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Monday, April 21, 2008

Well, it's been ages, but FF VII Crisis Core's out. It's a sort-of sequel to FF VII, and explains the story of Zack, with cameos of characters from FFVII. It's a freaking awesome game!

I've been a fan of FF VII ever since I played it some 9 years ago, and still am a fan. From the start of the original to the end, I couldn't help but be amazed by the depth of the plot and the development of the characters. It was my introduction to the world of RPG-gaming, and to date, FF VII still sets the standard of any RPG game I've touched since then. To me, FF VIII was ok, IX horrible, X engaging (but only about 8/10), X-2 a little off and the rest, well, I haven't played the rest yet.

To me, a good game engages the player's senses and emotions, and VII was just that good. Back then, those graphics were considered the best ever seen, the soundtrack awesome (especially the Boss Battle Theme: Still More Fighting) and the storyline so well developed it left me so caught in the game I spent like 8 hours just fighting monsters after the 1st visit to Kalm and just before catching a Chocobo to outrun the Midgar Zolom. I remember being Level 46 then, and could have easily killed the damn snake. LoL. And all these parts come together and appeal to the gamer's senses and emotions, bringing the gameplay to another level, making the player so immersed in the game that at every cut scene, you can actually feel like you're part of the game.

The main thing that caught me off guard was the death of Aerith at the hands of Sephiroth. It was a first for me to actually see and feel the death of a main character in a game. Alot of gamers were shocked, because Aerith was a very well-developed character (not only physically), but personality-wise. Everyone thought that she would survive, but she died at the end of the 1st disc. It was at that point, during the cut-scene when Sephiroth dropped down with the Masamune and stabbed Aerith through the abdomen, ending the heroine's life with one stroke (I know I'm writing all this and it sounds like sexual innuendo, but bear with it), that the emotional content was at its peak.

Aerith was my favourite character, and a lot of people assumed that she liked Cloud. But apparently if they played VII as many times as I did (I only know it's way more than 10 times), they would realize that Aerith found Cloud to be an almost exact copy of Zack, and that she was trying to find out who he really was, that Zack's character traits showed alot in Cloud and she was just curious about why Cloud was a SOLDIER 1st Class and didn't know Zack.

But back to the point. Crisis Core rocks as a prequel to VII, and it's a great game. Materia concepts similar to VII, battle wise it's similar to the ATB style, except that you can run all over the place and evade (more interactive and action-styled). Downside was the DMW Limits and Summons, though they also have their good points. Even after slaying all the monsters, sometimes the DMW might still be triggered, but it's ok, at least you'll get extra SP, and if you're lucky, maybe a DMW scene for a certain character that might just boost it to 100% in the DMW menu or materia level up. Some players complain about it, I think it's just neat that I get that extra random chance to level up or to complete my DMWs. Another downside to battles is that I can just mash the X and Square buttons and just get away in battles (only after getting all the Genji accessories). It would be better if the monsters leveled up in stats according to Zack's current level and that there were sword combos to use. But then again, I shouldn't expect so much, otherwise the game wouldn't just be like 1.05GB.

Other than the battles, which incudes mission mode that allows players to fight tougher monsters (which were a challenge), the cut scenes were spectacular and the characters engaging. It allows you to see how everything was 7 years befire before VII. Though I disappointed myself because I kept playing the missions, and when I battled with Sephiroth, I was already lvl 76. Killed the bugger in like 3 slashes. That really killed my game. Now I'm just collecting items to max out my materia with stats to boost Zack's stats. Missions 99% complete, and I'm just left with Minerva to battle in the missions. WOOT! After which I'm going to kill that bitch and Genesis and start a New Game +. Can't wait to fight enemies with higher stats. I'm looking for a challenge!

Rawr~

Kenny died at 4:08 pm