Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core
Not so final, when you think about it...
Plotline:
This prequel to Final Fantasy 7 finds you playing Zack Fair, SOLDIER 2nd Class, following the road to his dreams, in a quest to become a hero. SOLDIER 1st Class Genesis Rhapsados has gone missing, as well as valuable ShinRa Inc. Technology. It's up to Zack to unravel the mystery, while finding out the mysterious pasts of SOLDIER's best members; Sephiroth, Genesis, and Angeal. An in the process, he might just find out why Sephiroth is such a raging mama's boy.
Review:
Back with another review, this time on a series I've actually begun to loathe, over the years. Ever since FFX, I've been kind of "Meh" towards the mention of new Final Fantasy games. Being somewhat of a fan of FFVII, I decided to take the time to play this. Mainly because Zack, while merely a flashback character in the original game, grew to be one of my favorite FF character's besides Squall. (Whatever.)
The game starts with an amazing cinematic, showing of Squeenix's innate ability, like Blizzard, to make some truly epic cutscenes and FMV sequences. Kudos to the PSP LCD Screen for being able to put out such beautiful quality renderings. I was truly blown away by the fact that this was taking place in my hands, and not on a television set. Once the game begins, the first thing you'll realize is that this game is truly stunning, in terms of visuals. The graphics are among the same quality as an early-era PS2 game. There are some anti-aliasing issues, but it's still pretty damn impressive to know that a console that's not even an inch wide in depth can churn out images of this caliber.
The combat system mirrors the Kingdom Hearts games, almost. Your Materia equipped adds extra commands to your menu bar, which you scroll through with the R-and-L Triggers. It takes some getting used to, but once you choose a good setup, and commit it to memory, switching between commands is flawless. A few times, I found myself screaming... "OH DEAR CHRIST, I FORGOT I UNEQUIPPED THAT!" during a boss battle. But this kind of thing is normal with me. The excessive swearing, that is. Not the forgetfulness.
Random encounters are aplenty, which of course, you'll learn I HATE in my vidya. It's really annoying to take 2-3 steps, and BAM! Another fight. Even if they're pushovers. The issue with this is that there is a pre-combat preparation scene, to give you time to adjust your hand placement? And then after combat, a 5-10 second wait to return back to the game map. It gets tedious, in some of the optional missions. But then again, they ARE optional, so you can't complain too much. I mean, it's not like ShinRa is FORCING you to do these missions, even though it IS your job to do them. You know. No pressure there, Zack. You're only trying to uphold peace and protect future customers of the energy-suck tyrants.
The game is pretty easy, on Normal mode. Hard mode increase enemy defense, damage output, and HP. Making it a much rougher game. But it's still completable. My first play-through was on Hard Mode. Sadly, the only boss that gave me any trouble was Sephiroth. And that's because the bastard teleports, ala Kingdom Hearts, and EVEN HAS THE SAME GOD-DAMNED HEARTLESS ANGEL MOVE. YES. LET ME SAP ALL YOUR HITPOINTS IN ONE ATTACK. THANKS. I still believe Sephiroth is ridiculously over-rated. But I will give him credit for actually having reason behind his madness. Doesn't change the fact that he still has an Oedipus Complex.
Which brings me to the story. Jesus christ, this game's story will rip you apart. In a good way. This isn't the best story in any game, but it really does fuck with you. A lot. See... Anyone who's played FFVII knows that...
*SPOILER: HIGHLIGHT TO READ*
Zack dies. And Cloud assumes his identity, due to amnesia from the Mako Poisoning. So the entire game, you're getting attached to this character, growing more and more accustomed to him, really relating to his feelings for his friends, and loved ones? And then, like that, he's gone. And his ending is absolutely depressing. He asks Cloud to become his living legacy, and that if he meets Aerith, "Would you say I became a hero?"... Manly tears were almost shed.
*SPOILER END*
The character development, and extra story supplement to the original game are absolutely fantastic, even WITH the ret-cons. Genesis, while a bit too prose-laden, is an absolutely fantastic character, with true drive behind his actions. It's almost comical to watch Sephiroth begin to parallel him, later in the game. Angeal and Tseng really stand out here, as well. Angeal, being Zack's mentor, has some truly amazing moments. And it's nice to see that Tseng truly considers Zack a close friend, especially considering how cold and ruthless he seems in the rest of the series.
Audio in the game is top-notch. Without headphones, you're sadly limited to a slightly tinny audio sound. But a pair of ear buds QUICKLY rectifies this. The voice acting is top-notch. Steve Burton returns to voice Cloud, and does so with an almost boyish, "Goofy Kid" quality. Sephiroth is once again voiced by George Newbern, with that excellent "Am I mad, or just bored?" tone. Angeal and Zack truly stand out, though. Angeal, voiced by Josh Gilman, manages a flawless, almost fathering tone as Zack's mentor. And Zack, voiced by actor Rick Gomez, is absolutely astounding in all areas. He truly nailed the personality of Zack's character.
Summary:
The game really, truly adds to the Final Fantasy VII Collection in an amazing way. The story keeps you attached, and the characters draw you in incredibly. The FMV's are about as badass and awesome as they can get, and really kick up the "OH HOLY CHRIST" factor of the game. While the battle system has it's annoyances... (IE: Random enemies EVERY 5 STEPS.), it's still a decent step in the right direction for an action-based Final Fantasy title. Here's to hoping for a FFVII Remake. =D
What the ... :
- Genesis. Holy Hell. The man took me literally 20 seconds to kill. He was an absolute pushover. I had more trouble killing his CLONES in the missions!!!
-And for fuck sake, WHAT IS CISSNEI'S REAL NAME!? JESUS!!!
Not so final, when you think about it...
