first of all i commend sony and square enix for letting ff13 go multi platform. that had to hurt just a little because of the fact that the only other system its been on is the snes and the nintendo handhelds, so for them to release it to microsoft was like gettin hit in the crotch with a baseball bat. and just for the record you dont really have to like rpgs to like any ff game most people play for the story and the thrill of game play... and as for the new video, yes she was takin damage but also dealing more to the opponent then anything else but its whatever i will be in line when it released even if noone else is so its cool.
Last edited by Negative Creep; 03-06-2009 at 05:11 PM.
Reason: Clarity.
i know its cross-platform is just that for ps3 will have more graphics. i know that thing cause my father work on Sony Play Station.
Just because the PS3 is a stronger system doesn't mean it's always going to look better. It's a cross-platform game so it'll be a toss up as to which system the game is going to run better on. Fallout 3 was rated better in graphics on the XBox compared to the PS3 so that is proof right there.
i agree with that but the reason i think it will look better on the ps3 is be cause ff has become on of sonys biggest sellers whether its 1 2 7 or 13 so sony has a rep to live up to imma buy it for both systems and see which one is better and if it looks better on the xbox compared to the ps3 then all my faith in sony is lost forever
Just because the PS3 is a stronger system doesn't mean it's always going to look better. It's a cross-platform game so it'll be a toss up as to which system the game is going to run better on. Fallout 3 was rated better in graphics on the XBox compared to the PS3 so that is proof right there.
That really isn't proof of anything, since Fallout 3 was clearly using the 360 as it's main platform. Final Fantasy 13 has been built up for the PS3 for years now, and will continue to be so until finished, then transferred to the 360. If any version would look better, it is the PS3 version, otherwise, they would most likely be similar enough to not make a fuss about it.
This looks like it's gonna be cool. Hope that there will be a variety of regionalized enemies instead of the enemies being the same, just a different color (and maybe having different features) and different strengths/weaknesses.
______________________
"Adam and Eve were naked in the Garden of Eden. When they sinned, they put clothes on." - Betty Page
Next to warm toilet seats and plentiful cheap tempura, early video game releases are the best thing about living in Japan. April 16th saw the release of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete, which included a playable demo of Final Fantasy XIII.
FFXIII had been off my radar for the last year partly because I find the series to be vastly overrated (except for XII) and partly because I began to question whether the game would actually come out.
But now I've played it, and holy catfish Batman, it's actually a lot better than I expected. Lemme give y'all the rundown in a sort of a review format.
Gameplay
The only real criticism is that oodles of features intended for the final version are not included in the demo. There is no camp menu, only two playable characters, and only a handful of commands. You control Lightning and Snow in separate scenarios where you'll go through a set path, kill some baddies, open a few treasures, and watch more than a few cutscenes. You will have support characters controlled by AI, including Sahz, the afro Samurai.
Field actions are simple and automatic. You can interact with obstacles at set points and open treasure chests like any Final Fantasy game. Conversation with NPCs is now done automatically by approaching them. Everything is voiced. This is a bit annoying actually since you sometimes can't tell who said what, though the sheer volume of voicework it implies on is ambitious. The field camera is intuitive and set a bit closer to the character, somewhat like Resident Evil 4.
Two words to describe the combat: Potentially epic. Given that the demo offers no flashy skills and only a handful of simple spells, I was surprised at just how much fun I had. The fundamentals are just so good. Battle takes place in a separate screen and is menu-based, yet the pace is faster than XII and just as action packed as Star Ocean. You can chain up to three commands at a time, combining attack spells, launch attacks, and regular strikes. Higher level spells eat up all three slots in the queue, thus require more time and better planning.
Knock off enough successive attacks in a row and you'll get increase your chain combo meter. A high chain will increase your attack power by a set percentage, thus if you're good at timing attacks and getting combos, the game will be a cakewalk. The real game will likely be harder than the demo though, and hopefully longer. I finished the whole dang thing in 50 minutes.
Graphics
FFXIII comes extremely close to fulfilling a dream held by Square Enix since FFVII: the creation of a Final Fantasy game where the in-game graphics are just as good as the cutscenes. The line was considerably blurred by FFX and FFXII, but with FFXIII, you really can't even tell at times. The difference really is in the fluidity of the animations. The cutscenes beat anything you've ever seen on a seventh generation console. They are just as good as the Advent Children movie. The regular game graphics are not as detailed, but certainly give MGS4 and Killzone 2 a run for their money. FFXIII is vivid, rich, colorful, and extremely diverse and audacious in its range of designs. There's bound to be a character or an outfit or two you don't like, but the sheer amount of creativity that has gone into this game is staggering. It is eye-catching enough that even my fiancee (who hates video games) parked her butt and watched me beat the whole thing.
