Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 42
 Critical review, includes the good and the bad September 7, 2008
Dan (NJ)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
First off I will just say I loved the game, but there are a few areas I'm going to note on in my review that could have used a bit of work. So don't think this is any sort of hate-bashing review, because it isn't.
First I will cover the scales. 1 is the worst, 10 is the best
Story: 10 - Accurate and informative. Takes you back and reveals the FF7 history
Battle System: 6 - I will explain this in detail below as to why it is a 6
Game Mechanics: 8 - Decent convenience factors added such as stores and missions from the main menu
Replay Value: 5 to 8, situational based - Will explain below
Graphics & Visuals: 10 - Top notch for a hand held
Game flow: 8 - This is how often you actually get to play the game without being interrupted by cut scenes or movies
Mini-games: 7 - Some are enjoyable, others are very tedious after a while
Over-all: 8.5 - Extremely enjoyable, has a few faults, but none detract too much from the overall enjoyment.
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Further Explanations of above noted sections, note these are going to be the faults I found, that doesn't mean this game is bad, it just means it has these faults as any game has a few:
Battle system-
You may be asking why I rated this so low, well... while the non turn-based elements that they incorporated into this game are good in theory, in practice they are a bit cumbersome in places. The first place they missed a bit here, was the DMW system. Now you might be thinking, "Yes, I have read about how people don't like the system". The problem is, it is not that I don't like the system, I just think that they could have polished a few elements with it. I will name these polish points as "smudges".
First smudge - 'phase modulations', you will on countless occasions run into a situation where you are JUST about to finish off the last monster and end a battle when you get forced into one of these phase modulations. Sure it's cool the first few times to finish off the monster with a cool attack, but after this happens 20+ times it will start to irritate you because you just want to kill that last monster and move on. A lot of the times when this happens you will get either a useless result out of it, No result, or a longer attack that finishes off the monster but was a waste of time since you were just about to deal the killing blow with your sword. The useless result factor comes into play when you get a buff to an element that was already maxed/buffed before the phase modulation. They also on occasion added flashing images while the DMW is spinning the middle image. These images cannot be bypassed after seeing them a first time, which wastes even more of your time. This also leads into my next area to cover.
Smudge two, Phase Modulation Attacks - Aside from not being able to skip the aforementioned images the attacks that come from the DMW also cannot be skipped. The summon attacks you get can be skipped, however only certain ones. Why SE (Square-enix) chose to punish the player like this by making them watch the same attacks over and over without the option to bypass them after the first few times is beyond me. It just adds even more wasted time to what could have otherwise been a good idea, if only they added an option to skip these after the first time it would have been MUCH better. Do you as a player honestly -WANT- to sit through the same 5-10sec long attack sequence over 50 times throughout the game? I didn't either. You can also land a 'late' phase modulation attack which will occur after you've killed all the monsters. That means you will have to watch the sequence anyway, even after the battle should have ended.
That is it for the things that could have been fixed with the DMW, the next aspect that didn't seem to work quite as well as it could have, would be the pace of the battles being too fast to actually execute needed commands. You will be left running and dodging just so you can use a healing item, or curative spell. It isn't hard to scroll over to items or a spell, but with the speed of the battles and the constant attacks coming from the monsters it makes it very difficult to pull off. Far more difficult that it needs to be. This adds to the 'cumbersome' factor that I mentioned above.
Replay Value elements mentioned above:
This game has replay value, that I won't deny, however depending on how you played the first time through it could either have great replay value, or almost none at all. If you went through the game the first time just to see the story and play the game casually then the second play-through with the New Game+ will be enjoyable. However, if you spent time getting levels, powerful items, and doing all the missions then your second play through will be so easy that most replay value will be taken out. The only remaining value at that point would be to watch the story a second time. While this is enjoyable the rest of the game will have almost all of the challenge removed. I don't recommend a New Game+ if you went through and made your character a powerhouse. If you fit this category then you will get more replay value if you simply start the game over from scratch.
Finally, I am going to cover missions. Since this is one of the major side-quests/mini-games in CC. This is also why that section only received a 7. Mission, these were a GREAT idea, HOWEVER, poorly implemented. Why do I feel these were poorly implemented? I feel SE wasted far too much time working on the quantity of missions, but didn't spend as much time working on their quality. As you play through them you will notice there are only about 10-15 maps total that get recycled over and over again in different ways. There are some places where dialogue is also recycled. However there are very few missions where you actually get dialogue, and only one mission where you get dialogue scenes in every sub-mission. The lack of dialogue adds to the fact that they didn't have any real storyline added to the missions. It was pretty much just: Accept mission, collect items in a recycled map, find and fight mission objective boss/monsters, rinse and repeat. After the first 150 or so missions of doing exactly what I just mentioned it will get painfully tedious. All tedium could have been removed had they just cut the missions in half, to say 150, and used the rest of the time adding quality to them. In other words, adding storyline or making a larger selection of maps. Personally I don't care if they recycled the maps, but I wish they added some sort of storyline to missions so that they weren't just the same exact thing repeated over and over again x300. In fact, after the 153rd or so mission I started to get more enjoyment out of reading the Shinra briefs you get when selecting the mission than doing the missions themselves.
