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final fantasy - crisis core
Crisis
Core~ Final Fantasy VII
Crisis Core is a prequel to Final Fantasy VII
(see discussion of FFVII in the Dirge of Cerberus
section and IGN’s
comprehensive history of FFVII), and is part of the Compilation
of Final Fantasy VII series. Gackt reprises his role as Genesis (the character
he played in Dirge of Cerberus), a SOLDIER 1st Class who goes missing
along with several other members during an operation in Wutai.
The game was released for the Playstation Portable (PSP) on September
13, 2007 in Japan. It was released in the U.S. on March 25, 2008, and will be released in
Europe and Australia
sometime in the spring of 2008.
Story:
The story of Crisis Core is set seven years prior to the
events of Final Fantasy VII. The main
character is Zack Fair, a member of the group called SOLDIER. SOLDIER is an army of military units which was
developed by the Shinra Electric Company.
The members of SOLDIER are specially trained, elite fighters, and are
divided into ranks of 3rd, 2nd and 1st Class. As the story begins, Zack is a SOLDIER 2nd
Class, who works with his mentor, 1st Class SOLDIER Angeal Hewely,
and rises to the rank of 1st Class himself.
During a SOLDIER operation in Wutai, 1st Class
soldier Genesis Rhapsodos goes missing along with several other SOLDIERs. Zack teams up with Angeal and Sephiroth, also
a 1st Class operative, to determine the whereabouts of Genesis
and the other members. The game explores
the truth behind Project G, Shinra and SOLDIER.
Genesis:
Gackt has less involvement in Crisis Core than he had in
Dirge of Cerberus. For one, his character,
Genesis, is entirely CG and not based on motion-capture of his movements.
Secondly, Gackt’s music does not appear in the game.
The entirety of his work on Crisis Core appears to be his voice acting
for Genesis. However, unlike in Dirge, Genesis has a lot
of dialogue, and plays a major role in the plot for Crisis Core.
Genesis can best be described as mysterious. He was a product of Project G, an experiment
run by Dr. Hollander to create a human hybrid with an alien called Jenova. In this experiment, Dr. Hollander injected Gillian
Hewley (the “G” of Project G) with Jenova cells, and then Genesis was in turn
injected with her cells (called the “G substance”) when he was still a fetus.
Genesis was eventually labeled a failure because of his later degradation.
Genesis grew up together with Angeal, his best friend, in Banora Village. Angeal was also a product of Project G, but
he was actually born from Gillian and was therefore directly exposed to the
G substance in the womb. Both have
a single wing on their shoulder, with Genesis’ being black and Angeal’s being
white. Both had the ability to make
copies of themselves, like Jenova could, but Genesis could only make human
copies while Angeal’s copies were monsters.
Zack encounters Genesis.
Genesis has one black wing over his
left shoulder.
Angeal
and Genesis were teammates within the SOLDIER unit with Sephiroth, who was
a product of the rival Project S experiment, run by Professor Hojo.
Professor Hojo’s method was to directly inject the fetus, Sephiroth,
with Jenova cells. Sephiroth became an ultimate SOLDIER and hero.
Genesis eventually became jealous of Sephiroth’s fame and desired to
become a hero himself. The tension in their relationship came to a
head during a training exercise, which turned into a real fight between the
two. To prevent them from actually hurting each other,
Angeal came between them, using two swords to deflect the others. The blade of Angeal’s smaller sword broke and
injured Genesis, ending the training exercise. After receiving this injury, Genesis begins to
deteriorate, and he eventually learns about his origins from Dr. Hollander.
This is when he and a group of SOLDIERS disappear in Wutai, setting
in motion the events of Crisis Core.
Genesis has a red sword that glows.
Duel with Sephiroth.
Zack and Angeal are sent on a mission to find Genesis. Genesis has created an army of Genesis Clones,
who attack them, but are defeated. When
Zack confronts Genesis at Banora Village,
Genesis states that he and Angeal have become monsters. Shinra destroys the Genesis Clone army with
an airstrike, and announces that Genesis and Angeal are dead. However, the two of them reappear and wage a
battle in Midgar. They are stopped
by SOLDIERs, and after this battle, Sephiroth and Zack learn of Genesis’ deteriorating
condition.
Genesis begins to search for the “Gift of the Goddess”, Jenova
cells, in order to stop his deterioration. He confronts Dr. Hollander, who says he does
not know where the Jenova cells are. Zack
frees Dr. Hollander from Genesis’ hold, and they engage in a duel.
Zack defeats Genesis…or so he thought.
A few years later, Zack is surprised to see Genesis has survived.
