I have been playing Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII on the PSP. I didn’t used to understand the appeal of Final Fantasy VII, but I was very impressed with its story and character development after I played the original game – the storytelling was beautiful, and it pushed the boundaries of RPGs.

Crisis Core gives me mixed feelings. I do like the shiny, pretty graphics and the extended background story of Zack, Cloud and Sephiroth’s friendship. However, I’m not sure if the addition of the new characters — the Project G story — works so well.

In the original FF7, the character development was so well rounded because the story was so long that it allowed many side-quests and stories to be woven into the main story. With Crisis Core, which is a much, much shorter game, we simply don’t have that much game-time to get to know the newer characters. Furthermore, they have much more complex backgrounds. Although the addition of the email messages in the game helps a little, I found the whole Project G plot rather rushed, and the new characters a little one-dimensional compared to the other established ones.

Despite these flaws, it’s an enjoyable game, and I like the new combat system. I’m almost done with the game, but I’m reluctant to complete it because I know Zack will die, arghh! My friend was depressed for a week after that.