Metareview -- Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (PSP)

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Mar 25th 2008 at 11:00PM }

Or Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, depending on who you ask. It seems the two sub-titles have every reason to dance around the colon, as reviews label Crisis Core as an excellent PSP adventure and better still, the one part of the Final Fantasy VII ~~whoring~~ compilation that everyone can agree to like. Aside from the initially confusing "Digital Mind Wave" system (a slot machine that randomly bestows bonuses in battle) and an infamous "stealth" section (which nearly every review moans about), Square Enix's portable prequel draws few major complaints and loads of nostalgia.

PSW Magazine UK (90/100): "Crisis Core is a fine PSP adaptation of FFVII's key qualities, taking inspiration from its dramatic cutscenes and magic (Materia still has a big role), but cutting away the fat (lengthy wandering, and an overlong centre) to present the critical core of FFVII's enduring spirit."
IGN (85/100): "I was sincerely moved by certain portions of the title and I suspect many others will feel the same. I wouldn't dream of spoiling anything for eager players, but I will say that Crisis Core's ending moments are a must see. I'd go so far as to call them brilliant."
GameTap (80/100): "If you shudder in horror when hearing the phrase "Nibelheim incident," then Crisis Core is a fantastic and emotional companion piece to FFVII. If you shrugged at that phrase, well, you'll probably just see Crisis Core as a well-made PSP action role-playing game."

Tags: Crisis-Core, Final-Fantasy, Square-Enix

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

jorojoserojas @ Mar 25th 2008 11:08PM

I will lose serious, SERIOUS gamer-cred for this...but I have never...NEVER!...played Final Fantasy VII. I've played others, most recently XII, but I missed out on FFVII when it came out, as I was a Nintendo 64 owner.

It sucks feeling like there's this amazing, MUST PLAY gaming experience out there that you, a self-professed gamer, have never tried.

Anyone else ever miss out on a game that's considered an absolute hallmark of gaming?

The Artist formally known as Jesus @ Mar 25th 2008 11:18PM

Yea I missed FFVII too. For the same reasons.

zelderman @ Mar 25th 2008 11:19PM

i have never played a single final fantasy game, evar. not a big fan of turn based combat and i didn't own a ps1 or a ps2. always been a zelda fan for life.

zelderman @ Mar 25th 2008 11:21PM

i do know the newer ones are real time combat, but they just don't spark my interest. i'm sure if i played them i'd like them.

Geist @ Mar 25th 2008 11:21PM

I didn't play it on the PS1, I played it on the PC.

Aero @ Mar 25th 2008 11:22PM

I'm sad to admit that I have never experienced The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

DangerMouse @ Mar 25th 2008 11:25PM

Never played it. I tried to get into RPG's once, but couldn't, as i really didn't find turn-based games to be entertaining.

jorojoserojas @ Mar 25th 2008 11:30PM

I really like the Final Fantasy games. I've been a big fan since the NES days! When it was announced for the PS1 instead of the Nintendo 64, I was kind of crushed.

@ Aero

That's actually my favorite game of all time (I'm such a rebel, I know). I wonder...if you were to play it today, would you see it the same way I would? Actually being able to compare it to modern games and see how it holds up?

Alistair loveless @ Mar 25th 2008 11:32PM

I feel EXACTLY that way about ET for the atari....

BEST GAME EVAR!!

tmacairjordan87 @ Mar 25th 2008 11:40PM

it's very hard to play that game now if you never did since it hasn't aged well. Doesn't stop me from playing it over and over (just did my 10th playthrough in almost as many years)

Big Ed @ Mar 25th 2008 11:57PM

I can relate. I played FF VII for the first time just a few months ago. I have to tell you, FF VII is not one of my favorite games of all time now.

I also played Zelda for the first time with The Ocarina of Time on the Virtual Console. Great game.

It's not too late to experience great games like FF VII.

WedgeTalon @ Mar 25th 2008 11:58PM

As a longtime FF fan, I think it is way overrated. It had a good story, but I think the three previous entries surpassed it it in both story and gameplay. They aged better as well.

Big Ed @ Mar 26th 2008 12:00AM

Edit: I mean FF VII is *NOW* one of my favorite games of all time now.

I kinda changed the whole meaning there.

Envoy @ Mar 26th 2008 12:39AM

Let us both hope that there is a FF7 remake. I too missed out on this game cause I was an N64 owner, not that I didn't enjoy the N64 but I do hate missing out on must play games.

n3rd @ Mar 26th 2008 1:08AM

horrible
did you know that there was a pc version..
i was a n64 sucker too, but i bought the pc version

Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Mar 26th 2008 9:15AM

I also got the PC version. The port was aweful, as the music was all Midi and depended on your soundcard for fidelity. If you didn't have the top of the line (at the time) top end AWE64, you couldn't load all the soundfonts. However, it was nice that you could run the game in HI RES 640x480!!!!! as opposed to the PS1's native 320x240.

As far as gaming hallmarks I missed out on: Still Metal Gear Solid.