Genesis confronts Sephiroth, telling him all about the Jenova Project
and their origins. He tells Sephiroth that he is a product of Project
S and was designed to be the perfect monster. Genesis makes an offer to Sephiroth to join
him, but Sephiroth rejects it. He goes
into the research library and learns that Genesis was speaking the truth about
his origins. It is soon after this
that Sephiroth goes insane with rage and destroys Nibelheim. Zack stops him, but is captured and taken to
the lab.
Zack escapes from the laboratory after being confined there
for four years. As he escapes, he is
attacked by Genesis, who tells Zack that he has been injected with Jenova
cells as a part of Project S. Genesis
believes that the cells are the “Gift of the Goddess” and he needs them for
his deterioration to stop. Zack finds
Genesis in a cave in Banora
Village, still deteriorating.
Genesis had found the Goddess Materia in the cave, which he believed
was the “Gift of the Goddess”. He gathers
the Lifestream from the Goddess Materia, and is transformed into a true monster.
Zack and Genesis engage in one last battle, and Zack finally defeats
Genesis.
After the final blow dealt to him by Zack, Genesis finds
himself surrounded by the Lifestream. In
this ‘dream’ sequence, he sees a statue of the Goddess. As he moves towards it, he sees that it is Minerva,
the Goddess of Gaia. When he approaches
the Goddess, she turns away and Genesis is enveloped by the Lifestream.
Meeting the Goddess and falling into
the Lifestream.
Zack
carries out Genesis’ body from the cave. Genesis has survived. After Zack leaves, a helicopter lands and two
SOLDIERS walk towards Genesis. One
is Nero and the other is Weiss, who refer to Genesis as their older brother. They carry Genesis onto the helicopter and head
off to Deepground
LOVELESS:
Genesis is a devotee of literature, especially the epic poem
“LOVELESS”. LOVELESS tells the story
of three men who are searching for the “Gift of the Goddess”, and in Crisis
Core, Genesis compares these characters and events to the situation he is
in with Angeal and Sephiroth. In the
poem, one is chased, one takes flight and the one remaining becomes the hero. Genesis sees himself as the one who takes flight,
Angeal is chased and Sephiroth becomes the hero. The “Gift of the Goddess” and the object of
their search are the Jenova cells. Throughout
Crisis Core, Genesis quotes lines from LOVELESS, constantly reminding the
others that the world of LOVELESS is being recreated in their actions.
Genesis often quotes lines from LOVELESS.
LOVELESS:
【序章】
獣たちの戦いが世に終わりをもたらす時
冥き空より、女神が舞い降りる
光と闇の翼を広げ至福へと導く『贈り物』と共に
【第一章】
深淵のなぞ それは女神の贈り物
われらは求め
飛びたった
彷徨いつづける心の水面に
かすかなさざなみを立てて
三人の友は戦場へ
ひとりは捕虜となり
ひとりは飛び去り
残ったひとりは英雄となった
【第二章】
明日をのぞみて散る魂
誇りも潰え
飛びたとうにも 翼は折れた
惜しみない祝福とともに 君は女神に愛された
世界を癒す 英雄として
【第三章】
君よ、飛びたつのか？
われらを憎む世界へと
待ちうけるは ただ過酷な明日
逆巻く風のみだとしても
復讐にとりつかれたる我が魂
苦悩の末に たどりつきたる願望は 我が救済と
安らかなる君の眠り
【第四章】
君よ 因果なり
夢も誇りも すでに失い
女神ひく弓より
すでに矢は放たれて
君よ 希え
命はぐくむ 女神の贈り物を
いざ語り継がん 君の犠牲
世界の終わり
人知れず水面をわたる風のごとく
ゆるやかに 確かに
【最終章】
約束のない明日であろうと
君の立つ場所に必ず舞い戻ろう
星の希望の雫となりて
地の果て 空のかなた
はるかなる水面
(Translation and interpretation of LOVELESS can be found
at the Final
Fantasy Wiki page on LOVELESS)
Extras:
In Japan,
a special 10th Anniversary Edition of the PSP came bundled with
the Crisis Core game and a Buster Sword strap.
The special edition was limited to 77,777 units, and celebrated the
10th anniversary of Final Fantasy VII.
A Crisis Core image was silkscreened on the back of the slim silver
PSP.
Characters from Crisis Core, including Genesis, were featured
on cans of a “Potion” energy drink made by Suntory. The drink was sold in Japan starting on October 23, 2007.
Clips: **English subbed video clips of
in-game cutscenes can be streamed and downloaded from SilentTweak.**
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