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Phew! Now with all of that out of the way (Sorry I am long winded) I'll get to the actual review since I covered a lot of things above this might be shorter than the above areas.
CC, being the prequel to the very famous FF7 delivers what I consider to be a KO punch as a game. The storyline does not disappoint you, if you were playing this game in hopes to learn what happened before FF7 then you will not be disappointed. The flow of the story I felt was very smooth and well organized. From the development of bonds such as you will see Cloud and Zack form, to Sephiroth's descent into insanity. All of this in recognizable locations from FF7 that have been redone in stunningly beautiful graphics. The game starts out right away grabbing you firmly with a great action movie sequence done in what can only be described as PS3 quality graphics. I was shocked at just how detailed and realistic this was for a hand-held system. The real-time graphics (what you see when you are running around fighting, etc) are not as high quality as the movie sequences, but they are still amazing. The movies give the graphics a 10, while the real-time graphics get an 8. They are still visually amazing for a hand-held system.
CC has also added something new to familiar elements such as materia. They have added what they call a materia fusion system. While I found this system to be a bit more confusing that it needs to be you can easily find information about it online and it adds a bit of an interesting twist and gives you something to work toward in strengthening a certain materia with specific stats. If you just wish to experiment it will provide plenty of that. However if you plan to seriously work on it then I'd highly suggest reading up on it because it is very difficult to figure some things out on your own.
Phoenix downs in this game have also received a slight change in functionality. Since you are the only one that will be fighting monsters and bosses instead of using it on a fallen comrade you either use it on yourself during battle, or out of battle. What this then does is give you a buff called "raise" that does not go away until you die. When you die this buff instantly revives you with full HP. Very helpful for certain bosses, what this basically means is, if you have enough phoenix downs you can survive indefinitely as long as you always keep one active on yourself.
The battle system, as mentioned above, goes off of the new DMW system. Which is something like a slot machine. Most of which consists of random results and overall not one of the most enjoyable aspects of the game. Adds a bit too much of a clunky and at times very interrupting element to the game. It is also incorporated into how you level up. Now, while I was not overly thrilled with how you level up in this game, I've learned that it is far from random. The level up system goes based off of what would seem like random DMW spins, but there is still hidden EXP that comes into play. When you get a certain amount of EXP over what you need for your level the DMW will have a 100% chance to hit the level up spin. This was confirmed when I was cursed and fought for about an hour, then after the curse wore off leveled up 5 times in a row.
I didn't much care for the "Activating Combat Mode" and "Conflict Resolved" messages before and after every battle. Had they given you the option to enable or disable these then it would have been alright. The problem here is that after these messages happen for the 500th time they will start to either get stuck in your head, give you a headache, or just become -really- irritating.
CC brings back an old element that you might have seen in other games you may have played. The ability to break the traditional 9999 values that we've been accustomed to, with the use of special accessories and materia fusion. With the right items you can get your HP to 99,999, and your MP and AP to 9999. Furthermore you have the ability to do upwards of 99,999 damage with a single attack. It all depends on what you have equipped and what abilities you use.
In CC you get two combat bars other than your HP. The other two would be your MP, and your AP. MP should be self-explanatory, it is used to cast magic spells. Your AP is used for special attack materia, one such example is an attack materia that has you spin in a circle and attack all enemies around you in a 360 degree strike. There are many many other different types of attack materia that do all sorts of things, but you'll have to find out for yourself.
The musical score in this game has been mixed up a bit. There is old and recognizable themes, some that have been revamped, and others that have not been. This is mixed with a all new musical score that personally I found to be enjoyable. I am one for nostalgia, so I personally would have liked to see more of the old FF7 music in this game, but that's just me.
So what this all boils down to is a very solid game, it has a few places where it could have been improved upon, some places where painful tedium could have been removed, and a few irritating elements that could have either been redone, or completely removed. However no game is going to be perfect in every aspect, this one makes up for the few issues with a compelling and immersive storyline, an overall nostalgic feel, high quality and breath-taking graphics, and a cast of enjoyable characters, new and old. I highly recommend this to anyone, as it is one of the best games for the PSP.
 RATED TOO HIGH. NOT THAT GREAT. June 5, 2008
jebandpooky
3 out of 12 found this review helpful
1. LINEAR STYLE A (-) FOR A GAME AS GREAT AS FFVII.
2. CAMERA ANGLES STINK.
3. THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
4. IT WAS RUSHED.
5. IF I WANT A HACK-AND-SLASH, BEAT'EM UP, BUTTON MASHER I'D GO PLAY
GAUNTLET LEGENDS.
