Final Fantasy Crisis Core is a much needed addition to the expansive world of Final Fantasy VII. It follows the story of a briefly introduced character in Final Fantasy VII, named Zack Fair, who passed on both legacy and memories to Cloud Strife, the main character of Final Fantasy VII, before dying tragically. The original game was totally fresh in its digital graphics and play style on the Sony PSP Handheld. It also pioneered the way for many sci-fi related games and movies that followed it. The added lore in Crisis Core is a gateway to a deeper understanding of the main characters in the actual game, so seeing it re-produced with improved graphics and on more accessible gaming consoles is a huge win.

Any enjoyer of JRPG (Japanese Role Playing Games) knows the pain of becoming interested in a new game, only to find out that it was only ever released on the Sony PSP. This handheld Playstation console is not hard to find or very expensive to buy, but nearly every good game on it is unreasonably expensive because of the very few people who actually bought the console. Crisis Core is one such game, and for years it was near impossible to get it without buying from a sketchy Ebay seller or striking gold in a Half Priced Books store. This reboot was necessary  and it evokes a  renewed hope that more lost games like Crisis Core will be re-released in the future. Final Fantasy VII was a total success when it first came out, and with Square Enix re-mastering the game, it is only expected for them to make the spin offs more accessible too. 

The graphics of Crisis Core have been dramatically improved upon with the re-release, although they only needed a few touch ups because the original game wasn’t so flat in style as the original Final Fantasy VII was. Many controls have been kept from the original, like the original way of fighting that’s unique to Crisis Core. However, a lot of not so great things have been replaced with a better design. If there’s one gripe with the new re-release, it’s that the creators switched out the old voice actors from the original with different people. It’s a little thing that only people who have played the original would recognize, but it’s still a complaint among some players. Even though this is a problem, it still doesn’t take away from the great results of this game and the overall effect of its new beauty. With part two of the Final Fantasy VII remake coming out this winter, it’s also exciting to see a graphically improved outside world beyond the one city players are confined to in the first part of the game. It makes the world of Final Fantasy VII appear much larger and more exciting when the time comes for part two to be released. The strategic re-release of this game is really hyping up the fans for what’s to come in the much-anticipated second part of the game.