CRISIS CORE –FINAL FANTASY VII– REUNION

I should probably give this a negative review, but I still enjoyed most of the time I've played so it still gets my recommendation. The story is from events that happen before FF7 remake so you should play that one first. I love and hate this game. I will start with why I like it: The characters are hit and miss. Zack (the MC) carries the entire game, The other chars didn't feel that impactful or are "just there". I'm really having a difficult time finding any attachment to any character other than Zack. The story is decent. If anything, it fills some gaps if you have played the remake first. I liked the combat at first but over time when doing all the missions, I started to like it less. This game exists to waste your time. That's why I hate it: There are too many minigames. They aren't fun, they exist as filler content. One example is a minigame where you have to count seconds and if you are even slightly off, you have to start over. You have to do them if you care about achievements. The only reason why the combat isn't repetitive is due to the slot machine gimmick (which is good and bad). The most (almost all) side content this game has is the repetitive missions (Around 300 I think). After doing around half I got so bored and annoyed that I just stopped doing them altogether. The enemies getting spongier only made it worse. No bugs and you don't need a high end PC for this. 6/10

我一般炸毛时是克劳德， 忧郁时是诺克提斯， 长发是萨菲罗斯， 短顺毛是卡丹裘， 阳光时是雷诺， 绅士时是路法斯， 重情重义时是扎克斯， 中年时是克莱夫。 我是神罗公司最忠实的颜狗！ -谢谢小狗的礼物喵💕-

Crisis Core Reunion is a great update of the PSP original. It fits right in with ff7 remake trilogy aesthetically, and the old CGI cutscenes still look great today. The loading times are much shorter, and there are a myriad of QOL changes you can look up that reduce waiting time from the original (such as the DMW interrupting gameplay less, but still being present.) I'm a big fan of the original and was very happy that it was totally respected and brought to PC is in such a great way. I played this remaster first on PS5 but decided i needed it for my steam library and deck. only did the 1 playthrough on PC but faced no crashes. There was a minor ghosting issue, which is also present in ff7R not really sure what the fix is, but it wasn't a dealbreaker. something to know - I switched to the Japanese VA as the original English VA was replaced the new english VA just didn't capture the characters in the same way for me. The original VA for Zack in particular, i feel is a totally different character. He comes across as snarky and sarcastic, whereas originally the same lines where delivered in a more playful manor. Theres also a moment in the end of the game, that the original VA lands really well with huge emotional weight. The new one missed, and its very disappointing, so i recommend this game with the Japanese VA which the cast remains intact. Despite coming out years after ff7 originally, i consider this story essential to fans of ff7. A lot of prequels in media can feel redundant, or unnecessary. In the case of crisis core it fleshed out some really important characters and places, without retreading original plot threads, and without relying on nostalgia. This game really is worth playing on its own merits.

I never got to play any of the OG FFVII games (so take my opinion with a miniscule grain of salt) but I am absolutely obsessed and I love the remake(s). I played this after finishing Rebirth just to I could see more of the story. I was on the fence about playing it for a long time because others say to skip it but I actually really liked it. The combat is definitely different but I still thought it was a fun and interesting way to play. As a new(er) fan I didn't really know much about Zack but I find him to be such a loveable and goofy character!! That being said, $50 is a pretty steep price and I should have got it on sale but I definitely don't regret getting the opportunity to play it!!

[I]Reunion[/I], unlike the other Final Fantasy VII EXPANDED UNIVERSE! offerings, is a strict remake. Scene by scene, by the numbers, no additional story beats, no character changes, what you played when you were 13 with your PSP huddled in mom's backseat is what you'll play again. Though, modernized a bit. The original [I]Crisis Core[/I] was impressive for a handheld game, and really it just needed some visual updates to reach the level of 'modern'. Besides visuals, the combat in [I]Reunion[/I] was changed to be more active and real time, though the slot machine DMW system remains. Otherwise, that's about it. Voice acting was switched to the [I]Remake[/I] cast I suppose, but the performance quality remained. So the real question, is [I]Crisis Core[/I] a game worth playing today? Eh. It's a game for fans of the [I]FFVII[/I] universe and little else. The gameplay isn't exactly gripping and the narrative, while good given the context of the other universe entries, does not stand on its own. Exploration is weak, combat is grindy and otherwise easy to exploit, and like most JRPGs the best part is the story and characters. Only in [I]Crisis Core[/I], you're hopping into a prequel that expects you to have played the originals. [I]Crisis Core[/I], and [I]Reunion[/I] with it, is a garnish to the entree of [I]FFVII[/I]. Maybe you just really love basil and chew on it you freak, but most of us want it more as a topping.

this game just have the following Activating Combat Mode then Conflict Resolved then Activating Combat Mode then Conflict Resolved then Activating Combat Mode then Conflict Resolved then Activating Combat Mode then Conflict Resolved then Activating Combat Mode then Conflict Resolved then Activating Combat Mode then Conflict Resolved then Activating Combat Mode then Conflict Resolved then Activating Combat Mode then Conflict Resolved then......

