Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII - Reunion

A standout remaster of the 2007 PSP prequel that ranks among the most successful video game prequels and best action RPGs in general. Its narrative richly re-contextualizes FF7's villains through likable hero Zack Fair, while fast, thrilling combat shines via deep Materia customization and an unpredictable slot-machine bonus system. Visuals hugely improve on the original with some stiff animations and uneven textures, and the roughly 300 repetitive side missions reuse the same maps but stay engaging through escalating difficulty.

A resounding success of a remake that looks and plays better than ever, pairing satisfying fast-paced hack-and-slash combat with a heartfelt, coherent story anchored by Zack and his mentor. Impressive visual fidelity and a smooth frame rate make it feel like a downscaled current-gen port on Switch, while the DMW and materia fusion systems balance each other for satisfying progression. The writing can veer goofy and angsty, and the slot-machine DMW makes some progression feel random.

Great update to the PSP classic with modernized combat mirroring FF7 Remake, improved visuals, and new mechanics like the Buster Sword stance. Still a PSP game at its core with stiff animations and frequent random battles, but Square Enix has created the definitive version of this important FF7 compilation title.