So I played this game on the PSP for the first time a few months before Remake came out. I was a relatively new FF7 fan at the time and was getting into the Compilation Material. With each piece of media that I played/watched/read, I slowly came to the realization that the Compilation was a really bad project that failed to live up to original game in terms of quality and story. So much of it engages in blatant fan service and poor writing (both in plot and characters) that I began to understand why it was so controversial among the fan base. However, there was one exception that often came up that was described to me as the only thing from the compilation worth playing, and that was Crisis Core. I went into the PSP game with high hopes that there would be at least something redeemable from the compilation, but unfortunately for me, what I found was basically more of the same, with a couple of exceptions.
Writing this review is a bit difficult because I can review the game based on how good of a remake/remaster it is, or I can review based on the game itself. I'll attempt to do both.
Just to get this right off the bat, this is basically the definitive way to play the original game. The improved graphics, overall better voice cast, and the reworked combat basically makes this a significantly better experience. The graphical overhaul looks pretty nice and I think was a good way of bringing this game up to modern standards. This version just feels like a much snappier game to play, and that's thanks to the combat's much faster pace that's more in line with what you see in the Remake Trilogy. There's this satisfying feel to the combat that kept me coming back even during this game's worst moments. In fact much of this game was redone to have closer continuity with the Remake Trilogy. I already mentioned the combat, but the new VA cast from the remake trilogy comes back to voice most of the roles, which leads to less cringey experience. Even the UI has been reworked to be more in line the Remake Trilogy.
Unfortunately, these improvements can't save the deeper flaws this game has. The story is nonsensical mess, with writing that feels like was written by a madman. Things just happen in the plot with seemingly no explanation and much of dialogue is unintentionally hilarious to the point where a number of memes have spawned out of this game. Some of the worst elements of this story come from the stuff that has nothing to do with the original story of the PS1 game. Genesis as a character is dumb addition to this story and every time he is on screen, he is hard to take seriously. To this day, I still don't fully understand what Genesis was trying to accomplish and it feels like he was hamfisted in a story that really didn't need a character like him. I genuinely believe that the only reason why this game is beloved by the fan base is because of Zack, whose original VA Rick Gomez does a lot of heavy lifting in making the character as likeable as he is. Gomez's absence is definitely felt in this remaster, though his replacement does a decent job. I think the final battle in this game is so well executed that it almost makes you forget that this game narrative was largely bad.
On the gameplay aspect, not much as been improved besides the combat. The game's mission structure is really repetitive and is even more glaring now that its on consoles instead of only handhelds. That might have worked back in 2007/2008 when PSP tech was impressive, but nowadays, it just feels like a slog to get through. Most of the side quests are pretty meaningless and don't do much to help expand the lore or add more texture to the world. The mini games are also really clunky and feel random at times. I get trying to mix up the gameplay to keep things fresh, but the implementation feels unpolished.
In the end, when I think about the original, while this isn't the worst gaming experience I've ever had, I can't help but feel disappointed about the final product. It shares many of same problems with other Compilation titles and is an overall mediocre experience. As a remaster, I think this is the definitive way to play the original game. It has some drawbacks here and there, but if you're looking to play Crisis Core for the first time, this is the place to start.
Writing this review is a bit difficult because I can review the game based on how good of a remake/remaster it is, or I can review based on the game itself. I'll attempt to do both.
Just to get this right off the bat, this is basically the definitive way to play the original game. The improved graphics, overall better voice cast, and the reworked combat basically makes this a significantly better experience. The graphical overhaul looks pretty nice and I think was a good way of bringing this game up to modern standards. This version just feels like a much snappier game to play, and that's thanks to the combat's much faster pace that's more in line with what you see in the Remake Trilogy. There's this satisfying feel to the combat that kept me coming back even during this game's worst moments. In fact much of this game was redone to have closer continuity with the Remake Trilogy. I already mentioned the combat, but the new VA cast from the remake trilogy comes back to voice most of the roles, which leads to less cringey experience. Even the UI has been reworked to be more in line the Remake Trilogy.
Unfortunately, these improvements can't save the deeper flaws this game has. The story is nonsensical mess, with writing that feels like was written by a madman. Things just happen in the plot with seemingly no explanation and much of dialogue is unintentionally hilarious to the point where a number of memes have spawned out of this game. Some of the worst elements of this story come from the stuff that has nothing to do with the original story of the PS1 game. Genesis as a character is dumb addition to this story and every time he is on screen, he is hard to take seriously. To this day, I still don't fully understand what Genesis was trying to accomplish and it feels like he was hamfisted in a story that really didn't need a character like him. I genuinely believe that the only reason why this game is beloved by the fan base is because of Zack, whose original VA Rick Gomez does a lot of heavy lifting in making the character as likeable as he is. Gomez's absence is definitely felt in this remaster, though his replacement does a decent job. I think the final battle in this game is so well executed that it almost makes you forget that this game narrative was largely bad.
On the gameplay aspect, not much as been improved besides the combat. The game's mission structure is really repetitive and is even more glaring now that its on consoles instead of only handhelds. That might have worked back in 2007/2008 when PSP tech was impressive, but nowadays, it just feels like a slog to get through. Most of the side quests are pretty meaningless and don't do much to help expand the lore or add more texture to the world. The mini games are also really clunky and feel random at times. I get trying to mix up the gameplay to keep things fresh, but the implementation feels unpolished.
In the end, when I think about the original, while this isn't the worst gaming experience I've ever had, I can't help but feel disappointed about the final product. It shares many of same problems with other Compilation titles and is an overall mediocre experience. As a remaster, I think this is the definitive way to play the original game. It has some drawbacks here and there, but if you're looking to play Crisis Core for the first time, this is the place to start.