Crisis Core for PSP Extends the Story of Final Fantasy VII

“Final Fantasy VII” was a hit in and of itself when it was released, but Square Enix did not stop there. On March 24, 2008, they released “Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII” for PSP to the U.S. market. This is a prequel to the hit game that takes place seven years prior to the beginning of “Final Fantasy VII.” With almost 2 million copies of the game sold worldwide, including well over a million in the United States, gamers welcomed the prequel immensely.

“Crisis Core” gives gamers control over Zack Fair, a 2nd Class SOLDIER that is only referenced in Final Fantasy VII through a flashback. He goes through the game with several other characters in and out of the story as the game progresses. Some of these include Angeal, a 1st Class SOLDIER and mentor to Zack, Aerith, whom becomes a love interest, and Cloud, who becomes a friend from the Shinra infantry. The story progresses for about 20 hours of gameplay, which is relatively short for a role-playing game. At certain save points, however, you have the option of doing side-missions that can add another sixty hours of gameplay for advanced players. The game includes great visuals and a terrific soundtrack, which has also been released as a two disc soundtrack to the game.

“Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VI” is a broad game with an entertaining story that sets up the story for “Final Fantasy VII.” With total sales reaching nearly 2 million as of September 2008, this is not a game to miss if you own a PSP and are a fan of RPGs. It was nominated in three best of 2008 categories by Gamespot and won the Best PSP Game of 2008.