Final Fantasy XIII and Versus Megathread

[jefXfree]

Final Fantasy XIII is an upcoming console role-playing game being developed by Square Enix. It will be released exclusive for PlayStation 3 in Japan, then for PlayStation 3 worldwide in Europe and North America. First appearing at the 2006 E3, the game features a futuristic, high-tech world.

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Final Fantasy XIII is the flagship title of the Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy XIII collection. The game shares a common mythology with Final Fantasy Agito XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII, but they are not directly related to each other. Motomu Toriyama, a director and scenario writer of previous Final Fantasy titles, will direct and write the game's story.

The concept for Final Fantasy XIII's battle system is to maintain the strategic nature of command-based battles. The system stemmed from a desire to create battles similar to those found in Final Fantasy VII Advent Children. Like those in Final Fantasy XII, battle sequences are integrated into the world environment. The Active Time Battle (ATB) system will return, but is expected to work differently from its predecessors.

The battle system that was shown during the E3 2006 trailer was only a prototype. Recently, Square Enix showed battle footage in various Japanese magazines and trailers which introduced a new interface. You can only control one character at a time in battle, although battle parties of up to three characters have been shown. You can stack up to three commands per turn and release them all at the same time to form a combo. These commands include series staples such as Attack, Fire, Blizzard and Cure, as well as new ones such as Launch, which sends the enemy up in the air. The game does not make use of MP but introduces "cost points" for each command. Cost points determine how many times the commands can be used per turn. The overclock gauge from the prototype battle system is replaced with a break bar. The minimap shown earlier has also disappeared from the battle interface. The player is able to view the HP and name of the enemy before engaging it in battle. When the player engages an enemy, the camera moves to another position and the battle menu appears, making the battle transitions nearly seamless.

The classic summoned creatures will return in Final Fantasy XIII. Carbuncle emerges from a disc-like object when it is touched by the character Vanille, Ifrit and Siren also appear doing performances in a trailer. Shiva will return and takes the form of a pair of sisters who can merge into a motorcycle, which the character Snow rides, and can use ice to create a path to drive on.

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[Horhay]

They will have it at E3 for sure I am willing to bet anything lol there will be an English demo at their booth, they always do this.

 

[thunda123]

source: 1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3174085

for those confused, this means no Blu-ray demo, but likely that they will release a downloadable demo on the PSN

Great...thanks alot microsoft and square enix. appreciate that.

 

[Horhay]

Great...thanks alot microsoft and square enix. appreciate that.

It's all thanks to M$, they don't want any advantage for PS in any sense even if it's a demo. I am willing to be that not only is demo going to be held back, but the actual game will too. Judging by their statements the PS3 version will be done way ahead of Xbox and since they are saying it's not fair to have it on one system or the other they will hold it back until the 360 version is done.

 

[dboy99]

i know it's being made for ps3 and ported down to 360 they are already recording american voices they speeding up the process but the xbox will still cause a damn delay.

 

[BlueCali]

FFVII is still his proudest achievement, though.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII screenshot

As if fans weren't excited enough at the prospect of playing Final Fantasy XIII, producer Yoshinori Kitase has fuelled the hype train even further by saying it'll be the greatest Final Fantasy game ever created.

And he should know. Kitase was the director of Final Fantasy VII, released on the PlayStation in 1997, a game considered by many to be the greatest Final Fantasy ever made.

Speaking to VideoGamer.com in an interview to be published tomorrow, Kitase, who was in London to promote Dissidia: Final Fantasy, a PSP-exclusive fighting game set to mark the 20 year anniversary of the Final Fantasy franchise, said of Final Fantasy XIII: "I'm convinced it will be the best Final Fantasy game."

However, Kitase still counts Final Fantasy VII as his proudest achievement and favourite game in the series, and blonde spiky-haired pin-up Cloud as his favourite Final Fantasy character.

He said: "I've been involved with the Final Fantasy series since Final Fantasy 5. In those days Final Fantasy had not recorded such remarkable success abroad, outside Japan. Probably after VII, maybe it became a really strong title globally, and that situation hasn't changed up to now. Now other Final Fantasy games are widely played globally by lots of people.

"OK sometimes we receive quite critical comments from players, as well as nice comments! But that kind of situation, how widely it is played across the world, would have been completely unimaginable. That is something I am very proud of."

Dissidia: Final Fantasy is due out for the PSP this autumn. Be sure to check out our hands-on preview here. And don't forget to check back tomorrow for the full interview with Kitase.

 

[halon]

http://ps3.ign.com/dor/objects/826843/final-fantasy-xiii/videos/ff13_spc_trans1_42909.html

 

[dboy99]

oh yeah i seen that they had posted it on yt i loved it

 

[BlueCali]

The vast majority of the time, multiplatform games are basically identical across the two power platforms; the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. There are some exceptions of course (and we're not counting the first year where crappy 360-to-PS3 ports were common), but for the most part, there are very minimal differences.