I never managed to get into the Final Fantasy series until now. My friend and I watched an announcement panel together on voice chat, and we were completely surprised by what we saw. Something clicked, and we both decided we should finally give these games a try. A few days later, I bought this along with Final Fantasy VII Remake. I went in without massive expectations, but I knew Crisis Core was originally a PSP title. Having played many handheld games in the past, I knew more or less what to expect. It is surprisingly good-looking for how lightweight it is, and I thoroughly enjoyed Zack's journey. [h1]The Zack Fair Story & Emotional Impact[/h1] Zack is an incredibly fun character to watch grow from an overconfident brat into a true legend. His story is exceptionally well-paced, highlighting his progression through the military ranks and his personal growth. At the beginning, he takes absolutely nothing seriously. While he never truly loses his fun and jokey personality, he becomes much more mature and powerful along the way. You witness his highest highs and his lowest lows, transitioning from beautiful moments to incredibly heavy and sad segments around the halfway mark. The campaign is perfectly paced, and every introduced character serves a clear purpose. The narrative completely carries the experience, keeping you engaged with plenty of surprises right up until the emotional ending. [h1]Combat Mechanics vs PSP Level Design[/h1] The combat is highly active and engaging. You are not just sitting around waiting for your turn, as every encounter requires genuine strategy. You can guard against enemy attacks to mitigate damage, or rely on dodges to avoid hits entirely, though the timing can be tricky on certain abilities. You will find yourself relying heavily on your magic abilities and cinematic Limit Breaks, which deal massive damage. Your build can be customized at any point before a fight during the main story. However, the optional missions require you to lock in your loadout beforehand, meaning you cannot change it on the fly. Since this is a remake of a handheld title, the battles and environments start to feel samey very quickly. This is especially true for the side missions, which constantly reuse the exact same maps with slightly shifted objective markers. The main story environments are a bit more varied, but the fundamental level design still reveals its PSP roots. Thankfully, the stellar narrative keeps things interesting enough to prevent the main campaign from getting stale. [h1]The Unbearable 100% Achievement Grind[/h1] If you do not care about achievements, you will undoubtedly have a much better time with this game. If you are a completionist, you absolutely must use a guide from the start. The game is packed with missable achievements that will force an entire second playthrough if overlooked, a realization that luckily saved me back in Chapter 2. However, that is not even the worst part. The absolute lowest point of the experience is grinding through all 300 optional missions. They are not only excessive in number, but they also feature erratic artificial difficulty. Enemies become massive damage sponges or randomly one-shot you just because they can. Even going into them after beating the main story, they remain a brutal slog without a hyper-optimized build. Completing them is an unnecessary waste of time that adds zero value to the experience, leaving a sour taste in your mouth by the end. I had to juggle this with other games just to avoid complete burnout. On top of that, you have to deal with a fair amount of RNG-heavy achievements, though you can buy specific items to boost your luck. Finally, the game features a secret optional superboss hidden deep within the hardest missions called Minerva. She is incredibly fast, leaving you with tiny windows to attack while throwing out a literal one-shot move that you must dodge perfectly. It took me a few attempts, and going in unprepared is a recipe for disaster. Luckily, guides exist for her fight, so it shouldn't take nearly as long as clearing out those tedious missions. [h1]Final Thoughts[/h1] Crisis Core is a great game with a few glaring flaws that probably should have been trimmed, but I respect the developers' choice to remain faithful to the source material. It features a compelling story alongside a solid combat system. The side content is an absolute nightmare to clear, and you will do yourself a massive favor by skipping it entirely to just focus on Zack's dream of becoming a hero. I highly recommend playing this around your time with Final Fantasy VII Remake, even if the outdated PSP level design might feel a bit jarring in comparison. [h1]Rating: 7/10[/h1]

Zack is my second favorite FF protagonist only to Lightning. He just oozes fun and creativity, and this remaster of Crisis core highlights the PSPs original gameplay in a way that the game just feel much more fun to play with a PS5 Controller. However, this is a remastered port of a PSP game, so expect repetitive small arena fighting. I never get sick of hearing "ACTIVATING COMBAT MODE. COMBAT RESOLVED."

Besides of representing the prequel to the FF7 Remake story, this game is absolute boring, the character's talk alot without even saying nothing many times, for the combat mechanics, they are simple but very repetitive which turns out to be annoying after some time. Cant recommend a game like this, even for the huge price that's on it. If you want to know the story, just watch the cutscenes on youtube.