[charsace]

These shots piss me off. Character models aren't a huge leap over LO.

[badcrumble]

Delicious screens. I REALLY wish that the dithering in stills from this game didn't bother me so much. I know it looks fine in action.

[FleckSplat]

[IMG]http://i45.************/2e5i0l3.jpg[/IMG]

Is that a crabcore monster?

[inner-G]

Holy shit those screens look nice.

Serious FFX vibes imo :D

[thetrin]

Man, the fact that missions are what you use to upgrade your weapons worries me a bit. I really hope it doesn't turn into the upgrade system from FF8.

(are they confirmed to be the ONLY way to get new weapons?)

[Dissonance]

I love incredibly-crisp-thanks-to-HD battle screen text. It's glorious.

Only you would comment on the text and ignore everything else. :lol

[TheCardPlayer]

Man, the fact that missions are what you use to upgrade your weapons worries me a bit. I really hope it doesn't turn into the upgrade system from FF8. (are they confirmed to be the ONLY way to get new weapons?)

That...sounds awesome. For me. I always wanted to see that system return in a FF title.

[Zzoram]

We know MSFT charges for extra DVDs, but does Sony charge for BD-50?

I wouldn't be surprised if it was 4 DVDs stacked, but hopefully they have a page inside like the ODST case so it's not 4 stacked in 1 spot.

That said, I'm getting the PS3 version becasue it'll probably have nicer cutscene IQ or something.

Those in-game screens look good but I agree that they aren't much better than Lost Odyssey in graphics. Character design and character models do look noticeably better though.

[RurouniZel]

[IMG]http://i45.************/2e5i0l3.jpg[/IMG] Is that a crabcore monster?

Holy hell what is up with that grass?? Even Crystal Bearers on the Wii has better grass then that! o_O

Still getting the game obviously, still anticipating it immensely (though the game is coming out on my Mom's birthday, so I'm obviously getting it the day AFTER that.), but I ain't gonna lie that's all sorts or ugly.

[SolidusDave]

http://scrawlfx.com/2009/12/square-e...tasy-xiii-demo

Update: Turns out it’s not a demo. Sonia’s confirmed it.

[Metalic Sand]

Demos for RPGs don't work. They should just release a killer trailer and continue to rely on the Final Fantasy branding to do it's magic.

FF7 demo sold me on the game so no. Demos work for any genre, It just needs to be made right.

[Let me in]

The game doesn't look bad by any means, but that shot of Snow and Lightning looks significantly worse than some of the other captures of them. Unless some of the realtime cutscenes are using different models...

[Edeuinu]

Pumped.

[Unknown Soldier]

The game doesn't look bad by any means, but that shot of Snow and Lightning looks significantly worse than some of the other captures of them. Unless some of the realtime cutscenes are using different models...

FFX is pretty infamous for using different models in different situations, so it wouldn't be unprecedented...

[Kuraudo]

We know MSFT charges for extra DVDs, but does Sony charge for BD-50? I wouldn't be surprised if it was 4 DVDs stacked, but hopefully they have a page inside like the ODST case so it's not 4 stacked in 1 spot.

I doubt it. It's not so much that MS charge for extra DVDs, but rather they grant a license per DVD, so essentially SE would be licensing multiple 360 softwares which just happen to form one game.

As a BD-50 would still be seen as one PS3 disc, with the dual layer being on manufacturing side, then it would be covered by the same license as single layered discs.

Of course, I'm only surmising here and could be well off the mark.

[Einbroch]

I love incredibly-crisp-thanks-to-HD battle screen text. It's glorious.

This x1000.

Going back and playing old RPGs is a pain for me. Not because of the in game graphics, but because the text is so damn blurry.

[Milk Lizard]

[IMG]http://i45.************/2e5i0l3.jpg[/IMG] Is that a crabcore monster?

Usually not too bothered about graphics but God that ground texture is distracting, so ugly compared to everything else in the game.

[Kagari]

http://scrawlfx.com/2009/12/square-e...tasy-xiii-demo

Of course not.

[Synless]

These shots piss me off. Character models aren't a huge leap over LO.

No and GTFO!!!!!!

[spats]

Usually not too bothered about graphics but God that ground texture is distracting, so ugly compared to everything else in the game.

Agreed, it literally looks like current-gen character models standing on last-gen ground texture. At least the subtle dof helps it a bit.

Nothing that'll distract me when I'll be playing the game but hey, this is GAF so it's worth bringing up.

[Dedication Through Light]

I bet its something for Playstation Home! :(

[Kuraudo]

I bet its something for Playstation Home! :(

It's probably an official translation of Episode Zero.

[FleckSplat]

When I hear the main battle theme I think to myself, "Man, this is old music from a previous game!" Then I realize I have just followed this game's development for way too long.

[Zzoram]

That grass really is awful at second glance.

[spats]

I bet its something for Playstation Home! :(

I've actually been using the EU home almost daily as of late because of how they handled the christmas wonderland. New quests and free(sort of neat) stuff every day. Right now I wouldn't mind some FFXIII content for it.

When I hear the main battle theme I think to myself, "Man, this is old music from a previous game!" Then I realize I have just followed this game's development for way too long.

:lol

[thetrin]

That...sounds awesome. For me. I always wanted to see that system return in a FF title.

All it means is that you're going to upgrade less frequently.

I don't know. Alchemy and construction in RPGs just pisses me off. I'd rather just have loot.

[FleckSplat]

Question: When you restart a battle, is the party status the same as it was at the start, or are the items you used in previous attempts gone?

