I’ve always wanted to be a ninja.

Unfortunately, I haven’t the athletic prowess nor the patience that such a trade necessitates. Thankfully, there have always been numerous games in which I can live out that fantasy: Ninja Gaiden, Shinobi, Tenchu, and now N+.

After being given the opportunity to take the PSP edition for a test drive, I come bearing two gifts for you, dear readers. One, a review of the enhanced port, and also a bit of helpful information: being a ninja takes patience. A metric ton of it.

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For the Final Fantasy 7 fan, there is no question about whether or not they should purchase Crisis Core. Even if the game was a hastily assembled, inferior mess, it would still be have to be added to the collection.

Luckily, it isn’t that bad. It isn’t great, but it’s not bad. Yes, it does suffer from a few problems, problems that have become endemic to Square Enix, and all their current titles. Specifically, an over reliance on extended and unskippable cut-scenes that do not always advance the plot, and a battle system that requires little more than hitting X repeatedly, and occasionally remembering to cure. You have more options than this, but enemy intelligence is lacking, and the fights themselves so easy, that you don’t need to avail yourself of any of the more advanced combat options. In addition to that, most of the more powerful options (limit breaks, summons etc) are controlled by the DMV, essentially a slot machine. The result is wasting powerful moves on weak enemies, or at the end of battles. This random element is very frustrating and removes any sense of strategy. It’s also somewhat jarring to keep having control pulled away from you without warning.

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