The story, which is about as deep as a pudding cup, centers on Zack, a minor character from FF7, and his rise and fall in the SOLDIER mercenary group employed by the Shin-Ra (Shinra?) Electric Company. After ending the war with Wutai, an East Asian-inspired nation resisting Shin-Ra's building of "progressive" power reactors on their soil, Zack's superiors Angeal and Genesis rebel from the company/army/Backgammon club. To complicate matters, clones of Genesis run amok thanks to the mad science of Hollander, an ex-Shinra researcher. Zack, and sometimes legendary SOLDIER/fangirl pin-up Sephiroth (in a benign role for a nice change), must deal with all these issues. Since Zack dies before the events of FF7, Crisis Core is the most dreaded of franchise cash-ins, the prequel. Some prequels are nice and illuminating, even better than the originals - The Hobbit and Metal Gear Solid 3, for example. Others are full of midichlorians and Gungans. Guess which category Crisis Core falls into.

The new characters, conveniently killed or dragged off to who-knows-where before the tattered curtain closes, are the worst part of the story. They're just alternate versions of already existing FF7 characters. Genesis is by far the worst. He's the proto-Sephiroth, which would make him the main villain though I guess he isn't supposed to be seen as a villain because he used to hang with Angeal and Sephiroth. They were like the Snap, Crackle and Pop of Shinra before Genesis went nuts, commanding an army of clones and killing people and doing whatever. He's, like, tragic or something. Or he would be if he didn't suck and wasn't annoying. Every time he shows he spouts horrendous quotes from Loveless, a fake play in the world of FF7.

Loveless started out in FF7 as a simple graphic, an advertisement somewhere in the environment of the game's first major location, Midgar. To my knowledge it is never seen or mentioned in the game again. To take that little speck of mise en scene and develop it into something more isn't a bad idea. Sadly, it's a wasted one and very little is to be expected from Crisis Core's writers anyway. Each time Genesis shows up he's got three or four more Loveless quotes to punish players with. Juicy examples include "The monster has been harvested" and "Legend shall speak of sacrifice at world's end. The wind sails over the water's surface quietly, but surely." That last one gets repeated at least 12 times, sometimes in a row. It's difficult to communicate the full scale of awfulness in those lines without the slow, fake lyrical tones the voice actor woefully employs. Apparently, the embarrassing high school goth poetry that passes as Genesis' Loveless quotes is supposed to parallel the actions and events of Crisis Core, but the feeling is lost since it's unclear what the hell anyone is doing anyway. Wouldn't it have been fruitful if the player could attend Loveless in a FF6-style Opera sequence? Or if Loveless was available to read or watch, or if it was SOME part of the story besides vague, meaningless quotes used in the game's primary dialogue? How did Square even let this garbage into the script? Well, they named a character Genesis so I guess that answers that. At least he didn't quote the Bible.

Angeal is the other "important" new character, the Qui-Gon Jinn to Zack's Obi-Wan. He's a Robert Z'Dar look-alike who spouts simple maxims about bravery and honor, which rings hollow and gets really boring hearing over and over. No wonder he and Genesis were such good pals. Angeal's all about courage and honor yet he does nothing to inspire courage and honor except say "Remember folks, dreams and honor, always" and "Remember Zack, dreams and honor." "Dreams and honor, dreams and honor, dreams and honor."

Zack, the poor trusting schmo, falls for Angeal's simplistic rhetoric. Angeal also carries a big phallic sword around as the symbol of courage, or so he says, and the sword eventually becomes Zack's. He also kills his mother apparently, for some reason. Who knows. He also gets cloned eventually, or is a clone, or a monster, or turns into a monster, and apparently other people can turn into him and that's supposed to be surprising down the line. It was completely lost on me. Oh and he hails from a town famous for its "dumbapples", which are ... blue apples!

...

It makes me angry just thinking about this guy and his baseball glove-shaped face. What's his motivation? Why does he do anything?! WHY DOES ANYONE DO ANYTHING?! DUMBAPPLES? ANGEAL? GENESIS? Who at Square is responsible the names in this game?!

NONE of the characters have a clear motivation. There's little reason to care for any of them and I dreaded, and then yawned, each time they appeared. With the exception of maybe hentai target Cissnei, a female member of the Turks (Shinra's special clean-up squad) who is a dead ringer for Hermione from Harry Potter. She was the only character I looked forward to seeing again. I have no reasonable explanation as to why except she was nice she, had a neat pinwheel weapon and wasn't another airheaded RPG female. Or maybe she is?! Who knows! Perhaps I liked the simple fact her dialogue wasn't bad and her background wasn't revealed. Sometimes a little mystery is a good thing, something prequels inherently shatter.

Familiar faces do show up, like Cloud, Aeris (now Aerith - kind of lispy in my opinion) and Tseng, who do little else but reassure fans "yeah, way to go, you're playing another FF7 spin-off." They're also reassuring characters in the way they're always a relief to see because the rest of the lousy cast. The smartest decision in the whole game is the Tifa Lockhart cameo, who's decked out in a souped-up version of the midriff-baring cowboy get-up she wears in the FF7 flashback sequence. Vroom vroom!

Aerith - I still don't see her appeal. Well, that's not true, I do. She's an ideal more than a character - she's the simplistic waifu who Zack wants to return home to during his near-the-end-of-the-game Odyssey impression, and I suppose that's worthy fighting monsters and Shinra soldeirs for. But as a character she's sweet as candy and about as interesting. Good for Zack for being able to carry a conversation with her even if it consists mostly to pandering to her neurotic cuteness. Would anyone really trust someone so ... cute?

Zack, the main character, isn't even that developed. He can be summed up thusly: he's a nice guy. Why does he help Cloud when they meet? Cuz he's a nice guy! That's about it. Their interactions feel about as honest and real as the buddy-buddy scenes between Anakin and Obi-Wan in Star Wars Episode III, though perhaps a tiny bit artistically superior. This is treading spoiler territory now even though it's known lore to fans anyway, but the passing of the torch at the end feels awkward. He barely knows Cloud. But he's such a nice guy y'know, he might as well entrust Cloud with the memory of his existence! Zack's hokum philosophy that he cribs from Angeal pretty much fucks Cloud's mind up big time. Despite that the transfer of Main Character winds up the best moment in the story. Everything seems to come together, even the 14 previous hours were bunk, and the cutscene direction goes beyond mediocre into something quite nice although it has its share of eye-rolling problems too. Just as the game finally goes something worthwhile (even if it was done already in FF7) a pop song and cliche anime imagery sets in. I can't count the number of times I've seen angel wings (Genesis, and eventually Angeal sport single wings, a clear reference to Sephiroth's theme tune "One Winged Angel") and angel feathers and apples in a product from Japan. Even Zack is ret-conned to get a "cross scar" like Rurouni Kenshin. Cloud might as well be another, blonder version of the guilt-ridden Kenshin. In the end he's covered in blood, traumatized, and making a promise. As a series that endlessly cribs Dragon Ball Z, Berserk, Evangelion and various other anime mainstays it shouldn't surprise that FF7 adds one more to its stable of inspirations.

However, just like FF7, the story and characters could be compromised by the dumb, awkward translation though it's doubtful it's any better in the original Japanese. A character named Lazard introduces himself as "It's Lazard", the literal translation of "Lazard desu" which is not just lazy, it's downright confusing in the context of his appearance. It's confounding. Japanese language textbooks aren't even that stilted. The whole script is like this and it's all slow-paced, stilted bullhockey.

To make matters even worse you can't skip cutscenes and the longest ones always happen before the hardest bosses. The game's pretty easy anyway but then suddenly DIFFICULT BOSS because you don't have the right materia equipped. After a few more minutes of loading data from the title screen, going into the menu, optimizing equipment then running over to where the scene starts you gotta go through seven minutes of ("No way ... you just ate my hair!") the poorest writing. Seven minutes of cutscenes in a portable game? What. Were. They. Thinking?

