Final Fantasy XIII
| Final Fantasy XIII | |
|---|---|
| Final Fantasy XIII Logo | |
| Developer(s) | Square Enix |
| Publisher(s) | Square Enix |
| Designer(s) | Yoshinori Kitase (producer) Motomu Toriyama (director) Tetsuya Nomura (character designer) Nobuo Uematsu (theme song composer) Masashi Hamauzu (composer) Yoshitaka Amano (title logo designer, image illustrator) Eiji Fujii (movie director) Isamu Kamikokuryou (art director) |
| Engine | White Engine |
| Platform(s) | Playstation 3 |
| Release | TBA |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single player, possible multiplayer (unknown online capabilities) |
Final Fantasy XIII (ファイナルファンタジーXIII, Fainaru Fantajī Sātīn) is an upcoming role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix. It is the thirteenth installment in the main Final Fantasy series, and will be the first game of the series to be released on the Sony PlayStation 3. Unveiled at E³ 2006, the game features a high-tech futuristic world. The only characters revealed thus far is a woman with the code name Lightning who wields a gunblade-like weapon, and an unnamed, giant man who is her ally. Motomu Toriyama is the director of the game.[1] According to Square Enix President Yoichi Wada, the storyline will focus on "those who resist the world."[2]
Final Fantasy XIII will run on the "White Engine", a proprietary engine built for Square Enix's next-gen games. The game was originally planned for the PlayStation 2 but was later moved to the PlayStation 3 after the development team discovered the power of the platform.
Square-Enix recently announced they had licensed Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3 to use on a number of particular next generation titles, but will still use the White Engine for most exclusive Playstation 3 games, most notably Final Fantasy XIII.[3]
Gameplay
From the footage shown at E³, battles in the game appear to be in real-time, similar to Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XII, but without the colored target arcs linking player to target. Square Enix has also confirmed that the game will feature real-time battles.[4]
In a developer interview, Motomu Toriyama stated that the E3 Trailer shows what is known as the 'Gravity Bomb', known as the spell 'Gravity' in previous games. Presumably, it refers to the electrical energy field that surrounds the young woman shown in the trailer. She can use it to defy gravity or to attack enemies.[5]
In the upper right-hand corner of the battle screen, a circle-shaped gauge is visible. Once the number inside this circle and other conditions have been met, the protagonist can enter a so-called Overclock status. This status has a slow-motion effect, slowing down everyone but the player. It has been suggested that this Overclock system would replace the traditional limit break system found in previous Final Fantasy games. Overclock seems to resemble the Trance mode in Final Fantasy IX. Once Overclock is activated a number appears inside the meter and decreases, probably signifying the duration of the Overclock mode.[6]
While players will still be able to experience Final Fantasy XIII as an offline game, Yoshinori Kitase has stated in the developer interview that players will also be able to take advantage of special online features.[7]
Many people have also noticed that in the trailer "Blizzard" was spelled as "Blizzrad," although this is almost certainly a spelling error, rather than an entirely new attack.
Battle system
Motomu Toriyama (Director of FFXIII) comments on Final Fantasy XIII's battle system: "Final Fantasy XIII took on the challenge of seeing how much of the battles in Final Fantasy VII Advent Children can be recreated in a game. The battles that were impossible to be presented in current Final Fantasy games were shown in Final Fantasy VII Advent Children. In reverse, Final Fantasy XIII will show how much of that can be represented in the game."[5]
Development
Along with Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy Agito XIII for the mobile phone and Final Fantasy Versus XIII, an action game for the PlayStation 3 made by the Kingdom Hearts team, make up three facets of the overall project known as Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy XIII.[8] According to Square Enix, Final Fantasy XIII is neither a prequel nor a sequel to Final Fantasy Agito XIII or Final Fantasy Versus XIII. Square Enix has explained that although all three games take place in the same universe, they are not directly related.[9]
The game runs on the White Engine, an all-new exclusive seventh generation game engine built for Square Enix's future games. Both the engine and the game were originally slated to be used with the PlayStation 2 but were later moved to the PlayStation 3.[10]
One of the main aspects of the engine is that it allows CGI to be rendered in real-time. It also handles advanced audio processing, cinematic cut-scene transition, physics effects calculations and special effects rendering. The White Engine reportedly uses 4 of the 6 synergistic processing elements (SPEs) available to games, of the Cell processor, to achieve near-pre-rendered CGI quality in realtime.[11]
Motomu Toriyama stated that Final Fantasy XIII will be released "as soon as possible". However, an interview with Tetsuya Nomura revaled that he does not believe the game will be released in 2007.[12]
Plot
Story
