Should I play Final Fantasy 7 in order to understand Final Fantasy 7 Crisis Core?

Question

I will be picking up Crisis Core tomorrow but since it is a prequel to FFVII do I have to have played it to understand what is going on or will I still be able to enjoy it regardless?

Answer 1

Well as Crisis Croe is a prequel not really, maybe play it after then watch Advent Children to get the full story.

Answer 2

Well, if you've played FF7, you'll understand more of the references in  Crisis Core, but it isn't exactly a requirement per se...

FF7 is a classic though, if you have a copy and a Playstation, I highly recommend it.

Answer 3

Strictly speaking, no, you don't need to have played FF7 to understand Crisis Core.  However, you will understand it better if you've played FF7... there are a lot of subtle references and foreshadowing related to the original game that you won't pick up on if you haven't.