There's little to write about the game itself. It is tiresome, nap-inducing buttonmashing. The player just has to press the X button over and over, a lot like Kingdom Hearts, another of Square's overrated output. Aside from some aesthetic differences in the interface it's the exact same game. You can attack, cast magic or do special moves and you select them awkwardly via manic button presses in real-time. There is a random slot machine thing that occasionally casts powerful spells and beneficial status changes but without any direct input from the player the game is just playing itself. Randomly. You get a fantastic, time-consuming attack against an insignificant bug in any random battle, but you can go a whole boss fight with nothing helpful. Sometimes the slot thing will roll with no result at all! It'll just interrupt your playing for a flashing display of faces and numbers! It's as confounding as Blernsball from Futurama, without the fun.

The one time the game was almost fun and challenging was the boss fight against Hollander. You spend half the game chasing down the fucker, listening to his bullshit about clones and "S cells" and then you finally get to thrash his dumb ass. It's the one time the game has fun with itself too. Hollander pours worms out of a bag and tosses gigantic missiles at you. It's baffling. You have to use magic, items, dodge and pay close attention and it's like the one time the game comes together into something decent.

Then the game refuses to end. It reaches a climax, or what sure as hell feels like one, then it's artificially lengthened by dopey mini-game diversions and endless cutscenes. At one point Zack has to shoot at enemy robots with a sniper rifle. There's no narrative reason why or anything, there just happen to be sniper rifles littered all over the ground and he - er, you, the player - has to run up to them, pick them up, aim and fire. It's excruciating.

The last dungeon breaks the game's mold by not only being a series of shoebox-like areas with boring design (another clear trace of its Kingdom Hearts heritage), it's a momentum-obliterating fetch quest for keys to open the door to the dumb final boss, whose only challenge is his ungodly amount of HP, making for a very long fight. It's insulting how long they pad this out. Doesn't anyone at Square playtest their games? Don't they realize games should be FUN? And stories should make SENSE?

The music isn't that good either, unless you like to hear the same guitar tunes over and over - the best music is reprises from FF7. The graphics, as always, are Square's strong suit. Surprisingly, Crisis Core is one of the very few games to have a New Game+ mode but I won't make use of it. Why couldn't a game I would actually like to replay like FF12 have this feature? There is also a large amount of extra missions outside of the main campaign. Hmm, no thanks.

The whole FF7 endeavor is unfortunate. The whole Square situation is unfortunate. After all the time spent in development this is the game and story we get? And what's next? Endless Kingdom Hearts sequels on every platform, a Compilation of Final Fantasy 13 franchise (three new games!), and a Final Fantasy fighting game. Jeeeesus Christ, is it cynical to expect nothing from them?

Experience says "no."

(No amount of Wikipedia searching or FF7 fan board browsing would shed light on the plot of Crisis Core. If anyone can offer an airtight explanation to me about what exactly Genesis was trying to accomplish or what Angeal's or Hollander's or anyone's deal was, please, I'm all ears. All the luck in the world to you, though. Wikipedia and Final Fantasy-specific wikis failed me already.)

Final Fantasy 7 Advent Children & Crisis Core - Suddenly I see - KT Tunstall

Posted by queenofamerica on YouTube

The only reason I gave this one a four out of five, is because it's a long song, therefore, filler was needed, which ended up being reused footage. It's cute and sweet, I love its fresh point of view (Marlene), but its length and repetition just kind of got to me.

4/5

Anyway, this is my last post all the way till after prelims. Maybe, if I do actually think the exams aren't too bad, then I would post. If not, I'll probably be sitting in the corner sulking 24/7.

No pics this time. :C If you're looking for pics in this post, you'll be sorely disappointed.

Anyway with all these stuff about Olympics, I'm finding it a little hard to concentrate studying. But thankfully nost of my favourite sports sections are already over, so I can actually fully settle down to mug. And yes, sure sure, Singapore got Silver. Pretty good considering we bought over great players from China, which also means we wouldn't win the "lao jiangs" from China itself, right? Oh did I mention that I love Zhang Yining! She's one of my favourite sportswomen. Another one would be Shawn Johnson. Her personality seems awesome.

You know, I've always believed that a sports competitor is great if they do their best to clinch the medals back for their countries. But what's even more amazing is the sportsperson's ability to pull back when they know it's their limit, despite all the crazy amount of pressure put upon them by their country, their fans. and their rivals. It's not called giving up, it's called valuing well-being and Life. Case in point: Liu Xiang. I needn't say more, I think. I believe many already knew what happened during the Games recently. But do not take it to be disappointing - it is in fact quite remarkably courageous of him to admit what he can or cannot achieve at that point of time.

Okok, away from the Olympics, since I could go on for days about it. I'm now currently up to my neck in piles of homework and revision papers. I feel like life is getting more tiresome by the day. If I didn't always believe that there is more to life than this, I might have honestly given up. There's so much pressure, my mind is like on work almost every single minute that I'm in school. Thankfully at home I can relax a little.

What really worries me the most now is the upcoming prelims. I have never had much confidence in my studying abilities, and with good reason. But there's no excuse anymore. I doubt I can ever come up with a good excuse now to put away studying.

So as I listen to "Price of Freedom" and "Melody of Resolution" from the Crisis Core OST, I think to myself, never give up. Like Zack Fair, never give up.

Final Fantasy 7/Advent children/Crisis Core - My Happy ending- Avril Lavigne

Posted by queenofamerica on YouTube

Very well done video. I love how they used what they had and created their own story to go along with the song. Usually these video are so cheesy, but this one was so well done.

5/5

Final Fantasy advent children/crisis core - The Other Boleyn Girl - Footage from Final fantasy to the trailer for the 2008 movie The Other Boleyn Girl

Posted by TheonlyDoylie on YouTube

This is such an incredibly well done video!

And no, it's not about romantic pairings, it's about awesome editing!

This makes me almost want to go see that movie.

5/5

It takes a lot of effort to kill a franchise. ... Okay, maybe it takes a lack of effort, but it takes a certain kind of effort none-the-less. Activision, Square Enix and Nintendo are pretty much the biggest perpetrators here and they each have their own unique way of doing things. One that is really not helping their image.

If you've played Crisis Core on PSP it's probably because you've played Final Fantasy VII. I mean, there's really no reason for you to do so otherwise. Crisis Core was just about the most disappointing game I've played in a long time which is hard to believe considering I was playing Oni right around the same time. The game was a monotonous creep through already told passages, horrible additions to FFVII's timeline and one of the most horrendous cast of characters ever made. A story that leaves the player confused and characters that's can't decide on one state of mind made what was supposed to be a formidable addition to the franchise a bronze-incrusted pile of dirt. This was later followed by The World Ends With You, a DS side-scrolling Action-RPG. Unlike Crisis Core, TWEWY actually had a very good combat system and a fairly robust collection mechanic. Unfortunately, that did very little to stop it from being a stereotypical romp through a predictable story and an uninspired cast of characters. The depressive, emo-state-of-mind teenager pushes off attempts at friendship and wishes the world was nothing than a meaningless void of apathy. Other characters come along and try to help him. He pushes them away. Confrontation with evil! Oh no! He needs to team up! They become friends... all is well. The only audience I've seen playing the game is an audience I steer far away from. The "I like to see Kingdom Hearts characters kissing audience". Of course, I'm not labeling all TWEWY players as such, I'm simply stating what I've seen. With the non-exclusivity deal that went down, Square Enix better make Final Fantasy XIII more than the disappointing XII. If not, I'm just not sure if fans are going to want to keep up with their shenanigans.

Worth mentioning is also Activison and what they're doing with a property they acquired little over a year now. The Guitar Hero franchise. The original Guitar Hero released a few years back and I had the pleasure of getting it as a Christmas gift. I played the game from nearly 6 months until the sequel released, played it and when they released Rocks the 80's, for the first time, I steered clear. I knew the covers were poor, so I didn't purchase it. Then Harmonix had a squabble with RedOctane and left for publisher MTV. Activision picked up RedOctane and stroke a win, since RedOctane held the license for the Guitar Hero brand. While Harmonix set out to create Rock Band, Activision gave the GH license over to Neversoft, who developed III and the upcoming World Tour. I'm all fine with Neversoft developing, I think they're doing a really good job. It's Activision's decision to milk the franchise for all it's got that is really pulling my strings. Harmonix has released 3 Guitar Hero titles in 3 years. (4 games if you count the 360 port of GHII) In two years, Activision has released and planned to release 8 titles. 19 titles if we count platforms as different games. Guitar Hero: On Tour, the DS game, is (in all honesty) a good game, however, a new game is being released 6 months after it's launch. A sequel to it. Not even half a year of development. It's tragic, in a way. Activision is going to kill one of my most beloved game franchises and I can't help but feel hurt by it.

