I've been playing this game since last Wednesday (bought it as soon as my local retailer brought it - couldn't resist) and I'm 12-14 hours deep into the game, so I think I can bring u some safe details - impressions; Until I finish the game (shouldn't be far off) I'll be constantly updating here, so If you're interested in this game, keep coming . Also : SOME SPOILERS AHEAD !!! I WARNED YOU!!!
STORY
Well, I know only just a few words and expressions in Japanese, so this part of the game is in fog to me, therefore nothing actually certain to write here, except some returning faces. Early in the game, you meet loudy Yuffie, deeper into the game Aeris and even Cloud (expected, since Zack and Cloud seem as best buds); also, some sub-par characters appear such as Reno and the bold guy (cannot recall the name), as well as some beasts and GF, summons, aeons call them what you like; this part reminded me much of FFVIII as you battle Ifrit, Bahamut, Neo Bahamut etc. Concluding, I may not be able to get much, but the game seems to be progressing throught the story amazingly, explaining some things like Project - Genesis and how Cloud got his huge sword.
GRAPHICS
Three words - Oh My God!!! (Jannis anyone?); seriously, in-game graphics are truly superb, better than anything predecending this on PSP, as SE has got us used to. Game engine cut-scenes show the amazing attention to detail, as you see the expressions on characters (wait till you see Aeris smiling), their hair moving, animation leaves you speachless. Lots of FMVs are also included in the game, all making you forget you're playing on a portable, more like seeing a movie with the latest Hollywood effects.
AUDIO
Great sound effects that blend excellently with the rest of the game, most cut-scenes have full speach , although no lip-sync. Ambient sound effects also sound very nice, especially with earphones plugged-in. You'll find yourselves murmuring 'conflict resolved'. The games' music is, pretty much, legendary and, if you've played FFVII, will surely bring tears to your eyes; even the introductory icon on the PSP menu reminds you of the main FFVII music theme; and wait till you reach the spot where you meet Aeris - my heart was pounding hard with nostalgia and gratitude towards SE.
BATTLE
After playing FFCC, I want to say this to SE - please, no more turn based battles!!! Truly, the battles are very dynamic, reminding you of an excellent action game like God of War, never straying too far from the RPG formulae. You attack (can combo by pressing in succession) and use magic and special attacks by pressing O and evade (very VERY dynamically and great) with square; You can change targets by pressing the X button. Battles are real-time and, as already said, feel very dynamic and satisfying. Materia return also enabling you to perform special attacks, magical attacks, giving you special abilities, changing your stats but sadly no summoning :(. You have three numbers to look after during battle - HP, MP and SP; HP and MP are self - explanatory and SP stands for Special Points - consumed when performing Special Moves like Spin attack etc. Lastly, you can see three columns on top of the screen changing real - time. These columns show images of people or creatures you've met in the game, and spin until two matches are found (the more HP, MP or SP you have the better chances for that happening); then you enter the Modulation Phase, something like Limit Breaks. For instance, if you found three Aeris, Zack prays in the middle of the church with the flowers and gets his HP restored whereas if you complete Sephiroth, you enter a sword-slashing berserk state. Definitely a large portion of this is based on luck (when fighting a boss for example, I had Cloud ruining my chain 3 times). Note - bosses have their own undefendable Limit-breaks.
CHARACTER PROGRESSION, GAMEPLAY
Zack levels up through the aformentioned columns, the Limit Breaks; under the images themselves, you can see some random numbers as well. Well, get three 7s and it's level up for you, get two of the same and you get to level up one of your Materia. Mainly luck-based; in some cases, you can levelup twice in a battle. Out of battles you can equip Materia - at most six - and accessories, like bangles to gain special abilities, magic, or enhance your stats; moreover, you can fuse Materia to create new, more powerful ones (this area of the game hasn't been really exploited due to language barrier) like 2 Fires merging into Fira and with another one into Dark Fira. Game progresses in mission-like way, like FFX-2 which is not a bad thing at all, especially considering that you can wander the streets in Midgar, visit Aeris' church, etc. You can stroll around between missions to talk to characters, buy items and Materia and such. Main story aside, you can access a ton of side-missions taking place in known locations to gain money, items etc. Story progresses through tons of cut-scenes, all amazingly detailed and set-up.
LASTING APPEAL
Haven't yet finished the game (although I'm pretty close) and I'm 13 hours into the game, so it's definitely not a small, rushed game; add to that the enormous amount of missions to accomplish for the 100%, the interesting Materia system and this game turn out to be quite the game for completists and casuals alike.
PREVIEW SCORE
Note : this is a score I'm giving the game based on my non-Japanese-talking-understanding skills. This may change until I finish the game, but it should provide some adequate hands-on impressions.
GOOD AND BAD
GOOD
Best graphics on PSP by far
Excellent audio effects and nostalgic music
Extraordinary battle system
Amazing production values
Other FF cut-scenes dizzy level of quality
Controls really responsive and tight
Will bring tears to FFVII fans' eyes (hands-down)
BAD
A bit iffy camera
Character and Materia progression are somewhat based on luck
We must wait for the English version (Language is a bit of a Barrier - Onna76 please help)
SCORE
9.1 / 10
This was my first preview / review EVER so I propably suck at it. Please don't bash me and you're free to ask me anything regarding the game; also, I might add a few things later under the UPDATE section...
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