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Excuse my sentimentality, but how times have changed. It didn’t seem so long ago I was losing sleep playing Final Fantasy VII, the first in the series to make the jump to 3D graphics, on the first PlayStation (hooked up to a dinky old CRT television no less). It has been slightly over a decade and here I am playing a prequel to the game in a handheld — the PlayStation Portable (PSP) — that’s quite the pocket wonder.
Crisis Core, the prequel, is set seven years before the events of Final Fantasy VII and it plays right up to the beginning of the original game. But fret not, the storyline and gameplay of this role-playing game (RPG) is engineered such that newcomers to the genre or the series can still appreciate it.
You play Zack Fair, an idealistic soldier who wants to be top dog. He’s the previous owner of the ridiculously-huge Buster Sword that Final Fantasy VII protagonist Cloud Strife swings around.
Zack works for a corporation with dubious ethics and is assigned to investigate an incident where high-ranking soldiers have gone missing.
Characters from the original game make cameos, adding weight to the storyline and setting the plot for the incidents that lead up to Final Fantasy VII.
The game’s visuals alone make it one of the finest on the PSP, and the soundtrack (play this with your headphones on) is an instant classic with its eclectic range and swooping strings. From the opening movie to the end credits, game developer Square Enix definitely didn’t skimp on the production for this title.
The cinematic cut scenes are rendered gorgeously and move the storyline along elegantly, with pretty emotive voice-acting. The game’s well-directed enough to sometimes tug at the heartstrings, too (sniff).
Gameplay has been tailored for shorter sessions on a portable device, with quests that reward handsomely but don’t take ages to complete.
The only major departure that might put off loyalists of the series is the new action-based battle system that’s tied to a random levelling-up system.
The luck-dependent system spins numbers and images — much like how a jackpot machine operates — to determine s:pecial moves and levelling-up. It takes a while to figure it out, but it’s easy once you get it sorted out.
Thankfully, earlier battles are pushovers and allow you to deal with the more formidable enemies later on. Most importantly, the combat format is much more engaging than the traditional turn-based system of typical Japanese RPGs.
VERDICT
Don’t let the portable nature of the game fool you. This is a fine game by any standards. Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core is a must-have. - TODAY/fa
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