Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII

 PSP
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 884 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 672 out of 884
  2. Mixed: 81 out of 884
  3. Negative: 131 out of 884
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  1. ChrisG.
    Apr 18, 2008
    7
    Fantastic story, weak gameplay... that about sums up Crisis Core. If you are of fan of FFVII do yourself a favor and play this and I can promise you will enjoy the story; it is just too bad you have to play some incredibly repetitive game play to do so. If I had the option to only watch the story I would have done so and saved myself a lot of time.
  2. CrowbarSka
    Apr 23, 2008
    5
    I was really looking forward to this game, but it ended up being a pretty big let-down. The combat is repetitive and uninspiring. Dungeons are literally a linear path with hardly anything to do in them. I would have preferred pre-rendered scenes like in FF7 if it meant we could have some more interesting environments. I am, however, impressed with the attention to detail regarding the I was really looking forward to this game, but it ended up being a pretty big let-down. The combat is repetitive and uninspiring. Dungeons are literally a linear path with hardly anything to do in them. I would have preferred pre-rendered scenes like in FF7 if it meant we could have some more interesting environments. I am, however, impressed with the attention to detail regarding the source material. Anyone who played FF7 a lot will recognise many little references, both subtle and obvious. The story is pretty good, but I no longer think Zack is as "cool" as FF7 suggested, just a typical cocky, naive, adolescent JRPG hero.… Expand
  3. PhaetonH.
    Sep 13, 2007
    7
    The game just doesn't cut it. In game videos are great, the story is ok, but the game system isn't all that great. You might have been expecting something more from this game that it actually got to be. Just being a fan of the original i put up 7. Been on it for three days now.
  4. AKthaBeast
    Sep 2, 2018
    7
    I thought this game was low-key mediocre however the story is what compelled me to play this game.
  5. aaronnmp96
    Jan 30, 2023
    7
    The story is 10/10, but the Gameplay and the skill roulette lose the desire to play a lot
  6. HankyP.
    Apr 10, 2008
    6
    Um, it ain't all that. I can't believe people are nuts over this! The summons' cut scenes are gorgeous, but once I've seen the cinematic once or twice I don't need to see it again. Other than that, it's a solid story-focused game...nothing fabulous. The characters are vapid and the plot is predictable. It is...deal with it. The combat is pretty atrocious -- Um, it ain't all that. I can't believe people are nuts over this! The summons' cut scenes are gorgeous, but once I've seen the cinematic once or twice I don't need to see it again. Other than that, it's a solid story-focused game...nothing fabulous. The characters are vapid and the plot is predictable. It is...deal with it. The combat is pretty atrocious -- it's button-mashing, and not even fun button-mashing. Changing targets in real time is nearly impossible and sorting through the battle menu is a pain. It's not innovative, it's bad. The character models are terrible. I mean, in 1997 MAYBE, but today?! Gimme a break!… Expand
  7. DaGleese
    Nov 9, 2011
    5
    a bland spinoff of an epic experience.