Final Fantasy XIII's story begins as something from the lower world invades the Cocoon, causing a panic. Cocoon is an air city which was created by the crystals, protected by machines. Having lived peacefully for many years, the inhabitants of Cocoon are very fearful and are afraid of everything, from outside of Cocoon, and above all what comes from the dark region. Also the operational “strange organization” are feared by the denizens of Cocoon. The biggest concern amongst Cocoon residents is that of their home falling from the sky. People who do things that could make Cocoon fall from the sky, and people who are believed to have the ability to do such things, are deported from Cocoon. Recent contact with those from the world below, Pulse have caused people to question one another and their ways of life. Due to this disturbance, the government of Cocoon have decided to exile those who show signs of coming in contact with the world of Pulse. The crystal looked for itself a woman, who should destroy this world and its inhabitants. One believes that this woman will lead the world to her fall. Her name is Lightning. [13]
World
Jump Festa 2007 revealed that the world of Final Fantasy XIII is based in a government-controlled floating fortress called Cocoon defended by advanced technology. Those cast out of Cocoon are placed into the world below, called Pulse. It is heavily implied that the world of Pulse is the Earth and where the crystals that have "chosen" Lightning are found. These crystals are said to give men the power to change their destinies and shape the world as they see fit. In fact, the crystals were previously used to control the citizens of Pulse to work against their own will. The citizens of Pulse rebelled against the government, asking for a fair treatment of the law.
Characters
The first confirmed main character is the young woman featured in the E³ trailer. Jump Festa 2007 confirmed the heroine's name as "Lightning", though Famitsu magazine states that it is a codename that she will probably use for parts of the game. In a recent interview with Motomu Toriyama, he said the character only calls herself Lightning to keep her true name a secret. He went on and said, that the reason will be revealed in the plot.[12]
In previous installments where Tetsuya Nomura had been involved, the characters were named after natural phenomena: Cloud from Final Fantasy VII, Squall from Final Fantasy VIII, and Tidus (or Tiida which is "sun" in Okinawan) and Yuna (moon) from Final Fantasy X. "Lightning" follows this pattern.
Jump Festa 2007 also confirmed the presence of a second character, a blonde bandana-wearing male who rides a motorcycle and uses a gun to come to Lightning's aid when she is outnumbered by soldiers. It also has been recently released that this character's name is related to weather, and that he is not related to Lightning in any way. Also confirmed by the director of the project, Toriyama, that the blonde male and Lightning are supposed to have a unique relationship. He has also been described by the staff as cowboy-like.
References
- ^ Brad Shoemaker & Dan Tochen (2006). "E3 06: Square Enix announces trio of Final Fantasy XIII games". Gamespot. Retrieved 8 May.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); External link in|work=|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ Matt Sloderbeck (2006). "Square Enix Pre-E3 Event Features New Games, New Details". RPGamer. Retrieved 10 May.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); External link in|work=|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ http://au.xbox360.ign.com/articles/758/758363p1.html
- ^ Square Enix (2006). "E3 2006 - SQUARE ENIX ~ FINAL FANTASY XII". SQUARE ENIX. Retrieved 10 May.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); External link in|work=|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Duckroll (2006). "Final Fantasy XIII Developer Interview". Gamebrink. Retrieved 8 June.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); External link in|work=|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ KingdomHearts77 (2006). "Final Fantasy XIII Famitsu Scan Translations". Final Fantasy-13.Net. Retrieved 19 May.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); External link in|work=|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Chris Winkler (2006). "Square Enix Talks FFXIII, Crisis Core". RPGfan. Retrieved 11 June.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); External link in|work=|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ Chris Roper (2006). "E3 2006: Final Fantasy XIII Official". IGN. Retrieved 8 May.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); External link in|work=|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ Erik Brudvig (2006). "E3 2006: Final Fantasy XIII Showcased". IGN. Retrieved 11 May.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); External link in|work=|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ IGN (2006). "IGN: Final Fantasy XIII Update". IGN. Retrieved 10 November.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); External link in|work=|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ Play UK (2006). "New Play UK and OPM UK Scans". FinalFantasy-XIII.net. Retrieved 17 November.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); External link in|work=|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Tomer (2007). "Final Fantasy XIII may not be released in 2007". Forever Fantasy. Retrieved 24 January.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); External link in|work=|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) Cite error: The named reference "Forever Fantasy" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). - ^ Nitro (2007). "Dengeki PlayStation 2 "Final Fantasy XIII" scans". Spira's Destiny. Retrieved 19 January.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); External link in|work=|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help)
