Square Enix's attempt to capitalize on the popularity of Final Fantasy VII with their Compilation of Final Fantasy VII series of games hasn't been going too well so far, especially in North America. The Vincent Valentine vehicle Dirge of Cerberus for the PlayStation 2 was mediocre at best, and the mobile game Before Crisis featuring the Turks still hasn't made it to North American shores. Basically we have a slipshod shooter and Advent Children, a well-crafted yet ultimately shallow CGI movie. Now, Square Enix has released Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII for the PSP, a true prequel to the PlayStation original, which follows the career of Cloud's inspiration, soldier Zack Fair. Has the rebirth of FFVII finally delivered compelling gameplay, or are we better off just replaying the original?

Forget Before Crisis and Dirge of Cerberus. With the release of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, FFVII can now be considered a trilogy. Crisis Core, Final Fantasy VII, and Advent Children together form the full Final Fantasy VII experience. Not only is Crisis Core jam-packed with hooks to the PlayStation original, its characters and storyline are strong enough to stand on their own.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is a PSP masterpiece.