    the game boasts greatness, but the gameplay itself is it's downfall

    if you are expecting the epic plot, and emotional hurdles that the original final fantasy 7 threw at you, you are goign to be soorly dissapointed
  8. Caestus
    Mar 5, 2013
    7
    Graphics and cutscenes are good. The combat system is not that great, i didnt like the whole thing with the slot machine and playing only one character. The KH animations are bad, zack jumps in with his sword like a idiot. Soundtrack had a couple of good tracks and the ending was good.They add nedless things to the FF VII, which kinda destroys the plot of FF VII. Still its one of theGraphics and cutscenes are good. The combat system is not that great, i didnt like the whole thing with the slot machine and playing only one character. The KH animations are bad, zack jumps in with his sword like a idiot. Soundtrack had a couple of good tracks and the ending was good.They add nedless things to the FF VII, which kinda destroys the plot of FF VII. Still its one of the better games on the psp.… Expand
  9. AlienSpaceBats
    Jan 10, 2014
    6
    Like other titles in the Final Fantasy VII 'series', Crisis Core is at its best when recalling the original game, tons of fan-service; familiar characters, music and locations are all great to see, but gameplay is a letdown. Combat is in real-time, hack & slash button-mash, an annoying Phase Modulation (limit breaks?) mechanic constantly pulls control from the player constantly and atLike other titles in the Final Fantasy VII 'series', Crisis Core is at its best when recalling the original game, tons of fan-service; familiar characters, music and locations are all great to see, but gameplay is a letdown. Combat is in real-time, hack & slash button-mash, an annoying Phase Modulation (limit breaks?) mechanic constantly pulls control from the player constantly and at inopportune moments and the endgame (final chapters) are tedious and drawn-out.… Expand
  10. AbelM.
    Aug 7, 2008
    5
    Yes the graphics are the best and I like the storyline but the thing that disappointed me was the combat. I easily won many fights by pressing one button, and the DMW is an uncontrollable source of attacks and power ups. Which makes winning sometimes by luck. And when was the last time someone said, "Wow! Look at those graphics, I'm having so much fun!" Unless you're a FF fan Yes the graphics are the best and I like the storyline but the thing that disappointed me was the combat. I easily won many fights by pressing one button, and the DMW is an uncontrollable source of attacks and power ups. Which makes winning sometimes by luck. And when was the last time someone said, "Wow! Look at those graphics, I'm having so much fun!" Unless you're a FF fan then don't buy this.… Expand
  11. CarlosCalderóndeGracia
    Apr 27, 2008
    5
    The graphics, and design are very good, but for me the music is horrible especially in some battles, as if you were battling in a disco. But the worst of all is the battling system and DMW. The DMW is something beyond your control that simply happens as you battle. This makes battling very boring.
  12. GunhaverP.
    Apr 18, 2008
    7
    I actually haven't finished the game 100% b/c I'm still at the last boss (There are a couple of big boss fights at the end of the game). I died a few times and I just haven't forced myself to just finish the dudes off. There are also some side missions that I haven't yet completed, but I have done A LOT of them. There are hundreds in there. So I would say I have I actually haven't finished the game 100% b/c I'm still at the last boss (There are a couple of big boss fights at the end of the game). I died a few times and I just haven't forced myself to just finish the dudes off. There are also some side missions that I haven't yet completed, but I have done A LOT of them. There are hundreds in there. So I would say I have experienced roughly 90% of the game at this point. So I guess the fact that I am going to have to "force" myself to finish the game might tell you a little bit about how I feel about it. Although it is a bit normal to get some gaming fatigue when battling your way through an RPG or even a repetitive action RPG. That said, I must say that Crisis is a GOOD game. By most people's standards, this is an entertaining experience that is beautifully rendered on a handheld machine with slick presentation. It has a lot of fan service thrown in and it definitely retains the feel and atmosphere of the Original FFVII. It will definately delight fans of the original by bringing them back to those old locales. There are even clever little allusions to people or places in the original game that would only be recognized by the hard core FFVII fans out there. But I do have mixed feelings about Crisis b/c I think its a good game but not a great game. There are some little nagging things here and there that ultimately keep this game from realizing its full potential. It makes me kinda sad b/c a few small changes could have made this game exponentially greater. Most of the problems come from the gameplay, actual battles that you will encounter hundreds or even thousands of times (depending on if you want to collect every minor item). I'll start off with the DMW that I mentioned before. They missed a great opportunity for deepening the interaction with the battle system. Instead of being involved with the "slot machine" the game randomly (and sometimes not so randomly) plays out everything for you. Towards the end of the game you will end up just sitting back and waiting for the end result to show up on the screen. It really removes you from the battling experience. It seems glaringly obvious to me that turning the slot machine into a type of minigame within the game would have been natural (Look at the wii everybody loves minigames!! j/k) If it were me I would have made it just like a regular slot machine where you stop each slot by hitting the x button and try to line up three in a row. With a symbol representing your summon, limit break, healing, status effects and so forth. That way you could try to get things that are actually appropriate to what is going on in the battle, and you would be rewarded for playing the slot well. If you were fighting a big boss maybe you would want to line up the summon symbols or the "null magic effects" to help yourself out in a specific situation. But instead of this you will randomly line up Sweet Christmas you don't even need. I can't tell you how many times I lined up Aeris' healing limit break when I had full health. Or like when I trigger the Turk's "Air Support" when I'm inside a freaking building. That doesn't even make sense! The slot machine may have been hard to line up b/c the slots do move pretty fast. But then maybe they could have given you a special hidden materia or peice of equipment (ie Slot machine "badge") later on that would give you the ability to temporarily slow down the slots so that it would be easier to line up the stuff you wanted. Perhaps at the expense of magic points or action points. And speaking of Action points (AP), what is the point?? Why do we need action points for things like attack and defend. I never once thought about my AP. You wanna know why? Because I NEVER RAN OUT, not even once. They are trying to put a limit on something you will never run out of. So what's the point. Who cares? That really didn't hurt anything, just pointless. Now lets move on to the actual fighting in battles. It seems like there are a lot of things you can do. You have three action buttons available to you. You can attack (w/ your sword or switch it to a magic attack, I mostly stuck with the sword), block, or do a roll to dodge. I found that I almost never used block. First off, Zach is too slow to respond to my pushing the block button. It's like a delayed reaction. I would see some security officers raise their guns and I push the block button only to receive a face full of bullets (it's okay, this is FFVII you will just say ouch and keep on going). But even if you do manage to get your timing right and block an attack you still receive damage (a smaller amt than you would have received if you got hit directly of course). Dodging is easier and results in you not taking any damage. So as far as I was concerned, I only used two actions. Attack and dodge. Let me reveal to you my secret strategy to fighting enemies. This was done to just about every enemy. Run at them, attack attack, roll away and wait for them to do their attack animation, run at them, attack attack, and roll away. Repeat as neccessary until A. Enemy dies, or B. You get bored of doing the same thing over and over again. There you have it, the fighting was the most dissapointed thing to me personally.I was really craving a more in depth battle experience. I guess it was asking to much to have a ninja gaiden type of depth but that's kinda what I wanted. I was hoping to have to develop specific strategies for each new type of enemy I encountered and have them respond to my moves intelligently. No such luck. You don't even have an inherent ability to jump. There is some jump attack materia later in the game but whatever. At least some variety would have been nice. I did more attack n' roll than anything else. It would have been nice to be able to attack an enemy that had the ability to block my attacks. Or maybe a way to push another button while blocking to perform a gasp... powerful "counter attack." I mean the "counter" materia was one of my favorites from the original game (edit: there may be a "counter" materia in this game but i never found one. But that's not to say there isn't one in there) Jumping would have been another way to avoid certain kinds of attacks. Then you could have enemies that required jumping, blocking, dodging, and VARIETY. Possible Conclusion?: Maybe Square should have put a little less effort in making sure every hair on Zack and Cloud's head was perfectly spiked and feathered and more effort into perfecting their gameplay/battle system. Think of it this way, you'll only spend about 30 minutes of watching cutscenes throughout the entire game. But you will spend around 15 hrs. playing the game and battling. I think their priorities were a little off. Make your games as fun to PLAY as they are to WATCH please.… Expand
  13. MyNameIsNobody
    Aug 30, 2010
    5
    While Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII must be praised for its incredible visuals, fun soundtrack, and generous fanservice for those who enjoyed Final Fantasy VII, it doesn't work very well as a game. Simple and mindless action/RPG battles while trekking through uninspired environments makes up the majority of the experience. Weak, underdeveloped characters, awful dialogue, and a boringWhile Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII must be praised for its incredible visuals, fun soundtrack, and generous fanservice for those who enjoyed Final Fantasy VII, it doesn't work very well as a game. Simple and mindless action/RPG battles while trekking through uninspired environments makes up the majority of the experience. Weak, underdeveloped characters, awful dialogue, and a boring story all seem like an afterthought to a game that is never completely realized.

