The critics agree: FFVII: Crisis Core is incredible

by Andrew Yoon { May 12th 2007 at 10:00PM }

For most of us, we're stuck simply looking at pictures and videos of Crisis Core, dreaming of how it plays. However, those lucky enough to be in attendance at the Square Enix party in Japan have had the chance to play the game ... and it's good. Let's here a few excerpts from the critics:

IGN can't help but gush at the graphics: "This is the watershed game that genuinely demonstrates just how powerful the PSP is."

1UP seems to love the new real-time battle system: "Combat looks to ultimately be Crisis Core's defining element ... Battles erupt frequently while players are running around the environments, but simple controls make these melees fast and enjoyable. Zack even auto-targets and runs up to his nearest foe, meaning that you can quickly dispatch weaker enemies with little effort."

Finally, Games Radar seems to love the story and how it really does expand greatly upon the original Final Fantasy VII: "We're very impressed with just how good it looks and how well it plays - and we're really excited to dive into a story that seems to have much, much more to do with the core story of FFVII than any of the other spinoffs."

With such glowing praise, the wait for Crisis Core has become physically painful. Who's going to join us in importing the game when it comes out this September?

Tags: crisis core, CrisisCore, ff7, ffvii, final fantasy, final fantasy 7, final fantasy vii, FinalFantasy, FinalFantasy7, FinalFantasyVii, square enix, SquareEnix

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

txa1265 @ May 12th 2007 10:17PM

I'm sure the demo is wonderful, but those are previews and almost always gushing - even for crap games!

One of them says some things about the combat system that make no sense whatsoever - and certainly wouldn't be said in a real review.

Sure we want this to be great, but it is going to be hard to live up to the hype ...

Hashbrown_Hunter @ May 12th 2007 10:17PM

I really hope they include English text/subtitles in the import version. Then I will for sure import it. But when the storyline is so centered upon in a game, the text support is very important. I'm guessing it won't so I will pick it up if it's released this holiday...I can wait...kind of...maybe...my god just shoot me now.

knothead666x @ May 12th 2007 10:23PM

i want this game so badly hopefully it will come out in us this year to.

vR @ May 12th 2007 10:46PM

To me, these screenshots have looked much better than God of War. These initial reports are very enouraging.

PSP996 @ May 13th 2007 1:59AM

Looking forward to a North America release.

cafecito @ May 13th 2007 3:24AM

Too much teasing!!! Still a long way till september... and even longer for a US release!!!

Kade Storm @ May 13th 2007 4:07AM

Even if the final product turns out as great as the preview and shots, which I'm sure it will, I'm just not going to import. Y'know, FF VII has such a plot that I wouldn't wanna' go for import and spoil the fun of experiencing the plot and visuals at the same time with an actual US and/or EU release. I will certainly import the US release if it comes significantly earlier than the EU version.

Alien @ May 13th 2007 7:46AM

Wow , Im glad that it got good previews , and knowing SE and this games production time ... it will deliver :D

kingofwale @ May 13th 2007 11:08AM

>alongside a limited edition PSP bundle commemorating the 10th anniversary of FFVII.

DAMN, now I want that. :(, It's going to a pretty sick limited edition. How many PSP that thing will sell by itself? 100K? 200K? (remember blue Dragon sold 300K xbox360 all by itself)

pixelator @ May 13th 2007 9:39PM

"but those are previews and almost always gushing - even for crap games!"

I've never heard a game called a PSP 'watershed' on so many levels (gameplay AND graphics). This is Squeenix here, not some EA port.

"Sure we want this to be great, but it is going to be hard to live up to the hype."

Again, consider the source - not too many games unanimously pronounced awesome like this fall so flat as you're implying. Even FFIII, my least-liked overhyped DS game, has solid (if tedious) gameplay/characters and has been a staple RPG on that system (if you can get past that horrid 3D).

Damn TXA, sometimes you really sound like a Nintendo shill.

txa1265 @ May 14th 2007 8:00AM

Re: "Damn TXA, sometimes you really sound like a Nintendo shill."

