Still haven't picked up Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII? Don't want to pay full price? It ain't much, but Circuit City is offering the PSP exclusive prequel to Final Fantasy VII at $10 off, making the total $29.99 including shipping. Take advantage of this offer here.
Crisis Core limited edition PSP hitting Europe
Combined with a special edition version of the game, Square Enix is trying its hardest to make up for the delayed release over the Atlantic. For many jealous fans in the US, it looks like they're succeeding.
Deal of the Day: Crisis Core for $26
[Thanks, Peter D.!]
Crisis Core coming to Europe in June

John Yamamoto, president and chief executive officer of Square Enix Ltd. commented in the press release, "CRISIS CORE -FINAL FANTASY VII- is one of the most anticipated FINAL FANTASY releases of all times. Pushing the boundaries of the PSP hardware, it offers a truly fantastic gameplay experience to not only existing fans, but new ones as well."
How Crisis Core fixed Final Fantasy VII canon
Hideki Imaizumi, producer of Crisis Core, talked about the "Last Order" anime OVA (pictured) with IGN. Released as a bonus with Advent Children in Japan, the animated short also focused on Zack and the role he played in Nibelheim. "When we made that feature, we changed the presentation of that event from the original Final Fantasy VII. And the fan response was - well, there was considerable negative feedback in regard to changing a part of the story that they considered integral to the whole lore."
Thankfully, Crisis Core was able to set things straight, restoring the canon that so many Final Fantasy VII devotees pore over. "So we listened to that and learned from that. And in fact the Nibelheim incident is presented again in Crisis Core, and we were careful not to make the same decisions that we did in Last Order."
Why Crisis Core is on PSP, not DS



The PSP seemed appropriate for a number a reasons, one being the more adult age group the PSP seems to attract: "the demographic was higher teens to young adults as opposed to small children. The PSP seemed closer to that demographic than DS in general. So we feel we really made the right choice."
As a joke, he added "We'll make a DS game called Brain Age: Final Fantasy for DS [laughs]." To be honest, we wouldn't mind trying that out.
Interview with Crisis Core's Tabata describes hopes, aspirations

Tabata uses past influences to generate his ideas, citing the Japanese comic "Doraemon" specifically as an influence. Unlike Zack, Tabata claims he could probably only do 50 squats in succession and unlike Sephiroth, uses less than a bottle of shampoo per shower. Yep. It's that kind of interview.
He also says he would not be interested in working on spin-off titles for other Final Fantasy games -- only the world in VII seems to interest him. Tabata said that, if anything, he'd like to create a gun-action game in the VII world with a new character who uses both guns and magic. Like Dirge of Cerberus, but less horrible. Currently, Tabata is working on Agito XIII as well as some other unnamed titles. Maybe he'll get his wish someday!
Pictures from the Crisis Core launch event
According to Ryoga, the premiere was an "inflated event just to buy the game. No frills, no glam like the other events in the past." You can check out the no-frills event yourself by checking out Ryoga's Flickr here.
Help Zack do squats, get Crisis Core wallpaper

This being Square Enix, of course, we wouldn't be surprised if they ever released a "Director's Cut" version of Crisis Core, which adds all these features that were removed. Sadly, fans like us will have no choice but to buy the game (again!).
Another addition made to the Square Enix website is this frustrating mini-game. Check it out after the cut.
Continue reading Help Zack do squats, get Crisis Core wallpaper
New trailer for Crisis Core is all about summons
The modern Final Fantasy games are known for a couple of things: guys with spiky hair, long-winded emotional cutscenes, and massive, theatrical summons. The upcoming Crisis Core has all of that. Just check out this new trailer and see the incredible display of power in these powerful summons.
Crisis Core is not the end of the FFVII compilation

For the complete interview, check out 1UP. Stay tuned for our review of Crisis Core next week.
Square Enix to hold Crisis Core launch event at Metreon

The Metreon is located at 101 4th St in San Francisco. The event will last from 6 to 9PM on March 25th. The first 100 customers in line will receive a free commemorative t-shirt. In addition, there will be raffle prizes, including a limited edition lithograph and other Final Fantasy merchandise. Shinra Company identification cards, with attendee's names and photographs will also be created on site -- this is sure to incite nerdgasms everywhere.
If you plan on attending the event, please contact us -- we'd love to see your pictures!
Another huge Crisis Core media update
We sure are excited for this game, especially after seeing these nostalgic screens. Also, some in-game cut scene vids have made there way up on the interwebs; those, too, are loaded with nostalgia. Check out the gallery below, and the trailers after the break.
Crisis Core gets 'additional gameplay challenges'
The curious wording makes it seem likely (although unconfirmed) that the US release of the game will feature the same content. Of course, we don't particularly care about having a more difficult game -- we just really want that sweet new packaging!
Watch Zack dance with a Cactaur
Oh no! You're caught in a fight for your life! Your life is in certain doom -- what do you do? Easy: if you're like Zack from the upcoming Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, you dance with a giant animated cactus. Duh.