Fantasy Flashback

In Square Enix’s attempt to further bank off the brilliance that was “Final Fantasy VII” for the PSOne, “Crisis Core” has come out and is sure to be an instant-seller for any PSP owner that played through the original masterpiece.

Overall rewarding to fans, the cutscenes are brilliant and the story is well-written and does the source material justice. The problem is, the gameplay doesn’t reflect “FFVII” much at all. Crisis Core uses the chaotic run-and-slash action RPG system of the “Kingdom Hearts” games with the places and people of “FFVII.”

In addition to the main game, “Crisis Core” includes side missions, which provide short bursts of combat in previously-explored locations to enhance your materia collection. If you’re looking for more of the story of Midgar and the Shinra corporation, you’re in luck. If you want a game like “FFVII,” keep looking.