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By Heath | September 24, 2007 at 1:42 pm
(Warning: this gameplay journal of Crisis Core: FFVII is not advised for those avoiding spoilers.)
Played another round of Crisis Core today. Few more things I’ve noticed:
Zack always has his cell phone on. Fortunately for him this game is scripted, so the phone only goes off during cutscenes. Now, Zack’s Blackberry on the other hand, is going off all the time. I swear you cannot take two steps without getting an email from someone. You’ll be running through a field when suddenly there’s a beep and lo and behold, you’ve got mail.
The Turks seem to be a popular group in the Final Fantasy VII spinoffs, and I’ve just come across my first one: Tseng.
Wikipedia has saved the day. Battle system quirks explained: the slot machine keeps running until everything lines up. Seems a bit random, and it certainly feels random – not a good thing. Several battles with no leveling up, and then two level ups in two fights? I’ll take an experience system, thanks.
If you’re in the middle of a text-based dialogue scene and you let the game sit at one message without continuing on, Zack’s lips keep moving as if he’s still talking.
Battle cries are either a few seconds behind, or Zack has some very strange victory calls. I’m often hearing Zack make attack grunts well into the “CONFLICT RESOLVED” screen. Speaking of that screen, the little voiceovers stating when battles begin or end is annoying. The fight music leaves a lot to be desired, as well.
Missions seem to be optional, at least the ones from the menu. I just did two missions for Wutai, one of which set me up against the boss I fought yesterday, except in a different location. This slot machine thing is still weird; as I was fighting the second of two enemies, I entered Modulating Phase (where the slot machine goes full screen and stops spinning) three times, getting only one power surge and no level ups. I cannot tell if I have any control over how any of them line up. Almost got three Sephiroths, though.
Missions are a good way to acquire items and Materia, and they seem to be related to the events you’ve already completed in the game. I just fought Ifrit again and won myself a nice Fire Materia that’s a higher level than the one I already own. I’ve got seven Materia for four slots, though two are the aforementioned Fire. HP Up seems pretty useful, so maybe I should equip that. Materia equipping has various stat bonuses, too.
This is a minor gripe, but the village I’m in has some technological discrepancies. The village is protected by giant robots, easily twice my size. Moreso, these are robots which can float, so we’ve come to the conclusion that the village can build or afford hovering robots. Yet the town only has one computer, and it’s a computer that has no wires, and what’s more, a CRT monitor. If you’ve got wireless power, what are you doing building CRTs? As I said, minor gripe, but still!
The slot machine system, more details: each slot has two elements, a character and a number, which do not appear to be related. Getting three of the same characters unleashes a unique power surge, a Limit Break-type attack. Three Sephiroths, for instance, has you performing a basic Omnislash move, while three Tsengs has you calling for a helicopter air strike. Getting three of the same numbers levels something up – three 1s levels up the first Materia you have equipped, while three 7s levels you up. THe annoying thing is that the slot machine can start seemingly at random, which for me so far has been when I’ve been trying to heal. Three times during a boss fight I was trying to use the Cure Materia when the slot machine went off, thus canceling the action that I had just initiated.
Zack is way too excitable and immature to ever have been allowed into SOLDIER. Where’s his calm and callous demeanor? Where’s his cool? He’s the opposite of Cloud in every possible way.
-By Ryan Mance
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