    While there are several moments that will give a Final Fantasy VII fan pangs of nostalgia, it would be hard to recommend the game to even them.    … Expand
  14. Bob_H
    Aug 20, 2010
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The in-game graphics are outstanding and the cinematics are impressive. However, there are some translation quirks and lame afterthought tie-ins to FF7 (i.e. Zack gives Aerith her signature pink ribbon). Some strange design choices prevent this from being a great game. While FF7 was slow, methodical, and strategical, Crisis Core places an emphasis on quick reflexes and luck (a slot machine dictates the flow of battle!). Fans of FF7 should consider picking this game up on nostalgia factor alone, but this spin-off definitely pales in comparison to it's source material.… Expand
  15. Todayshero
    Apr 9, 2012
    6
    I really enjoyed this game and was very excited to see this storyline as final fantasy VII is by far my favorite Final Fantasy game. Unfortunately since all their cut-scenes must have cost them more than making the game did you can't skip any of them, which is extremely annoying, especially when your game is saved right before one in a tough spot where you can't save after until you win.I really enjoyed this game and was very excited to see this storyline as final fantasy VII is by far my favorite Final Fantasy game. Unfortunately since all their cut-scenes must have cost them more than making the game did you can't skip any of them, which is extremely annoying, especially when your game is saved right before one in a tough spot where you can't save after until you win. I've never completed this game just for this reason. I wish I could finish it, but I can't stand playing the same stuff over and over with the same cut-scenes. I wish they'd stop ruining good games by trying to make them half movies with no fast forward button.… Expand
  16. AJCk19
    Apr 30, 2023
    5
    It wasn't horrible, but the story is definitely a tear jerker. The lottery system is interesting and its' best feature, but once again. I feel that square enix kingdom heart series is just better at the action rpg elements. This game has a hard time holding a candle to Chain of Memories.
  17. Matt2790
    May 29, 2022
    5
    I can't believe SE thougth this combat would be fun. I'd never seen such an annoying combat in my entire life. Except for story and music, and art style, it failed on everything else.
  18. ArcCoat
    Jun 11, 2019
    7
    Story is cringe, but not enough to kill it, I still enjoyed it, mostly because it's related to FF7.
    Music is good.
    Game play was fun, that's most of the reason why I played this game.