Last, but most certainly not least, is Nintendo. I'll start with saying that I, unlike most gamers, didn't grow up with Nintendo. My first console was a Sega Master System, followed by a Genesis and then followed by a PlayStation. I've been a Sony man since (despite owning and selling an Xbox 360 and a Wii) and I've yet to see why Nintendo fanboys act as they do. Nintendo has, of this date, officially killed off interest in feeding the crowd that made them who they are. They're abandoning the industry they pretty much turned into the entertainment medium that it is. Zelda: Twilight Princess was the same game we've played the N64, Mario Galaxy, while superb in both production values and controls, was ultimately a game that played the same as Super Mario 64. Mario Kart Wii... ... *shudders*. Of course, that's not mentioning the amount of trash that gets thrown onto the system month after month. Ubisoft, I'm looking at you. The fact that the console is being targeted at the 'casual consumer' is bad because when the general public sees all the kiddy shovelware, it creates a stereotype that videogames are for kids. If we wish to evolve the industry beyond what politicians, parents and activists see it as now, this is exactly what we don't need. It was a future I couldn't predict and probably no one could. That being said, they've said they are competing in a totally different market so I don't feel the need to debate it as much. I just wish they wouldn't of tried to run the race in the beginning to suddenly drop out and run on a side course. A side course filled with millions of stupid consumers' money.

Take one part stupidity, one part greed, a dose of marketing and a dash of ignorance and you get a destroyed franchise. It can only go downhill from here with the developers I mentioned though I sincerely hope it doesn't. It wouldn't be good for the industry if it's going to be taken seriously.

Hace tiempo hablé de uno de mis juegos favoritos, Final Fantasy VII. Ahora he podido jugar a su precuela, Crisis Core, un capítulo que se centra en el personaje de Zack, uno de los grandes desconocidos de Final Fantasy VII y uno de sus personajes más importantes al mismo tiempo.

Hasta ahora Zack era un miembro de Soldado del que Cloud tomó su vida y recuerdos en parte, además de la persona que ayudó a Cloud a escapar de Shinra y llegar a Midgar. ¿Pero quien era Zack? ¿Qué importancia tuvo en toda esta historia? (Puede contenter spoilers, sigue leyendo bajo tu propia responsabilidad).

Zack era un miembro de Soldado que llegó a ser primera clase tras la guerra de Wutai, pero Zack llegó a este puesto en plena crisis de Shinra, cuando dos de sus soldados de primera clase desertan. Todo esto lleva hasta el echo que ocurrió en Nibelheim, cuando Sephiroth enloqueció y tras lo cual Zack y Cloud fueron capturados como especímenes para experimientos de Hojo. Zack consiguió despertar y huir junto a Cloud, convirtiéndose así en fugitivo de Shinra el último soldado de primera clase que conocemos.

Genesis, Angeal, Sephiroth y Zack, cuatro primera clase que, por unos motivos u otros, fueron dejando atrás las filas de Shinra. Aunque Zack tuvo un motivo distinto y mucho más honorable, las dejó atrás obligado, para conseguir su propia libertad y defender su vida, pero ni aun en esa dificil situación dejó nunca a Cloud, Zack tenía muy claro que la amistad estaba por encima de todo lo demás y siempre tenía una sonrisa para sus amigos.

Cloud tomó el papel de Zack al llegar a Midgar, haciéndose pasar por un primera clase y creyendo que el fue quien acompañó a Sephiroth a Nibelheim, pero Cloud y Zack son muy distintos. Mientras Zack es alegre, charlatán y risueño, Cloud se caracteriza por ser un personaje solitario, callado y extremadamente serio.

Por fin, después de mucho esperar he podido jugar a Crisis Core y conocer a Zack, incluso he tenido que jugar dos veces y aun tengo ganas de más, de seguir viviendo la historia del que, para mi, es ya el verdadero protagonista de Final Fantasy VII. Vivir sus esfuerzos, sus batallas, sus sueños, sus amores y todo aquello que lo hace un personaje tan especial.

Hace algo más de 10 años muchos fueron los que se iniciaron en los JRPG con uno de los juegos más emblemáticos de Square. Eran tiempos en los que éramos jóvenes: los personajes con peinados extravagantes y espadones nos sorprendían, cualquier argumento sci-fi pseudofilosófico nos atrapaba sin remisión, la muerte de un personaje jugable era algo sorprendente a la vez que traumático (no me vengáis con lo de spoiler que me enfado, ¿eh?). Eran tiempos de descubrimientos que nos colmaban de alegría e ilusión. Pero de eso ya hace 10 años, y lo que en un tiempo era fascinante ahora no es más que otro hilo más en esa extensa red de clichés sobreexplotados que han pasado a ser los argumentos de los JRPGs (salvo honrosas excepciones).

Crisis Core, es, ante todo, un juego para aquellos que disfrutaron en su momento FF VII. Crisis Core, guarda un regalo. Regalo que es en sí mismo la razón de ser del juego y no disfrutar de él deja al descubierto un esqueletaje, francamente, endeble. La diosa guarda su regalo con recelo, aquellos que no hayan jugado a FF VII quedan excluidos de su don.

El argumento nos pone en la piel del soldado de 2ª clase Zack, un joven hiperactivo y bocazas cuyo gran sueño es convertirse en héroe. El 1ª clase Génesis ha desaparecido junto a un regimiento de reclutas SOLDADO bajo sospechosas circunstancias y Zack, junto a su mentor (Angeal) y Sefirot, se encargará de resolver el misterio al mismo tiempo que trata de resolver el conflicto de Wutai. Luego vendrán los insufribles ligoteos con Aeris, los conflictos internos de Shinra, experimentos biológicos varios y la aparición de Cloud. Todo aderezado con unas situaciones y diálogos a menudo absurdos y reiterativos. Aún así, el argumento es entretenido, con sus giros “inesperados” y momentos emotivos. Emotividad dirigida, insisto, a quienes apreciaron FF VII. Y es que desde el mismo principio se busca explotar el factor nostalgia de una forma descarada, ya sea recreando momentos de la secuela o con innumerables guiños. No es una táctica sutil ni elegante de atrapar nuestro corazoncito, pero negar que resulta efectiva sería algo cínico por mi parte.

El sistema de combate se aleja de los combates por turnos para adentrarse en el terreno de los action-RPG. Crisis Core nos deleita con un sistema de combate ágil, no carente de cierta profundidad y que premia los reflejos del jugador. Básicamente, con L y R podremos desplazarnos por las acciones disponibles en el menú horizontal (acciones determinadas por las materias equipadas), con X confirmaremos la acción, con cuadrado esquivaremos con una voltereta y con triángulo reduciremos el daño recibido cubriéndonos con la espada. El sistema es fácil de dominar y te mantiene en constante movimiento; sin embargo, en algunas de las misiones más difíciles, algunos aspectos pueden llegar a resultar realmente frustrantes. Que intentes esquivar un golpe fatal y te encuentres con la barrera invisible que delimita el área de combate no es muy agradable que digamos; que te enfrentes contra 3 o 4 enemigos que matan de un golpe ( efecto Muerte) a cualquier distancia, tampoco. Eso sí, si ignoráis las misiones secundarias más exigentes no creo que encontréis motivo de frustración.

