Review: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII

After one lazy afternoons mistake where the suits at Sqaure Enix decided to outsource the "Compilation of Final Fantasy VII" to their housekeepers wives, gamers soon found themselves wasting their money on the likes of the incredibly dire "Dirge of Cerberus" on PS2 and the ill-fated "Before Crisis" on mobile phones. There was some relief with Advent Children - although a bit of shiny floor wax wasn't enough to cover a poor script and an even weaker plot - and the anime "Last Order" wasn't even given an English release.

So the omens were poor, to say the least, for the latest installment in the series, An action RPG on the Playstation Portable. Crisis Core sees the player take control of Zack Fair; SOLDIER 2nd class and a key, if brief, player in the plot of Final Fantasy VII. Zack is desperate to become first class, and to do that he must impress his friend and mentor Angeal on a number of assignments. Predictably enough not everything goes according to plan, and Zack soon finds himself rooting out the mysteries behind a mass desertion of his unit. So does Crisis Core redeem the mistakes of the past? Or is it just another failed experiment?

Fortunately, Sqaure Enix have taken Crisis Core back into competent hands, and the results shine through. The plot is well written, and although some players will be surprised at the direction it takes, it leads more than satisfyingly into the start of FFVII. Fully voiced cut-scenes are well placed, so they arn't every five minutes but at the same time players don't have to wait too long to advance the story - which is perfect for portable play.The gameplay takes an interesting direction as well, abandoning the turn based combat of the original game as well as, mercifully, the shoot-em-up style disaster that was Dirge of Cerberus. Instead, combat works as a cross between Final Fantasy VII and Square's other big name franchise: Kingdom hearts. Attacks are selected in real time from the bottom of the screen, using the "X" button to select and the shoulder buttons to cycle through the various available abilities, which are determined by equipping the appropriate "materia" (stones containing magical power). Also available with the square and triangle buttons respectively are the dodge and guard commands, which will become an invaluable part of any successful battle.

The most intriguing and, at first, confusing part of the battle system is the DMW, or "Digital Mind Wave", a slot machine like system that constantly spins in the top left of the screen. The slots spin three reels of character portraits and numbers. Matching any three character portraits grants a power boost, whilst matching triple 7s will gain Zack a level. Other combinations will level up materia or grant Zack temporary abilities such as invincibility. Whilst for the first hour or so of the game it's the most confusing system this side of the stock market, players quickly see learn that it isn't entirely random and it isn't long before it becomes intuitive, and it is sometimes not hard to predict when a level up is coming around.

Outside of battle Zack can equip accessories and materia to give him new abilities and raise his attributes, but materia can also be fused together in a myriad of different combinations. Whilst in "normal" mode this function isn't vital, for players who challenge themselves on the games "hard" mode understanding this system well will become key to success.Exploration is dumbed down in Crisis Core, instead making way for a "Mission" system which allows Zack to perform various side quests from any save point. These generally involve warping to a location, fighting a few enemies and defeating a boss. Whilst by no means over complex (indeed it is near impossible to get lost in these repetitive sections), they provide an excellent way to level up whilst finding useful new items and materia. The fact that only a select few exceed ten minutes in length also makes these missions perfect for portable play, and in small doses few players will become too bored of them.

On the presentation side of things Crisis Core sets a bar for the PSP so high even a David Beckham penalty couldn't reach it. Gorgeous CGI sequences that would not be out of place in Advent Children grace the screen every so often, and are even intergrated into gameplay with each summon monster activating a skippable sequence when called upon. The lip syncing has been completely made over for the English release and is near flawless, which is highly preferable to the script alterations seen in earlier reases to match the Japanese animation. Real-time renderings are top-notch as well, with character models as detailed as those seen in the PS2 iterations of Kingdom Hearts and animations to match. The environments can be a bit of a let down, Midgar in particular will come across bland and lifeless, although fans of the series will undoubtedly get a twinge of nostalgia as they see the lobby of the Shin-ra building in all its glory.

The soundtrack is generally impressive, with arrangements of FFVII themes fitting nicely beside original Crisis Core pieces, although the combat music will become a little irritating after sustained periods of play. Voice acting where applicable is top of the line, Andrea Bowen is the third actress to attempt to voice Aerith Gainsborough, following Mandy Moore and Mena Suvari, and finally Sqaure Enix have found the woman to pull it off. Also deserving of a special mention are Rick Gomez and Carrie Savage, who voice Zack and new "Turk" member Cissnei, respectively.

On the whole, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is an incredible outing that will grip the player from start to finish, and with a good 20 hours of gameplay, even without alot of the side missions, players certainly get good value for money. Bland environments and repetition can be a drawback at times, but these minor flaws shouldn't deter anyone from experiencing this game. Crisis Core is due for a European release sometime in June, and for fans of Final Fantasy VII this is a must buy, though heartily recommended for all.

Overall: 8.5/10