    Overall, good game, but nothing too crazy. This is the type of game you would play on your PSP when travelling.
  19. tukumalu
    May 10, 2020
    7
    Overdramatic storylines with under-developed characters; repetitive gameplay; and boring quests. the only highlight is the somber tone between Zack and Aerith regarding their inevitable fate.
  20. lesiuML
    Apr 8, 2022
    7
    It's a very good game and brilliant benchmark of psp hardware. Story is really touching but some little aspects are not quite well written, for me... But overall story is engaging and brilliant, really worth playing. Soundtrack is absolutely fantastic! Gameplay wise is not really my cup of tea... Too much grinding and too many random encounters. Graphics is really nice considering that itIt's a very good game and brilliant benchmark of psp hardware. Story is really touching but some little aspects are not quite well written, for me... But overall story is engaging and brilliant, really worth playing. Soundtrack is absolutely fantastic! Gameplay wise is not really my cup of tea... Too much grinding and too many random encounters. Graphics is really nice considering that it is a psp game. But last mission was such lame designed... Looking all over the place for some stupid chests only to unlock the doors... Sometimes really this game do not respect our time and that's why I highly recommend using cheats or saves from internet while you are feeling frustrated, because the story is absolutely worth it.… Expand
  21. cfGhost
    Jun 26, 2020
    7
    Cool story, amazing soundtrack, great characters (especially Zack & Aerith), great graphics for its time I think? but trash gameplay especially the casino machine system. Amazing ending scene, it was really beautiful and greatly ended the game's story. Good game even if the gameplay is frustrating.

Awards & Rankings

5
#5 Best PSP Game of 2008
2
#2 Most Discussed PSP Game of 2008
2
#2 Most Shared PSP Game of 2008

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 67 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 54 out of 67
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 67
  3. Negative: 2 out of 67
  1. Boomtown
    80
    Again, it’s nice to see the duality of the FFVII games, (it is Zack that falls into Aerith’s church this time), and a genuine attempt to develop the universe so many of us love, but simplifying the battle system, story and general style of discovery and transport leaves Crisis Core being a welcome spin off, but no replacement for a real sequel.
  2. IGN UK
    85
    Whether you’re a Sephiroth obsessive, or whether you couldn’t tell your Aerith from your Angeal, Crisis Core is an excellent action RPG, and it’s certainly among the best the PSP has to offer.
    Read full review
  3. NZGamer
    60
    Crisis Core has an addictive quality about it because you really need to know what happens next, and you’ll most certainly want to see the next glorious cutscene.
    Read full review
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