I am a massive fan of the final fantasy series and am into all of them but this is by far the best one they have created so far. It's a brilliant concept to go into the past of final fantasy 7 and show you more depth into the remaining characters and explain why things were.
It begins with a similar beginning to final fantasy 7 to reignite those well known feels of excitement and wonder. You are immediately shown the most well known character from ff7, Sephiroth who could easily win best baddie of any game of this century! The new characters are well thought out, the voice acting is amazing (unlike some other games I could mention) and overall you get the feeling this game has in no way been rushed. Even 'unimportant' conversation between characters is witty and inventive. I've never laughed so much while playing a game. Zack is very funny, and also charming, you can see why Aerith fell for him.

It takes you the beginning of Soldier, shows you the most important 1sts and perhaps the greatest soldiers there ever were. You are there at the beginning of Clouds journey and there at the end of others. You witness the love blossom between Zack and Aerith and (if you've played FF7) see some very similar scenes that once included Cloud. All the way through this game you get the sinking feeling that you have seen this, but that's the point. We get the full story, from another perspective so we understand all the story, we see that some characters were not always good and others weren't always bad. The ending is worth waiting for, it's powerful, emotive and is the final link.

Well for the past couple of months this game has been my everything, so to all those who may complain about the length, they just haven't look hard enough. The missions are necessary to the game and are not there just to bulk it out. You develop characters, progress your strength and abilities while enquiring Gfs, magic and items that are otherwise inaccessible. These are what make the game interesting after all! (Tip mission 7-6-6, magic pot, most annoying battle ever!)
I also must mention the new way of fighting. If like me, you were impatient in past battles, waiting for ATB bars to refill or simply waiting for your turn, you will love this. It has been simplified into a free for all, a raw fight. You still use magic and MP and can select items anytime you wish! Limit breaks and summons are also more random, they are controlled by a DMW reel that spins like a bandit, it you get 3 the same you're a winner, and receive a limit break or summon or 'special character' sequence (they're fun!). There are no upgrades for weapons, you use two, and only when the time comes will you receive the second! You also level up differently, no EXP, the game keeps a mental note of your progress and levels you up when necessary (its more often that you would expect!).
You can just choose to follow the game and move from chapter to chapter but if you explore, don't follow the natural flow and actually develop your own story, you will see some really magic moments. Questions like where Aerith got her bow from and why she wears pink may seem insignificant but are just some of the things you can discover.
The graphics are incredibly beautiful, the cut scenes make you long for more, even the Gfs scenes have been upgraded (Odins is by the best)! And Zack, the main man, is by far one of the best characters there has ever been. You will grow to love him very easily as he matures, overcomes challenges and is there for our very own Cloud.
This game is everything we have been waiting for, and more! I really can't describe it well enough, but even if you have never explored the world of Final Fantasy, this is a very good place to start!

The only reason to play this game is because you loved Final Fantasy 7 and want to have a little more background story. The graphics are nice and the cut scenes are impressive, possibly more so because this was the first game I played on my PSP. The gameplay is boring however since they decided to change FF to a very poor hack and slash game (If you want an action game buy God of War its really good) I only played it too completion because I wanted the story line, I wont play it again. The side missions are boring and all exactly the same -go somewhere, kill something get some items- this all takes place in about 4 small environments. I would wait until FF7 comes out from download from the online PS shop, you don't really find out anything interesting that you didn't already know. Since Square Soft became Square Enix the game quality just keeps plummeting,

From start to finish you will be amazed and not want to put your psp down, the story line is brilliant and the game play is brill to the cut scenes are well done so you know that this is a real final fantasy game and not a money maker game. The down side of the game is that if there is a cut scene you can not skip it so if you fight someone after a big cut scene you will have to rewatch it but other then this the game is ace and i do recommend this to anyone with a psp..

i have played final fantasy since 7 on the psx. the highly addictive game was, and still is my all time favorite game, so i was happy to buy this one. the graphics on this little console are really good and the story, well it has been well thought out. it matches in with the original ff7 and the movie very very well. but the really good thing for me is that it had a very original story of its own and made you see the good side of bad characters like sepheroth (apologies for the spelling)it goes through meeting characters from 7 that you will recognize, and monsters too.and a much more fluid battle sequence than before. It has a new annoying points like the battle sequence voice and it was way to short for me, but this could be the fact im a huge geek for these rpg game storys and just played it way to much. if your a final fantasy VII fan you will love this. i did.

This game overshadows absolutely anything the ds can throw, and i like the ds. The graphics for the summonings is the cherry on the cake, better than ps2 graphics. Gameplay is so sick, leveling up and customisation of weapons is innovativly addictive. So many hours of fun, even the ps3 can't give games with this many hours. Don't get this if you are in the middle of something important as it will eat away at your time (and health).
I was in holiday when i played about 30-50 hours of this (i think), i chose this over going out with my family around the city (new york) at times. Also have a ds which is fun for other reasons but is sooooooo pawned by this game!!!!
(Caution: Eyes will ache)

This game was truly amazing. You get so into it, you feel for the charachters when certain events happen to them ( i wont say what as it will spoil it ). Its so good, literally this second i had just finished the game, the ending is so sad! Sad as in upsetting, not lame. I cant believe how much i got into this game, and its not like other final fantasy games where you have to be a crazy high level to beat the final boss, i wasn't a very high level. Amazing!! Im definetly going to replay this one, buy it buy it buy it!. Dont think about it just do it. Just amazing 10 stars :)

This is the best game i have ever played on the PSP. I have never played a final fantasy game before and so did not know what to expect. But the best bit is you do not need to know past story lines it just picks you up as it goes along. The graphics are good and it is a perfect game. It is 100% worth buying for this price.

Best PSP game I've ever played. The graphics are amazing and the fighting system is really different and unique. Exellent storyline and characters that you can really relate to.
Very nostalgic in some places, if you've played Final Fantasy VII on the Playsation, you'll know what I mean. You don't even need to know anything about previous Final Fantasy games to understand this game.
For £17.99 you've just got to buy it!

Love It. Totally love it. Best PSP game I've played. And the in-sight and connections to Square's 1997 "Final Fantasy VII" is amazing. Great buy to any Final Fantasy fan, or PSP gamer.

I'm new to final fantasy so crisis core is my first in the series i was worried i wouldn't pick up the story easily and i was so wrong. The story is amazing possibly the saddest and most exciting gaming stories ever but i haven't played any of the other final fantasies so i don' know whether their better but this is a must have psp game and is an absolute bargain at £17.99