Final Fantasy Crisis Core
Final Fantasy Crisis Core cover
Final Fantasy Crisis Core was released in 2007 in Japan in the platform PSP. The graphics of the game is very nice and personally, I like the game because of it.
The main character of the game is Zack Fair who is a second class soldier and all the stories take place around him. The story begins with Zack training using an emulation system in the Shinra company. Shinra is the company which uses the life energy of the planet for the benefits of human beings by building a lot of Mako reactors around the world. In this emulation, Zack is training under his teacher's order, Aegeal Hewley who is a first-class soldier. In the end of his battle, he encounters Sephiroth, the best first-class soldier of the company ever exists and Zack loses his focus because of his emotions.
The main character of the game is Zack Fair who is a second class soldier and all the stories take place around him. The story begins with Zack training using an emulation system in the Shinra company. Shinra is the company which uses the life energy of the planet for the benefits of human beings by building a lot of Mako reactors around the world. In this emulation, Zack is training under his teacher's order, Aegeal Hewley who is a first-class soldier. In the end of his battle, he encounters Sephiroth, the best first-class soldier of the company ever exists and Zack loses his focus because of his emotions.
Zack and Cloud become friends
Next, we come back to the reality. Zack together with Angeal are sent to Wutai to support the Shinra war effort. Angeal disappears during the fighting and Zack is appointed to look for him and another missing first-class soldier as well, Genesis. Zack, accompanied by Tseng throughout this mission discovers that Angeal and Genesis have betrayed the company and they are then assigned to kill both of them. Genesis gets some helps from Dr. Hollander by creatig an army of clones to attack the company. Zack, together with Sephiroth manage to track down Hollander's hideout after defeating those clones. While pursueing Hollander, Zack meets with Angeal and he is trying to keep Hollander alive so that he can find a way to return to normal. Zack is knocked into the slums of Midgar and when he recovers, he finds Aerith right besides him.
Zack returns to the company which is under attack by Genesis. After that, Zack is sent to investigate Modeoheim, where Genesis has been spotted. On the way, Zack meets with an infantryman called Cloud and they become friends. Near Modeoheim, Zack encounters Genesis and defeats him, who appears to commit suicide by jumping into the depths of a reactor. Zack travels to Modeoheim and finds Angeal and Hollander. Angeal mutates into a moster, and Zack has no choice but to kill him. Before he dies, Zack is given Angeal's Buster Sword, which is believed to represent his honor.
Zack's death
Whilst Shinra continues the pursuit of Hollander, it appears that Genesis is still alive and producing clones in Midgar. Zack is forced to go back to protect Aerith. Zack travels with Sephiroth and Cloud afterwards to investigate a Mako reactor near Nibelheim. Sephiroth learns his past from Genesis and Sphiroth locks himself up in the Nibelheim Mansion. A week later, Sephiroth sets Nibelheim ablaze and goes to the Mako reactor to take Jenova's body. When Zack fails to stop him, Cloud throws him into the lifestream below the reactor. Zack awakes to find that the Nibelheim's incident is covered up and he and Cloud have become part of Hojo's experiments on Jenevo cells. But, Zack manages to escape with Cloud. Hollander tries to get Cloud's cells as they are believed to be able to stabilize Genesis's mutation. However, he is killed by Zack.
Zack finds Director Lazard who has mutated into an Angeal's clone. Lazard asks Zack to go to Banora to find and kill Genesis. After that, the angeal clone that was left guarding Aerith arrives but he is killed by Shinra. However, he carries a note from Aerith with him. Zack learns that it has been 4 years since they had been subjected to Hojo's experiments. Zack decides to return to Midgar to meet with Aerith. But, Shinra sends out an army to pursue him. Zack is forced to fight an army of troops because of his honor as a soldier, but he is fatally wounded. Cloud manages to crawl to Zack's body and in Zack's dying breath, he bequeaths the Buster Sword to Cloud. Cloud then begins to walk to Midgar. Crisis core's ending recreates the opening scenes of Final Fantasy 7, in which Cloud, his memories confused, claims to be a former soldier.
Zack finds Director Lazard who has mutated into an Angeal's clone. Lazard asks Zack to go to Banora to find and kill Genesis. After that, the angeal clone that was left guarding Aerith arrives but he is killed by Shinra. However, he carries a note from Aerith with him. Zack learns that it has been 4 years since they had been subjected to Hojo's experiments. Zack decides to return to Midgar to meet with Aerith. But, Shinra sends out an army to pursue him. Zack is forced to fight an army of troops because of his honor as a soldier, but he is fatally wounded. Cloud manages to crawl to Zack's body and in Zack's dying breath, he bequeaths the Buster Sword to Cloud. Cloud then begins to walk to Midgar. Crisis core's ending recreates the opening scenes of Final Fantasy 7, in which Cloud, his memories confused, claims to be a former soldier.