Un sistema de combate bastante acertado, ciertamente. Pero aún no os he hablado de la OMD, sí, esa ruleta que parece sacada de la máquina tragaperras del Bar de Pepe. No, no me voy a quejar de la aleatoriedad de la misma -las combinaciones determinan la activación de estados ventajosos, límites e invocaciones, así como la subida de nivel tanto del personaje como de la materia equipada-, de hecho, a aquellos que se quejaban de la subida de nivel aleatoria les diría que no tienen motivo para ello puesto que he subido de nivel con un ritmo similar al de cualquier JRPG. El gran error de la OMD son las constantes y abruptas interrupciones con las que nos castiga; tendrás que esperar cada poco tiempo a que la ruleta se pare cuando coinciden dos caras, tendrás que esperar a que la secuencia del ataque límite se desarrolle (por suerte las animaciones de las invocaciones se pueden saltar), tendrás que esperar a que, sin venir a cuento, tres o cuatro imágenes se paseen por la pantalla, ¡incluso se activan secuencias opcionales mientras gira la OMD! En un principio el recurso es curioso, pero al par de horas la sensación de anticlímax durante los combates se apoderará de nosotros. La OMD muestra hasta que punto el juego se dedica al fan-service, sacrificando un tempo notable por un puñado de guiños innecesarios.

El apartado técnico es sin duda el aspecto más trabajado del juego que nos ocupa. Entornos tridimensionales que recrean los ya vistos previamente con todo lujo de detalles, personajes bien modelados, expresiones faciales más que notables y efectos con toda clase de lucecitas, chispas y arco iris redondean un apartado gráfico sobresaliente. Mención especial para las secuencias CG, realmente impresionantes.

Nos reencontraremos con viejas melodías, algunas de ellas un tanto vejadas otras más aceptables -ese Smile Please! dirigido a Uematsu en los créditos no deja de resultar gracioso-. Aunque serán las nuevas melodías las que nos sorprenderán gratamente y es que algunas de ellas son realmente buenas. También nos toparemos con algunos temas en los que predomina el guitarreo eléctrico, que, personalmente, me han parecido horrorosas –aunque también es cierto que encajan a la perfección con la personalidad del protagonista...- Un apartado que, de no ser sometido a las duras y constantes comparaciones inconscientes de todos aquellos que adoramos la banda sonora de FF VII, cumpliría con sobresaliente. Ah! y el doblaje es bastante notable.

Uno de los puntos más interesantes es la síntesis de materia. A base de levelear y combinar materias obtendremos algunas realmente impresionantes (como por ejemplo materias que aumenten 100 puntos alguna característica o un 999% la vitalidad...). Un apartado realmente profundo dada la ingente cantidad de diferentes tipos de materia. Para ampliar nuestro inventario y el repertorio de materia, se nos dará la opción de resolver unas 300 misiones secundarias que de ser completadas añadirán perfectamente más de 40 horas a un modo principal que apenas dura 15 horas (incluyendo las numerosísimas cutscenes). El modo principal es extremadamente lineal, dispondremos de un mapa que apenas usaremos puesto que los escenarios son de un tamaño reducido y hay pocos caminos que tomar, lo cual es de agradecer pues ayuda a evitar extravíos innecesarios en un título orientado a la acción. Las misiones secundarias duran entre tres y diez minutos, perfectas para jugar durante trayectos breves, y son exasperantemente repetitivas. Os limitaréis a eliminar enemigos (en la mayoría de las ocasiones el objetivo es un jefe extraído de la historia principal) en una decena de escenarios, así hasta 300 veces. No hay más. Yo he completado un 98% de ellas llevado por la adicción a acumular materias y os puedo asegurar que me arrepiento de ello tras malgastar 40 horas de mi vida...

Crisis Core es un juego mediocre con un envoltorio llamativo e impecable que se sustenta gracias al factor nostalgia. Negarlo es seguir en aquella dulce nube de hace 10 años pero, esta vez, sin justificación alguna. Los señores de Square Enix deberían recordar para el próximo intento que su público potencial ha madurado durante estos 10 años y que no deberían seguir sobreexplotando unos recuerdos cada vez más cerca de ser enterrados. Aún así, he de admitir que he disfrutado con el juego y estoy seguro de que cualquiera que se enamoró de la secuela también lo hará. Solo un consejo: ignorad el 80% de la misiones secundarias, seréis más felices.

It is because of him, the story itself that I keep playing hours and hours!!! SO lucky I am on vacation XD Today I finally got all the people for my DMW (Digital Mind Wave), finally got Cloud!!! (Yes, the blonde boy who wanted to be a SOLDIER 1^st Class, the main character from FFVII)  YAY [Although I got stuck and don't know what to do now, I'm in the mountains!! I will try again tomorrow LOL]

TT_TT waaa I just saw the pic where Zack dies! *she faints* Waa My heart aches now!!! I have become really attached to Zack!! Waaaa *fangirl really sad* Now I'm not sure if I wanna keep playing my Crisis Core... *sniff* You have to love Zack! Because he is so Zack!!! xP

Anyway, this post was just to yell to the worl the love I have for FF XD although this Crisis Core is the first FF I will actually finish (someday) The others I know them thanks to my cousin who also love FF maybe more than I do. I used to go to his house just to see him play any FF since my parents did not want to buy me a Play Station, "it will distract you from studies..."

And I find LOVELESS really interesting, if anyone knows where to have a copy please tell me right away! XD mmm maybe I am a fan of Genesis, too...?  Nah, I prefer crazy-psycho-silver-haired-SOLDIER 1^st class Sephiroth XD He is just- so crazy! XD And his hair is really pretty! He can have a match with Sesshomaru! O_O I wonder who would win!!! Don't you think they are somehow alike? LOL

Enough with my ramblings, for people who want to know more of the Final Fantasy world go to WIKIPEDIA! XP Final has it own wiki part! Final Fantasy Wiki

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Reno eased himself into a sitting position, pushing the weight of his body against his elbows. His recovery was going well, due largely to the materia-based treatments he was receiving. Outside, day was breaking, but with the thick mass of gray clouds that blanketed the city, it was hard to tell that without knowing the time.
A brief succession of knocks sounded on the door; upon hearing them, Reno allowed a small smile to cross his face. He recognized his visitor by the staccato rhythm of his knuckles against the wood; it was someone who had promised to see him before he left town.
"Come in, Reeve."
The executive, casually dressed in a white polo shirt and khakis, opened the door and walked in. After setting his work satchel and small suitcase on a chair, he came to Reno's bedside. He stood there in silence, staring at Reno.
"You're not going to sit down?" asked the Turk.
Reeve shook his head. "I can't stay for very long. How have you been?"
"Not bad. Doctors are saying I can go home within a week."
"Glad to hear it," Reeve answered, smiling for the first time since he entered.
"And how are you? Looks like you're all ready to go."
"Yeah. I'm looking forward to seeing Costa del Sol again."
"Have you and Kramler figured out what to do about that snitch?"
"Not yet," Reeve murmured. "I can't talk about that here anyway. I'll tell you what went down when I get back."
"Right. Tell Kramler I said hi."
"Of course, and I'll see if I can pick you up a little— something while I'm there."
Reno's eyes lit up. "Really? Just make sure it's none of that Bone Village—"
"—hippie shit. I know, I know," Reeve finished, smirking.
Reno returned Reeve's smirk. The executive seemed a bit more relaxed than he had been these past few days.
"So, nothing else going on?"
"You've probably heard about President Shinra's funeral, already."
"Tseng told me about it last night."
"The next big event coming up is that celebration of Rufus' presidency."
"Funny… I didn't hear about that."
"Not many have; Rufus told me about it just this morning. I went into the office to leave some last-minute instructions for my secretary and happened to run into him. He wanted my opinion on some banner designs before I left."
"Where's he having this thing?"
"Junon, a couple of weeks from now. Don't think I'll be able to make it, though."
Reno nodded. He wanted to ask more about Rufus, but he wasn't aware of how much Reeve knew of the young Shinra's infatuation with him, and thought it better to leave the topic untouched. Somehow, thinking of Rufus made him think of Elena. She had called Reno last night, telling him of her acceptance into the Turks. He was happy for her, but sensed by her tone that there was something bugging her. He asked Elena if anything was wrong, and was met with a brief silence, interrupted by a, "No, nothing's wrong. Why do you ask?" Reno chose to wave off the topic and steer the conversation in another direction, but in a different manner than he was doing now.
"Reeve, can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
Reno stared at his hands, resting palms-up in his lap. He looked up again. "Why have you decided to go skirt-chasing now, after all this time?"
Reeve sat down in a chair close to the head of the bed. The Turk raised an eyebrow.
"What did she tell you this time?" Reeve asked.
"She didn't say anything when she called yesterday, but I could tell that something was up."
"I'm only trying to take some advice a friend gave me… back when Scarlet first betrayed my trust."
"Touché," Reno countered. "All right man, do what you want with her."
"Are you sure this doesn't bother you? I mean, considering how you feel about me…"
"And how is that?"
"You know. It's a way that you shouldn't feel."
"Why?"
"Because," Reeve said as he got up. "you'll only get yourself hurt. I have to go. I'm scheduled to meet the Highwind on the outskirts of the city a half-hour from now."
"Reeve."
"Yes?"
"I'm… not afraid of pain, you know."
Reeve turned around and looked at Reno, who wore a determined expression. The executive gave a small affirmative nod, then picked up his things and started for the door.
"Reno," he replied, "it's not you that I'm worried about. I'll see you later."
"Okay…" Reno said, pondering Reeve's words. "Have a good trip."
Reeve nodded and left the room.

