Hello everyone!
Well, like I promised, I will make a rant about this game. I just want to say something beforehand. I love Final Fantasy, so all my rants about them are going to be biased.
Continuing on.
--
Gameplay:
Let's start with this, shall we? I loved it. To a ninny. First off, we can FREE ROAM! I believe I've mentioned this in all rants I've done about games, BUT JUST TO REMIND YOU. I. LOVE. FREE. ROAMING. Just. So beautiful.
However, this is sadly restrained with the game's linearity. At least, it was like that for me. The only "wide" environments to explore happen to be mission areas, which you don't stay too long for. And even then, there isn't a place you can go to when you're there, it's like being trapped in a cage like area. You can't return to areas you've been to before, you can pretty much only enjoy it when you're there. It's really a pity though, with all the freedom they give you with that free-roaming.
((LOOK AT THAT SPARKLE. LOOK AT ITTTTTT))
Combats. They're really nice, and the controls feel so natural. Instead of the usual turn-based combat ((well, "usual". I'm comparing it to older games in the series, or even newer ones)), we have complete freedom of our movement, and don't have to wait for the enemy to kill us. You shift through commands with the "L" and "R" buttons, and you click "X" to do them. If anything, it feels like a "Kingdom Hearts" game with the freedom you have everywhere.
My problems with it?
There are none it's perfect. I can't pretend there aren't any problems. Though I don't have many problems with it, it's near perfect. My problem with it, is the DMW, which is basically your limit break system in this game ((I'll call it that, it's linked to FF7, I HAVE MY RIGHTS)). I like the fact that it's connected to the people you've met ((THAT ENDING THO)), or summons that you own, but I felt that it happened so randomly, like that there are no conditions for it's activation, it just works. I may be wrong, but during a boss fight ((or just a normal mission)), it activated frequently, even without the "x5" thing you get at times, that I believe helps trigger it. Furthermore, even though it is not very long, you just wish there was a "shorten" option at times. Summons have that option, since without it, it'd be absurdly long. That being said, it really isn't that long, so at this point, I'm just nit-picking.
Now for the missions. I really like how they made them. It's really accessible ((you have access to them in your menu, when you're at a save point)), and you unlock some either through completion of other missions, or plot. And the difficulty chart helps you discern which of them you can take on first, with difficulty that ranges between "Really easy" to "Really Hard". Sadly, my only complaint is that there are SO MANY OF THEM. I don't mean quantity though, I just mean how they shove it in your face. It's
completely optional to do them though, so it's not that bad.
See, here's the thing. Like I said, you complete a mission, another will appear. And this just keeps going ON AND ON, it feels as though you'll never finish. Furthermore, from what I've noticed, the reward you get at the end isn't amazing. You'll get something that you can pretty much get later on in the game, and it's not exactly OP either.
Still, it's great grinding material. I'm sure you'd do a lot worse if this didn't exist, and like I said, their completion is completely optional. And some missions let you meet new people, cameos from FF7 really, which made me really giddy. :3
Furthermore, you get to redo them. Now here, you might tell me: "BUT YOU SAID THERE WERE TOO MANY, WHY ARE YOU PRAISING IT'S REPLAY ABILITY HUH?!" Let me explain. Like I said before, you unlock some due to storyline continuation, and some HAPPEN TO BE BOSS BATTLES. Other missions are quite plain in comparison, but replaying bosses. YES. THAT'S SO SEXY. Sadly, once you become stronger, you can't replay it over and over as you'll be too OP for it, but that's life you know. You can't blame the game for that.
For those who've played the game, you know what this is. For those who haven't, it's the DMW. I know I've covered this, but I'm just covering another issue I've had with it. Since I didn't go in depth above, I'll do it a bit here. It's like a slot machine, what happens on it is luck-based. And I am displeased this. Why? Well, while it's the game's limit break system, it's also your materia leveling system and YOUR leveling system. For those who don't know, materia is what enables your characters to have certain abilities, like magic. It's level-able equipment really. Moving on. If two numbers match up in a certain way, your materia levels up. If three sevens line up, YOU level up. Why did I find this irritating? Well...
It felt as though you don't need conditions to level up. No EXP, no nothing. The intervals in which you level up feel really random, and that goes for your materia too. It's cool how you level up during battle too, since in real life, if we fought and shit, you don't just learn after a battle like how most leveling systems do it, you learn DURING IT too. So that's pretty cool. I'd also like to add that I believe there is a CERTAIN requirement behind it, since if it were completely luck-based, you might be under-leveled for no reason, which isn't the case here. So, it's really some hidden mechanic that I'm complaining about.