5. IF IT WERE NOT FOR THE FFVII NAME, I WOULD HAVE TRASHED THIS GAME A
LONG TIME AGO.
6. STARTING TO GET TIRED OF IT. BECOMING BORING.
 No Doctorate Necessary June 17, 2008
Trevor Fraser (South Korea)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
There are plenty of reviews about the latest Square-Enix Final Fantasy game: "FFVII: Crisis Core," so this reviewer will focus more on explaining why the game is so popular, and why you don't need a PhD in Final Fantasy lore to enjoy it.
Final Fantasy VII was a block-buster hit when it came out, and it comes as no surprise that a game which has sold more than 10 million copies as of this review has many, many devoted followers. The franchise as a whole may be the best-selling Role-playing Game (RPG) franchise ever. When Squaresoft decided to make a film about the flagship title in the FF franchise, people flocked to see it. When they announced that they were making a prequel to FFVII, fanboys and girls everywhere exploded with joy, but the game rises above mere "fan service."
Even if you've never touched a Final Fantasy game, you won't be lost in a series of cliches, in-jokes and references to past plots and characters.
People will rightly point out that the game does make some references to past games; FFVII cameos and events occur occasionally. Nonetheless, these moments rarely are integral to either the story or the gameplay. On the contrary, the game's plot is new, and as a prequel, the game's timeline fortunately precludes most of the drama and plot-twists of it's chronological predecessor. This means anyone can pick up this game and be able to appreciate and understand the vast majority of the story. In short, the game is a stand alone novel, and while some background knowledge can add further depth to a few dialogues and events, even a novice will be able to follow the rather straight-forward story.
The gameplay is much the same vein. Many things--such as materia--will seem strange to newcomers, but the helpful tutorials (and instruction booklet) should help you overcome any confusiing parts of the game.
On the other hand, if you've played Final Fantasy games before--especially the seventh in the series--then you need no introduction to the game: it plays very similarly to FFVII (with a few minor tweaks for the PSP.)
Plot battles and CG movies are usually short, and perfect for a bus ride, waiting room, or any other brief moment during which you decide to use your portable gaming system. The main story itself is fairly robust for a portable RPG. I clocked in at around 20 hours, but I had neglected almost all of the side-quests, extra dialogues and the dozens and dozens of optional "Missions." Add those in and one can quickly burn 60 or more hours in a playthrough. As if that's not enough for a bargain game, you can even play a "Game+" mode which carries over some items from your previous save.
In conclusion, FFVII:Crisis Core is very accessible to new players, yet it offers enough fan candy that "veterans" to the series won't be disappointed. In addition,it's a great game, as most of the reviewers here have already said. It is fun to play, lengthy for a PSP game, and has lots of extras to keep its replay value above average. I highly recommend this game to any with a PSP; it's truly a must have game.
One winged angels fly in circles July 3, 2008
Nathan Timm (Washington, DC)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
To brass tacks on the quick: The game is entertaining and beautiful, but ultimately relatively shallow. I won't go into the storyline, but what's there is a decent tale presented by a cast you don't see long enough to really empathize with. So that leaves the gameplay.
Hack and slash with simple dodge and block buttons make for easy, repetative gameplay. Which is most of what Crisis Core is. Sure, there's magic and barrier spells and the DMW (don't worry about what it is, since it's completely random and more of a background feature than a prime component of gameplay despite how integrated it is)...but what it comes down to, ultimately is that it's a hack and slash game with a few more options than most for customizing your brawler. This is FINE and actually very fun when you're cruising through the main storyline...it is intolerable when it comes to doing the awful, redundant missions. A bare minimum of effort was put into the hundreds upon hundreds of copy-paste "missions" the game has available to you and they are pure drudgery in the interest of obtaining the game's most powerful and interesting items, equipment and materia.
The negative tone here makes it sound like I don't like Crisis Core, which is of course, untrue. I think the game is gorgeous, fun to play and a blast to tool around with customizing Zack and his magic, strength or fused materia. I just wish it had more variety available in the sidequests since the main storyline is brief and the remaining gameplay after that is uninspired.
Play it, but don't be surprised if you can't bring yourself to beat all the extra missions.
Not your mama's FFVII May 29, 2008
S. L. Flagler (Florence AL)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I do enjoy the graphics and story behind this game. However, this is not the traditional RPG play. I was disappointed with the Kingdom Hearts style gameplay. I like the old school rpg. People cannot join your party, and the fighting gameplay is different. Instead of choosing the action and waiting for it to play out, you have to run around to fight. During boss fights it can actually be difficult.
But I am not the greatest gamer out there!
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