real action battle system
The battle system of the game is a real-time action and is not the classic turn-based action used by Square Enix in the pervious final fantasy series. In fact, the new battle system is almost the same as the one in Kingdom Hearts. You don't have the famous ATB bar anymore, and right after the battle is activated, you can just go and smash your enemies as you wish. You can choose which opponents you want to defeat first and focus all your fires at them. The biggest challenge of this battle system is that you have to react extremely fast, you can't possibly have a reaction time of more than 2 seconds if you wish to survive in this kind of game. It is because all enemies can do exactly the same thing to you as well, they can just come and smash you into pieces in less than 1 minute if you fail to dodge or block their attacks. The biggest advantage, as you may know, is the fact that you can just finish off one battle in less than few minutes if you are really skillful enough. We call this as quick-run and as a beginner, you will need to train for sometimes before you can really manage it.
equipment customization
The customization system of the game is less complex than any other final fantasy series. Zack has only 1 weapon throughout the whole game (a long sword), though you will receive a new weapon, the Buster Sowrd from Aegeal after his death. You can only equip 6 materias on Zack, but you can combine and master all those materias too. Combining materias will allow you to create a new and more powerful materia with more effects since you can add some specify items when you do so. For example, by combining a HP Up materia (HP+10%) with a Fire materia, you can have a HP Up (HP+20%) materia. You can also level up your materia and this is done through the DMW or digital mind wave system. This three-reeled slot system is constantly spinning and dictates a number of things, your limit breaks, your summon, your level up and also your materia's level up.
There are only 4 accessoires slots available for Zack. But, in the late game, if you manage to accomplish those hard missions, you will be given some rare accessoires which will boost up all your stats tremendously.
There are only 4 accessoires slots available for Zack. But, in the late game, if you manage to accomplish those hard missions, you will be given some rare accessoires which will boost up all your stats tremendously.
Available missions
Another unique feature of the game is the missions available for Zack throughout the game. When you are going through the game, you will unlock some new missions. You will need to accomplish them before you can really proceed to other missions. Normally, the few first ones are not really that hard, and they will not require many specify skills to accomplish them. But, as you proceed in the game, the missions will become harder whereas you will receive better rewards for them. The last and also the hardest mission is a fight against the God, Minerva and it can only be accomplished if only you have some specify materias and accessoires equipped. Typically, normal people will equip Genji Glove (Break damage limit and all hits critical)and Hammer Punch (for max damage 99999) to defeat her and the battle will take around 10 mins. By defeating her, you will get the best accessoire in the game which will is Divine Slayer (HP, MP and AP 100% Up, All stats +50, break damage, HP , MP and AP limits plus auto libra)
Leveling up
Leveling up in the game is done by having 777 in the DMW when you are inside a battle. Actually, this does not happen randomly, but it is calculated carefully based on the experience points that you have accumulated over previous battles. You can see the details in those walkthroughs for the game which are available online.
Performing eight sword flash
Another thing that I am going to talk about is the limit breaks of Zack. There are a lot of limit breaks available for Zack and in fact, Zack will learn new limit breaks by encountering some specify characters throughout the entire game. For example, by encountering Sephiroth in the game, you will be able to perform his limit break which is the eight sword flash. You can master your limit breaks as well by performing them a number of times and once again, it is calculated carefully based on certain formulas which you can find in some specify walkthroughs.
Zack leaves Cloud behind before fighting against an army of troops
Final fantasy crisis core is one of the games with the best graphics on PSP even until today. I personally like the game because of its unique story line and also its graphics. You can actually see the features of those characters in details, which is not always the case in many other games in PSP. There are friendships and love involved in the game, as usual. I am especially touched when Zack is rescueing Cloud from the laboratory when both of them are taken hostages after having a tough battle with Sephiroth in the Mako reactor in Nibelheim . Zack is so loyal towards his friend and we can actually notice this when he is having a conversation with unconscious Cloud in the back of a truck heading to Midgar. He says that he is not going to abandon Cloud. Love is involved as well and we can see this element betwen Zack and Aerith. Aerith, who is staying in the slum in Midgar has been waiting for Zack for the past 4 years when he is taken hostage to be experimented on after the fierce battle with Sephiroth. Aerith has sent over 90 lettters to him over these past 4 years and upon receiving the final letter, Zack has finally decided to go back to Midgar to meet her. Unfortunately, he is killed by an army of Shinra troops right outside Midgar before he even actually has the chance to meet her. Actually, he can choose to escape from this battle by running away, but he decides to stay and fight to protect his honour as a soldier, as well as his friend, Cloud. I have played the game twice and everytime when I reach the ending, I feel extremely sad with the fact that Zack has to die even though I am holding all the best equipements and materias in my hand. Many people are crying as well and we are actually hoping that we will have another happy ending if ever we have obtained the best equipements throughout the entire game. Sadly, this is not the case and the game ends with the ending song Why by Ayaka as you can see below.
Final Fantasy Crisis Core
Crisis core is one of the best games on PSP and I really do enjoy the entire game, except the sad ending. If you wish to buy the game, please click here.