. After all, there are 300 missions and only a handful of maps in which the missions are based.
Sound Quality - 8/10
Many of the most memorable moments from Final Fantasy VII were accompanied by very memorable music. That still holds true in Crisis Core. The mix of new tracks and original pieces (some of which have been remixed) adds flair and nostalgia to this new classic. The first time you hear Sephiroth or Aerith's theme will make chills run down your spine.
The music is one thing...the sound effects and voices are quite another. While I definitely think the voice work is very good (and, thank goodness, Aerith actually sounds like she has a personality), the sound effects are sometimes used to an extreme. The "Activating Battle Mode" and "Conflict Resolved" after every...single...fight...gets extremely annoying. This is especially true during some missions where the "random" encounters are quite frequent. That computerized voice and the graphic overlay on the screen actually detracts from the immersion (but not as much as the DMW, which I'll get into later).
Game Play & Battle System - 8/10
The overall smoothness of the game play is very well done. The cut scenes are intermixed with battles, and it all comes together very nicely. I really enjoy the idea of the 300 (or more) missions as the main "side quest" of the game. The missions are bite sized and perfect for portable gaming. While some missions get a bit more lengthy as you go along, for the most part, you can do a mission in 5-10 minutes. So, if you only have a limited time to play, you can get a quick mission or two in and feel like you have accomplished something.
This holds true for the rest of the game, as well, for the most part. The save points are generously placed in just about every nook and cranny of the game's story maps, however the cut scenes can drag out sometimes, and there's no skip feature, so if you have time constraints, perhaps sticking to mission completion would be the best course of action (although you can pause during the cut scenes, then just put your PSP into sleep mode and pick up where you left off when you have time).
The battle system felt a lot like I was playing Kingdom Hearts. The battles are usually quick and straight-forward. Sometimes its tricky to get behind the enemies for the critical hits. Zack will target the enemy nearest to him in the direction he's facing. The targeting system could be a bit bitter, sometimes its hard to focus on one enemy as the target skips around as they move into and out of Zack's line of vision. Magic spells are fun to use and provide an extra punch when you know the elemental weakness of a foe (most of which are obvious).
What I have the most problem with as far as the battle system goes, is the Digital Mind Wave (DMW) that constantly runs, similar to a slot machine, in the upper left corner of the battle screen. I guess I should specify, the DMW itself is interesting and sometimes fun, but when the left and right character portraits match up, you enter "Modulating Phase", and at this point, your battle is interrupted, the DMW graphics fill the whole screen, and you patiently wait to see if you get to fire off a limit break, level up your materia or get a level up yourself. To me, this destroys the immersion of the game and sometimes completely throws you off, especially in heated battles. While its not that big of deal if you do get a limit break (because you become immune to all attacks during the few seconds it takes the limit break to charge up), it can be very frustrating and downright annoying at other times.
With that said, the limit breaks are fun to fire off and full of eye candy. Its also always a rush when the DMW lands on 7-7-7 and you level up (yes, its random, but happens more often than you would think). Also, occasionally, if you have the summon DMW images unlocked, it'll go into a special mode and flip through those images instead of the normal character images. If it happens to line up three in a row here, you'll be treated to a nice (and, surprisingly, skippable) summon limit break FMV, such as Ifrit's Hellfire or Bahamut's Mega Flare. These all do massive damage to multiple enemies on the screen, so its definitely a plus when this happens.
Overall the DMW is a decent system to regulate attacks and character progression, but there's something odd about the randomness of it all. I think I would have preferred a more traditional character progression system. Still, its new and interesting, and it gets the job done.
Overall Content - 7/10
I realize this isn't a true, numbered Final Fantasy game. Perhaps I'd compare it more to Final Fantasy X-2 than anything else. Its a "sequel" to the original Final Fantasy VII game. I think Square-Enix did very well in tailoring the content toward the portability of the platform it was released on. That being said, it lacks a lot of side-quest content and extra flair that I would expect from a Final Fantasy title. It seems like the 300 missions are the only extra content outside of the main story. Granted, 300 missions is a lot, but its the only "side quest" you have. Sure, you have your little mini-games during certain parts of the story, but there's not really a robust side-quest lineup.
