Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII

There are few things as satisfying as a long trip when you know that nestling in your pocket is a handheld console and a new game that is sure to suck up the hours of arse-numbing monotony like a time sponge.

Come journey’s end and you are already awaiting the return leg, just so you can spend another few hours getting to grips with a game that has become, in that first flash of new game love, the most important thing in your life. This is what will happen for gamers with Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII.

Crisis Core is something of a major release for the PSP. It’s easy to see why, with the title ticking all the right boxes for smash hit success. We have a well established franchise with an obsessive fan base, a new twist on an established series, a commitment from the developer to push the capabilities of the hardware to the limit and a run of great reviews. Sales of Crisis Core in Japan and the US have been impressive, to say the least, so prepare for a rush of PSP- wielding Final Fantasy fanatics desperate to get their hands on the title.

A prequel to the hugely successful Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core puts players in control of Zack Fair, a second-class soldier who takes off on a mission into a world heavily populated with familiar Final Fantasy faces.

Crucial to this latest PSP release is its dedication to getting the best possible results out of the platform and demonstrating just what the little black oblong is capable of. A gripping storyline, alongside a number of additional tweaks in the gameplay will all be crucial selling points for this title, which looks set to carry into the UK the excellent sales it has experienced abroad.

It is easy to see why fans will want to get hold of Crisis Core, but the firm’s marketing plan is set to look outside of the traditional Final Fantasy enthusiast in order to attract the mainstream gamer.

Heavy cross-media promotion will be in place for Crisis Core, with the campaign set to target both PlayStation Portable and Final Fantasy fans. Press advertising will include pages in Official PSP and Official PlayStation magazine, whilst a heavyweight two-week online campaign will target the PSP channels of sites including Gamespot and IGN. A two-week poster run on the London Underground will no doubt brighten up a few commuters’ days, whilst TV advertisements around Euro 2008 will hit the spot with many sofa-bound game and football fanatics.

Could Crisis Core be the feel good hit of the summer? It certainly looks like it.