Final Fantasy XIII Demo gameplay videos has begun!!!! [Archive]

Saner

Apr 16, 2009, 02:29 PM

hi this is an exclusive Saner topic! don't worry I won't post another for maybe a month. :p

if you find any FFXIII demo vids, post them here! we can be sure youtube is gonna be filled with people's playthroughs of the demo. :)

here are 3 of them!

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/04/15/so-you-want-to-see-final-fantasy-xiii-in-action/

this is the complete Lightning demo, gameplay + cutscenes. MASSIVELY AWESOME TO THE MAX!!!!!!!!!! