Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion

They say that everything old is new again, and Square Enix's Final Fantasy VII games are no exception. Now, roughly fifteen years after the original's PlayStation Portable release, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion finally brings the FFVII prequel to consoles and PCs. Making the leap to a new generation isn't easy, but for the most part, Reunion sticks the landing. The game looks phenomenal, standing right alongside Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade in terms of production quality, which makes sense due to the games being tied together. There's a new life injected into the game too, thanks to some stellar voice acting being added in for the first time. Best of all, the controls have been updated to take advantage of options that weren't originally available on the PlayStation Portable's hardware. Console players in particular will benefit from the additional thumbsticks and buttons/triggers, which make the game's action oriented combat system more fluid and responsive than ever. From a strictly technical standpoint, this is a prime example of how a remake should be done.

As faithful as Reunion is to the original, that's also a bit of a double edged Buster Sword as well. Remember, the game was originally developed for a portable game system with specific limitations. It was designed to be played on the go, with more compact story chapters and missions able to be completed in easily digestible bite-sized chunks. Reunion is built on this same foundation, so the gameplay feels a lot smaller. That doesn't take anything away from the awe and spectacle of the game while you're playing. And it's understandable that Square Enix couldn't add too much more to the story without potentially rewriting the entirety of the Final Fantasy VII saga. But it winds up being a bit like watching a TV show in a movie theatre. Sure, it looks and sounds infinitely better than you'd ever experience watching it on the small screen, but it's also something that's over before you know it.