If you enjoy JRPG or are a fan of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core is a must have.
That is how long it took me to finish up Crisis Core main story, not the complete game modes available. More on that later however.
Crisis Core is a set few years before the events of what most fans consider, (myself included), the greatest Final Fantasy ever released and one of the best JRPG games in history of video gaming. That sounds quite shocking to try and fill in such big shoes, but to an certain extent Crisis Core lives up to it's legend origin. The moment you start to play, you will hear familiar and more instrumentally enchanted music score which in my honest opinion is even better then original. There were moments in the game where I would just put the game down for fifteen minutes and enjoy the glorious music.
Or maybe I just felt a bit nostalgic.
The first thing that I really found beautiful is the Main Menu screen. It has a amazing fantasy-futuristic feel to it accompanied with all the sounds of FFVII in it as well as calm and never annoying background vocal which is pleasant on the ears. As it should be, you will be spending lots of time in your menu screen. From equipping countless options of accessories and materia. You can only equip a handful, so choices will matter quite a bit. Proper equipment strategy will save you from unnecessary deaths.
Friendly note, if you're going to play the game on Hard Mode - except to die a lot unless you're quick on dodge.
Crisis Core looks absolutely fabulous. Anything from game characters that you will interact, to Midgars exploration areas, to Shinra main headquarters and its outskirts. You're free to roam around and as the story progress you will meet quite a few forever loved and remembered FFVII folks, Aerith, Cloud, Tifa, Sephiroth are all present.
While you will work with them in few instances, some more then others you have to remember this is set few years before the events of Final Fantasy VII. Cloud is a mere grunt solder, Aerith is taking care of her garden and she never meets Cloud, Sephiroth is an elite 1 class best solder who has a good side to him before he uncovers his past.
It's a different settings as you explore the Midgar as Zack. He is no Cloud of course, but he does have great personality and his growth is seen from a boyish attitude to a grown man as story moves on. There is a history to Buster Sword and Crisis Core shows its legacy.
Zack is a lovable character, full of energy and emotion. Anyone who played FFVII should know the outcome of Crisis Core. It's never easy to accept it, but if the only reason you wish to play Crisis Core is the fifteen minutes ending - then it's all worth.
The gameplay in Crisis Core is very different from turn-based outcome in Final Fantasy VII. Triangle is your block that consumes AP, Dodge is bind to Square - which i suggest you get really got at timing if you're playing the game on Hard mode, X is your attack button as well as confirmation setting. Right and Left shoulder buttons goes through your current equipped action bar that contains all the items, spells and abilities.
Controls work great as you run around in real time attacking, casting and so forth. The mechanics work great, especially one of the most innovative and addictive gameplay concept - D.M.W. system.
D.M.W. or Digital Mind Wave is basically a never stop, never ending spinning roulette (As long as you have SP). SP - Solider Points, are what makes the wheel spin, you gather them by defeating foes or even disenchanting materia that you don't need.
During my gameplay I never ever run out of SP point, there are plenty. SP points are also used to fuse materia into creating new ones. The greater the materia effect - the more SP point it will cost to fuse it. The concept works brilliantly as does D.M.W.
The roulette takes some time to get use to. Once you do, it's great. The DMW system takes care of few things. You gain level when you get three same pair of numbers, 777 for example. Roulette has characters icons spinning as well as numbers. As you progress into the game, more will be added to your DMW thus giving you more abilities gained.
Recent players and the game developers have confirmed that leveling system has a background experience. Which means it calculates when you will level - so it's not based on luck factor. However, summoning and abilities are completely random. This could be a good or bad thing since you have no control of it. But I have to admit - it feels great when Odin strikes down a little turtle with such fearsome power. Always makes me smile.
The battle system takes time getting use to, but trust me - it's brilliantly design and I take my hat off to Square for such excellent gameplay mechanic. I'm a very loyal turn-based fan, I prefer my JRPGs the same way, but after a little time spent with D.M.W. - I still can't put the game down. The anticipation of next level and unknown summon is always a trill, it also becomes addictive, which is a good thing.
The main story line is about 15-20 hours long and to make your money worth even more Crisis Core has over 300+ Missions to complete. Missions are side quests that grant lots and lots of great rewards. I would encourage everyone during their play time to jump into few missions during the main story as rewards are trully good. From rare extra summon, to additional extra slot for your materia and equipment to plenty of Mako energy crystals that you can fuse later on in the game with materia as well for some truly powerfully results.
There is a lot of Role-Play to be done here. After my 42 hours of gameplay I have done dozens and dozen of missions and my progression bar is at 34% complete only..
There is quite a few more words to say, but I believe the full scope of the game should be experienced by players who enjoy JRPG in general and if you're a Final Fantasy VII fan (who isn't), all your pleasures had doubled, or tripled in my case.
Final Fantasy Crisis Core is an excellent JRPG for any RPG fan and a must have for any PSP owner.