Re-read what I said as if I was a skeptical and curmudgeony middle-aged gamer/writer who had been down this road one too many times to just automatically drink the kool-aid.

As a non-console gamer I have only recently come to the Final Fantasy world through the GBA & DS versions. I have never played anything beyond FF VI, therefore have no frothing attachment to the series or the vaunted VII. However, my experience with Square Enix has been uniformly positive - I have found their games to be solid and well-executed.

So when you say 'consider the source', I definitely do appreciate that one. The likelihood on Square producing something terrible is next to nil.

But are we looking at a solid and very, very pretty game that will leave us feeling something was missing after playing for a while, or is this the truly 'next level great' game we've all been waiting for. I mean, this pretty much *has to* be the best PSP RPG, but that is a rather low threshold.

Here are the things I have read:
- Absolutely gorgeous, one of the best looking games (if not the best) for the PSP.
- Still looked at as *the* upcoming game for the PSP, but there are more concerns raised in these previews than any previous ones I've read.
- FFVII fans get lots of questions answered. Unclear what it will be for non-FFVII fans like me, since the previews talk about 'convoluted storytelling'
- Like cutscenes? You better, because it appears that there are countless cutscenes both in-game and CGI, including ones for special moves in battles.
- Combat system raises different concerns for each preview, none of them actually says that they really like it - and certainly none say that it is an improvement over the turn based system.

That to me is the biggest concern. jRPG's are traditionally linear and story-driven, which is fine. But the strong turn-based combat systems which require more thought than just button-mashing have been a real draw. Look at the PS2 'Dirge of Cerebrus'. Opinion wasn't great at release, but has grown more negative with time. Combat is a major part of that.

Those concerns are what I'm expressing - I've written enough previews to know what is expected and allowed. Anything resembling negativity is generally an indication of something worse. There are some concerns here, and the combat that is such a large part of the game could be its' downfall. I really hope not - this is a game that I have been waiting for since I bought my PSP the day it launched.

But neither am I willing to bypass what might be reasonable concerns. Of course, it could be that the extent mentioned in the previews (i.e. niggling concerns) is the full extent. Let's hope that is true.

A final thing - calling me a 'Nintendo Shill'? If I had either been selling something or even mentioned Nintendo, that would make sense.

pixelator @ May 14th 2007 12:40PM

TXA, in this case, it just sounds like you're determined to find something wrong in the mix. I haven't seen any of the previews you cite as voicing 'more concerns than any previous ones' or that all the previews express concern about the fight system.

People whined about FFIII's return to the random encounter, but this game seems to help that along with simplicity and speed.

FFIII's visuals were basically suck. I know that pisses off some of the DS and FF faithful, but it's true. They should've stuck with 2D on that system. PSP's visuals are going to be its strong suit, if nothing else (and we both know it won't be nothing else).

I'm a curmudgeonly middle-aged game writer and former developer... And I just don't see why anyone would be critical of this game.

YES, there's lots of games (on both DS *and* PSP) that I started playing and lost interest in... On the RPG-ish side, I'd lump every single PSP title of the genre in there (and FFIII on DS).

About the shill comment - I was half-joking. Imagine a fellow curmudgeon standing beside you looking at the same demo screen and saying 'Stop being a dirty Nintendo shill, TXA!'

txa1265 @ May 14th 2007 1:16PM

It's funny ... I was pretty forgiving of the FF III visuals ... it was how slow the lead-in and resolution of battles were, and the lousy use of dual screens that bugged me most. Visually I don't disagree with you - FF VI Advance was much more impressive!

I want this game to rock ... but the real-time battle system seems to be something Square hasn't really hit solidly yet from what I've read, especially with the recent 'Dirge of Cerebrus'. Regarding that, the previews noted the action-mechanic of the combat without much concern then eviscerated it in reviews. I know this is a different combat system, and I am hoping this means it will be a finely tuned system. I really think they want this one to be a killer game. I hope it is.