Excellent story, and new play mechanics make this a worthy game
Square Enix have long been one of the finest purveyors of their craft, creating some of the most memorable RPG’s of all time. Indeed, they are credited with one of the most well known and best ever made, Final Fantasy VII.
While fans have been clamouring for a next generation remake of that game ever since Sony unveiled a PS3 powered re-working of the opening cinematic, so far they have been sadly disappointed. They have, however, been treated to several games in the ‘Compendium of Final Fantasy VII’, the latest, and arguably, greatest of which is Crisis Core.
Crisis Core takes place several years before the events of Final Fantasy VII, and follows Zack Flair, a young SOLDIER 2 class. Zack follows his mentor Angeal, striving to become a 1 class and a hero.
The story is a well told tale, featuring returning characters from the first game and answers several questions about, most important of which is ‘Who is Zack?’ Those who played the first game will already know the ending, but those who haven’t will find the most enjoyable story PSP has to offer, let alone any other system.
The gameplay mixes things up from the standard RPG formula by being real time, meaning the random battles (a stable of the genre) are most visceral, and can be a bit more tactical as you have the ability to run round the back of enemies and strike them from behind, causing a critical hit for more damage.
Materia or magic, is tabbed through using the shoulder buttons, then activated by using ‘X’. Depending on the equipped materia, these could range from a lightening strike to a homing fireball to a jumping slash. Most battles, however, are resolved by spamming the ‘X’ button when it is set to the default ‘attack’ option.
Where Crisis Core really shakes things up though, is in its levelling system. While it is still reliant on experience points, it uses a new edition to the genre, one that is simultaneously the most interesting and irritating mechanic ever, the Digital Mind Wave (DMW).
The DMW is a running slot machine in the top corner of the battle screen. It consists of various portraits of the characters in the game, along with the summons collected through out and a series of numbers. As the battle progresses, the slots spin, depending on where they land they could give you various status effects ranging from immune to magical damage to completely invincible.
If the portrait slots land on the same picture, you end up with a limit break, which is a more powerful attack or some kind of more powerful buff. If the numbers have two the same, then the materia equipped in that slot levels up, becoming more powerful. Three 7’s however, and your character levels up.
This is a genuine attempt to do something different, however, when you summon a powerful monster to defeat a foot soldier, or fail to get the limit you desperately need when close to death, it can be annoying.
It is difficult to fault Crisis Core though, the game is just too good. While it can get a little repetitive to mash one button for attacks, it isn’t much different from the normal menu driven system of most RPG’s. This, combined with the excellent story and immersive cut scenes provide a title that is one of PSP’s true stars, and a must have for RPG, Final Fantasy, hell even PSP fans.
While fans have been clamouring for a next generation remake of that game ever since Sony unveiled a PS3 powered re-working of the opening cinematic, so far they have been sadly disappointed. They have, however, been treated to several games in the ‘Compendium of Final Fantasy VII’, the latest, and arguably, greatest of which is Crisis Core.
Crisis Core takes place several years before the events of Final Fantasy VII, and follows Zack Flair, a young SOLDIER 2 class. Zack follows his mentor Angeal, striving to become a 1 class and a hero.
The story is a well told tale, featuring returning characters from the first game and answers several questions about, most important of which is ‘Who is Zack?’ Those who played the first game will already know the ending, but those who haven’t will find the most enjoyable story PSP has to offer, let alone any other system.
The gameplay mixes things up from the standard RPG formula by being real time, meaning the random battles (a stable of the genre) are most visceral, and can be a bit more tactical as you have the ability to run round the back of enemies and strike them from behind, causing a critical hit for more damage.
Materia or magic, is tabbed through using the shoulder buttons, then activated by using ‘X’. Depending on the equipped materia, these could range from a lightening strike to a homing fireball to a jumping slash. Most battles, however, are resolved by spamming the ‘X’ button when it is set to the default ‘attack’ option.
Where Crisis Core really shakes things up though, is in its levelling system. While it is still reliant on experience points, it uses a new edition to the genre, one that is simultaneously the most interesting and irritating mechanic ever, the Digital Mind Wave (DMW).
The DMW is a running slot machine in the top corner of the battle screen. It consists of various portraits of the characters in the game, along with the summons collected through out and a series of numbers. As the battle progresses, the slots spin, depending on where they land they could give you various status effects ranging from immune to magical damage to completely invincible.
If the portrait slots land on the same picture, you end up with a limit break, which is a more powerful attack or some kind of more powerful buff. If the numbers have two the same, then the materia equipped in that slot levels up, becoming more powerful. Three 7’s however, and your character levels up.
This is a genuine attempt to do something different, however, when you summon a powerful monster to defeat a foot soldier, or fail to get the limit you desperately need when close to death, it can be annoying.
It is difficult to fault Crisis Core though, the game is just too good. While it can get a little repetitive to mash one button for attacks, it isn’t much different from the normal menu driven system of most RPG’s. This, combined with the excellent story and immersive cut scenes provide a title that is one of PSP’s true stars, and a must have for RPG, Final Fantasy, hell even PSP fans.