*****

Tseng spotted Elena walking toward the Sector Five gate only a few minutes before their scheduled meeting time. She stopped in front of him and saluted. "Reporting for duty, sir!"
Tseng and Rude exchanged glances before the former turned back to Elena. "No need for formalities here. We're Turks, meaning that we operate according to our own rules. I can already see that you have much to learn."
Elena didn't reply as he turned his back to her and pulled out his Sector Five keycard. Tseng tried not to let Elena's inexperience get to him, but she was somewhat green, and as such, would have to be lavished with extra attention. Her crush on him, which he was well aware of, would only make things even more difficult. Thank goodness Rude would be with them for this first job.
The Sector Five gate slid open, revealing four yellow chocobos chained to stakes, patiently waiting for them. As Rude and Elena loaded their bags and supplies onto the back of one of the birds, Tseng drew out a slip of paper with some numbers scribbled on it and undid the combination locks that kept the chocobos secure.
"How did these chocobos get here?" Elena asked.
"I had some MPs arrange them for our use," Tseng replied. "I would've preferred black ones, which are faster and a bit more reliable, but these were the best they could do on such short notice."
"So where are we going first?"
"Toward Kalm. It's quite the rumor mill; a great place for gathering information. There's a very good chance we can find out something about Sephiroth there."
"What about AVALANCHE?"
"What about AVALANCHE?"
"Well… what if we run into them on the way? They're wanted criminals as well."
Tseng paused. "Our priority is Sephiroth. Understood?"
"…Understood."
"Excellent," Tseng replied as he mounted his chocobo. Rude and Elena followed suit, and soon, they were riding away from Midgar.

Early that afternoon, Kalm drew near; already, the Turks could see the parapets of the old castle walls that surrounded most of the town. Tseng cast a sidelong glance at Elena; as he had expected, there was a smile on her face upon seeing her hometown. He wondered if Kalm's penchant for Shinra-influenced rumor-monging had rubbed off on her, then remembered what she had said about the Sector Seven plate. In Midgar, even the lowly slum dwellers had suspected Shinra of being behind the plate's felling, but the "official" rumor that had been circulated was that AVALANCHE did the deed. He gazed back over the fields and let out a tired sigh. Elena was a Kalm girl at heart.
As their chocobos continued galloping across the meadows, the Turks came upon flocks of grazing sheep. Many yards away, a lone shepherd sat on a gray boulder, reading a book. The sheep didn't pay any attention to the chocobos as they walked through the flocks. Then, all of a sudden, many of the sheep started bleating and running in all different directions. The Turks looked around them and saw packs of mutant wolves with indigo fur, running across the fields to attack the flock. Elena turned to Tseng, distraught.
"We should do something!"
Tseng said nothing. He looked at the scattered sheep, then at the frantic shepherd who had climbed on top of the rock to escape the wolves, which the locals called "Kalm fangs". A small, ponderous smile crossed Tseng's face.
"Yes. We should, shouldn't we?"
As Tseng drew his pistol from out of the folds of his coat, Rude jumped off of his chocobo and ran toward the nearest fangs, pummeling them with his fists. Elena drew a small device from her coat pocket, which Tseng caught sight of out of the corner of his eye.
"What's that?"
"A grenade. Scarlet supplied me with a few of them before I left headquarters this morning," she said as she hooked her thumb in the pin to pull it.
Tseng reached over and clamped his hand over hers. "Do you want to blow up the sheep as well? I suggest you use something else—perhaps your gun or some materia."
Elena bowed her head. "Sorry, sir."
"It's okay," Tseng said as he removed his hands. "Now let's get rid of these wolves."
"Right!"
Tseng galloped off toward one pack of fangs, while Elena went after another. As his chocobo ran across the hilly field, Tseng drew his pistol and shot three of the wolves, catching one right in the skull. He maimed or killed another six in this manner, then rode back to his companions as the remaining fangs started to retreat. Rude stood by a small pile of bludgeoned wolves, while Elena cast a mid-level ice spell on one fang that had refused to run away with his brethren. She dusted her hands off as Tseng approached.
"Looks like we haven't lost many sheep, sir!"
Tseng nodded as he looked away beyond her. "The shepherd's coming this way. Let me do all the talking."
"Y—yes sir."
The shepherd stopped before the Turks and bowed. "Thank you ever so much for getting rid of those nasty fangs!" She turned to Elena. "Miss Elena, it is good to see you again!"
Elena smiled, and was about to reply when Tseng broke in, "I'm afraid we're short on time. We're the Shinra Turks, and we're in pursuit of a man with grayish-white hair, dressed mostly in black. Our sources indicate that he was headed in this direction."
The shepherd's face froze as she whispered, "Is it true that such a man killed President Shinra?"
"Have you seen him or not?"
"I did yesterday. He gave me and my sheep quite a fright, but he just walked past as though he didn't notice us."
"In which direction did he go?"
"Toward Kalm, where I live. Funny thing is, once I got back into town yesterday, I didn't see him at all. Maybe he had left by then."
Tseng furrowed his brows. "I see. Well, thank you for your time."
As Rude walked back to retrieve the pack chocobo as well as the one he had been riding, Tseng and Elena rode a little ways ahead toward Kalm.
"We Turks never, ever do things without a reason," Tseng lectured. "We try to employ reciprocity whenever possible. As you just saw, our driving away of those Kalm fangs helped us gain a bit of valuable information. We must never overlook such opportunities."
"Sir, why is that?" Elena asked.
"Because not everyone trusts Shinra," answered Tseng. "Not even in Kalm."
Elena nodded. Tseng wondered if it was because she understood, or because she was agreeing with him.
"Kindness is more persuasive than force," Tseng continued, "and if we can temper the force of Shinra with a deliberate bit of kindness, all the better for us."
Elena bowed her head. "Sir… but what if… I mean… can we ever do things out of our own kindness, without expecting something in return?"
Tseng turned to face her, a little bit shocked. He had not been expecting a question like this. As she met his gaze, he found himself troubled; not by her innocence, or her idealism, but by her naiveté. The world was a very complex place, and true heroism was far more trouble than it was worth. This he knew from experience. He was deeply saddened by her question, but tried not to let it show.
"We aren't allowed to be heroes, Elena. That's not our job."

*****

Even though it had been well over a year since she had last visited her hometown, Kalm hadn't changed much. It was still the same small, quiet village it had always been. As the Turks dismounted from their steeds and secured their reigns on a railing near the town's wall, Tseng addressed his subordinates.
"Now listen: we're here for information on 'the man in black', so don't get too distracted by anything else. Most of the people here are supportive of Shinra, but there are a few who aren't, so be tactful in your inquiries and don't say any more than you have to."
Rude and Elena nodded, then the three went their separate ways.

