Game Reviews: Crisis Core & Gran Turismo 5 Prologue

Victor Godinez - Mclatchy -Tribune News Service

Apr 02, 2008

CRISIS CORE: FINAL FANTASY VII

Grade: B-plus

For PSP. Rated for ages 13 and up. $39

DON'T CALL IT A REMAKE: Final Fantasy VII for the original PlayStation is probably the most famous role-playing game ever released in the U.S., and there's a growing number of fans eager for publisher Square Enix to remake the epic game for the cutting-edge PS3. While Crisis Core isn't that remake - and it's for the portable PSP it is a fun prequel to FFVII.

DRAW YOUR SWORD: Crisis Core is more of an action game than the original FFVII. The combat occurs in real time as you dice up bad guys with your sword or bombard them with magic while they defend themselves, rather than selecting your attack and waiting for your turn in the battle. Die-hard role-playing fans might be displeased, but it does make the game much faster-paced.

SCRIPTWRITER NEEDED: Crisis Core revisits a lot of the locations and characters from the original game, which is great, but is burdened with the same slightly absurd dialogue and spiky-haired, "High School Musical"-esque characters.

BOTTOM LINE: Crisis Core is probably the best role-playing game on the PSP right now.

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GRAN TURISMO 5 PROLOGUE PREVIEW

For PS3 $39 on April 15. Suitable for all ages.

VROOM: As an appetizer for its upcoming racing extravaganza Gran Turismo 5, Sony is releasing the appropriately-titled Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. I had a chance to test out a preview of Prologue. While several features were unavailable for testing - notably the online racing, a first for the series - the game looks promising.

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