PSP: Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII

Any takers?

It's on my pile, but I still have a ton of other games to get through. Kratos might get shoved aside for this one, though.

87% on Metacritic.

EDIT:

Now 85% on metacritic, thanks to good old G4's scathing review.

It makes me yearn for a PSP, but I will not budge because I cannot afford it and couldn't budge if I wanted to.

I'll play it. Then, I think I'll replay through FFVII. Because, I really do not remember much of the game. I haven't played it in 10 years.

I played for about 25 minutes last night.

1) cinematics are "Advent Children" quality

2) in-game graphics aren't too shabby either

3) I didn't read the manual, and have little to no idea what I was doing in the first battles

4) There's some weird "slot machine" in the corner of the screen and I have no idea what it's for

5) combat is NOT turn based

SommerMatt wrote:

5) combat is NOT turn based

Good, one less game I need to buy.

Wait, I thought this didn't come out until April? Damn, I need to get it together. Maybe I'll check it out sometime this weekend or something.

Elliottx wrote:
SommerMatt wrote:

5) combat is NOT turn based

Good, one less game I need to buy.

No kidding. But I'm still drawn to at least try it for some reason. Is this basically FF7 redux? Or is it new content/story?

Wow. I'm actually surprised with those scores. But, do I really need to see what happens to Zack... for the third time? FFVII and Last Order were enough for me.

Fyedaddy wrote:
Elliottx wrote:
SommerMatt wrote:

5) combat is NOT turn based

Good, one less game I need to buy.

No kidding. But I'm still drawn to at least try it for some reason. Is this basically FF7 redux? Or is it new content/story?

Well, I played the original game back in '97, or whenever it came out, and I'm not a huge fanboy for the series, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

So far, it's based in the same world, with mostly all "new" characters... Same organization that Cloud belonged to... your main character is "Zach," a newbie in the organization who's just being sent out on his first mission when the game starts. So far, Sephiroth has shown up as a villain in the training mission, but I don't recognize anyone else from FFVII.

As for the combat... yeah, have to say I'm not loving it so far. You use X to attack, Triangle to block, and Square to evade. L & R change what the X button does... you can choose between items and materia. The game auto-aims your attacks depending on who's in front of you... not sure if you can control that, though, since (as I said) I didn't read the manual. Seems like the game is going to use the organization's HQ as a hub for various missions, and (maybe) as a nod to the cell phone games, your phone is your main method of communications (with email, help, info, etc.).

SommerMatt,

Do I need to remember much of FFVII to enjoy it? I really do not remember much about that game...bits and pieces but like you, I haven't played it in 10 years.

Ulairi wrote:

SommerMatt,

Do I need to remember much of FFVII to enjoy it? I really do not remember much about that game...bits and pieces but like you, I haven't played it in 10 years.

well, I've only played for about 25 minutes... so I can't say. I don't think you need to have played it, though, since most of these characters are "new." I'm sure it will interweave more with the original story at some point, but not sure how much.

a few quotes from various reviews:

For those of you that haven't been madly anticipating the title, Crisis Core revolves around the tale of Zack, a character only mentioned thru back-story in Final Fantasy VII. Friend of Cloud, fellow Soldier member, and love interest for Aerith, Crisis Core focuses strictly on Zack. There is no stone left uncovered when it comes to his history with Shinra, Sephiroth, and others.

Fans will be happy to see plenty of cameo appearances by other recognizable faces, but Square Enix does a great job of reigning themselves in, and they manage to not contradict the events in later titles, as any good prequel should. Instead they manage to fill in the small holes from what little we already know about Zack, and expand upon that story without being overly heavy handed in both dialogue and plot, a problem that many had with the CGI film Advent Children.

Crisis Core is more than a nostalgia trip for FFVII fans - it's a fresh and exciting game in its own right, and arguably the single most impressive application of the PSP's power.
Overall: 9.0
Even without the Final Fantasy VII moniker, Crisis Core would still be a great action-RPG game on the PSP.
Perhaps more surprising (and admittedly for me, more enjoyable) is the fact that Crisis Core is far more subdued and plays out on a smaller scale than its predecessor. Unlike the grand majority of modern RPGs out there, Crisis Core isn't about saving the world or stopping the cataclysmic destruction of the universe. Rather, Crisis Core focuses quite intimately on Zack and his interactions with three principle characters: Angeal, Genesis and Sephiroth. While other characters come into play, including a few familiar faces, this small collection of SOLDIER operatives hold the majority of the spotlight.

Giving this thread a bumpy bump bump.

I'd have to try a demo for this one. I loved FFVII, and replayed it as recently as last year. It may be full and angst and bad translation, but damn if it isn't fun

However, thus far every other FFVII related anything I've seen was not for me. I have trouble really caring about the characters, and too much of it just feels like bad fan fiction.

I gotta get back into the game. After my initial play session, I haven't gone back... too sidetracked by books and other stuff.