Elena's first stop was the local tavern; she knew that at this time of day, there would be a good number of people about. As she entered, she was surprised to find that most of the crowd consisted of miners. Kalm's biggest export was mythrill, dug out from the mountain caves beyond the Midgar Swamp; the miners had a camp there, and were usually away from town for months at a time. Just then, she spotted her half-brother, Steve, sitting at the counter, and snuck up behind him. She tapped him on the shoulder and he whirled around, almost falling off of his stool once they had come face to face.
"Elena! What on earth are you doing here?" He got to his feet and looked her up and down. "Don't tell me. You made it, right? You're a Turk?"
"That I am!" she answered, clasping her hands behind her back. "I'm on my first mission as we speak!"
"Congratulations! Are the other Turks with you?"
"Yeah, they're around. We split up to gather information."
"Information? About what?"
"A man wearing a black cloak. You seen him?"
A shudder visibly ran down Steve's spine. "Yeah. Yeah, I've seen him. Got long silvery hair and a big-ass sword, right?"
"That's him."
"I saw a guy like that earlier this morning. He was walking east, toward the Chocobo Farm. He looked really scary… Who is he, anyway?"
"He's Sephi—"
Elena found her reply cut off by a hand clapped over her mouth. The hand was smooth, yet firm, and smelled faintly of gun metal. She tilted her eyes upward and found that her captor was Tseng.
"Elena, remember what I said about tactfulness. Say only what you have to."
Steve looked up at the stern Turk leader. "Is that your boss?" he asked, pointing to Tseng.
Elena nodded through Tseng's grip; he let her go and she turned to face him.
"I'm sorry, sir," she stammered.
"Do you know what for?"
"For saying more than was necessary."
"Just don't let it happen again." He looked over at Steve, who had come to Elena's side. "And who are you, sir?"
"Me? Oh, I'm Elena's brother, Steve."
Tseng eyed Steve's hazel eyes, identical to Elena's own, and his reddish-orange hair, which wasn't.
"Her brother?"
"Well, half-brother, actually," Elena explained. "We both have the same father."
"I see," said Tseng. "Elena, come to the inn when you have a chance. There's something I want to show you. And remember, watch your tongue."
The Turk leader turned to leave, then looked back.
"By the way, thanks for the information, Steve."
Tseng left the tavern.
Elena sighed and climbed up on a bar stool. Steve sat on the one right next to her.
"So that's your boss, huh? Seems like a real hardass."
"No, I deserved that," Elena muttered. "I'm still new to this job. I don't know all the protocols yet."
"Don't they teach you that stuff as a Turk trainee?"
"Not all of it…" Elena was about to tell him the circumstances surrounding her quick hiring, but thought better of it. Instead, she took another look around the bar. "Hey Steve? Why are all these miners here? Why aren't they at the camps?"
"I guess you haven't heard. Monsters have been showing up in those parts lately. They say the biggest one is a serpent that measures thirty feet long."
"Where did they come from?"
"No one knows. There's a rumor going around that Shinra secretly makes them in their mako reactors. I don't believe a word of it, myself."
Elena just nodded, wondering to herself if this was true. She glanced at her watch.
"Oh! It's getting late. Sorry Steve, but I really have to go."
"Hey, it's okay. You're on a mission, right?"
"Yeah," Elena said as she slid off the stool. She gave her brother a tight hug, then started toward the door. "Say hi to Dad for me, will you?"
"Sure thing! Good luck on your mission!"
"Thanks!"
Elena waved goodbye, then ran off toward the inn.

As she entered the front lobby of the Kalm Inn, Tseng and Rude rose from their chairs and walked over to her. Tseng motioned to the vacant front desk.
"There's something in the register I thought you should see."
Elena walked up to the desk and read the book. The most recently written pair of names were Tifa Lockheart and Barret Wallace. She looked back up at the two men wearing a quizzical expression.
"Why are you showing me this?"
"Barret Wallace is the leader of AVALANCHE," Rude answered. "They were here last night."
"Who is this 'Tifa', then?"
The bald man furrowed his brows. "The last member of AVALANCHE."
"Back when I was doing my research, I thought it strange that I could find record of neither her nor Cloud," Tseng said, "but after what Rude told me, it all made sense."
"What did?"
"Their records were erased," Rude replied as he started for the door, "Not only because they are natives of Nibelheim, but they also had the bad luck of being in Nibelheim five years ago, when the incident occurred…"
Elena watched Rude go, gaping into the small crack where his past could just barely be seen. Tseng crossed his arms.
"After I left you at the tavern, he told me the story of how he came to know Tifa. He spent the first seven years of his life in Nibelheim before his family moved to the Junon area. Tifa was an acquaintance from those days."
"What about the 'incident' that he mentioned?"
"That's an even longer story, but one I'm not qualified to tell."
Elena nodded, wondering what Tseng meant by this. "So anyway, where are we headed next?"
"The Chocobo Farm, of course. Didn't your brother say something about Sephiroth heading in that direction?"
"Oh, right," she said, sheepishly scratching the back of her head.
"On chocobo-back, it's only a few days' travel from here. If we're unable to find Sephiroth there, we'll stay at the farmhouse for the night, then set out again the following morning with whatever new leads we're able to pick up. I've already called Choco Bill to arrange for him to take care of our birds should we have to cross the Midgar Swamp."
Tseng turned and left the inn. Elena followed him, and saw that Rude was busy securing the bags on the pack chocobo. The bald man furrowed his brows thoughtfully.
"Hey, Tseng," he muttered. "Do you think Tifa and her friends are chasing after Sephiroth as well?"
"I wouldn't be surprised. I'll call the President once we're on our way to the Chocobo Farm and let him know they were here. Considering the nature of our previous encounters, I hope they don't try to interfere with our work." Tseng mounted his chocobo. "Let's get going. Is everyone ready?"
Rude mounted his own bird and nodded an affirmative; Elena followed suit. As they left Kalm, she thought about the conversation they had just had. Tseng didn't seem too concerned about AVALANCHE being on Sephiroth's trail. Didn't he want to get back at them for all the mayhem they'd caused? And what about what they'd done to poor Reno?
As they galloped toward the eastern grasslands, Elena thought about Tseng; more than ever, she wanted to get to know him.

*****

A soft cooing drew Zack out of his dreamless sleep. Cautiously, he opened his eyes, and was startled to see a large yellow and orange face staring at him. The frightened young chocobo screeched loudly and ran off.
Zack pulled himself up to the top of the rock against which he had fallen asleep and looked out over the green meadows, softly lit by the rising sun. Nearly a week had passed since he, guided by Jenova's will, killed President Shinra and left Midgar. He was not sure why Jenova had wanted him to take this journey, nor where her ultimate destination was. Figuring that nothing worse could happen to him at this point, he let his will go, free for Jenova to control. She was his arms, his legs, his voice. However, even though she held dominion over his tongue, she could not completely disable his thoughts.
"Jenova, where do we go from here?"
"We must make our way across the wetlands," she answered, her voice ringing in his ear, melodic in a minor key. "There is a military base on the other side, where we will find passage across the sea."
Zack understood; their next stop was to be Junon. He stood up, brushing his long black coat free of the grass and dirt that had accumulated on it. As he took his gray hair and tied it into a ponytail, he stared down at the slender blade leaning against the rock, its tip digging into the dirt. It was not the Masamune; rather, it was a replica made from Jenova's own flesh and bearing the sword's aura. Like his Sephiroth-self, this mock-Masamune was merely camouflage for Jenova's true form. He picked up the blade and began walking.
Less than a mile ahead of him, a ranch came into view. With the outer pen empty of animals, the place was fairly quiet. An old man sat on a folding chair in front of the closest building, a farmhouse, smoking a long pipe. Silently, Zack walked past the pen, then headed southward toward the stagnant waters of the Midgar Swamp.
"Hey!"
The voice came from behind him. He turned around to see the old man standing up, his hands cupped around his mouth.
"You aren't gonna cross the swamp on foot, are you?"
"I was planning on it…"
The man started walking closer, obviously in an effort to save himself the trouble of yelling.
"You'd better catch a chocobo to help get you across. There's a huge monster that lurks in these waters—scared off all of Kalm's miners, it did."
"A monster, you say?"
"Yeah. A big water snake called the Midgar Zolom. It moves faster than most people can run. You'll definitely need the speedy legs of a chocobo."
Zack's Sephiroth-self smiled cryptically. "I think I'll take my chances." He turned around and continued his trek toward the swamp. As he walked, he heard the old man sigh.
"He probably thinks that I'm crazy," Zack thought. "What if this monster of his is really as dangerous as he's making it out to be?"
"I wouldn't worry about that," Jenova replied. "If we do run across this beast, we'll take care of it."

