Few role-playing games have left a bigger footprint on the industry than the influential, instrumental Final Fantasy VII. You can't toss a Buster sword into a crowd of gamers without hitting a few who'd call themselves true fans, and it's nearly impossible to find a player who isn't at least vaguely aware of the title despite the fact that it came out eleven years and two hardware generations ago. Without VII leading the charge, it's hard to imagine that RPGs would have taken off in the domestic market the way they did, and just about every spiky-haired amnesiac who's come down the pike since then owes at least a small debt to Cloud Strife and company. With this legacy in mind, it's not hard to see why Square would want to capitalize on the VII mindshare, but the fact is that none of their recent efforts to cash in on that landmark effort have done justice to, or truly enhanced the source material.
The latest attempt, Crisis Core is no different.
Putting aside all concerns of characterization and storytelling for the moment, as far as I'm concerned, Crisis Core is a complete failure in terms of mechanics and gameplay. There's no arguing that it's probably the most beautiful PSP game produced thus far, easily eclipsing the vast majority of PS2 games when it comes to visual sweetness, but once the sugar high wears off, it's hard to ignore the repetitive combat and absurd design choices that keep it from being anything but fanservice piffle.
Best described as a hybrid between real-time and turn-based combat systems, players control main character Zack Fair much like any other standard action game, the difference being that he auto-targets towards the closest enemy in the direction he's facing, and the type of action taken (attack, minor magic, healing, etc.) is selected by moving a cursor back and forth on a menu in the lower right-hand corner of the screen.
This setup seemed clever at first, perhaps a way to compensate for some of the PSP's physical drawbacks. However, the more I played, the less involved I felt—and the more toothless the combat became. Since clicking the Attack command makes Zack automatically move towards the target and execute the command, there's no need to master timing or worry much about positioning. Occasionally hitting the Dodge or Block button will help against tougher enemies, but this auto-combat setup means it's entirely possible to win most battles by spamming the attack button—looking at the screen is optional.
Taking even more out of players' hands, the designers have created a bizarre slot-machine called the Digital Mind Wave to handle leveling up, Summon spells and other magic that enhances Zack or his abilities. Instead of being able to cast the powerful, cinematic incantations that have been a Final Fantasy trademark at will, the game constantly spins three wheels. When the wheels match portraits of characters, the action stops and a spell occurs whether you want it or not. When the same wheels match numbers, it will randomly level-up the item you had equipped in a given spot, though you never know which one will get the boost.
I'd like to go on record now as saying that the DMW system is one of the worst ideas I've ever encountered—is Square-Enix under the impression that their audience is incapable of managing basic functions that have been central to their games and the genre for the last decade? By removing my ability to choose, not only was I left hanging when I needed some high-caliber backup during boss battles, the game kept "hitting the jackpot" and casting spells I didn't want when trying to get through generic enemies that my auto-fighting would easily destroy anyway. Being interrupted every three seconds with unnecessary spells and being forced-fed unskippable cutscenes is not my idea of entertaining gameplay—automatic assistance can be a great option when players need to manage multiple things at once, but when all I'm doing is hitting one button and yawning, I don't need the computer to usurp my decision-making.
(…And at this point, I'm sure some readers are outraged that I haven't yet mentioned the "added value" side missions that occur completely apart from the main narrative, existing only to "reward" the player with extra items and a longer completion time. Since the quality of Crisis Core's gameplay is terrible I don't see how giving more of it is a good thing, but there is a ton of monster-killing and repetitive side-questing here for those who want it. FYI.)
With the gameplay a flop, the only thing left to discuss is the plot. One of the key twists in Final Fantasy VII involved the hero's lost memories and his relationship to a character that was only seen in revelatory flashbacks. Zack was that character, and Crisis Core chronicles the events immediately preceding VII. The mileage gained from this supporting adventure will entirely depend on the amount of love the player has for VII. Personally, I haven't sat down with VII since the week it was released, I didn't think the original twist necessitating this game was well-done in the first place, and I can't say I've been waiting on pins and needles for this bit of backstory since then. Nail-biting drama you can't take your eyes away from, this isn't.