Plotline:
This prequel to Final Fantasy 7 finds you playing Zack Fair, SOLDIER 2nd Class, following the road to his dreams, in a quest to become a hero. SOLDIER 1st Class Genesis Rhapsados has gone missing, as well as valuable ShinRa Inc. Technology. It's up to Zack to unravel the mystery, while finding out the mysterious pasts of SOLDIER's best members; Sephiroth, Genesis, and Angeal. An in the process, he might just find out why Sephiroth is such a raging mama's boy.
Review:
Back with another review, this time on a series I've actually begun to loathe, over the years. Ever since FFX, I've been kind of "Meh" towards the mention of new Final Fantasy games. Being somewhat of a fan of FFVII, I decided to take the time to play this. Mainly because Zack, while merely a flashback character in the original game, grew to be one of my favorite FF character's besides Squall. (Whatever.)
The game starts with an amazing cinematic, showing of Squeenix's innate ability, like Blizzard, to make some truly epic cutscenes and FMV sequences. Kudos to the PSP LCD Screen for being able to put out such beautiful quality renderings. I was truly blown away by the fact that this was taking place in my hands, and not on a television set. Once the game begins, the first thing you'll realize is that this game is truly stunning, in terms of visuals. The graphics are among the same quality as an early-era PS2 game. There are some anti-aliasing issues, but it's still pretty damn impressive to know that a console that's not even an inch wide in depth can churn out images of this caliber.
The combat system mirrors the Kingdom Hearts games, almost. Your Materia equipped adds extra commands to your menu bar, which you scroll through with the R-and-L Triggers. It takes some getting used to, but once you choose a good setup, and commit it to memory, switching between commands is flawless. A few times, I found myself screaming... "OH DEAR CHRIST, I FORGOT I UNEQUIPPED THAT!" during a boss battle. But this kind of thing is normal with me. The excessive swearing, that is. Not the forgetfulness.
Random encounters are aplenty, which of course, you'll learn I HATE in my vidya. It's really annoying to take 2-3 steps, and BAM! Another fight. Even if they're pushovers. The issue with this is that there is a pre-combat preparation scene, to give you time to adjust your hand placement? And then after combat, a 5-10 second wait to return back to the game map. It gets tedious, in some of the optional missions. But then again, they ARE optional, so you can't complain too much. I mean, it's not like ShinRa is FORCING you to do these missions, even though it IS your job to do them. You know. No pressure there, Zack. You're only trying to uphold peace and protect future customers of the energy-suck tyrants.
The game is pretty easy, on Normal mode. Hard mode increase enemy defense, damage output, and HP. Making it a much rougher game. But it's still completable. My first play-through was on Hard Mode. Sadly, the only boss that gave me any trouble was Sephiroth. And that's because the bastard teleports, ala Kingdom Hearts, and EVEN HAS THE SAME GOD-DAMNED HEARTLESS ANGEL MOVE. YES. LET ME SAP ALL YOUR HITPOINTS IN ONE ATTACK. THANKS. I still believe Sephiroth is ridiculously over-rated. But I will give him credit for actually having reason behind his madness. Doesn't change the fact that he still has an Oedipus Complex.
Which brings me to the story. Jesus christ, this game's story will rip you apart. In a good way. This isn't the best story in any game, but it really does fuck with you. A lot. See... Anyone who's played FFVII knows that...
*SPOILER: HIGHLIGHT TO READ*
Zack dies. And Cloud assumes his identity, due to amnesia from the Mako Poisoning. So the entire game, you're getting attached to this character, growing more and more accustomed to him, really relating to his feelings for his friends, and loved ones? And then, like that, he's gone. And his ending is absolutely depressing. He asks Cloud to become his living legacy, and that if he meets Aerith, "Would you say I became a hero?"... Manly tears were almost shed.
*SPOILER END*
The character development, and extra story supplement to the original game are absolutely fantastic, even WITH the ret-cons. Genesis, while a bit too prose-laden, is an absolutely fantastic character, with true drive behind his actions. It's almost comical to watch Sephiroth begin to parallel him, later in the game. Angeal and Tseng really stand out here, as well. Angeal, being Zack's mentor, has some truly amazing moments. And it's nice to see that Tseng truly considers Zack a close friend, especially considering how cold and ruthless he seems in the rest of the series.
Audio in the game is top-notch. Without headphones, you're sadly limited to a slightly tinny audio sound. But a pair of ear buds QUICKLY rectifies this. The voice acting is top-notch. Steve Burton returns to voice Cloud, and does so with an almost boyish, "Goofy Kid" quality. Sephiroth is once again voiced by George Newbern, with that excellent "Am I mad, or just bored?" tone. Angeal and Zack truly stand out, though. Angeal, voiced by Josh Gilman, manages a flawless, almost fathering tone as Zack's mentor. And Zack, voiced by actor Rick Gomez, is absolutely astounding in all areas. He truly nailed the personality of Zack's character.
Summary:
The game really, truly adds to the Final Fantasy VII Collection in an amazing way. The story keeps you attached, and the characters draw you in incredibly. The FMV's are about as badass and awesome as they can get, and really kick up the "OH HOLY CHRIST" factor of the game. While the battle system has it's annoyances... (IE: Random enemies EVERY 5 STEPS.), it's still a decent step in the right direction for an action-based Final Fantasy title. Here's to hoping for a FFVII Remake. =D
What the ... :
- Genesis. Holy Hell. The man took me literally 20 seconds to kill. He was an absolute pushover. I had more trouble killing his CLONES in the missions!!!
-And for fuck sake, WHAT IS CISSNEI'S REAL NAME!? JESUS!!!
Story
5
Gameplay
3
Graphics
5
Audio
4