Deep in the swamp, with the Mythrill Mines just starting to come into view, Zack waded through knee-high water, thankful that Sephiroth always wore such tall boots. The bog was thick with algae, sawgrass, and mosquitos, but curiously free of wading-birds, lizards, and any other wildlife that would be typical for this environment. Zack thought that this may have been because of the Midgar Zolom. He wondered about all the monsters he had slain since leaving Midgar. In the past, the world wasn't as populated with such malicious beasts. Where had they all come from?
A sharp pain hit his skull as this last thought materialized. He knew the answer—or at least, he should know. Someone had shown him something a long time ago… in Nibelheim. He fell to his knees, the pain overwhelming any control that Jenova had over him at that moment.
"Get up," she demanded.
Zack shook his head furiously. "I can't. It's my memory that's doing this to me."
"Your memory?"
"Missing… something's missing…"
"Ahh…yes," Jenova replied after a brief pause, a sharper edge to her voice. "Of course."
Zack leaned over, holding his head in pain. As he was about to topple into the water, he pushed his hands down beneath the surface and gripped at the mud and clay. He closed his eyes and took slow, deep breaths. The bog fell deathly silent; not even a ripple could be heard. Finally, he stood up, algae clinging to his gloves and armlets, and looked straight ahead. As he started to take a step forward, he was pulled back into the water, then whipped high into the air.
His left leg was held in a tight grip by the forked, scaly tail of a massive beast. It was, like the old man had described, an enormous snake. The Midgar Zolom flicked out its purple tongue and flung Zack back into the water, where he quickly got back onto his feet, drawing his sword as he did so. Not bothering to wait for the Zolom's next move, he stepped forward, swinging the Masamune in a wide arc. The Zolom's grayish-green scales were barely scratched.
"This beast is tougher than I anticipated," Jenova admitted. "I will need you in a more powerful form…"
Suddenly, Zack felt a strange sensation running through his body. Two large things burst from his back as his feet left the ground. His right arm turned into a pinkish-purple tentacle, and his left gripped the Masamune's hilt tighter than before. He hovered before the Zolom as it drew itself to its full height, its forked tail twitching rapidly. Zack swooped forward, slashing at the Zolom's head in a move that was more powerful than his first, before Jenova's added mutations. The sword caught the Zolom in the eye; blood squirted out in a flailing stream, hitting Zack as the screaming serpent thrashed from side to side. With his adversary's blood dripping from his hair and chin, Zack plunged the blade into the torn eye, straight through to the creature's brain.
"Incredible…" Zack thought as he felt the beast's final struggles through the vibrations of his sword.
"I see you are in awe of my power."
"I must admit… it is certainly something."
For a moment, Zack thought he could sense Jenova smile. "Now, puppet," she answered. "Let us be rid of this nuisance and continue on our way."
Still floating in mid-air, Zack twisted around the dead Zolom and dragged the beast behind him with the lodged Masamune. The waters of the Midgar Swamp began to recede as they neared the Mines, replaced by solid ground dotted here and there by the skeletal forms of leafless trees. Zack stopped before the first one they came to.
"We will leave the beast here," Jenova whispered. "It will doubtless serve as a warning to all those who dare stand in our—"
"What?" Zack interrupted. "You mean someone is after us?"
"I have sensed two groups through my other puppets… A trio in dark blue suits, and those that you saw in the cells before you freed me."
Zack nodded to himself as he impaled the dead Zolom on the chosen tree. The Turks—the "trio in blue suits"—he could understand. Doubtless, they were on a mission to catch the President's killer. Why Cloud, Aeris, and their friends would be following him, he wasn't sure.
As usual, Jenova was reading his mind. "Your friends from the laboratory… they do have their reasons. You will discover them for yourself once your memory is recovered."
"You mean my memories will come back to me?" he asked as he wrested the Masamune free from the Zolom's head.
"In due time, puppet. Just trust in me…"
Zack sighed as his body floated to solid ground. As his feet touched the soil, he felt Jenova's "wings" retreat into his body and the tentacle reform itself into a human arm. He stared into the dark cave opening that lay a few yards ahead of him.
"I was afraid you were going to say that."

Etant une grande fan du Final Fantasy VII sorti sur PSone, il me fallait absolument acheter Crisis Core sur la PSP. Enfin un épisode entier dédié à Zack, le "mentor" de Clad, qui apportera des réponses aux questions laissées en suspend dans Final Fantasy VII !

Avant de jouer, je découvre le format UMD : un mini-dvd enfermé dans un petit boitier en plastique. Alors que j'essaye de sortir le mini-dvd de son écrin, mon cher et tendre me rappelle à l'ordre en me faisant remarquer que le plastique fait parti de l'UMD et que je suis en train de démolir plus ou moins mon Crisis Core adoré...

Après cette grosse sueur froide, j'insère le jeu dans la PSP, et là, ô joie, la cinématique d'introduction me fait réaliser à quel point la PSP en a dans le ventre. C'est tout simplement magnifique à en pleurer, même sur un petit écran. Vidéo à l'appui :

Je pense que tous les fans de FFVII ressentiront les mêmes frissons que moi au visionnage de cette cinématique, mais surtout, à l'écoute de la bande sonore. Tendez bien l'oreille, oui, vous ne rêvez pas, ce sont bien les thèmes musicaux du premier FFVII qui ont été réutilisés ! Aaah, nostalgie...je sens que je vais me régaler.

Et en effet, je me régale. Bourré de références issues du premier épisode sur PSone, ce jeu est vraiment très bon. Le début de l'aventure de Crisis Core ressemble trait pour trait au début de FFVII avec Clad (l'arrivée dans la gare et les combats contre les gardes Shinra). On retrouve avec émotions certains personnages comme Yuffie, Aerith ou Tseng, mais aussi des villes comme Wutaï ou Midgard et ses réacteurs Mako. Je vais pleurer de joie deux secondes et je reviens.

Les animations des persos de FF7 ont été réutilisées dans Crisis Core comme les mouvements à l'épée en fin de combat executés par Zack (rappelez-vous Clad) ou les coups de poings effrénés de Yuffie.

En ce qui concerne le système de combat, c'est un peu déroutant au début. Crisis Core n'est pas un RPG mais un A-RPG, le tour par tour laisse donc ici la place à de l'action "presque"en temps réel. Je dis presque parce que, contrairement à Final Fantasy XII, les monstres ne sont pas visibles et les combats se déclenchent de manière aléatoire.

Ce système de combat orienté action peut sembler difficile à appréhender lors des premiers combats, d'autant plus que vous contrôlez seulement un seul personnage, Zack. Mais vu sa puissance, on s'habitue très vite à la "solitude" et l'on se surprend même à terminer les combats sans aucun dommages (merci le système d'esquive).

Autre nouveauté, la jauge de "DMW", qui vous octroie différents bonus lors des combats et qui vous permet de déclencher vos limites. Seul hic, vous n'avez aucun pouvoir sur cette jauge, et sa mise en marche aléatoire coupe assez souvent le rythme des combats.

La jauge de DMW tourne et s'arrête aléatoirement pendant les combats (en haut à gauche de l'écran). Si une figure se retrouve deux fois dans la jauge, alors le combat se met en pause et le système de DMW se met en marche. Selon les chiffres qui apparaissent à gauche des figures, du nombre de SP (Soldier Points) accumulés, de la couleur de votre jauge de limite, et de la troisième figure qui apparaîtra, vous obtiendrez différents bonus (du déclenchement de votre limite à l'augmentation de niveau de vos matérias, en passant par l'invincibilité de votre personnage).