When I buy a PSP title, I want something interesting, original, and above all, something that's entertaining to play. Hardly the blockbuster system-seller it's made out to be, Crisis Core is a puffed-up minigame that could easily fit inside a larger RPG alongside snowboarding, a few gambling diversions and a Chocobo breeding quest. Without harboring a socially crippling VII obsession myself, I could only endure it for twenty or thirty minutes at a time before becoming painfully bored, and when I walked away from it, I immediately forgot what I had been doing. After several such sessions, I started to wonder why I was even bothering to come back to it—so I didn't.
If the words "the death of Aeris" don't bring a tear to your eye, then dropping $40 on Crisis Core certainly will. here's hoping the inevitable VII remake fares better than this game did.
Transformers fan. MOTU stan. Black Lives Matter, pro-LGBTQIA. Anti-fascist.
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Thank you for posting! I still get hate mail for this review after all this time, so getting a nice comment is like a treasure. ^_^
I was doing ffvii marathon since the end of 2015(yeah, i’m a bit late to play them but there was I playing). I started with the original FFVII on my psp. With the problems and the successes of the game i enjoyed the experience, so i was very motivated to play Crisis Core. But after 15 hours of gameplay I really coundn’t like it. I thought i was the only one in earth that didn’t find to like this. Thank heaven i found you, Brad and other players with nearly the same sights about CC. Maybe you won’t see this(cause… Read more »
Well I can’t say I don’t agree with alot of Brad’s review, but I do have to say that I truely enjoyed FF7CC. The CGI in the game is some of the best I’ve ever seen! The ingame grafics are outstanding! And I loved the music. But like Brad said, I thought the DMW system was strange. It took just to much control out of the players hands. But in the end, I just couldn’t help but love this game. It has a certain charm that just completly engulfs you. I would have to rate this game 8.5 out of… Read more »
I loved this game, I didn’t care for the ending but it was the best game ever at least to me next to Dragoneers Aria. I wish my PSP worked still. After I played the game I ended up dropping my PSP and it broke *Cries* but its a great game! Unless you have a stragtegy RPG playing two year old. I wouldn’t recommend it for them.
I bought the game for 10 bucks, and I don’t like it. The developers did not put much thought into the environments. For example, Sector 8 has areas that are blocked off by a red dotted line, and streets that have invisible walls. I contest that the graphics do not look that great, as Sector 8, like many of the environments up to that point, were cheaply made; look at the red velvet ropes in front of the huge loveless poster. There are also very few random characters walking around … Midgar should be busier, I think. Perhaps everyone was… Read more »
I hope Mr. Brad is still interested in reading comments about this title as more than 2 years have passed since the time he wrote the review. Now, first things first. a) I have seen FF 7 running on a PC but I haven’t played much of it. b) I like playing RPGs on my PC. c) I understand that FF and other Japanese RPGs have a typical gameplay that is different than say, gameplay found in Baldur’s Gate, Dragon Age, etc. So here it is. In simple, unbiased words. And from the perspective of a gamer, not a head… Read more »
I only got a PSP a little earlier this year (hand me down from my bro), and I’m unashamedly a huge fan of FF7, it was my first RPG & I’ve enjoyed few RPGs as much as it. So naturally I want to play the prequel. I was really looking forward to it, I was. But Brad’s review really sums it up. The side quest things are boring as hell and have nothing to do with the story – which itself is pretty lame. I’ve played at least half of the game & there’s been nothing that seems to have… Read more »
I’ve not been a big fan of the Final Fantasy series in general. From what I know most games pick up in plot and poignancy later and later in the series. It was with quite some hesitation I decided to pick up Crisis Core. I believe it to be a worthwhile purchase. I’ve been a fan of the shin megami tensei series as well as star ocean and this game fits in a lot with the latter. The “random” advancement from the DMW is not really all that random. It seems to just be a kind of crazy visual to… Read more »
im going to assume that this reviewer played the game on the easier mode, because just spamming the attack button on hard will get you killed by most of the generic encounters. I dont think the battle system is top notch, but it is a lot more in depth then this guy lets on. +materia fusion is pretty neat, im constantly leveling up my materia just to see what i can make next. I havent played the game on the normal mode but on the hard it is a pretty good challenge where you can easily die with just 3… Read more »
[quote=Anonymous]I honestly think that CC:FF VII is a great PSP game and that this review is crap. I could understand if you went through every aspect of the game and then gave a bad review but you didn’t even finish the damn thing. I know that the combat and DMW systems suck but those are not good reasons. And I read the review. The FMV’s were awesome and summon cutscenes were also pretty freaking awesome themselves. I ‘ve never played the original FFVII. But beat the damn game next time before you write a review. [/quote] Gameplay is the most… Read more »
Wow, the fanboy rage here is hilarious.
