So far, Square Enix's attempts to build around the popularity of Final Fantasy VII haven't been that successful. Dirge of Cerberus, the Vincent-focused shooter, was met with mediocre reviews and Advent Children, the CGI movie sequel, was fun but in the end, it was really just a pretty movie with little in the way of (understandable) plot. The lack of VII-related success has probably helped fuel the desire for a full-on remake of the original game, and while Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII isn't the remake most fans seem to be clamoring for, it does one better.

You'd be hard-pressed to bring up anything Square Enix related without first mentioning the amazing production values. Crisis Core combines Advent Children's visual style with Kingdom Heart's look. Overall, it looks fantastic and ranks alongside Chains of Olympus as one of the PSP's graphical powerhouses. Several locales from the original game are faithfully recreated, which should give fans a nostalgic chill the first time they see them. Much of the original's fantastic soundtrack is featured, though most have been reworked into remixes or re-orchestrated to make better use of the PSP's sound capabilities.

Going into any detail about Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII's story would only ruin the experience; what's important to know is that it follows the exploits of Zack Fair, the dark-haired hero whose life plays a not-so-small role in one of Final Fantasy VII's more powerful character revelations. One of the more interesting aspects of the game's story is that it is primarily character-driven; there's no great, overarching plot involving the destruction of the world, but rather a small scale story focusing on the relationships between three SOLDIER operatives, Genesis, Angeal and Sephiroth, and how Zack gets sucked into the middle of a rivalry. The story has its confusing moments, though it really comes through in the end with a few brilliant storytelling touches that really make you sympathize with a certain character to the point that you might put the PSP down for a minute to think.

Since Crisis Core is a prequel, knowledge of VII's plotline isn't vital, but it wouldn't hurt to refresh your memory. At the very least, it makes some of the fan service moments more enjoyable. As expected, Sephiroth and Aerith play strong central roles, though you'll also run into a slightly happier (and more vocal) Cloud and Tifa.

Crisis Core's layout is similar to the opening section of VII. The Shinra Building serves as the main hub, though you have limited ability to explore the surrounding areas. Several missions will take you outside Midgar, though these areas are small and leave little room for exploration. Each section is featured in its own self-contained chapter, though these are more for story purposes, giving you the freedom to explore various side quests.

Aside from story-driven quests, you'll also uncover Missions, which are small side-quests that are accessed at Save Points. These are a big part of what makes Crisis Core a great PSP game. Story-based quests are lengthy, which isn't a good fit for a portable game, so Missions allow you to squeeze in some play time when you don't have that much. Missions are completely optional, though they are the only way to earn some items or some summons. The downside to missions is that there isn't much variation in mission types or locales. If you go through missions in large chunks, they tend to run together.

The Digital Mind Wave (DMW) is one of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII's bigger departures and plays a major role in determining the difficulty of particular encounters. While sound tactics and planning have their place in combat, the DMW injects randomness into the mix. During battles, a slot-machine rotates in the corner of the screen, randomly determining when special attacks and summons will happen, as well as how powerful each is. It's likely to frustrate players who like to have clear, hard line strategies; but the random nature makes battles more exciting, especially as you meet more individuals to add to the DMW's choices.

The DMW also plays a role in determining when Zack (or his spells/ abilities) will level up. On the outset, it feels like the DMW gives you no control, though you'll eventually recognize a few patterns - at least when it comes to when it is time for Zack to level. I'm sure there's an underlining pattern for spells and abilities, though the system feels a little more random. Skills that I hardly used would level up, while ones I used a lot wouldn't.

Crisis Core offers two difficulty levels, Normal and Hard. Each possess the right amount of challenge, though the DMW will also play a role. Missions are ranked by difficulty level as well, though the DMW's influence can throw the ranking off in some instances. Some "Normal" ranked missions were tough while "Very Hard" ones were a breeze.

Crisis Core's combat system is the next logical evolution of the system used in Kingdom Hearts. Battles are initiated randomly and enemies will fade into view on the map. Zack can run around the battlefield and attack enemies for any angle, sometimes earning damage bonuses if he's in the right position. Actions happen in real-time, though with a split-second drop into a turn-based system where you use the shoulder buttons to navigate between commands before pressing (X) to execute them. The (Square) and (Triangle) buttons are used to block and roll, respectively. The system is awkward at first; the real-time aspects make combat feel like a button-masher, which it really isn't. After a few battles, the turn-based elements become clearer, giving way to longer, more strategic battles.

Materia is another of VII's returning elements. Although it plays a similar function by providing spells, stat upgrades and abilities when equipped, it is used in a completely different way. Materia is no longer attached to weapons and is instead attached to Zack, who can only use eight at any given time. Not being able to load up on Materia feels stifling at first, though you'll eventually find a load out that works for your play style that takes some of the edge off.

The Materia system's added depth comes from the Materia Fusion system, where you can fuse Materia and items together and attempt to create powered-up or brand-new Materia. There's no in-game "cook book" that shows which mixes create what, so there's a lot of risk involved. Generally, the more powerful of the two types will take over the mix, though it is fully possible to fuse your way to garbage. The system is fun, though it wouldn't have hurt to at least have some sort of recipe guide that would fill in with fusions as you created them.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII brings the elements fans most want to see in a remake while also delivering a brand-new, enjoyable story that, along with Final Fantasy VII and Advent Children, completes the Final Fantasy VII trilogy.