Jack (SFC: 4983 4617 3409) @ Mar 26th 2008 11:30AM

Wow, thanks for the inspiration. I too have hidden gaming skeletons (or lack of?).

I have never play Mario 64. And when I did taste it I didn't like it. At all.

And I also never played FVII and I have a Playstation!

Gewurztraminer (needs more umlaut) @ Mar 26th 2008 12:15PM

When Square went to Sony with FFVII, so did I. In fact, I pretty much missed out on the whole N64 experience until 2000.

No Ocarina until the Wind Waker bonus disc.
No Mario 64 until the DS version.
No Mario Kart until... just kidding! I did have friends with N64s.

FFVII is up there on my list of all time favorite games, but I realize it was overrated and that it hasn't aged well. I would keep that in mind should you choose to try it. Of course, now I want to replay it for the dozenth or so time...

John McPoop @ Mar 25th 2008 11:21PM

FFVII was the first true RPG I ever played and introduced me to the genre... I love it and in fact I was looking into buying a copy but they are around $80.00 on e-bay.... However, I will purchase Crisis Core eventually, probably not on its release date but sometime in the future... It would not matter to me if the game got a 5/100 on metacritic I would still buy it and try it for myself... Anyone who has never played FF VII needs to somehow get a copy and play it... Maybe download it on an emulator or something if you cant spring the $80.00 on e-bay... I have heard crisis core is essentially a 1 button masher through the entire game but to me the game is more about the backstory than it is the gameplay... For me it will be like watching the Star Wars Prequels... There might be parts that suck but overall if it gives me a better understanding of the story I am all for it....

jorojoserojas @ Mar 25th 2008 11:34PM

I've considered that - springing for it on ebay, I mean. But then, when I get into looking for it, I start to think of dozens of games that I want even moreso than FFVII. So I end up buying nothing in the end, just because I can't decide.

BigE @ Mar 26th 2008 11:55AM

"FFVII was the first true RPG I ever played and introduced me to the genre... "

I think this is the reason so many people loved this one. It was the first FF to hit the Playstation. Frankly compared to a lot of the other FF, this one is meh...

ApolloIV @ Mar 25th 2008 11:24PM

I never got to play Superman 64

jorojoserojas @ Mar 25th 2008 11:26PM

The Man upstairs loves you.

The Artist formally known as Jesus @ Mar 25th 2008 11:38PM

I envy you

PhillyVu @ Mar 25th 2008 11:25PM

I've had a chance to play some of Crisis Core, and have to say that I am definitely going to buy and finish this one. I didn't finish X, X2, or XII, so this will be refreshing.

I like the new active battle system, it's still a bit turn based but is agile enough to make it selective. Cutscences are amazing, of course, but doesn't take to much into the game.

You don't have to be a fan of Final Fantasy to like this game, just a fan of RPGs or a well written story.

NukeAssault @ Mar 25th 2008 11:29PM

I got it earlier today. Only played for alittle bit. Cause knowing my self i would have finished it by tonight. And that wouldn't have been fun. From what i have played though its really fun. Kingdome Hearts esque combat is a plus for me. Voices are fine too. Fun stuff.

Taco_Hell @ Mar 25th 2008 11:29PM

Hmm, should I still rent the game even though, god I'm going to get killed for this, didn't like FF7? Don't get me wrong, I understand from a technical stand point why people love it, just that most characters and the plot aren't that good in my opinion.

Alistair loveless @ Mar 25th 2008 11:45PM

Purely from an esoteric viewpoint everything about the game was done pretty well i thought. Every character was introduced with a specific TRUTH about them. Then the Truth is dissolved by them accepting their reality, and then they discover each individuals truth.

The relationship of each character on the qabbalist Tree of Life? Notable also the materia colors in conjunction with the different spheres of the Sephiroth?

Midgar = Midgard in Norse Mythology
Nibelheim same.
Many many others.

Other than the lmitations of the harware at the time i thought it was a really well thought out little universe.

I know i have a Cloud Icon but its mostly because thats pretty much what i look like in person... But it was still a game definetly worth sitting down with.

In terms of strange esoteric undertones i feel the same exact way about most of the zelda series. Triforce = Tetragammamon anyone?

Taco_Hell @ Mar 26th 2008 12:16AM

That's the thing, no matter how well though out the universe is, if the characters personality doesn't draw me in, and if the plot doesn't intrigue me which are usually an RPGs main points, then it's no good to me. When you come down to it, the basic plot of 7 is an emo boy chasing another emo boy who has a mother and god complex. Yes, I do hate Cloud and Sephiroth; Tiffa and Aeris annoyed me to no end because they basically do anything they can to get the attention of Cloud who pretty much whines about everything. Yuffie was also annoying and Vincent was almost as bad as Cloud. The only characters I liked in that entire damn game were Barret, Cat Sith, and maybe Red 13. If at the end of the game, a nuke just killed everyone except for those 3, I would have though it was the best ending ever.