Crisis core was a bad game. The story was awful and conflicted with the true/original story. gameplay was redundant at best. oh boy im button mashing… ima chargin meh fireball. wait i dont need to ill just stab it… the ATB system would have been a refreshing blast of nastalgia aswell would have been a backstory that didnt have a goofy redhaired know-it-all through out the game… The fact you only play as zack was somewhat of a let down.. i expected an ATB system with party mode of course and fighting beside sephiroth and cloud(like the flashback from the… Read more »
well i beat the game and need cheats HELP!!!!!!!:)
Hi, I’m just inputting my opinion here. I completely agree with Brad’s review of DMW. It really is not worth putting in and I think it would have been better if they stuck with the original Turn-based system. In FFVII and FFX the battles with the monsters were also repetitive and boring so I don’t really think it’s fair for you to criticize FF7 CC for that aspect. The plot I found was really good but perhaps they didn’t explain it in the best way and it isn’t completely terrible. And the thing about the sidequests is (IMO) mainly for… Read more »
Looks to me that Square Enix is just milking the Final Fantasy 7 franchise even more. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the original Final Fantasy 7 game. Instead of making all these knock off Final Fantasy games, Square should just remake Final Fantasy 7 [Same exact game] with newer graphics for the Playstation 3 or Xbox 360.
The more comments i read from people who refute this review, the lower my opinion of them falls. Clearly, Crisis Core is the new Legend of Dragoon.
[quote=BradGallawayisashitdickcunt]What the fuck is wrong with you? I know theres been some bad reviews for this game and i was abit startled to see some sixes etc. but then i came across this swollen BS and my god… I couldn’t wait to see what Retarded Nerd would review such a great game with such a bad score… I read it and wondered What kind OF Xboxlivehalolovingmotherfucker claims to be a reviewer and reviews it so poorly? I looked at other reviews on the site and i just have to say, FUCK U!!![/quote]Damn dude, it’s not like he raped your mom… Read more »
What the fuck is wrong with you? I know theres been some bad reviews for this game and i was abit startled to see some sixes etc. but then i came across this swollen BS and my god… I couldn’t wait to see what Retarded Nerd would review such a great game with such a bad score… I read it and wondered What kind OF Xboxlivehalolovingmotherfucker claims to be a reviewer and reviews it so poorly? I looked at other reviews on the site and i just have to say, FUCK U!!!
I honestly think that CC:FF VII is a great PSP game and that this review is crap. I could understand if you went through every aspect of the game and then gave a bad review but you didn’t even finish the damn thing. I know that the combat and DMW systems suck but those are not good reasons. And I read the review. The FMV’s were awesome and summon cutscenes were also pretty freaking awesome themselves. I ‘ve never played the original FFVII. But beat the damn game next time before you write a review.
