Technologies

Crisis Core Reunion Revives a Final Fantasy 7 Classic Magnificently

Review: Zack Fair’s 2007 spinoff adventure escapes Sony’s dusty old PSP, and Square Enix has brought it in line with Final Fantasy 7 Remake.

Final Fantasy 7 fans got ready to eat well back in the mid-noughties, as developer Square Enix released several spinoffs expanding the universe of the legendary 1997 PlayStation RPG. Unfortunately, most of the new stories — like PS2 shooter Dirge of Cerberus and CGI movie Advent Children — turned to be fast food compared to the delicious and nutritious meal that was Final Fantasy 7.

The sole exception was the excellent 2007 action-RPG Crisis Core. This prequel cast you in the role of Zack Fair, a character with a small but crucial role in Final Fantasy 7’s main story, and explored his career as a member of megacorporation Shinra’s Soldier paramilitary group.

It offered roughly 25 hours of main story gameplay, a solid chunk of side missions and an inevitable emotional gut-punch of an ending that seared itself into fans’ brains.

The problem: It was only on PlayStation Portable, aka the PSP, and remained marooned on Sony’s now-obsolete handheld for more than 15 years. However, after the 2020 Final Fantasy 7 Remake and its downloadable content hinted at Zack’s playing a bigger part in the upcoming Rebirth, Square Enix is finally letting a new generation of gamers dive into Crisis Core.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion hit PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, Nintendo Switch and PC on Tuesday. I’ve played a chunk of the game on PS5, and found this remastered classic to be a nostalgic joy.

Initially, I thought this was just the PSP game with some modern flourishes — 3D character models, upgraded environments and the ability to finally play it on a massive TV screen (or mirror the handheld original on Switch). Some of the prerendered cutscenes aren’t as well remastered, with graphical artifacts occasionally marring the image.

As I played, it became increasingly clear that Square Enix had made more subtle changes as well; developers have brought the combat closer to the Remake’s beautiful flow. Chaining physical, magical attacks and summoning god-like beings who perform super attacks feels natural and smooth — partially because all the modern systems’ controllers have more buttons to use than the PSP — making for a far more pleasant experience than it was in 2007.

You also have a new way to interrupt your most powerful enemies’ biggest attacks, by doing as much damage as possible when they’re charging up. It might not seem like a major addition, but it adds a layer of strategy to boss encounters you might otherwise have played defensively.

The slot machine-style Digital Mind Wave system that periodically gives you bonuses or summons an ally in combat remains inscrutable as ever — it also determines when Zack and his abilities level up. Rest assured that this isn’t random, so it seems that way you just can’t see how much experience points you have. Its link to Zack’s emotional effect also used to great narrative effect at a few key points.

All the cutscenes are fully voice acted now — chunks of the original were text-only — with the Remake’s excellent cast back in their roles. That includes Superman & Lois’ Tyler Hoechlin as future villain Sephiroth, who’s a pretty chill (if a bit aloof) dude for much of this game.

However, for good or ill, Crisis Core Reunion is fundamentally the same game we got in 2007. It’s still divided into easily digestible story chapters where Zack goes out on assignments for Shinra, unlocking bite-size missions along the way — it can’t quite shake off its roots as a portable game designed for quick sessions.

It feels a little stop-start in the early hours, especially as the game’s various systems are introduced to you, but you’ll soon get into the groove.

The gameplay loop of doing a chapter, then blasting through a bunch of unlocked missions and talking to the various characters in the hub around Shinra headquarters is satisfying — similar to Mass Effect, another classic 2007 RPG. It’s basically a few rooms and streets, greatly enhanced by the game’s magnificent art direction (without the slow loading of the PSP version).

Zack is also an ultra-charismatic protagonist, and his enthusiasm is a breath of fresh air compared to Final Fantasy 7’s moody Cloud. Fans who know about the relationship between these two will find getting to know Zack particularly rewarding.

The other characters are a mixed bag — Zack’s Soldier mentor Angeal is so stiff that I practically drift off whenever he’s on screen, and main villain Genesis is a dorky Sephiroth wannabe. The voice actors do their best, but the writing around these two just isn’t compelling. However, Cloud and Aerith make up for it when they enter the story.

And seeing the early adventures of these gaming icons, and how Zack helped to shape them, is the best reason to play Crisis Core Reunion. It’s still a 2007 PSP game at heart (as evidenced by the beautiful mid-noughties flip phones), but Square Enix’s ambition made it one of the best games on that system. I’m so glad it’s not trapped there any more. It’s a game every Final Fantasy 7 fan needs to play before Rebirth arrives late next year.