However, when you have a game that's as massive as Final Fantasy XIII, you may encounter a few major obstacles that prevent the two versions from being nigh-on identical. From the time FFXIII was announced for the 360, the naysayers have wondered how Square-Enix will approach the two different formats, and how they'll deal with the greatly reduced storage space on the DVD for the 360. Well, here's yet another example of that issue: according to Crious Gamer, Square-Enix may not include Japanese voices with the 360 version of FFXIII. But PS3 owners don't have to worry. Said Yoshinori Kitase:

"Obviously, when we talk about XIII it’s for PS3 and Xbox – with PS3 being on Blu-ray there would be enough memory, but on Xbox probably not. At the moment we’re thinking of releasing the voice in English only. Are there many people who would like to play with Japanese voices?"

Look, although we don't mind that 360 owners will get this groundbreaking title, we've been saying from the start that in this particular case, the PS3 version will be superior. And almost every time we hear of a new update, it's a "for instance" situation of how Blu-Ray's enhanced storage capacity is allowing development to progress smoothly, while the standard DVD format for the 360 version is causing a few hitches. For the sake of 360 owners, we hope Square-Enix doesn't have to strip anything more away from the production, but at least the developers aren't taking stuff out of the PS3 version just so it can mirror the 360 version. That'd be just...wrong.

 

[mobius387]

Bad News

In a meeting with Japanese press to discuss their financial forecast, Square Enix Holdings were quizzed about both Dragon Quest IX and Final Fantasy XIII. Both are obviously huge titles from an investors standpoint, and the answers given weren't exactly endearing.

When asked specifically about whether Final Fantasy XIII will be released within this fiscal year, the following reply was given:

"God knows. ... Is the truth (laughs). I'll try!"

So, although the Final Fantasy XIII demo issued Winter 2009 as the prospective Japanese release date, it looks like it might not even appear until after April 2010. Definitely not good news for Western gamers.

source: finalfantasyunion.com/news/square-enix-final-fantasy-xiii-could-be-delayed-further--402.html

 

[BlueCali]

wasn't expecting it any sooner.

 

[Horhay]

I agree, I don't see any of those titles hitting stores shelves this year.

 

[dboy99]

everyone should have know it wouldnt hit this year.hope it doesnt coem out the same time as gow3.that's what it's looking like

 

[DaMexiRican]

Funny how they answered the question LOL

 

[BlueCali]

Tetsuya Nomura has confirmed to Dengeki that a new trailer of Final Fantasy XIII will be shown at E3 next week.

From the rough translation we have so far, there will be a trailer at E3 next week but also something thats entirely brand new that is coming down the line after E3.

Dear god, we want this game. It’s out this year in Japan for PS3, next year for PS3 and 360 in the West. Nomura earlier announced he’s taking a lesser dev role for the game, assumingly for more time on Versus which, unlike FFXIII, wont be at E3.

 

[BlueCali]

Tetsuya Nomura has confirmed to Dengeki PlayStation in an interview that he is no longer involved with Final Fantasy XIII. From the rough translation, he cites that he is no longer directly involved with the development process of the game, just on the voicework, advertising and the odd dab of design.

We think now that XIII is nearing the end of dev work in Japan, Nomura now has more time to work on Versus XIII, which wont be at E3 next week sadly, but hey, FFXIII will be.

 

[dboy99]

it should be rapping up in japan it comes out this year over there.

 

[BlueCali]

With the Final Fantasy XIII hype machine in full gear, we haven't heard about that other Final Fantasy PS3 game, Final Fantasy Versus XIII.

In the latest issue of Japanese magazine Dengeki, Tetsuya Nomura provides an update. "The progress of developing Final Fantasy Versus XIII is going well," he says.

Nomura is surrounded with much of the same staff he's been working with since the FFVII days. According to Nomura, the staff and he are in tune and very much on the same page — they even catch things before he says them.

Currently the team is testing the battle and map mechanic over and over again as well as checking the game's lighting. "We did a lighting test for the cityscape during noon and evening," Nomura says. "It really gives a good impression — of a city right before your very eyes." Things like the character's actions are coming together bit by bit.

And with Final Fantasy XIII getting a new trailer at E3, Nomura adds, "I don't want to loose [to FFXIII]." While Final Fantasy XIII has been announced for the Xbox 360 in the West, Final Fantasy Versus XIII has only been announced for the PLAYSTATION 3.

 

[halon]

I DON'T CARE I DON'T CARE I DON'T CARE

how long have these games been in development? eleventybillion years...give or take

all they keep puting out is screen shots and 5 minute videos of the same stuff!

i am so sick of their stupid little stories they put out.

yeah, i'll get this when it comes. but it has been SO LONG that I JUST DON'T CARE WHAT THE F THEY HAVE TO SAY ABOUT ANY OF IT.

so please don't put anything more unless it's the day of the release!


that felt good.

 

[BlueCali]

I DON'T CARE I DON'T CARE I DON'T CARE

how long have these games been in development? eleventybillion years...give or take

all they keep puting out is screen shots and 5 minute videos of the same stuff!

i am so sick of their stupid little stories they put out.

yeah, i'll get this when it comes. but it has been SO LONG that I JUST DON'T CARE WHAT THE F THEY HAVE TO SAY ABOUT ANY OF IT.

so please don't put anything more unless it's the day of the release!


that felt good.

Wish I could move this to the rant thread..

 

[DaMexiRican]

LOL. It is true. The demo was the only REAL great thing they've done lately, but sucks it's japan only