i totally agree with you on that, and i personally think that’s how all games should be reviewed xD if you don’t like rpg games, you dont freaking review an rpg game. its common sense. and if you have to review all sorts of games, you should be able to like all game types. i enjoyed crisis core, but you have to take it really fast, and pick up on the moving at the edges more as you make that learning curve–avoid the random battles! its sad that many don’t realize that aspect and it does ruin some part of… Read more »
I find this review and many of the comments made here comical on both sides. There seems to be an awful lot of assumptions going on. For one, I find it amusing that the reviewer is apparently not allowed to dislike the game. Just because the reviewer’s opinion differs from the majority, it doesn’t mean that he “needs to get real,” or that he is “blind.” He simply has different tastes. I also find it amusing that many of the people who hate the game use the argument that anyone who likes Crisis Core has to be a rabid Final… Read more »
To make it clear, I LOVE final fantasy to bits. I’ve played it from 6-10. But this Crisis Core is only good for one thing: showcasing the sweet, sweet romance between Zack and Aerith. Brad, you were 100% right on the money. The gameplay is so horribly uneven and dull that it detracts from the whole experience. I almost threw the PSP against the wall every single time a stupid grunt casts Death on me, and I died. Then I’ve got to restart the whole mission, mindlessly x-bashing from Point A to Point B. To get good stuff, you have… Read more »
Getting sort of tired responding to this thread, so this’ll probably be the last one. [quote=Biscuit]This was a pretty poor review, Brad. I seriously hope you’re unpaid or at least part-time as you appear to be highly unprofesional. If you’re going to review a game poorly, that’s fine, but surely you need to have experienced a substantial proportion of the game (basically completing the game) before doing so.[/quote] Poor review? it’s a poor game… but hey, if you disagree with my write-up, that’s cool with me. that said, IMO it’s not necessary to finish a game if it’s so poor… Read more »
This was a pretty poor review, Brad. I seriously hope you’re unpaid or at least part-time as you appear to be highly unprofesional. If you’re going to review a game poorly, that’s fine, but surely you need to have experienced a substantial proportion of the game (basically completing the game) before doing so. I can understand your negative comments but when you say that the combat is overly simplistic and easy (hammering attack) you obviously didn’t play very long. Combat on the normal difficulty, especially at the start can be as simplistic as you mentioned. However, there is also a… Read more »
Everyone needs to step back and chill out. This is an opinion on the game from one perspective. Aren’t people allowed to formulate their own opinions without being attacked over them?
I just started to play CC and I am enjoying it quite a bit. I agree with Brad on his take on the combat system, although you can put more strategy into it if you wanted to. But for the most part, he is right, it is not necessary and you can just spam attack. I don’t mind this and am enjoying the game anyway.
Opinions? ofcourse everyones entitled to an opinion. even those who are attacking brads review. Its their opinion on his review 😛
You hate this game more than any other reviewer on the planet, congratulations. Snide remarks about FFVII nerds might make a reviewer for an obscure gaming website such as yourself feel cool, but they just show you went in with preconceived notions about this game. You won’t find other reviews claiming the gameplay is terrible, every other review thinks the Action RPG elements that are the core of the game are at worst decent, and many recognize the depth & variety the comes from using the excellent Materia Fusion system. Your review can be safely consigned to the internet’s trash… Read more »
>I’d very much like the author of this article to justify how he >can give a score of 3.5 to a game whose majority of reviews are >AAA, as in, 90% or more. Justfiy it? Did you even read the review? My justification is right there, in print. What sense does it make to give a game the exact same score other reviewers did if I hated the game? just because a bunch of yeasayers gave it a green light, why should I? If you disagree with the review, that’s cool… but saying the game deserves a better score *just… Read more »
I’d very much like the author of this article to justify how he can give a score of 3.5 to a game whose majority of reviews are AAA, as in, 90% or more. Even Gamespot, the biggest review site, gave it a 9.0 out of 10, and PSX Extreme gave it a 98%. Gamepro: 95%. Worth Playing: 93%. Play Magazine: 90%. The list goes on. I mean, I can understand that opinions can vary, but this is supposed to be a professional review. And when it deviates THIS much from everyone else’s opinion, it’s time to scrap the review and… Read more »
When I told you to mind your own business I was actually quoting the game and you know it… Every time I get the Genesis DMW I immediately put the PSP on mute, because having to hear that line one more time will really make me wanna kill myself.
