6. Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core
Another spin-off from the FFVII cash in craze, but this time, it was a quality game. Crisis Core is a prequel to the events of FFVII. Unlike FFVII however, Crisis Core is an action RPG. It's a very good system though. You even have the ability to dodge and guard. At least there's still the Materia system and the presence of limit breaks in Crisis Core. The game can be a bit on the easy side, but it still is very fun. The most engaging aspect of Crisis Core though is its story. It tells the journey of Zack, who only had a brief appearance in FFVII, leading up to the start of FFVII. It's a heart-warming story that is full of emotion, even though the outcome would have been known to FFVII players. Some of it is exaggerated, but most of it is still so very poignant. The return of fan favourites from FFVII like Cloud, Aerith, Tifa and Sephiroth was a definite boost too. Those characters coupled with the new faces all drive the story of Crisis Core. The story isn't without its flaws though. Crisis Core introduced players to the very much maligned Genesis. Most if not every fan of FFVII can find a fault with the inclusion of Genesis as his existence alters the basic storyline of FFVII, and not in a positive way. I've mentioned previously that the worst thing a 'sequel' can do is to mess with established plotlines/settings in a previous game, and unfortunately Crisis Core dabbles in some of that. Aside from those issues though, Crisis Core is a gem of a game to play. Revisiting the world and characters of FFVII is a wonderful experience. The game is mostly fan service, what with the plot and unfolding events practically known to any FFVII player, but Zack's swan song game is definitely one of the better entries in the series.