One of the highlights of the roundup of new Xbox releases for December 2022 is Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion, which arrives on December 13th and serves as a remaster of the 2008 PSP game of the same name.

Ahead of launch, various critics have been getting hands-on with the PS5 and PC versions, so we've got a few early opinions to share. We were also hoping to publish our review of the Xbox version this week, but some technical issues with accessing the review codes have meant that we'll need to postpone our verdict for the time being.

So, here's what the critics are saying about Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion right now:

The Escapist (9/10)

"Ultimately, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion doesn’t do anything too crazy beyond massively upgrading the visuals and expanding the audio. And frankly, that’s good enough."

PC Gamer (86/100)

"Crisis Core Reunion is an engrossing action-RPG with no patience for fluff or filler, and a game that escapes Final Fantasy 7's long shadow with ease. As someone who can still remember playing through Crisis Core on PSP I found the vastly upgraded graphics and reworked battle system here well worth the replay..."

VG247 (4/5)

"Repackaged into one of the sharpest Remaster releases I’ve ever seen, it’s a relatively irresistible package - warts and all. The blemishes upon its carefully airbrushed visage are, in many ways, part of the charm. This is a joyous little time capsule of 2000s Square - and perhaps a curious aperitif before Remake part 2. It’s easy to recommend."

Push Square (7/10)

"Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion is a top tier remaster of a flawed and often comically awkward spinoff. But for all of its angsty melodrama, the story of Zack Fair is an endearingly daft tale that only adds to the world of Final Fantasy VII. It's hard not to enjoy the blatant fan service and completely over-the-top cinematics, while the overhauled combat system is infinitely better than it once was. A worthy second chance."

VGC (3/5)

"Crisis Core Reunion has plenty to offer as a remaster, with improved visuals and tighter combat than the PSP original. The fragmented structure of the game, however, remains more suited to a handheld machine, and a poor English script is sadly unchanged. If you’re hankering for more Final Fantasy VII, though, it’s well worth diving in."

It's a pretty good start for Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion, then, which currently holds a Metacritic score of 76 for PlayStation 5 and 83 for PC. If you like what you're hearing, you can pre-order the game right now on the Xbox Store!

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