Crisis Core is a fantastic game that proves to be the Final Fantasy VII spin-off you've been waiting for.
If you've played Final Fantasy VII, you're familiar with Zack Fair, who had a brief but significant appearance in the original game. If you haven't, I strongly encourage you to play the original game first. Otherwise you're likely to be lost. Don't worry that the original game will spoil this one for you. This game is about the journey, not the destination, and there are plenty of surprises along the way. You'll get a lot more out of Crisis Core if you've played Final Fantasy VII.
The gameplay is one of the most unique aspects of this game. Combat is fast and fun, but unlike anything you've ever played before. The action RPG elements are pretty basic although they work, but the really innovative part of gameplay is the "Digital Mind Wave," or DMW, a slot-reel system that randomly spins up limit breaks, level-ups, and beneficial status changes. As the Gamespot reviewer said, it sounds dubious at first, but it works, and it ensures that your battles will be full of dramatic twists and turns. It'll take getting used to, but it ends up being a cool and interesting system.
The graphics in the game are great. Never before have I been so convinced that the PSP really is a portable Playstation 2. The graphics quality is equal to later PS2 games like Kingdom Hearts II, and the character design is great. New characters like renegade SOLDIER Genesis and a young Turk from Before Crisis named Cissnei look as great as the many returning characters. The in-game graphics are attractive from beginning to end, the cut-scenes are - despite a few detail issues - great, and the pre-rendered CGI scenes are as gorgeous as they were in the eye-popping Advent Children.
The voice acting is on par with the other installments in the FF7 compilation, and the actors are retained as well, with the exception of Aerith who has yet another voice actor. If you've been satisfied with the voices in other installments this won't disappoint. A few stand-out voices include Rick Gomez as Zack, George Newbern as the notorious Sephiroth, and Oliver Quinn as Genesis. And the music... is amazing. With the exception of a somewhat unpleasant main battle theme, this game combines music from the original game with completely new tunes to create one of the best video game scores in recent memory. It truly lives up to the musical standard set by Nobuo Uematsu in Final Fantasy VII.
The main story of the game is rather short. Thankfully, Crisis Core includes a huge number of side missions and secrets that can double or even triple your play-time. One of the biggest criticisms is the uneven difficulty of the game. Crisis Core is incredibly easy for the first half of the game, with a few frustrating bosses thrown in toward the end. For those who like long boss fights, the final(ish) boss alone took me a full hour. The one great annoyance of the game is that you can't skip cut-scenes, and since the places where you're most likely to die, the boss fights, are usually preceded by extremely lengthy scenes, this can be quite a pain.
This game will shine for lovers of Final Fantasy VII. Although the basic plot-line is interesting enough, the thing that will really absorb you is the character interaction, the character development, and the feeling of melancholy inevitability for those who know how the story ends. Crisis Core is truly one of the most poignant gaming experiences I've ever had. The scenes between Zack and Cloud, Zack and Aerith, Zack and Angeal, are emotional and effortless. And the final scenes of the game are truly powerful. I'm not prone to crying as I play games, but if you're the kind who sheds a tear at a particularly poignant moment, the ending of this game will probably get you.
Overall, Crisis Core is a great package for die-hard or casual fans of Final Fantasy VII. Almost every aspect of the game shines, and the overall experience is a truly satisfying one. This is the Final Fantasy VII spin-off you've been waiting for.
Gameplay: 8
Graphics: 9
Sound: 10
Value: 9
Tilt: 9