![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.satrapov.net\/mysst\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Boys-with-swords-300x282.jpg\" "\\"Boys")
<\/a>I\u2019ve always viewed the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII <\/em>with some suspicion, as it mostly seemed like a string of games (and a film) entirely aimed at milking fans of Final Fantasy VII <\/em>for cash. Maybe I\u2019m just cynical about sequels and prequels in general, maybe it\u2019s because the Compilation <\/em>came out several years after the original game, or maybe it\u2019s because I was never a die-hard FFVII fan. Either way, I purchased Crisis Core <\/em>with a dose of wariness, which, unfortunately, proved to be well-founded.<\/p>\nThe game was a commercial success, and I\u2019ve seen a lot of FFVII fans gushing about how great it is and how the ending made them cry, but that was not my experience at all. If you\u2019ve played FFVII before, you\u2019ll know exactly why the game is meant to make you cry, but knowing the outcome beforehand greatly reduced its impact in my eyes. I also felt that the game was trying too hard to tug at the audience\u2019s heartstrings, rather than simply trusting the inherent tragedy of the moment. It\u2019s like the developers decided to throw every emotional gimmick they could think of at the player, figuring that at least some of it might stick. None of it did, at least for me. It felt cheesy and overblown (angels! feathers! premonitions! rain!), and not even in a \u201cso-bad-it\u2019s-good\u201d way, when it could have been truly impactful if they\u2019d just kept it simple.<\/p>\n
I also fully understand the game\u2019s desire to pay homage to FFVII, given its popularity among the fanbase. But homage alone does not a good game make: it has to be able to stand on its own two feet and have its own basis for appeal. And that just isn\u2019t the case with Crisis Core<\/em>. The storyline felt like an odd rehash of the original game, with people being injected with extraneous cells and sprouting wings left, right and centre, to the extent that I started wondering whether everyone would end up with wings by the end. The single wing was Sephiroth\u2019s trademark and made him unique. Reusing that on lesser villains does not<\/em> automatically make them better, it just trivialises the attraction of the original villain.<\/p>\n Plot points were recycled and then developed in a confusing, disjointed and sometimes very bizarre way (c.f. a moment late in the game where an enemy mook decides to eat some of Zack\u2019s hair <\/em>because he thinks it will cure him). Aside from Zack, who came across as an upstanding, friendly guy, and the fact that we were able to see Cloud\u2019s true persona It also felt strange that events and people presented as significant in this game would then receive no mention at all in future instalments. It\u2019s understandable for FFVII, since it\u2019s an older game, but you\u2019d think that there would be more references than a brief secret ending in Dirge of Cerberus<\/em>. It also shows that Crisis Core <\/em>was not part of a coherent narrative to begin with. Unlike, say, FFX-2 or the FFXIII saga: whatever you might think of their overall quality, they were at least designed with continuity in mind.<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t particularly enjoy the gameplay or the music either. The latter was utterly forgettable, with one or two exceptions, and while the former included some interesting ideas on paper, I felt that the execution was lacking. There was notably too much randomness involved both in the DMW system and the materia fusion mechanics.<\/p>\n To sum it up, my overall impression of Crisis Core <\/em>was \u2018bland and messy\u2019. However, I realise that this is probably a minority opinion, and if you love FFVII, you might well love this too. It depends on whether you see it as a worthy homage or a lame ripoff. If you\u2019re not particularly keen on FFVII, I would give this a miss. And if you\u2019ve never played FFVII before, I would encourage you to do that instead. It\u2019s a better game.<\/p>\n Detailed review available! Read more<\/span> here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.satrapov.net\/mysst\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Wannabe-269x300.jpg\" "\\"Wannabe\\"")
<\/a>and some of Sephiroth\u2019s more humane traits before he went insane, most of the new characters were either forgettable, one-dimensional or downright annoying. The latter category includes the main villain, Genesis, which is a significant flaw. His name sounds pretentious, and he spends his time desperately trying to be as cool as Sephiroth. This is an actual plot point and comes across as painfully ironic. There\u2019s also the fact that his design is based on a Japanese rock star (one of the developers is a fan), which just smacked of cheap fanboyism to me.<\/p>\n