You DO need SP to use it, but I've never run short of that.
Materia Fusion. I found this cool. Instead of just "chucking" your old materia away when you were done with it, you could fuse them together to get better materia. You can also add items to it to make a better compound. It's very similar to the "Melding Commands" in Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. To a tee. In fact, since this game came out first, and they WERE made by the same company, it was pretty much it's ancestor. Like the DMW, you need SP to use it, but like I said, I've never run short of that. You can get some pretty good combinations, and well, it's interesting to see oneself make their own materia THROUGH ALL THE BLOOD AND SWEAT THEY'VE USED/EXPENDED TO GET THEM.
The mail system. I LIKE IT. SO MUCH. WE HAVE A CELL, NOW WHY NOT USE IT. By the way, I didn't even start, but a REALLY cool thing about this is that your tutorials are emailed to you at the start of the game. AND YOU HAVE A CHOICE OF READING IT OR NOT. I went through them briefly, but I found it nice that it wasn't shoved in your face as necessary. My only complaint about the tutorials in this game, is that they don't make you do them ((I know, I'm contradicting myself right now)), but I feel as though you learn by doing instead of reading, especially in a game where most of your actions are pretty much... real-time. Though, I found the controls easy to master, so it wasn't a major problem.
Another praise about the system are the texts you get from it throughout the game. You get notifications that do not bother the game's flow at all. Your friends send you texts at times, either for no reason, or when their concerned. You also get junk mail and other goodies. IT'S AS THOUGH ZACK IS A REAL PERSON. I don't know, their subtle touch with it really... clicked with me.
--
Wow, so much, and we haven't even hit the other sections yet. That tells you about content eh.
--
Graphics:
Praise. PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE!!!
Look. Aerith is pointing to the Heavens, that's PRETTY MUCH my impression of it, so can we move on?
Just kidding. But honestly, I really like the work they've put into it. I mean, to be honest, if this were released as a PS3 game, I wouldn't have even doubted it. It really is that nice, both in-game and the cinematics. None of them betray each other, they remain faithful to each other's design.
And don't go all ballistic at me and be like: "NO DURHUR, IT CAN'T BE A PS3 GAME, IT DOESN'T MATCH UP TO THE GRAPHICS THAT FF13 HAD, OR BIOSHOCK, OR ANYTHING". It's my opinion, and it does. So yeah.
--
Music:
They nailed it. TO DA THUMB. I mean, it's part of the franchise, WHAT DO YA EXPECT. And what I REALLY liked about it is the remixes they've done to some of the FF7 songs. Sounds new and refreshing, and fitting to the console it's on. And they don't just milk FF7 popularity.
Well, I just they did since they make this prequel, and other FF7 connected games. They don't reuse the old soundtrack, THIS IS ZACK'S STORY. And they have music and TITLES to prove that.
Take some. TAKE IT ALL.
The Price of Freedom - THIS IS SPOILER-FILLED, FOR THE BRAVE. I love it though. :3
Under the Apple Tree - Also spoiler-filled. I can't help it, the endgame music is just...
A Flower Blooming in the Slums - Aerith/Aeris~ It's a remix~ <3
Fulfilled Desire - This is a remix too~ OH MY FANGIRL HEART.
Sky Blue Eyes - <3 Just. <3
Chaotic Battlefield - JUST HEADBANG. DOITDOITDOIT
Why - Possibly Spoller-filled
Really nice music. Just. SUBLIME.
--
Story:
How do you nail it this well? JUST HOW. It fixes all the confusions you've possibly had with FF7, especially mine, since if you've seen my FF9 rant, you'd know I played FF7 when I was 4, 8-9.
The setup? You're playing as Zack, a second-class SOLDIER, who hopes to be a hero one day. He meets people along his journey, like THE MANLIEST SENPAI YOU'LL EVER SEE IN YOUR LIFE, an esteemed hero himself, his first girlfriend...
The words his senpai, Angeal, tells him every time he gets a chance:
"Embrace your dreams. If you want to be a hero, you need to have dreams, and honor."
<3
Just. BEAUTIFUL.
And the journey doesn't go as smoothly as he'd like it to be. Betrayal, strange disappearances and... loss. Of everything really.
AND THAT ENDING. TO ALL THOSE WHO'VE PLAYED FF7, YOU KNOW HOW IT'S GOING TO END, AND YET. IT HITS HOME. OH MY DEAR GOD.
