Complete the FINAL FANTASY VII experience and reunite with the most recognized RPG characters created by world-renowned character designer Tetsuya Nomura with Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII!

Final Fantasy is one of the most respected names in the gaming industry, and the most cherished child of that legacy is Final Fantasy VII. Not only did it prove that RPG’s were capable of being played on consoles, it was one of the best RPG’s of all time. For its tenth anniversary, Square Enix went all out to prove that just as serious, large RPG’s can be played on home consoles, so to can they be properly enjoyed on portable ones.

It’s impossible to argue that Final Fantasy VII is one of gaming’s most recognized and beloved franchises. What was originally designed to be yet another turn-based RPG in the Square Enix line of FF titles quickly took on a life of its own. Through thoughtful and heart-wrenching storytelling, as well as gausplay as deep and rewarding as any RPG before or since, FF VII was able to capture the hearts and minds of gausrs over several generations. Since the introduction of the franchise a decade ago, it has seen a movie (”Advent Children”), a spin-off gaus (the severely underwhelming Dirge of Cerberus).
Now, Square Enix is taking us back to where it all began with Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, and this is a journey that all fans need to take.

It’s true. Square Enix has produced many RPG’s on portable consoles, though most of them fall along the lines of Pokemon-styled gameplay, with 2-dimensional maps, poor graphics and the hope of creating that true RPG feel. More often then not they’ve succeeded, but for some these games are simply not enough. They are like board games in comparison to their console brethren, and while board games can be fun, it is not the same experience.

With that aim, we’re glad to say that Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII succeeds tremendously. Using the story of what happens before FF7, we play as Zack Fair, a SOLDIER operative working for the Shinra Corporation. Beginning as a 2nd class officer, Zack is trained by Angeal, a 1st class SOLDIER and best friends with returning villains Genesis and Sephiroth. Of course, they don’t begin that way, and through the course of the plot we discover their reasons for turning face.

In typical Final Fantasy fare, the story unfolds properly many a time over the course of the 20+ hours of gameplay. For those familiar with FF7’s story, Crisis Core will undoubtedly be a return to that great decade-old phenomena. That does not mean that anyone who hasn’t had the pleasure to play FF7 will miss out, because Crisis Core stands on it’s own remarkably well. So well, that only at rare moments will scenes genuinely not make sense, and even then they are all explained in due time.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII holds a special place in our heart because it was the RPG that got us hooked on the genre as a whole.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is available now for US $ 19.95.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 9th, 2009 at 8:53 am and is filed under Video games, PSP, Final Fantasy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.