Tekken you say? I’ll make you wish you weren’t alive with that Chinese schoolgirl, be-atch!!!
your an idiot…. dont tell ppl what to like. ppl dont judge you coz you dont eat spinach do they? and i dont care if you actually do eat spinach.your an idiot… lol anyone giving it more than 7 is this n dat… stfu. and also in an argument or discussion you have to give reason to your reply. give the REASON why you think ppl givin it more than 7 dont kno what they’re tlkn bout. plus thats YOUR oppinion, YOURS… Get it in to your little tiny microscopic head that not everyone is….you.And to diss them just because… Read more »
Yeah this is the angry anonymous ranter from August 6. August 16, if you think this game deserves anything higher than a 7, I have one thing to say to you. As Zack would say to Genesis(when he is being helped no less)….. Mind your own business?!?
Have a look on metacritics.com… They take the average rating of 15+ sites on crisis core. And the average is 83%. On there list this review is an outlier and in statistics an outlier which occurs naturally must have a cause. Here the reason is that the average score is not a representative of the whole gaming comunity. i.e. there is a side of the game brad (and some others) personally dont like. Dont mistake this game as an action fighting game. Its an actionized final fantasy game. I guess ff has earned their own genre name. Since many ppl… Read more »
It seems to me that the critic is not fond of these types of games. This is a good game nowhere near a 35 percentile. I can bet my life on it. I can guess anyone responding to this would say “well then your as good as dead”, so save it. I wouldnt want the view of a hard core flight sim fan on crisis core, simply because it would give a biased result. That said i would also not want the view of a hard core final fantasy fan, since that would also be a biased review. If you… Read more »
PS To the Anonymous guy who wrote before me saying that “I don’t think anyone should rate a game without having finished it” is saying something like “I don’t think anyone should talk about drugs without having tried it” or “I don’t think any man should talk about what women need without having been in a woman’s position sexually”… If you don’t like something, you don’t like it. If you force yourself to like it, like say, sitting through a movie you don’t like, or, playing a game that you actually don’t like, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have an… Read more »
First of all I’m jealous of Brad Gallaway. The man gets paid for arguing with FF fanboys. If that isn’t a dream job for a cynical gamer, I don’t know what is. Second of all, this game does indeed deserve a maximum of 7 out of 10. The graphics are good but they are unnecessary. Did anyone ever see the cutscenes? Why do they have to be so long? Back in the olden days games featured simple dialouge and simple expressions from the 16 bit characters faces that made you use your imagination. That was more fun, like reading a… Read more »
Being a huge fan of the Amazing Final Fantasy VII, I have to say i personally enjoyed this game. The graphics are the best i have seen on the PSP console and the story answers alot of questions created by FFVII. I enjoyed the new combat mode and found it a very gripping, being able to move around the boss and being able to Dodge attacks was great fun. I think this review has badmouthed this game way more then it deserves. The missions should have been mentioned. I think this Review is way over the top, you should play… Read more »
I dont feel that anyone can ever give a full review of a game that they havent finished. If you dont like the gameplay thats fine, state that you dont like the mechanics of the game. However being an UNBIASED reviewer would mean reviewing all aspects of a game and not saying giving up on it after 30 minute intervals. To all of the interested people, the game starts off slow storywise but thats nothing new. The story is great, and graphically its the best thing on the psp so far. Compared to almost all other PSP games out there… Read more »
i think the fact that i found it *SO BORING* that i couldn’t stand playing it until the end sort of says something, but hey… YMMV. ; )
I really can’t see how you didn’t like. Maybe it was a bit boring at the start but so are a lot of games. If you didn’t completed the story then you can’t give it a proper review. The character were perfect, the twisted and twisted until you didn’t know who to like and who to hate and then the final scences of the game tie into togther into a really great game. Crisis core was the reason i brought a psp, i haven’t even played alot of final fantasy games, but i thought it looked good and i was… Read more »