Technologies

Mercari Stock Volatility Follows Pokémon Card Listing Restrictions

Mercari shares rebounded after a selloff triggered by temporary restrictions on Pokémon 30th anniversary card listings, with analysts calling the stock oversold despite ongoing global trading card demand.

Mercari shares surged over 4% on Friday, continuing their recovery from a selloff triggered by the Japanese e-commerce platform’s decision to limit listings of Pokémon’s 30th anniversary merchandise, announced on Tuesday. The company stated these constraints would persist until it can guarantee a secure trading environment. Shares plummeted 6.4% on Wednesday when the restrictions took effect, then rebounded to close 1.4% higher Thursday. The stock also outperformed the Nikkei 225 on Friday morning, which rose approximately 1%. Mercari explained it implemented the temporary ban due to concerns that a transaction surge following the anniversary release could spark trading disputes and user harassment. Citigroup linked Wednesday’s 6%+ decline to the Pokémon card listing announcement, noting Mercari’s recent share weakness had pushed the stock to “overly pessimistic levels,” deeming shares “oversold” and the pullback an investment opportunity. The bank added that second-half fiscal 2026 gross merchandise value growth exceeded expectations, with a multi-category recovery potentially supporting double-digit growth. Citi also stated that while halting certain product trades was negative for Mercari, the impact wasn’t significant enough to revise forecasts. The restrictions arrive amid a global Pokémon card frenzy. Online marketplace eBay reported “Pokémon” was searched over six million times on its U.K. site in July, highlighting sustained demand. Pokémon card prices have skyrocketed 1,350% since 2020, according to a Collectors index — which owns grading agency Professional Sports Authenticator — Verum previously reported. In February, influencer Logan Paul sold a rare Pikachu Illustrator card for over $16 million after purchasing it for just over $5 million in 2021. New cards sell out within minutes, with buyers coordinating on X and Discord. An X post this month claimed a Pokémon card fetched $2.7 million at auction, setting a record. Mercari signed an agreement with The Pokémon Company in 2023 to promote safer trading of Pokémon products on its marketplace, and introduced a 2025 policy allowing listing restrictions when fraud, transaction disputes, or extreme price volatility threaten marketplace safety.

Technologies

Bank of Japan lifts interest rates to 31-year peak, warns of inflation risks

The decision was split 7-2, with board members Toichiro Asada and Ayano Sato dissenting from the hike.

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Technologies

Oil Ends Week Flat While Market Assesses Potential Saudi Pipeline Disruption

Crude oil prices closed essentially flat for the week after falling for three consecutive sessions on Friday, as markets believe the planned Saudi East-West pipeline shutdown will disrupt supply much less than previously expected.

Crude oil prices declined for three straight sessions on Friday, closing essentially flat for the week, as investors expect the temporary shutdown of Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline to have a smaller effect on supply availability than initially anticipated.

West Texas Intermediate futures dropped 1.6% to end Friday at $100.30 per barrel, while Brent crude—a key international benchmark—decreased 0.9% to trade at $103.87. U.S. crude oil held steady weekly against a slight dip in Brent by nearly one percent.

Prices had surged more than 5% following a drone strike originating from Iraq that damaged the Saudi pipeline on Wednesday, triggering its shutdown.

“Mid Eastern oil shipments show surprising resilience despite the interruption to Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline,” explained Natasha Kaneva, JPMorgan’s global commodities strategy lead.

JPMorgan projects that Middle Eastern oil throughput averaged approximately 17 million barrels daily over the last ten days—roughly 6 million barrels per day shy of the 2025 benchmark.

Imagery indicates Saudi Arabia has transported 2.8 million barrels per day across the Strait of Hormuz during the preceding six days, up dramatically from just 700,000 barrels per day in August; total export volume reached 5 million bpd on Tuesday according to the analyst.

Kaneva warned that sustaining such volumes may prove challenging, noting that the alternative route seems functional barring Iranian approval.

Helima Croft, RBC Capital Markets’ global commodity strategy chief, emphasized the severity of potential disruptions to crude and refined products.

Croft indicated that Yemeni Houthi supporters in Iran likely maintain access to drone and weaponry supplies necessary for continued strikes on the East-West Pipeline and Red Sea energy assets.

Meanwhile, Rapidan Energy forecasts that the pipeline disruption will limit Saudi crude output and exports through at minimum September’s conclusion.

“Risk remains tilted toward greater disruption should the pipeline stalls beyond September or if Iran, the Houthis, or affiliated proxy factions intensify their offensive operations,” Rapidan advised on Thursday.