New playable demo and details for Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII

Careful PSP fans, before you rush out to your local gaming store to harangue the clerk for the brand new Crisis Core demo, keep in mind that so far the two playable stages shown to journalists have not been released from the confines of Square Enix’s tightly controlled press experience which took place this past weekend. Those lucky, lucky video game insiders with more industry clout than us had a chance to play it, however, and so far the reports have been overwhelmingly enthusiastic. The two playable stages were titled “Zack vs. Genesis” and “The One That Goes Beyond Bahamut”. In Zack Vs. Genesis, players got a taste of the games gorgeous in-game cinematics, which did not fail to impress, as well as a boss battle against Genesis. The One That Goes Beyond Bahamut focused more on combat and the game’s transportation system. Read on to find out what members of the gaming press had to say about their time with the new Crisis Core demo.

The lucky few who got a taste of the game confirmed that action plays out in real time on the 3D world map, but that combat events occur randomly as players walk around. Pressing the square button in the demo brought up a map of the immediate surroundings, which is a feature that we can only assume will be included in the final version. Camera control was handled by the two shoulder buttons, and did not raise any complaints so far, which is promising for a game that will depend heavily on a close-up 3D perspective. Players over at IGN took issue with the blocking maneuver, claiming that it lags significantly behind the action on screen, making it less useful as a defensive tactic.

There were mixed feelings about the addition of the roulette mechanic, which randomly dishes out special attacks for Zack during battle. Three slots contain constantly rotating portraits in the upper-left corner of the screen which depict characters from the storyline. When a specific combo of images are aligned, it unleashes a special attack influenced by the style and personality of the character in the portrait. The writers over at Gamespot were ambivalent about the whole slot machine conceit, suggesting that its randomness detracts somewhat from the amount of control that players have over the action in-game. They did, however, share other major sites’ opinion of the graphics, which they claim are stunning:

The visuals in the game, while still incomplete, veer from impressive to stunning, setting a new bar for visual fidelity on the PSP. The playable demo and trailers we saw in the theater showcased the amazing design and graphics engine, which freshens the familiar locales from FFVII with an Advent Children flavor, and it works out very well. The character models get the same treatment and, coupled with the robust graphics engine, look great […] The visuals are enhanced by some cool sleights of hand, such as when Bahamut decides to put the hurt on you during your battle with him and unleashes a world-shattering attack that’s shown through a slick transition from gameplay to CG.

Thanks: [Gamespot, IGN]