thanks for your comments. just to clarify, i am a fan of FF7, but i think there’s a difference between being a fan and being a superfan, or even being a superfan and an extreme mad otaku fan. i totally don’t mean any disrespect to anybody here at all, but a person’s got to be pretty far into the more hardcore side of FF7 fandom to get much out of Crisis Core, IMO. There’s really nothing wrong with that, but the game would have fared much better if it had spent more time on being a better *game* overall, and… Read more »
First off let me start by saying I agree with some of what you say, the DMW I hate that thing. FF7: CC is in all fairness a prequel to FF7, if you did not like FF7 then chances are you will be biased and not like this game. Crisis Core was made for fans of FF7 to deepen the relationship with the characters and forge a better understanding of the story. I myself enjoyed the game for the nostalgic memories it brought to me and the plot, which at times was confusing but is expected when translating from one… Read more »
I pretty much already know everything that you just said. Thank you though. What I really want to know are the events that happened when Cloud took the “Buster Sword” and before he jumped off the train in Final Fantasy VII. I can probably just leave it to my imagination. Although there was probably not much into that gap but I still would like to see it made even if it’s just on a comic book or something. I don’t think he just took off with the sword and met Tifa and Barrett just like that. Thanks for the reply,… Read more »
Well cloud met barret because he was a mercenary and did jobs with barret, really no significant meeting. And as to Tifa 🙂 Cloud met her back when he was a child in the small town of Nibelhiem. It was a small town so everyone knew each other; and cloud was sort of the odd one out in that town. So Tifa sort of stood off to the side and spectacted on cloud’s doings in this town. And Tifa was the bar owner of the 7th heaven where Barret’s base was located in the basement. And Cloud became a mercernary… Read more »
Everyone has their own opinion. I respect your opinion about this game. I am a hardcore fan of FFVII. I’ve never even had a psp before this game came out. I already knew what was going to happen but not in details. I pretty much mastered the original game. It also made me remember about some things that happened in FFVII, like when Aeris mentioned that her boyfriend is in SOLDIER and she recognized that Cloud is in SOLDIER because of his Mako infused eyes. I do agree somehow about your opinion on the side missions. Most of them are… Read more »
[quote=Anonymous]
“THIS QUOTE IS FOR THE ANONYMOUS ON MAY 17, 2008 – 11:49AM.”
If it’s wasting ur time then why stop to write a comment?
Ur one of those f.bags who’d fall in love with a pile of dog sh. if only it’d say ‘final fantasy’ on it.
Brad gave a great review from a gaming and entertainment perspective. Not from the perspective of the likes of you, u zombie sh.[/quote]
“THIS QUOTE IS FOR THE ANONYMOUS ON MAY 17, 2008 – 11:49AM.”
If it’s wasting ur time then why stop to write a comment?
Ur one of those f.bags who’d fall in love with a pile of dog sh. if only it’d say ‘final fantasy’ on it.
Brad gave a great review from a gaming and entertainment perspective. Not from the perspective of the likes of you, u zombie sh.
Your review about ffviicc sucks, you call yourself a game reviewer. You single handledly made yourself the worst ever. The game is brilliant, are you blind or somethin becuase I’ll tell you, you suck cock
I think you got it all wrong, FFVIICC is the best PSP game ever. The graphics are amzing, the third person combat is brilliant and the materia fusion is a new way to create magic systems. You need to wake up and smell the coffee because this is the greatest game outside of Final Fantasy VII. You need to get real, see a game for what it is
I am a huge FF7 fan but that aside i agree that the fighting system in CC is fairly boring and repetitive and i personally hated the side missions. But i would still give the game an 8 or 9 because RPG’s are not built on there combat but on there story and story telling. the cinematics in game and the overall presentation of the game is incredible the story is presented in a way that rivals the original. that presentaion is why we play RPG’s not there combat systems if you want a fun game for gameplay pick up… Read more »