Reuben @ Mar 25th 2008 11:47PM

I've played and beaten almost every numbered Final Fantasy. Suffice it to say, I'm a huge fan. I do however feel that I missed out on Metal Gear Solid. I never got a chance to play the true original, and I never beat the remake for the Gamecube. My own fault.

Also,

NukeAssault smells like tuna.

jorojoserojas @ Mar 26th 2008 2:35AM

The remake was awesome. I'd recommend playing it through. I can't really talk though, since I haven't finished MGS3 yet. And MGS4 is right around the corner! Gotta get to work...

Alistair loveless @ Mar 25th 2008 11:52PM

i Will say one more thing.. i WIll be buying this.. However that being said i WILL be DL a copy to run off of custom firmware. I hate the idea of UMD and i swear its like Blu Rays Mentally challenged sibling.

Like all things if you REALLY appreciated it, support it.

Shane @ Mar 26th 2008 2:02AM

You can easily rip a copy off of your UMD using custom firmware. Just change the USB device from the XMB menu.

Night Elve @ Mar 26th 2008 12:37AM

Excellent!

I will buy this game for sure. I love Final Fantasy and mostly FF7 & FF8.

Maverick Saturn @ Mar 26th 2008 12:45AM

Another PSP title to blow fans away :)

My fingers are itching to get hold of this game.

Trunks @ Mar 26th 2008 1:01AM

The action rpg elements of this kinda turned me off at first, as I was really hoping for a simple, back to basics menu-based combat and that's all kinda rpg to enjoy at my liesure on busses and down-time, but it looks like I'm pleasantly surprised by what is a top-tier PSP title with plenty to enjoy.

The copious amounts of FMV cinematics and spot-on voice acting (which honestly could be debated) made me forget I was playing a game from time to time, but I forgive Square Enix, as it's made such a compelling story.

Also, extreme props must be given for crafting Zack to be such a fantastic, loveable character. I haven't been sucked in by such a character since Crono, my all time favorite mute.

Such classy moments, even in the beginning.
"Grumble grumble serious plot mission etc, go attack them, Zack. Serious serious serious."
"....KAY :D:D:D:D" *jump*
"GET SERIOUS." >:(

Good stuff.

bAssackwards @ Mar 26th 2008 1:27AM

I got it on delivery. Can't wait to play it! =oD

Pro-Truth League @ Mar 26th 2008 2:57AM

I, like a poster above, do not like FF7.
I feel that, first and foremost, it had a god awful translation.
Then, the characters are incredibly shallow, a problem with pretty much every Final Fantasy. (Only Final Fantasy X is any better.. but it's characters are still fairly god damned shallow)

The plot is full of holes, the events and everything about it seems as if it were written by a team of hundreds of people all with different ideas, it was put into a pile, shuffled about, stapled, and called the script for the game.

This is why I do not like FF7.

Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Mar 26th 2008 9:23AM

Play FF6 or FF4 for non-shallow characters. Both blow FF7 out of the water as far as plot and Character development go.

Pro-Truth League @ Mar 27th 2008 12:34AM

"Play FF6 or FF4 for non-shallow characters. Both blow FF7 out of the water as far as plot and Character development go."

Disagree. FF6 and FF4's characters are incredibly shallow, and their plots are fairly shallow also. I mean, yeah, they're better than FF7's. But that's like being knee deep versus being ankle deep.

FF6 suffered greatly by throwing what good it had going for it out the window in the second half in favor of the "fan" favorite: non-linearity.

Pro-Truth League @ Mar 26th 2008 2:57AM

Pro-Truth League @ Mar 26th 2008 2:58AM

Woops, double post

Henry @ Mar 26th 2008 3:17AM

@tacohell: I can't tell if you finished the game or not. Sounds a little strange that you would keep playing a game that you don't like though. :)

Andy Witmyer @ Mar 26th 2008 6:50AM

FF3 (SNES) was better. I've been patiently awaiting its sequel - gotta find out if Kefka's still dead, if Shadow's ever cleaned up his act, if Locke finally hooked up with Celes, if Edgar ever got laid, etc. etc.

Gewurztraminer (needs more umlaut) @ Mar 26th 2008 4:04PM

Do not mock the Figaro King, for he will wag his finger at you in dismay!

Phillip @ Mar 26th 2008 8:31AM

See there! In that picture! Tell McElroy that Cloud doesn't have black hair (http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/22/new-crisis-core-trailer-shows-off-summons-butt-rock/). ;-)

mocax @ Mar 26th 2008 9:49AM

I got pre-owned FF7, played about 1/2 hour, realized how I hated japanese RPGs, and banished it to the pile of games I'll never play again.

The other CD in the pile was Lunar.

Superstar90 @ Mar 26th 2008 11:08AM

The only JRPGs that I enjoyed were Eternal Sonata, Skies of Arcadia, Tales of Innocence and the Mana Series (even Children of Mana). I don't know, but I can enjoy a mix of Action, Turn-based, or Action/turn-based combat. But sometimes, even if the game as an exact same combat system as those 3, I will still hate it.
I guess it's just me, because I never enjoyed Earthbound, Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy or Crono Trigger.