Now, I read somewhere that the developers were originally going to do a lot more with the game, but size limitations of the UMD prevented some things from being added. This is understandable. Still, I would have liked to see more than just the missions. While the missions are fun and provide quick play sessions and access to some of the best items in the game, they do suffer from being too monotonous after a while.
Conclusion (read: biased opinion)
Crisis Core is an excellent addition to the Final Fantasy VII universe, especially considering the other lackluster attempts to take us back to that world. It isn't perfect - the world could have been made to feel more alive, more immersive, and there could have been more content added past the missions and main story. H
owever, that doesn't stop the game from being a fanboy's wet dream and a very portable, fun, solo game to pass the time with at home or on the road.
Another thing I might add is the fact that I'm glad there were no wireless features added to Crisis Core. While these may be popular in Japan, they tend to go largely unused in Western markets because of cultural differences and much smaller density of PSPs to people. Making content available only to those who can play wirelessly would have been a large let-down, much as it was with the PSP version of Tactics.
I'm enjoying Crisis Core very much. Its finally given my PSP life again and looks very well polished on that small screen. Now, if only they would remake Final Fantasy VII for the PSP using the Crisis Core engine. Sorry, had to throw that out there.
I am a FFVII fan, but I prefer other Final Fantasy games more. I'm not what you would consider a hardcore fanboy, nor do I want to be. However, I do appreciate all the Final Fantasy games (in fact, most Square-Enix RPGs in general) and this is no exception. While FFVII isn't what kick-started me into my love of RPGs, as was the case with many people, it was a very immersive, fun experience at the time, and definitely one of the most emotional and groundbreaking games of its generation. Delving more into that fantastical world and its rich, deep characters with Crisis Core is very welcome indeed.
Visual Presentation - 9/10
When Square-Enix makes an RPG, you're pretty sure to see some amazing graphics in the form of FMV sequences and images generated by the game engine itself. Crisis Core sure doesn't disappoint. From the game's opening FMV onward, its a feast for the eyes, especially in the dungeons and other locations that progress the main story. The character models are very well detailed and bring the characters to life. For example, there's one sequence, rendered with the game engine, that shows Aerith scolding Zack for stepping on her flowers. You really get the sense that she is annoyed by her facial expressions during that cut scene.
Although the visuals may be above par during the story segments, I feel they lack a little bit when it comes
to the mission maps and various free-roaming areas of the game. Early in the game you'll get to go out into Midgar and explore a couple zones right outside of Shinra Headquarters. The zones are rather bland and lifeless. From all appearances, Midgar is a dead city with not many inhabitants. You can't go inside houses and can only interact with the few NPCs that are stationed throughout the streets. I would have hoped for a more bustling, interactive city. Also, the limited number of mission maps make for a rather boring experience if you sit down and play a whole bunch of missions in one sitting, but its not bad if you scatter your mission romps in throughout the story segments. After all, there are 300 missions and only a handful of maps in which the missions are based.Sound Quality - 8/10
Many of the most memorable moments from Final Fantasy VII were accompanied by very memorable music. That still holds true in Crisis Core. The mix of new tracks and original pieces (some of which have been remixed) adds flair and nostalgia to this new classic. The first time you hear Sephiroth or Aerith's theme will make chills run down your spine.
The music is one thing...the sound effects and voices are quite another. While I definitely think the voice work is very good (and, thank goodness, Aerith actually sounds like she has a personality), the sound effects are sometimes used to an extreme. The "Activating Battle Mode" and "Conflict Resolved" after every...single...fight...gets extremely annoying. This is especially true during some missions where the "random" encounters are quite frequent. That computerized voice and the graphic overlay on the screen actually detracts from the immersion (but not as much as the DMW, which I'll get into later).
Game Play & Battle System - 8/10
The overall smoothness of the game play is very well done. The cut scenes are intermixed with battles, and it all comes together very nicely. I really enjoy the idea of the 300 (or more) missions as the main "side quest" of the game. The missions are bite sized and perfect for portable gaming. While some missions get a bit more lengthy as you go along, for the most part, you can do a mission in 5-10 minutes. So, if you only have a limited time to play, you can get a quick mission or two in and feel like you have accomplished something.
This holds true for the rest of the game, as well, for the most part. The save points are generously placed in just about every nook and cranny of the game's story maps, however the cut scenes can drag out sometimes, and there's no skip feature, so if you have time constraints, perhaps sticking to mission completion would be the best course of action (although you can pause during the cut scenes, then just put your PSP into sleep mode and pick up where you left off when you have time).