I wish they'd just do a straight-up remake of FFVII already, the game is utterly fantastic but hampered by a very, very poorly aged graphics engine. I still enjoy it, but it hasn't aged nearly as well as the SNES FF titles' presentations (primarily since they had nice pixel art, but FFVII initially got by on the newness of polygonal presentation).

The jump in presentation from FFVII to FFVIII was incredible.

I'm curious about Crisis Core mostly about the story. So far, what I've read about the combat engine is pretty "meh" to me.

What is SP used for?

Vrikk wrote:

What is SP used for?

SP is used to power your DMW meter, it uses a certain amount of SP every time it spins. You also need SP to perform materia fusions.

I'd love to play it, but I know the story.

*SPOILERS*

[color=white]Zack is in SOLDIER, a spec-ops group of Shinra soldiers infused with MAKO. He's the boyfriend of Arieth. He goes to Nibleheim with Sephiroth, the veteran and posterboy of SOLDIER along with some Shinra redshirts. He has conversations with both Sephiroth and Cloud, who is a redshirt. Cloud reveals that he's from this town but hides behind his mask because he a dropout of SOLDIER and is embaressed. In town, their guide to the reactor is Tifa, Cloud's childhood friend.

On the way, a bridge collapses, and they lose some redshirts, but make it to the reactor. Sephiroth fixes it, but freaks when he sees Hojo's experiments with MAKO and humans. He holes up in the Shinra mansion for a week, researching what Hojo has done. Zach checks on him to find he's gone quite insane after reading that he's the product Hojo's Jenova experiments. After burning the town to the ground (and one kickass cut-scene shot), he heads to the reactor. Zach, Tifa, and (disguised) Cloud head there as well. Tifa confronts him and is critically injured. Cloud helps her, Zack confronts Sephiroth, but gets knocked the f*ck out. Tifa's martial arts master shows up and takes her to get medical attention (you read that sentence correctly).

Cloud confronts Sephiroth on a bridge in the MAKO factory and gets run through, but lifts Sephiroth up (with the sword in his gullet) and throws him down the shaft a la the Emperor. Shinra soldiers with Hojo show up and take all the survivors they can find, namely Cloud and Zack, as Tifa is safely hidden. Hojo experiments on them in the mansion for a long time, but eventually Zack regains strength enough to escape with Cloud in tow. They hitch a ride to Midgar, but have to walk a certain distance. They get to a cliff overlooking Midgar where Shinra soldiers finally catch up to them with orders to kill. Zack defends Cloud but is mercilessly killed. Taking Cloud for dead, they leave both the bodies there.

Cloud manages to crawl to Midgar, where Tifa finds him and nurses him back to health, never questioning his view of events, having her PST issues with Sephiroth destruction of Nibleheim and her own wound. She convinces Cloud to join AVALANCHE in a raid against a MAKO reactor, and our story begins.[/color]

Thats about all I can remember. Then again, I do have 2 perfect games still on my memory card.

Grenn wrote:

I'd love to play it, but I know the story.

Actually, it goes a bit further back than that. It also delves a bit into some of the stuff that is concluded in Dirge of Cerberus.

If SP is used for the DMW then why does my SP never go down, and why does it seem like it doesn't matter how much I have? It's not like I get a better chance to level up.

Mystic Violet wrote:

Wow. I'm actually surprised with those scores. But, do I really need to see what happens to Zack... for the third time? FFVII and Last Order were enough for me.

But... but.... It's Final Fantasy VII!

Vrikk wrote:

If SP is used for the DMW then why does my SP never go down, and why does it seem like it doesn't matter how much I have? It's not like I get a better chance to level up.

Well, it only uses like 9 SP per spin so if you have 100,000 SP you wont notice it that much.
Some of the later fusions take up to 30,000 SP so it does add up after a while.

dhelor wrote:
Grenn wrote:

I'd love to play it, but I know the story.

Actually, it goes a bit further back than that. It also delves a bit into some of the stuff that is concluded in Dirge of Cerberus.

Damn you, I might just get the psp now.

vanityfair wrote:
Vrikk wrote:

If SP is used for the DMW then why does my SP never go down, and why does it seem like it doesn't matter how much I have? It's not like I get a better chance to level up.

Well, it only uses like 9 SP per spin so if you have 100,000 SP you wont notice it that much.
Some of the later fusions take up to 30,000 SP so it does add up after a while.

Gotcha. I still say it's a bizarre system.

Grenn wrote:
dhelor wrote:
Grenn wrote:

I'd love to play it, but I know the story.

Actually, it goes a bit further back than that. It also delves a bit into some of the stuff that is concluded in Dirge of Cerberus.

Damn you, I might just get the psp now.

One more into the fold, yesssssss....

Grenn wrote:

Damn you, I might just get the psp now.

Get it. Hack it. Love it.

I picked up Crisis Core last night but was only able to dive in for about 30 minutes.

So far I am quite blown away by the presentation. Like SommerMatt said, the cinemas are equal to Advent Children and the in-game engine is fantastic also. The voice acting has been solid B+/A- material so far, so I'm happy with that.

