Crisis Core: There Will Be Blood
[ Company: Square | Year: 2009 | Grade: B+ ]
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (PSP)
It's day twenty on our slog through the 32 Game Endings of Christmas! Do you like cores? Are you into Final Fantasy? What about crisis? Even if you said no to all of that, we're still going to take a look at Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. It may not get the same amount of love heaped on the numbered sequels, but Crisis Core has proven itself to be one of strongest entries in the long running series. Find out how it ends when you steal the identity of the 32 Game Endings of Christmas!
Previously On Crisis Core:
Told several years before the events in Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core features the story of ill-fated soldier Zack Fair. Throughout the course of the PSP game we are introduced to familiar faces and the events that led up to one of Final Fantasy's most iconic moments. The game tells the tale of Zack's battle against the villainous SOLDIER defector, Genesis Rhapsodos, and the other product of the Jenova Project. Before long our hero finds himself stuck in the middle of a war he can't win, leading us on a spiral that can't end well.
Along the way we are given a chance to see the Final Fantasy VII world being built. What's more, it offers us a chance to get to know more about the always beautiful Aerith, annoying Cloud and a slightly less evil Sephiroth. We also get the back story of the years of experiments that Zack went through, which ultimately drives this story. Through careful investigation and a slot machine-style combat mechanic, Zack is set on learning the truth and finding some peace. Good news: Peace is definitely one thing he finds on his journey.
How It Ended:
Anybody that played even a few minutes of Final Fantasy VII knows how this story ends. After killing Dr. Hollander and saving Cloud's life, Zack goes head-to-head with an entire army
It's time to introduce Zack and Cloud to more girls!
of Shinra soldiers. Things do not end well. He may have put up a valiant fight, but it wasn't enough for the countless waves of trained fighters. After a day of combat, Jack falls on the battlefield. The soldiers leave him to die, giving Aerith a chance to sense trouble and Cloud a moment to grieve. Also, the weather changes for some strange reason.
In his final moments, Zack commands Cloud to finish the fight by stealing his identity. He offers the sword and pushes Cloud's head into the bloody wound. And then, just when emotions are sky high, the game decides to blare ... J-Pop?!? Completely breaking the
The only Final Fantasy VII remake I want is one based on this unreleased Nintendo 64 version!
sad mood, we see Zack given his wings to some sixteen year old school girl singing an upbeat number about who knows what. And then the credits roll. If you stick around you'll be teased with a look at an HD version of Final Fantasy VII. Teasing a game you'll never make is not the best way to end one of Square's best Final Fantasy games.
How It Should Have Ended:
After successfully stealing Zach's identity, Cloud gets a high paying job at a Madison Avenue ad agency and drinks himself through at least two marriages. On second thought, he pals around in Venice on suave playboy who spends most of his time on a boat. Wait, that's not right. I think he spends the rest of his life running from the cops, taking any identity that will get him to the next destination. He is eventually caught by Tom Hanks, only to escape ... and then turn himself in. You know, now that I think about it, swapping identities can be really stressful.