Sound
The music is quite good from what the demo shows, which isn't a whole lot. The battle theme will be familiar to anyone who has seen trailers. It is off the chain, though I hope there are a few others to go with it. The spacy overworld music during exploration is also cool but not earth shattering. What stands out more than the music is the excellent voice work. The dialogue is well written and acted, particularly Lightning's. She is shaping up to be a fantastic protagonist in a series with some truly underwhelming main characters.
Story
The demo does not reveal much more than what I had already read in Famitsu. We see Sazh and Lightning working together at first. She is working against the Cocoon military to complete a mission about which we know little. Sazh seems to just be tagging along and is unfortunately, not quite the pimp god that Barret was. Snow, a resistance leader battling Cocoon's military, is a typical tough guy / cool guy leader. His troops offer some comic relief and we see his bravery toward the end of the demo. Really, the story could go anywhere. It certainly looks to have a lot more gravity and suspense than any JRPG in recent history. It also looks to be very heavy on the cutscenes, all of which are pauseable and skipable, but gosh, they're so dang pretty why would you?
Control
Very easy though when more features are added, it could get tricky. FFXIII demands fast decision making. The dynamic active time battle forces you to pay attention to a lot of things at once. The camera is also controllable using the right analog stick, which is ridiculously cool in battle; characters move around freely, and being able to rotate around the field as your boys tear enemies up is super sweet.
Overall
Sign me up! I am officially really looking forward to this game now. It could potentially be just the right combination of gameplay depth and stylistic flair. The aesthetics are definitely there. My only concern is challenge and replay value, two things which Final Fantasy games historically don't do well in my view. I guess we'll see. Though I'll see sooner than most of you, since in Japan it will be out in 2009.
Until then, I'll continue enjoying the warm toilet seats and the tempura, though perhaps not in that order.
Can't wait. This game looks and feels like a true Final Fantasy game. Although I will have to buy it for my 360 as well, seeing I don't have a PS3. So it's for people like me, who always had the Playstations and couldn't afford the PS3, and had to switch to XBOX this time around who are abolutely ecstatic about FFXIII coming out for the 360 as well. I am beyond happy.
"The 360 development will not occur until the PS3 version is done."
Later...
"The 360 version has been in development for about 2 months now" (This was said today)
"We promise the 360 version won't compromise the PS3 version in any way."
Later...
"To be fair to both consoles, we might exclude Japanese audio from the PS3 version"
The surface in the background was replaced with something with less detail. The snow surrounding it is much more flat, with hardly any effects. The area where the snow meets the thing in the background, it looks horrible. Lower resolution clothing is obvious. Very bumpy shoulder, as well as a few other things not as smooth. Lighting is worse. A lot more blur being used. Less vibrant colors.
There will be 3 games of Final fantasy XIII
- Final Fantasy XIII: Fabula Nova Crystallis universe, which includes XIII
- Final Fantasy Versus XIII for the PlayStation 3 (teams of Advent Children and Kingdom Hearts together)
- Final Fantasy XIII Agito for mobile phones
"The 360 development will not occur until the PS3 version is done."
Later...
"The 360 version has been in development for about 2 months now" (This was said today)
"We promise the 360 version won't compromise the PS3 version in any way."
Later...
"To be fair to both consoles, we might exclude Japanese audio from the PS3 version"
The surface in the background was replaced with something with less detail. The snow surrounding it is much more flat, with hardly any effects. The area where the snow meets the thing in the background, it looks horrible. Lower resolution clothing is obvious. Very bumpy shoulder, as well as a few other things not as smooth. Lighting is worse. A lot more blur being used. Less vibrant colors.
Not compromise my ass!
Well that is not cool at all.
But I don't get the : "To be fair to both consoles, we might exclude Japanese audio from the PS3 version".
what?
Well that is not cool at all.
But I don't get the : "To be fair to both consoles, we might exclude Japanese audio from the PS3 version".
what?
FF13 versus will be a masterpiece.
They said the 360 version will not compromise the PS3 version a while back. But now they are all about 100% being fair to both platforms.
That means porting everything that was done on the PS3 version over to the inferior multiplatform version of their engine, which presents a clear graphics downgrade. Then, since the 360 version is on DVD obviously, having Japanese audio would most likely increase the DVD count by one. So they won't put it in the 360 version, resulting in it not being in the PS3 version, even though they will have plenty of space.
They said the 360 version will not compromise the PS3 version a while back. But now they are all about 100% being fair to both platforms.
That means porting everything that was done on the PS3 version over to the inferior multiplatform version of their engine, which presents a clear graphics downgrade. Then, since the 360 version is on DVD obviously, having Japanese audio would most likely increase the DVD count by one. So they won't put it in the 360 version, resulting in it not being in the PS3 version, even though they will have plenty of space.
There must be something behind this.
That makes me think of mgs5 which will be on ps3 and xbox360.(that's what i heard anyway)
I hope it will be better than the FF12!! 
