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Isaac Z-Y
United States
Bellevue
Nebraska
Megaman, Battle Routine...Set! Execute!
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As everyone who are into video gaming know, the Final Fantasy franchise is one of the biggest names in the gaming world. Among those, the first Playstation game, Final Fantasy VII, is among one of the most famous and expanded storylines. After its 1997 release, Final Fantasy VII was set aside to continue work on the next game in the main series. But in 2006, Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII, a first person shooter sequel was put out for the Playstation 2. It wouldn't be for another year until the prequel, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII would be released. But, Crisis Core is actually the sixth installment of the metaseries COmpilation of Final Fantasy VII, which includes the Dirge of Cerebus games, Crisis Core, Before Crisis and the films Advent Children, Last Order and On The Way to a Smile - Episode: Denzel.
Timeline wise, the story for this game takes place about seven years before the events of Final Fantasy VII. Also, instead of playing Cloud Strife, you play the enigmatic Zack Fair, a young member of the Shinra Electric Power Company's SOLDIER program. He gets assigned with Angeal to locate the missing SOLDIER Genesis Rhapsodos. The story will take the player from the war with the Wutai to the destruction of Nieblheim all the way to right before the events of Final Fantasy VII.
Title screen to Crisis Core
Gameplay
The gameplay for Crisis Core is quite interesting. Unlike many RPGs, this Action RPG does not use any experience system. And for the magic, passive abilities and skills, they are taken care of through the use of Materia, strange gems that imbue powers and skills to Zack, being that he is the only character you even play. Materia is collected through the main story, fusing Materia, or doing side missions.
The equipment Screen where one would equip Materia and Accessories
Zak is able to traverse an open area world that allows the player to move freely, talk to NPCs and interact with the environment. Throughout these areas are save points that allow the player to save and do side missions. Saving here before doing the side missions mean that no matter if Zak falls or succeeds, he'll be right back at that save point.
The combat uses real-time combat system allowing Zak to move, initiate attacks, special abilities, spells, or item use, and have Zack block or dodge an attack. You can have, at most, six Materia equipped to use in combat that allows special attacks, passive abilities and use magic. To use any attack or Materia, there is a scroll system that you have to move your cursor through, mid combat, to do anything, while the enemies attack you.
Zak in combat mode
Within the combat, there are extremely rare events that make use of the slot machine in the upper-left corner. As you play the game you gain unique abilities or a few summoner Materia from the main storyline and the rest of the summons through side missions. The slot machine is constantly working while Zak is in combat, but only if he has at least ten SOLDIER Points, or "SP". There are character images that if you get three together you could use the Limit Break granted by that character, which are unavoidable attacks, or significantly healing Zak. But, you also have the chance to switch it to one of the summon sets. But when the numbers spin, on any triple except sevens, a Materia in that slot will level up. When there are triple sevens, Zack gains an expeirence level. This way, you don't have to keep track of your experience.
The DMW or "Digital Mind Wave"
After you defeat the final boss and go throguh the final scenes, you are then able to play NewGame+, which starts you over with everything you have from the beginning but making it much more difficult.
Graphics
The graphic in the game are quite good. The animations are smooth, which can highly affect the game's rating. But where graphics truly shine are during the movie cutscenes which use graphics and animations that look a lot like they were the same used in Advent Children.
Graphics for normal cutscenes
Gensis during a movie scene
Sephiroth's Old cutscene in the new graphics
Overall
The overall experience is pretty good. there are many Materia combinations to fight with and fusions to get new Materia. You also learn the origin stories of quite a few people, like Cloud, Aerith and Sephiroth. The controls do take time to get used to, but once you have it, you'll have no problems with the game.
I highly recommend this game for avid RPG fans and Final Fantasy fans.
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Christen
Canada
Toronto
Ontario
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I finished this game recently, and it bumped Zack up to being my favorite Final Fantasy character and definitely raised my appreciation for FFVII even more. So good. I BAWLED at the end. Silly me for thinking that a prequel about a deceased character might not end sadly. I also pretty much wanted to punch Genesis in the balls the entire time. He's annoying.
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