Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (PlayStation Portable, 2008)

The prequel to Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core does more than just tell a story: it reinvents the game.

Crisis Core introduces several new features to the combat system and effectively incorporates strategy with fighting. Although you can't fight in teams, Crisis Core compensates for that disadvantage by implementing a "modulating phase." The modulating phase is a new way to level up, perform special attacks, receive MP, AP or HP all while viewing cutscenes from various portions of the game (or from the story in general).

Aside from the combat system, Crisis Core is an excellent expansion to the Final Fantasy VII storyline. Several key story elements (as well as smaller elements) can be found in Crisis Core that were presented in the original Final Fantasy VII. How did Aeris become the Flower Girl? Who is Zack Fair? What was Sephiroth like before FFVII? And lastly, what exactly happened that day at the Mako reactor? All of these questions are answered in depth, but there are other story elements that story writers shed some light on as well.

Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core is a must-have game. All together it's about 12-14 hours of gameplay (about 1/2 to 1/3 the playing time of the original Final Fantasy VII). Doesn't sound like much but that's only if you choose to play the game for the story and not the missions. The missions themselves are optional (yet necessary for improvement) and there several of them to indulge in. If you've played any of the other Final Fantasy games, this one must be added to your collection.

-Divergent4

P.S. The mail system is actually very enjoyable.