I need to find a quick-start guide because I have no idea what I'm doing in combat. It's amazing how coddled we've become with game tutorials. The opening battle tells you what your attack, dodge, block and cycle items/weapons buttons are, but that's it. There's no talk of combat strategy or what that crazy slot machine in the upper-left corner does.

I guess I might have to actually *gasp!* go read the manual.

Aside the combat confusion I can tell that I'm going to be very pleased with this title. Of special note is how much this game feels like a full-on console title. Of course there's other PSP games out their that could easily pass for dedicated PS2 titles, but none so far have felt as genuinely console as Crisis Core.

Okay, I've put roughly seven hours into the game so I thought I'd share some updated impressions.

Pros

- Strong Story, Great Lead. - It's been years since I've played FF VII, but I'm finding the trip back to the universe a pleasure. The lead character, Zack, has a great personality and it's a welcome break from the effeminate emo leads the FF series is infamous for.

- Soundtrack. The music in this game is just awesome. There's a wide range of styles and it's all excellent.

- Satisfying Combat. I was dubious about real-time combat in a FF title, but it really does make random encounters swift and fun. I know it may sound crazy, but the combat reminds me a lot of God of War with benefits 'cause you've got such a deep materia/spell system.

- Side Missions. At every save point, you can open your menu system and activate unlocked side quests. They're categorized into chapters and ranked from Very Easy to Very Hard. Most are of the "Get from Point A to Point B" variety, but they're bite sized (most only lasting 5 to 10 minutes) and addictive as heck. Plus there's a TON of Missions (I read that there's 300). There's great loot to be had here too.

- Instant item-purchase system. You no longer have to schlep out to stores to buy goods. Since you have a cell phone, you can call up any store you've been to and order from their inventory direct from your phone. Comes in handy when you're dungeon crawling.

-DMW. The 'Digital Mind Wave' is the spinning slot machine in the upper left corner of the screen you may have heard about. Its mechanics are a bit obscure at first but after a while it starts to make more sense. Constantly spinning when a battle starts, it stops at regular intervals. When the first and third slot match you launch into a full screen version of the slot machine while the middle slot falls into place. Match all three portraits and you activate a limit break/summons. At the same time, there are random numbers spinning at a different pace next to the portraits. When two numbers match your equipped materia are leveled up, match three and your character levels. Additionally, random number combos earn you stat boosts for the battle you're in (no cost for MP use, invincibility, etc.). Finally, regardless of what numbers you pull, the value of each boosts your respective HP, MP and AP levels.

It's a lot to wrap your head around, but once you get it, it makes every encounter a lot more interesting.

- Console Gaming on the Go. As I said before, this is the first PSP game that makes me feel like I'm carrying around a PS2 in my pocket.

Cons

- I'm dialing back the quality of voice acting just a bit to about a B- level. Certainly not horrible by any means, it's just not as impressive as I originally thought.

- Load times. 10-15 seconds between maps, and about 5 seconds to load in-game cut scenes doesn't seem to bad, but it definitely becomes noticeable after a while. Surprisingly, random enemy encounters load/exit super quick.

- Locations feel empty. The graphics engine is great, but there's a decided lack of geometry in the environment. The locations are varied but they don't feel lush. On the plus side, the character models are great.

- Almost too addictive. :p

..................

I'm really glad I picked this title up. It's definitely a top-shelf PSP experience and even at this early stage of the game (I'm not that far in) has already justified the asking price.

subaltern wrote:
Mystic Violet wrote:

Wow. I'm actually surprised with those scores. But, do I really need to see what happens to Zack... for the third time? FFVII and Last Order were enough for me.

But... but.... It's Final Fantasy VII!

I love Final Fantasy VII to death but I've been highly underwhelmed by the the sequel/prequel crap SE has be spoon-feeding to fans. Advent Children was mediocre at best and I never touched Dirge of Cerberus. But I enjoyed Last Order for what it was: Cloud's flashback from the moment Sephiroth lost it up to the point of his escape with Zack.

So I was ready, able, and willing to skip over Crisis Core as well. I expected a lot of pretty with little substance. Judging by everyone's reactions and those scores, I was wrong.

I know this topic is dead, but I'm still playing the game and I would like to state that Aerith is absolutely adorable in this game. If FFVII's remake somehow makes her as emotional and fragile as she is in Crisis Core I think I'll finally understand the craze Cloud's story has behind it.

[color=white]I've had it since about a week after it came out. I played it a little when I first got it, but then I slowly got into it. I gave up after I killed genesis for a few weeks, then I gave up after I killed Sephiroth. I don't really think the storyline really encourages the player to carry on, because both instances felt like huge climaxes (along with Angeal's). It doesn't really seem like a single story, but multiple books in a series all mashed into one.

@vrikk- the first time I met Aerith [color=white](after Angeal turned TO THE DARK SIDE)[/color], she was so cute I felt like crying. It was really sad...[/color]