Comme il faut le voir pour vraiment comprendre, je vous propose de visionner la vidéo ci-dessous (regardez bien la jauge qui défile en haut à gauche) :

Les commandes sont également assez complexes au début : il vous faudra apprendre à utiliser les gachettes droite et gauche afin de sélectionner l'action à effectuer. Vous pouvez attaquer avec votre arme, utiliser un objet de votre inventaire, ou lancer une attaque magique grâce à vos matérias. Nouveauté intéressante, après quelques heures de jeu, vous pourrez fusionner vos matérias afin d'en créer des plus puissantes.

Ce Final Fantasy est une merveille tant au niveau de l'histoire que du gameplay et je le recommande à tous les fans de Final Fantasy VII. Promis, vous ne serez pas déçus.

Etant une grande fan du Final Fantasy VII sorti sur PSone, il me fallait absolument acheter Crisis Core sur la PSP. Enfin un épisode entier dédié à Zack, le "mentor" de Clad, qui apportera des réponses aux questions laissées en suspend dans Final Fantasy VII !

Avant de jouer, je découvre le format UMD : un mini-dvd enfermé dans un petit boitier en plastique. Alors que j'essaye de sortir le mini-dvd de son écrin, mon cher et tendre me rappelle à l'ordre en me faisant remarquer que le plastique fait parti de l'UMD et que je suis en train de démolir plus ou moins mon Crisis Core adoré...

Après cette grosse sueur froide, j'insère le jeu dans la PSP, et là, ô joie, la cinématique d'introduction me fait réaliser à quel point la PSP en a dans le ventre. C'est tout simplement magnifique à en pleurer, même sur un petit écran. Vidéo à l'appui :

Je pense que tous les fans de FFVII ressentiront les mêmes frissons que moi au visionnage de cette cinématique, mais surtout, à l'écoute de la bande sonore. Tendez bien l'oreille, oui, vous ne rêvez pas, ce sont bien les thèmes musicaux du premier FFVII qui ont été réutilisés ! Aaah, nostalgie...je sens que je vais me régaler.

Et en effet, je me régale. Bourré de références issues du premier épisode sur PSone, ce jeu est vraiment très bon. Le début de l'aventure de Crisis Core ressemble trait pour trait au début de FFVII avec Clad (l'arrivée dans la gare et les combats contre les gardes Shinra). On retrouve avec émotions certains personnages comme Yuffie, Aerith ou Tseng, mais aussi des villes comme Wutaï ou Midgard et ses réacteurs Mako. Je vais pleurer de joie deux secondes et je reviens.

Les animations des persos de FF7 ont été réutilisées dans Crisis Core comme les mouvements à l'épée en fin de combat executés par Zack (rappelez-vous Clad) ou les coups de poings effrénés de Yuffie.

En ce qui concerne le système de combat, c'est un peu déroutant au début. Crisis Core n'est pas un RPG mais un A-RPG, le tour par tour laisse donc ici la place à de l'action "presque"en temps réel. Je dis presque parce que, contrairement à Final Fantasy XII, les monstres ne sont pas visibles et les combats se déclenchent de manière aléatoire.

Ce système de combat orienté action peut sembler difficile à appréhender lors des premiers combats, d'autant plus que vous contrôlez seulement un seul personnage, Zack. Mais vu sa puissance, on s'habitue très vite à la "solitude" et l'on se surprend même à terminer les combats sans aucun dommages (merci le système d'esquive).

Autre nouveauté, la jauge de "DMW", qui vous octroie différents bonus lors des combats et qui vous permet de déclencher vos limites. Seul hic, vous n'avez aucun pouvoir sur cette jauge, et sa mise en marche aléatoire coupe assez souvent le rythme des combats.

Le jaude de DMW tourne et s'arrête aléatoirement pendant les combats (en haut à gauche de l'écran). Si une figure se retrouve deux fois dans la jauge, alors le combat se met en pause et le système de DMW se met en marche. Selon les chiffres qui apparaissent à gauche des figures, du nombre de SP (Soldier Points) accumulés, de la couleur de votre jauge de limite, et de la troisième figure qui apparaîtra, vous obtiendrez différents bonus (du déclenchement de votre limite à l'augmentation de niveau de vos matérias, en passant par l'invincibilité de votre personnage).

Comme il faut le voir pour vraiment comprendre, je vous propose de visionner la vidéo ci-dessous (regardez bien la jauge qui défile en haut à gauche) :

Les commandes sont également assez complexes au début : il vous faudra apprendre à utiliser les gachettes droite et gauche afin de sélectionner l'action à effectuer. Vous pouvez attaquer avec votre arme, utiliser un objet de votre inventaire, ou lancer une attaque magique grâce à vos matérias. Nouveauté intéressante, après quelques heures de jeu, vous pourrez fusionner vos matérias afin d'en créer des plus puissantes.

Ce Final Fantasy est une merveille tant au niveau de l'histoire que du gameplay et je le recommande à tous les fans de Final Fantasy VII. Promis, vous ne serez pas déçus.

zack_junk, originally uploaded by thatguynoonelikes.

Magus told me to draw Zack so THIS IS WHAT HE GETS.

Right now i am at the Starbucks at the Airport, drinking my Caramel Frappuccino x3 on my laptop writing this post. My flight is at 11:25 am and Bluish's is at 6 pm, i think.

AND!! I finally have my Crisis Core in my PSP!!! *__* Which magically and miracleously fixed itself!! It was like a dream come true~! So Disney like!!! XD So i inmediately went to download the Crisis Core!! I'll be playing it at the plane!!! x3 You can count on that! LOL  OK now i have to go~ .... Crisis Core is sooo cool! Videos!! FFVII!!! Zack!!! And the blonde guy who i don't know now this name but i love him! My temporal amnesia! x_x and the lack os sleep!

There might be some post about our trips, i guess LOL XD

If you are familiar with the game, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, then you will feel right at home with this scene that we did together. I was super excited for this, and I still am. So, even if you watch it here, please head to the actual video page and leave a comment and/or rating on how we did. We're both up-and-coming voice talent, and we might do another Crisis Core cut-scene depending on how we are welcomed. Though I think we make a pretty sweet team, we aren't the only ones dubbing Crisis Core scenes.

Crisis Core Fandub: Zack Meets Aerith

If you liked what you heard, please check out my YouTube channel for more auditions and completed voice-overs done by me! Thanks in advance for watching and listening!

This video displays me playing a few basic missions of "Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core" on my PC. I am using my PSP Slim as a Joystick, my PC Monitor only replaces the screen.

This video was recorded with "CamStudio"

To use your PC Monitor while playing your PSP, go to this link (YOU MUST BECOME A MEMBER OF www.pspiso.com TO SEE THIS THREAD)(it's worth it XD)

http://pspiso.com/showthread.php?&amp...

I already beat Crisis Core (if you notice Zack's Level is 52), I am playing the "New Game Plus" option to finish some missions I hadn't done.

When I was playing the game on my PC, it looked great but it ran a bit slower. But when I had finished recording the video, the video quality was reduced and the Frame Rate was much faster, sorry for that.

This video is to show the advantages that Custom Firmware has above official Sony Firmware.

Additional Tags:

RemoteJoy Homebrew Hack Playstation Portable

Youtube Link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4fQ4Kee368

Hier en me baladant je suis passer devant une boutique de jeux vidéo et comme d’habitude je n’est pas pu résister a l’envie d’entrer dedans, je suis tomber sur le pack PSP limited édition Crisis Core. Je n’est pas pu résister et j’ai embarquer le joujou a la maison! Sony n’inclus plus les mémory stick j’ai du aller cher eux en prendre une (4GB qui n’est pas trop cher comparer a sa grande sœur la 8GB).

Le pack contient une Psp grise pailleter graver de deux dessin 10th anniversaire Final Fantasy VII à l’arrière de la bête,le jeu Crisis core et le chargeur. La qualité d’image de cette machine et impressionnante (j’ai l’impression de jouer sur une console de salon).

Je ferais un test de Crisis core des que j‘aurais bien avancer (je ne vais pas me les glander cette été).