Though there is a LITTLE discrepancy with the ending, a certain scene with Aeris, but it's so minor, I could really care less. They most likely did it for the *ahem* "feels", but they did it well and appropriately. I cannot complain.
--
Characters:
Why did I take a picture of Genesis, even though I'm talking about all of them. BECAUSE I LOVE HIM AND HIS DESIGN.
There. More. ((I couldn't find one with all of them))
I love all the characters, even the sub-characters. By the way, I'm not reviewing all of them.
Zack:
He was SO WELL-MADE. That carefree smile, that happy-go-lucky attitude. That caring of his friends. And the way he... just isn't perfect. As the main character, he goes through everything the game throws at him, and it affects him. He's not the most reliable guy, he knows that himself. Yet, he wants to be. Not just for the ones he loves, but for the whole world. Remember. He wants to be a hero. He goes through SO MUCH CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. HE GROWS SO MUCH. MY BABY.
And the people he meets along the way: Angeal, Cloud, Genesis, Aerith, Kunsel, Sephiroth, HOLLANDER ((WE ALL HATE HIM))... They're all so good too.
Hollander was made to be hated. DEAR GOD THEY DID THAT WELL.
Genesis... wasn't totally evil. He was just desperate. In every single way.
Cloud. DEAR GOD YOU WERE ADORABLE. And er, you played your role. He aspires to be someone better, but with the limitations of his abilities, he just can't.
Sephiroth, before he went psycho. Man, knowing him from the inside really... adds to shit.
ANGEAL. LOVE ME SENPAIIIII. Damn it. He cares too much.
Aerith. Aww honey~ Be Zack's forever~
And Kunsel. You love Zack and you know it.
THEY NAILED SO MUCH IN THIS GAME, I JUST CAN'T GUYS.
--
Voice Acting
I played the Undub, but I praise both versions. I guess there's no Dual-Audio, but it's a PSP game guys. Give 'em some slack.
--
Difficulty:
Hmm... I'd say Normal mode isn't too much of a challenge. I haven't tried Hard yet, but I should. I don't suck at video games, and I'm not the best, but I like a challenge. But I do like how accessible it is to others. If you're here for the ride, play Normal. It's there for that I assume.
I don't want to make assumptions, but I assume that Hard is actually a challenge. I mean. LOOK AT HOW WELL THEY'VE MADE THIS GAME. Just. Just. JUST.
Still, I can't judge it. I'm sorry I'm not completely prepared for this rant. *dogezas*
--
Little Extras:
I'm going to go crazy in this section.
First off, the sound effects. TAKEN FROM FF7. SO MUCH SUGAR-COATING. I JUST CAN'T GUYS. It's the little details like that that get me... *sighs*
Loading screens, with such nice images. YOU MAKE ME HAPPY EVEN WHEN I WAIT SQUARE ENIX. I mean, they don't show all the time. BUT SOME ON GUYS. LOOK AT THAT SMILE.
But frick. This infiltration mission. THIS PISSED ME OFF SO MUCH. Why? Well, it wasn't optimized to be a "sneaking around game". Zack's field of view sucks, and the enemy's view also confused me, to our advantage, BUT STILL. I'm nit-picking here too, but come on. STOP TRYING TO PLEASE US ALL.
Scenes during the DMW, that never happen in the game itself. That was pretty cool. Things that happened to our lovely hero, that we weren't able to witness. :3
This isn't a little extra, I just love Reno, is all.
He should have gotten more screentime. Actually, no need to cross that out, it's true. HE SHOULD HAVE. He and Zack would have been best buds, besides Cloud I mean. :3
--
Overall:
Like, have I NOT BEEN SINGING PRAISES ALL THIS TIME?!
I haven't, actually.
9/10
I'd just like to say this, you'll never see a 10/10, there hasn't been a perfect game out. EVER. This or 9.5/10 is the highest we're getting here. I didn't even give my favorite game of all time a 9.5 or a 10, so chill out fans.
They nailed it so well. I can't even fathom to know how much effort they put into this prequel.
Way more than FF13 or FF12 I'd wager though.
What still boggles my mind: IT'S A PSP GAME. Dear me. It's really deserving of the PS3 pedestal that I just... It's really equal to it's predecessor's success, to Final Fantasy 7, to Final Fantasy 9... To the series. <3
Now Square, if we could just get on terms here, and you stop trying to conform to society and stay how you were. I'm not saying don't progress, I'm saying:
"STOP TRYING TO APPEAL TO PLANTS MAN."
But I digress. It's a fantastic game, and you should all try it.
Alice Lieberg
