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By Scott N (9th May 2008)Anime Fans get ready for a little slice of heaven! It’s time to get your fix of big, sharp steel and Final Fantasy VII – Crisis Core (FFCC) is ready to deliver.

Anime Fans get ready for a little slice of heaven! It’s time to get your fix of big, sharp steel and Final Fantasy VII – Crisis Core (FFCC) is ready to deliver! FFCC is the latest release in the Final Fantasy series on the PSP, which no doubt a lot of fans of the series have been waiting for. Previous instalments have been entertaining, complex and visually stunning, meaning this one has a lot to live up to!
For those whose only foray into the world of Final Fantasy was the CGI movie released a while ago, forget all that because the story could not be more different. You are Zack, an uppity young sword wielding maniac under the employ of the Shinra Company in the SOLDIER core. Zack is a “second”, meaning he hasn’t quite made it to the ranks of the hero’s of the core, but he is determined.

The Shinra Company is on the verge of world domination, except for the small province of Wutai who is fighting both for its independence and also for possession of their natural supply of Mako energy. Apparently the area is rich in the energy source, hence the interest from Shinra. To make the situation even more complex (and confusing), a number of operatives from Shinra have disappeared/defected to Wutai. This is where Zack comes in. He is given the mission to end the war with Wutai and suss out what the go is with the deserting troops. That is the INCREDIBLY simplified form of the general plot. This is a game you have to pay attention to and take in the story or you will lose the proverbial plot lickitty split.

As I mentioned before the game has an extremely complex story line that can be quite confusing. Having said that if you pay attention and talk to as many characters in and around your base of operations you can keep abreast of the situation. The combat in the game does take some getting used to, as it is fiddly with a number of unique features that would be foreign to most gamers. The weapon select options, in particular, are hard to master, and until you do you are playing scramble fingers and often wasting potions and weaponry through hastily trying to select a healing potion. The other major quirky thing is that there is an element of gambling to each battle. This comes in the form of a three reel pokies wheel. Trip 7’s and you get invincibility…..hooray! Once you get the hang of these quirks the battle aspect is quite enjoyable. Lots of sword flailing and male bravado, not to mention stupidly big enemy bosses. It does, however, bring me to one of the game's problem areas. The transition between story/navigation and battle is not exactly smooth. First a short loading time occurs, followed by a banner announcing combat mode accompanied by a sexy female voice. The viewing angle then changes and the battle area is defined. This really stunts the flow of the game and, mixed with the lengthy story sequences, tries your patience.

Visually, the game is brilliant, from the cut scenes to the level scenery to the battle animation. I must say I have not seen a PSP game rate quite so highly on this scale. If you aren’t a gamer and just an Anime fan it is worth the ticket price just for this aspect. The character rendering is also of a very high standard which, coupled with the faultless movement animation, makes the combat game play as attractive as the rest of the game.

The audio does not shine quite as bright as the stunning visuals, but it is still very good! The music is a little corny and typical for a Japanese style game, but it seems to fit in with the game and action. It does seem a little odd from time to time, when the audio speech suddenly drops out and is replaced with subtitles. It happens at very strange times also, but then it isn’t anything to really cry about I suppose!

Although the game is mainly story based and follows a general chain of events, there are a number of opportunities to explore the town you are based in and also perform side missions both for fun and also to improve your stats for the more important missions. This provides a welcome break from the in depth story and also an opportunity to fight without any real purpose other than to win!

An enjoyable trip into the FF universe.