[Zzoram]

Will this game have ridiculously difficult to find weapons/etc. that you literally cannot find without a guide? I hate it when they don't give you hints in-game how to find the best stuff. I also hate it when items become permanently missed if you don't get it when you are supposed to (which you can't know without a guide). I just hate having to use a guide because the guide will inevitably result in spoilers and it messes up the pacing of the game to have to keep looking stuff up online.

[BlazingDarkness]

Question: When you restart a battle, is the party status the same as it was at the start, or are the items you used in previous attempts gone?

iirc it takes you back to the field screen before you encountered the enemy

here's the FFXIII special that was shown the other day btw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpmyY...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvA1-...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGqXx...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlhfHFnwGzQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4H8WHmBigo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr4Qv...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQHck...eature=related

[orioto]

I think it's the first time i'm going to buy a game just for the tradition... Nothing please me in what i see... Square is in bad bad shape right now... Even the music... It looks so generic for Hamauzu...

But i will still buy it, just in case i'm wrong.

[Shadowlink]

I want to see FF XIII 360 footage soon. I have a feeling we won't see any footage of the 360 version until the game releases. :(

[Zanasea]

Even the music... It looks so generic for Hamauzu...

Are you crazy?

[orioto]

Are you crazy?

I must be i don't know... :(
But really, i love hamauzu style, from his pieces in FFX, Saga Frontier 2, even his own album ! But the tracks i heard from this game look like something else... And it's kind of blank.

Now maybe i will love it ingame, i hope.

[BlazingDarkness]

I must be i don't know... :( But really, i love hamauzu style, from his pieces in FFX, Saga Frontier 2, even his own album ! But the tracks i heard from this game look like something else... And it's kind of blank. Now maybe i will love it ingame, i hope.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDwAN90MKTo
! apologize :P

[ShogunX]

Are these recent shots from the PS3 version?

The game was meant to be an explosion of jizz all over my TV visually. Maybe there just bad shots or it will look better in real time....Fingers crossed.

[orioto]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDwAN90MKTo ! apologize :P

I don't know if an arrangement of a 20 years old Uemastu song is a good example of what Hamauzu could bring to FF ;)

But i'll see. That's just that it seems Hamauzu has to make something less "hamauzuish" cause it was a big game and all... I'm sure there will be plenty of good songs.

Now, the screens are still ugly to me:lol That's certainly the first FF that don't blow everything else on its platform at the time of its release.

[Kagari]

Are these recent shots from the PS3 version? The game was meant to be an explosion of jizz all over my TV visually. Maybe there just bad shots or it will look better in real time....Fingers crossed.

All the official media is from the PS3 version.

[Rpgmonkey]

I want to see FF XIII 360 footage soon. I have a feeling we won't see any footage of the 360 version until the game releases. :(

I think they'll only do that if they're trying to hide a crappy port, but we'll see.

[DMPrince]

I don't know if an arrangement of a 20 years old Uemastu song is a good example of what Hamauzu could bring to FF ;) But i'll see. That's just that it seems Hamauzu has to make something less "hamauzuish" cause it was a big game and all... I'm sure there will be plenty of good songs. Now, the screens are still ugly to me:lol That's certainly the first FF that don't blow everything else on its platform at the time of its release.

if you pretend to love it i'll give you what you want *WINK WINK* nothing sexual

I think they'll only do that if they're trying to hide a crappy port, but we'll see.

or someone from square will get lazy and release ps3 footage and call it 360 footage :lol.

[WickedLaharl]

yikes. the environmental textures in those screens look pretty bad.

[Shadowlink]

I think they'll only do that if they're trying to hide a crappy port, but we'll see.

Now I'm nervous. D:

Rockstar did it with GTA IV though.

[mujun]

Alchemy and construction in RPGs just pisses me off. I'd rather just have loot.

This.

[Kyzer]

Crystal Defenders demo came on the day of release. Squeenixamerica. What moves shall you make?

[imtehman]

can we stop with the bitching of the graphics?

RPG's will never rival the graphics of a 5-8 hour shooter, so stop it already

[mujun]

The game was meant to be an explosion of jizz all over my TV visually.

Surely that was hype which is pretty synonymous with Final Fantasy isn't it. There was no way this game was ever going to compete with Uncharted or the like.

[Kagari]

yikes. the environmental textures in those screens look pretty bad.

Now that I think about it... it's similar to the MGS4 situation (as another Japanese game): Great character models but sub-par textures in places.
Japanese developers as a whole are still behind in comparison to what some western studios are accomplishing.

[BlazingDarkness]

just watch any gameplay of FFXIII, it alll looks better than those shitty screenshots

[StuBurns]

The thing is with the graphics, the modeling isn't so hot, and the texturing isn't mind blowing or anything, but the art, animation, image quality and 'effects' (caused by attacks etc) are all incredible.

[orioto]

RPG's will never rival the graphics of a 5-8 hour shooter, so stop it already

Well i don't know about that... back in the day, it seems snes FF was the best 2D you could achieve, PSX ff was also the best graphics you could imagine on the system for their time. Even FFX was amazing for the PS2 when it was released, and some models of monsters have never been toped after that. Then FFXII..

But time changes, now us devs have the advantage...
But the real problem is the art direction here. I'm sure FFXIV will look way better actually.

[Stefan™]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ff7WlFWTXjQ

...Just watch it if you haven't already. Freakin' amazing, you can see them right under the adamantamai(?)! And you can see Fang summoning bahamut!

And here is the other one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iki26JcCYOA