The limited edition Final Fantasy VII silver PSP is leaving Japan, and going to Europe, just in time for Crisis Core's release. A special bundle, which includes this engraved PSP and a copy of the PSP-exclusive action RPG, will hit European retailers on June 20th for 189.99 Euros.
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.
Online retailer amazon.com is offering the PSP-exclusive prequel to Final Fantasy VII for only $26 -- that's $14 off its standard price. This limited time deal won't last long, so those that missed out on this adventure may want to jump on this deal.
Square Enix is a firm supporter of both handhelds, with a number of great titles available on both Sony PSP and Nintendo DS. However, why was (arguably) their biggest game developed exclusively for PSP, instead of the more-popular DS? Pocket Gamer talked to producer Hideki Imaizumi and executive producer Yoshinori Kitase about exactly that: "Yes, there are a lot of DSs out there - but does that mean that our products sell in relation to that? That our sales grow with how many DSs or PSPs there are out there? It's not really the case."
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.
Ryoga Vee was kind enough to take pictures during the Crisis Core launch event in San Francisco. Unfortunately, the cosplayers stayed home, with nary an over-dramatic hairdo to be seen. Thanks to these two for dressing up and making us proud.
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.
On the brand new Square Enix members site, Crisis Core's director Hajime Tabata noted that they couldn't fit everything they wanted on the limited size of a UMD disc. "In regards to the story, due to schedule and [UMD] memory concerns, a good deal of it ended up on the cutting room floor. Originally, the episodes were much more detailed. We also considered implementing a multiplayer competitive/cooperative mode using the PSP network function, but again, this wasn't realized due to scheduling concerns."
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.
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.
1UP's James Mielke had a chance to chat with Crisis Core's director, Hajime Tabata. In the interview, he notes that the world of Final Fantasy VII will continue to expand even further. Crisis Core is but the most recent addition of a long series of works expanding the FFVII universe, such as Advent Children, Dirge of Cerberus and Before Crisis. Tabata notes that "the Compilation's finale will take some other form." Could the long-rumored FFVII PS3 remake become reality?
For the complete interview, check out 1UP. Stay tuned for our review of Crisis Core next week.
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.
In just a few weeks time, a real Final Fantasy VII prequel will await you: Crisis Core's English release has us quite excited, and these new videos look really fantastic. We were doubtful of the dub at the first, but these new videos have alleviated many of our fears. Check out IGN for even more videos.
Square Enix has been generous today, having given us a huge set of screenshots and videos for the company's upcoming Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core. With the game's release date just a month a way, we expect to hear and see more about this title. But for now, bask in the radiant media that we have in the present. The time will come when we finally get to hold this hot title in our hands. More videos after the break.
So, there's this small company called "Square Enix" and they're making a game called Crisis Core. Haven't heard of it? It's a prequel to a game called Final Fantasy VII. Yeah, we never heard of it either. To help us out, Square Enix has updated the official Crisis Core website, with character bios and (more importantly) videos of the new battle system. If you aren't caught up on this game, you may want to check it out. Maybe.
IGN has managed to snag the very first English language footage of Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core. This long-awaited prequel to the fan-favorite FFVII launches exclusively on PSP in March, and we've been curious to see how the English language version was going to turn out. Here, watch it for yourself and tell us what you think. Then, feel free to visit IGN for some character bios. Trust us, there's a lot more Crisis Core info coming soon. Stay tuned as we get closer to this hotly anticipated launch.
You're going to get Crisis Core, right? Might as well get a free bonus with it. Pre-orders of the game will include a special "Shin-Ra Electric Power Company" UMD case. Currently, only amazon.com is showing the pre-order bonus, but other retailers should carry the bonus as well. The game releases March 25th. Happy shopping.
Can you feel it? Crisis Core has been long in the making, and it's finally coming over to the States. This brand new CG trailer focuses on the Shin-Ra soliders, Zack and Angeal. How they tie into the Final Fantasy VII universe will all be revealed when the game launches this March. Retailers are taking pre-orders -- check your favorite one and get ready to make a deposit!
You know what the meanest time to release new products is? January. Our wallets have taken huge Christmas-related blows, and need some recovery time. Not for you, says Square Enix. This January, Square Enix is releasing a set of Final Fantasy VII related merchandise that you may want to pick up before Crisis Core's March release.
For example, you may want to invest in this sculpture of Aerith. Looks nice, right? Too bad it'll cost you $220.00. It'll be available on January 10th. The "Masterpiece Arts" sculpture of Cloud will cost a whopping $399.99 and will be available on the same day.
Thankfully, something a bit more reasonable has been announced as well. "Play Arts" figures of Cloud, Tifa and Aerith will be available for $24.99 each. Those are available on January 3rd. Are any PSP Fanboy readers going to go broke buying one of these pricey figures?
Hideki Imaizumi and executive producer Yoshinori Kitase about exactly that: 
"Yes, there are a lot of DSs out there - but does that mean that our products sell in relation to that? That our sales grow with how many DSs or PSPs there are out there? It's not really the case."
1UP's James Mielke had a chance to chat with Crisis Core's director, Hajime Tabata. In the interview, he notes that the world of Final Fantasy VII will continue to expand even further. Crisis Core is but the most recent addition of a long series of works expanding the FFVII universe, such as Advent Children, Dirge of Cerberus and Before Crisis. Tabata notes that "the Compilation's finale will take some other form." Could the long-rumored FFVII PS3 remake become reality?
