After almost two years of practically nothing, we finally get some new details on Square Enix's PSP title Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core. Over at the NeoGAF forums, Robinspain has posted some stuff on Crisis Core's gameplay (a playable demo was available in this year's Jump Festa) as well as a few bits on the behind-closed-doors trailer that Sony presented at Jump Festa.

Gameplay. The Crisis Core demo includes two missions: Wutai Invasion and Ifrit Battle. Players have full control over Zack while roaming around. The camera can also be rotated using the PSP's left and right triggers.

Random encounters are still present, and the battles take place on the same screen as regular movement. The number of enemies in these battles can reach double digits, and while some of them can be taken care of with a few sword swings, some enemies need to be dispatched using spells.

The controls in battle encounters differ a bit from those used while roaming. You can still control Zack's movement around the battlefield, but the left and right triggers are used to select a command from the command bar. The Circle button is used to confirm and execute your selection. The Square and Triangle buttons are used to dodge and defend, respectively.

While in a battle, actions consume action points (AP). Using the same action repeatedly consumes more AP. Apparently, there's also a Slot system (we're thinking of something like Setzer's Slot skill) that gives out a variety of special effects. Lining up three characters on the slot machine will net you a variety of special effects such as "Actions Cost no AP" or "Reduced MP Cost."

Graphics-wise, Crisis Core got some pretty high marks from those who were able to play it. IGN's Anoop Gantayat was so impressed that he had this to say: "Taken strictly on technical merits, Crisis Core is the most impressive PSP game I've ever played. In fact, with the PSP's small screen providing an assist, I'd go so far as to say that Crisis Core looks better than most PS2 games out there."

The Trailer. The new Crisis Core trailer apparently begins where the TGS trailer left off. It introduces a new character named Razard who appears to be one of Zack's superiors. The trailer also has a little something for all the Cloud fans out there, as the spiky-haired hero of Final Fantasy VII (who also holds the somewhat dubious distinction of being the only male character in Final Fantasy Tactics who can equip female-exclusive headgear) is also in the trailer.

Security was reportedly pretty tight at Jump Festa and it was near-impossible to take any photographs. Some enterprising people were able to get a few shots off, though, so check out the pics below. Keep checking QJ for more Crisis Core updates.