Product Description

Seven years prior to the events of FINAL FANTASY VII — The Shinra Company is rapidly increasing its influence through its monopoly on mako energy and military might. With the burgeoning city of Midgar as its base and symbol of prosperity, Shinra is on the verge of establishing absolute dominance over the world. SOLDIER is a group of skilled combat operatives within Shinra. The elite within the group — those strong enough to be deemed SOLDIER 1st Class — are respected and idolized by the citizenry. Zack is a young SOLDIER 2nd Class who aspires to become a 1st. He spends his days carrying out assignments under the guidance of his 1st Class mentor, Angeal. During an operation in Wutai, a large number of SOLDIER members, led by 1st Class operative Genesis, go missing. The severity of the situation prompts Shinra executives to deploy even more SOLDIER operatives in hopes of bringing an end to the war with Wutai—and conducting an investigation into the mass desertion. The ones assigned to the mission are Zack, Angeal, and the 1st Class hero who is known the world over as Sephiroth... What truths lie behind Genesis's disappearance? What secrets bind the three SOLDIER 1st Class operatives? For Zack, a cruel and fateful struggle awaits...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #343 in Video Games
• Brand: Square Enix
• Published on: 2008-03
• Released on: 2008-03-25
• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Platform: Sony PSP
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .59" h x 7.00" w x 6.06" l, .20 pounds

Features

• Complete the FINAL FANTASY VII experience and reunite with the most recognized RPG characters created by world-renowned character designer Tetsuya Nomura
• Witness stunning graphics, inspiring visuals, and gorgeous CG cut scenes coupled with top-notch voice acting in a 16:9 widescreen presentation, made possible by the PSP system hardware
• Innovative D.M.W (Digital Mind Wave) system enhances the action-packed, engaging, real-time battle system, allowing players to unleash special attacks or call upon iconic Final Fantasy summons
• Take on challenges with the all-new “Hard Mode” developed exclusively for the North American audiences
• Acquire unique accessories made available through 300 side missions to further enrich the gameplay experience

Customer Reviews

A Great Prequel
I can't believe I am the first after weeks of this game being released to make a review!

Nonetheless, here we go.

This game is amazing for a portable game. The graphics and sound are just far above what you expect when you think portable gaming and they actually tied the story to the original well too.

Gameplay: The Gameplay is top notch. Not only do you explore towns, talk to NPCs and have the Final Fantasy experience you would expect, but there are also side missions that act as a quick fix incase you don't have enough time to actually focus on the story. You can play these whenever you find a save point and they serve as a nice way to get you some extra potions and experience. Interactivity is similar to what you would find in the classic game as far as finding items by exploring the environment and seeing unique sights because you were curious enough to explore every nook and cranny. There are even side missions like having professor hogo making you face huge monsters in an attempt to kill you because you disturbed him. The Story is what shines the most in this game, and it is by far one of the most engrossing stories of the series.

Graphics: This game seriously looks like the first Kingdom hearts on the PS2. Their facial expressions and animations are the best you can find on a portable system to date. This game could be ported to the PS2 and considered to have gorgeous graphics. The CG scenes are on par with Advent Children.

Sound: The Voice acting is actually pretty good, and the music from Final Fantasy VII that was redone for the game isn't bad either, but the new music to the game is pretty forgettable. I honestly can't stand the shinra building's theme, which feels like it is 10 seconds long and just set to loop. This is one of the game's biggest strengths and downfalls at the same time.

Replay Value: You could speed through the story and still expect hours upon hours to be spent doing side missions. The story itself takes a good amount of time to beat. Expect to invest maybe 30 hours into this game.

This game is a fantastic deal. Expect to have a blast with it and you wont be disappointed.

SPECIAL NOTE: There are some things to this game that you might want to take into consideration. I started playing this game on my old PSP then early into it bought the new model. The difference is HUGE. The load times on the new PSP are cut not only in half, but takes the load time from up to 18 seconds at some points to maybe 3-4 tops. There is also a very low amount of blur when Zack is running around on the screen on the new one compared to the old one. The new screen is brighter, higher refresh rate and the load time on the new one is way shorter. The new PSP is almost a must for this game otherwise load times will destroy the experience.

Crisis Core
Since the other review is very lengthy, and covers pretty much everything, I'll keep this short and sweet. If you're a fan of the Final Fantasy series (particularly VII) then you should buy this game. If you don't have a PSP, this game is worth buying one for. I didn't have a PSP, this game came out, I bought a PSP to play it, I am extremely happy with my decision. I do recommend playing through Final Fantasy VII first as you will appreciate the characters, environments, and cameos a little more. If you do happen to play this first, I can almost guarantee you'll be shopping for a copy of VII when you're done.

Spectacular
I was never too fond of RPG's when I was younger, no matter how much I loved video games. Final Fantasy VII changed that, along with how I looked at the genre, as I, like many others, became addicted to the game's emotional storyline and well-rounded characters. Since then, we have seen a number of tie-ins, spin-offs, and even feature films based on the Final Fantasy VII universe, and now, Crisis Core has finally arrived. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is a prequel to the game, where you play as Cloud's old friend and partner Zack, and uncover secrets and revelations that are full of surprises, and lead up to the events of Final Fantasy VII. First off, the game is is simply gorgeous to look at. Not just the cut-scenes, which themselves are beautiful and stunning, but even the in-game graphics look great, making this undoubtedly the best looking RPG to hit the PSP, and the game's voice acting is even better. The game's combat system is also worth mentioning because it isn't quite turn based, and isn't quite real time. Instead, it is a fast moving system that is quite fun in itself, even if it may come off as a bit too easy for some. Leveling up and performing Limit Breaks is now determined by the slot machine-esque DMW system, which is a fun little twist as well. There are familiar characters abound as well: Cloud, Aerith, Tifa, and of course, Sephiroth. The game's story wonderfully weaves into FFVII mythology, and offers some new perspectives on Zack and Sephiroth, and those respects alone, Crisis Core is worth picking up. All in all, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is a stunning achievement that is an absolute essential addition to your PSP library, and needless to say, if you love everything Final Fantasy VII and you own a PSP, you have to pick up Crisis Core.