The battle system felt a lot like I was playing Kingdom Hearts. The battles are usually quick and straight-forward. Sometimes its tricky to get behind the enemies for the critical hits. Zack will target the enemy nearest to him in the direction he's facing. The targeting system could be a bit bitter, sometimes its hard to focus on one enemy as the target skips around as they move into and out of Zack's line of vision. Magic spells are fun to use and provide an extra punch when you know the elemental weakness of a foe (most of which are obvious).
What I have the most problem with as far as the battle system goes, is the Digital Mind Wave (DMW) that constantly runs, similar to a slot machine, in the upper left corner of the battle screen. I guess I should specify, the DMW itself is interesting and sometimes fun, but when the left and right character portraits match up, you enter "Modulating Phase", and at this point, your battle is interrupted, the DMW graphics fill the whole screen, and you patiently wait to see if you get to fire off a limit break, level up your materia or get a level up yourself. To me, this destroys the immersion of the game and sometimes completely throws you off, especially in heated battles. While its not that big of deal if you do get a limit break (because you become immune to all attacks during the few seconds it takes the limit break to charge up), it can be very frustrating and downright annoying at other times.
With that said, the limit breaks are fun to fire off and full of eye candy. Its also always a rush when the DMW lands on 7-7-7 and you level up (yes, its random, but happens more often than you would think). Also, occasionally, if you have the summon DMW images unlocked, it'll go into a special mode and flip through those images instead of the normal character images. If it happens to line up three in a row here, you'll be treated to a nice (and, surprisingly, skippable) summon limit break FMV, such as Ifrit's Hellfire or Bahamut's Mega Flare. These all do massive damage to multiple enemies on the screen, so its definitely a plus when this happens.
Overall the DMW is a decent system to regulate attacks and character progression, but there's something odd about the randomness of it all. I think I would have preferred a more traditional character progression system. Still, its new and interesting, and it gets the job done.
Overall Content - 7/10
I realize this isn't a true, numbered Final Fantasy game. Perhaps I'd compare it more to Final Fantasy X-2 than anything else. Its a "sequel" to the original Final Fantasy VII game. I think Square-Enix did very well in tailoring the content toward the portability of the platform it was released on. That being said, it lacks a lot of side-quest content and extra flair that I would expect from a Final Fantasy title. It seems like the 300 missions are the only extra content outside of the main story. Granted, 300 missions is a lot, but its the only "side quest" you have. Sure, you have your little mini-games during certain parts of the story, but there's not really a robust side-quest lineup.
Now, I read somewhere that the developers were originally going to do a lot more with the game, but size limitations of the UMD prevented some things from being added. This is understandable. Still, I would have liked to see more than just the missions. While the missions are fun and provide quick play sessions and access to some of the best items in the game, they do suffer from being too monotonous after a while.
Conclusion (read: biased opinion)
Crisis Core is an excellent addition to the Final Fantasy VII universe, especially considering the other lackluster attempts to take us back to that world. It isn't perfect - the world could have been made to feel more alive, more immersive, and there could have been more content added past the missions and main story. H
owever, that doesn't stop the game from being a fanboy's wet dream and a very portable, fun, solo game to pass the time with at home or on the road.Another thing I might add is the fact that I'm glad there were no wireless features added to Crisis Core. While these may be popular in Japan, they tend to go largely unused in Western markets because of cultural differences and much smaller density of PSPs to people. Making content available only to those who can play wirelessly would have been a large let-down, much as it was with the PSP version of Tactics.
I'm enjoying Crisis Core very much. Its finally given my PSP life again and looks very well polished on that small screen. Now, if only they would remake Final Fantasy VII for the PSP using the Crisis Core engine. Sorry, had to throw that out there.
I am a FFVII fan, but I prefer other Final Fantasy games more. I'm not what you would consider a hardcore fanboy, nor do I want to be. However, I do appreciate all the Final Fantasy games (in fact, most Square-Enix RPGs in general) and this is no exception. While FFVII isn't what kick-started me into my love of RPGs, as was the case with many people, it was a very immersive, fun experience at the time, and definitely one of the most emotional and groundbreaking games of its generation. Delving more into that fantastical world and its rich, deep characters with Crisis Core is very welcome indeed.
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