Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core has finally hit the United States. Officially, it was supposed to be in stores today, but some lucky stores got it a day early and were allowed to sell it immediately. I would have gotten my copy yesterday, but my own personal GameStop delivery boy didn’t arrive home with it until after midnight, at which point I was already asleep.

No problem, though; with the half-hour train ride I take to work each morning, I figured I would get to start the game early this morning. Once I got on the train, I put in my game, took a deep breath, tried to prepare myself for the sheer awesomeness I was about to experience, and switched on my PSP.

Nothing.

As it turned out, my PSP’s battery was completely drained, and naturally, I had forgotten my charger. Fantastic! After a minor temper tantrum, I realized that one of the several other PSP owners in the Gamervision office would surely have his charger with him. Nope! However, after all of that, Sean was awesome enough to lend me his PSP so I could get some play time in at the office today. Finally, after four years and one scatterbrained morning, I was ready to play.



The opening credits of Crisis Core instantly made me forget any uncertainty I had about playing this game. To hear remixed versions of the incredible FFVII soundtrack combined with what are possibly the PSP’s best visuals to date is a Final Fantasy freak’s dream come true. Finally, we get to see Midgar as it was meant to be seen.

There’s no question that this is a visually stunning game, and the first thirty minutes are made up of a lot of cut scenes with a little bit of action thrown in. You’ll get your first glances of Zack, Soldier Second Class, Angeal, his boss, and of course, the infamous Sephiroth.



I’ve only been involved in a little bit of combat so far, and it’s pretty hectic compared to Final Fantasy VII’s more slow and strategic turned-based combat. It’s comparable to Kingdom Heart’s targeting-and-slashing system, only the targeting is automatic in this game. Unlike some PSP games, only having one thumbstick doesn’t hinder Crisis Core in any way. The controls feel fairly natural, although the fast-paced battles and DMW system will take a little bit of getting used to. I haven’t seen any other familiar faces yet, but I’m guessing it won’t be too long until Cloud or Aerith show up.

Just to be clear, I don’t expect Crisis Core (or any game, for that matter) to have the same personal and emotional impact that Final Fantasy VII had on me; it wouldn’t be fair to hold any game up to those standards. All I can say right now is that it’s looking very promising, and I really hope it lives up to the hype that’s been placed on it over the last few years. And now, I’m off to play some more. Full review coming soon!

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