by Chuck Gaffney

Created on: April 06, 2008

Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core

Score: 9.7/10

Developer: Square-Enix

Platform: PSP (Playstation Portable)

Game Play:

Whether you are a big fan of Final Fantasy or not, Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core brings out the best in game play for both RPG fans and action game fans. The use of commands in real time brings a level of play yet seen in any of the true Final Fantasy lineage and yet fits so well. If you want to just hack and slash away at the enemies, go right ahead. For many of the battles this could work just fine but of course strategy using the different materia slots available is needed for the harder battles. You also have the ability to do timed blocks, dodges and with the "Dash" materia, a quick sprint away from the enemies.

I felt like a little kid again playing these battles since there is a sense of danger and if not prepared correctly, you will die and be sent off to where you last saved, unless you are in one of the 300 mini missions available. These missions make perfect use of the PSPs portability. You can honestly sit down for a few minutes whether it be on break, in the train, or waiting for take-out and complete a few missions. The missions are an important part in leveling up and getting the best materia in the game. The missions also let you face enemies for more powerful than the main boss such as the highly powerful Minerva. Even at level 99 the battle is a challenge. If you die in a mission you are thankfully just sent back to the save point with no loss in progress. This kind of difficulty is not really seen in many modern games since difficulty and challenge has been dumbed down, need I say, by many Western gamers not able to handle the challenge like games in the past as much as the east can. Don't worry though, unless you chose the harder missions or simply don't do any missions to level up, you won't find much too much trouble with the battles.

Speaking of the monsters, unlike many action RPGs which include only a small variety of creatures, FFVII CC has a wide range of creatures all with their own weaknesses and strengths that become very fun to figure out. That ability to switch around, fuse, and level-up materia makes the battles very enjoyable and trust me; it gets very addicting. Do not place FFVII Crisis Core with that of a spin-off; the variety and depth even puts some of the pure numbered Final Fantasies to shame. The Materia Fusion part of the game adds a whole new level to the game that will be your key to even facing the hardest

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