A full decade after the initial release of “Final Fantasy VII,” the epic story still captivates the hearts of gamers, and now we finally get to see how it all started. 

“Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII” has no doubt been the most anticipated PSP game of the year, but it has also been one of the most awaited games in general. Well, it’s finally arrived — and it’s pretty damn good.

Opening with a gorgeous sequence of various movie clips from throughout the game set to an intense adaptation of the original score, everything down to start menu of “Crisis Core” is designed with polished aesthetics in mind.

In this chapter of the “FF7” story, the spotlight is on Zack Fair, a second class SOLDIER whose role in the original game is very small yet pivotal to a key plot twist. We now learn about him and his past, and the mystery surrounding  him slowly unravels. Many familiar faces such as Aerith, Cloud, Yuffie and of course Sephiroth are seen, as you guide Zack through the unfolding scandals of Shinra Electric, the shady, corrupt company that controls the SOLDIER militia and the planet’s energy supply.

Unlike in the original, the gameplay of “Crisis Core” is action-based, as the battles are in real-time, and Zack is the only character who faces off against monsters. But through a variety of nostalgic materia — from spells to sword-skills toggled by the shoulder buttons — battle strategy is diversified to the extent of past games. 

Another new feature is the Digital Mind Wave, in which virtually three slots constantly spin during battle, and Zack receives a power-up or limit-break special attack depending on what they land on. While this is an interesting concept, it’s frustrating how far they’ve taken it; summons, limit breaks and even level-ups are seemingly out of the player’s control, although the later is influenced in some arcane way by the accumulation of experience (Soldier Points).

While the controls are tight and the battles fast, the sense of involvement is somewhat absent; someone could arguably beat the game with just the basic attack, foregoing        magic and skills. Petty battle system complaints aside, the biggest bug of “Crisis Core” is the camera rotation. Quite simply, it sucks. Half the time, if you’re anywhere near a wall or the edge of a zone, you can’t rotate the camera because it can’t go beyond the zone, and even when it does rotate, it’s fast and choppy, giving the game a very out-of-place, cheap feel. Also out of place are some of the severely flawed interspersed mini-games, such as the stealth one.

But honestly, is anyone really playing “Crisis Core” for the gameplay? Everyone just wants to see some pretty computer-animated videos and sate their thirst for more of the timeless story they can’t get enough of. Keeping the plot moving very quickly, “Crisis Core” is incredibly linear and seems to have as many cut-scenes and movie scenes as actual gameplay, lending it an unusual but very appropriate air of game and film melded, which is practically what the “FF7” has become. Seeing movies of Sephiroth fighting or Aerith with her flowers and experiencing the story behind Zack and Cloud’s friendship is the real reason almost anyone will want to play “Crisis Core.” However, reality sadly shatters the pristine allure of it all when the game ends in a mere 10 to 15 hours.

Probably included as an afterthought to lengthen the game and deepen the experience, 300 missions await you. Though entirely unnecessary for the completion of the game, the missions reward you with tons of materia, items and summons. “Mission” is a deceiving word, however, since they’re all increasingly daunting extermination tasks.

The flaws, though, are all minor in the endless impressiveness of “Crisis Core.” Beautiful graphics, a rock-instilled twist on the original score, item customization and a very fun, albeit imperfect, battle system would all make “Crisis Core” one of the better PSP titles even if it weren’t for the epic “Final Fantasy” storytelling. So add that, which is invariably the most attractive thing about “Crisis Core,” and the result is a spectacular, dignified game not to miss. You can’t put in 60 hours collecting all there is to get in this “Final Fantasy,” but that just makes it more likely you’ll end up playing it again and again.

4 1/2 stars out of 5