More on Crisis Core, Less on Kingdom Hearts

To quickly get the Kingdom Hearts news (or lack thereof) out of the way first: Tetsuya Nomura has stated that Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+ will be his last Playstation 2 title.  The new events added to the game will also not feature English voice acting, and for those of you who were hoping for a Kingdom Hearts III announcement at this year's Square Enix party in May, prepare to be disappointed: you'll have to wait a bit longer to hear anything about KHIII.

Now, on to Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, the PSP-exclusive prequel that focuses on Zack, Sephiroth, and the events that caused Cloud Strife to change forever.  Zack's last name has finally been revealed as "Fair," which is meant to contrast with "Cloud Strife" in a strange weather-emotion tie-in.

New characters have also been revealed: Angeal Hewley and Genesis, both First Class Soldiers like Sephiroth.  One of the screenshots (check below!) reveals these three characters facing off--perhaps as a result of Sephiroth going a bit crazy?  Another new character, named Lazard, apparently oversees the operations of the Turks.

Square Enix has also talked a bit about the game's battle system, saying that it's a combination of the classic ATB and fresh action elements.  Limit Breaks and materia are back, and according to what materia is equipped, different commands will appear in the menu, replacing everything but the standard "Attack" and "Item" options.

The gauge in the top left corner of the screen, previously shrouded in mystery, has been given a name--the DMW, or Digital Mind Web.  The DMW will fulfill a myriad of functions, allowing players to perform Limit Breaks, perform Summons, or restore health.  The DMW is also in some way connected to each character's stats, and moves automatically, freeing players from worrying about controlling it.

Here are some magazine scans of Crisis Core from Dengeki PS2, courtesy of AdventChildren.net. 

     

Crisis Core is currently approximately 70% complete and should be released in Japan later this year.

[Sources: RPGFan, AdventChildren.net]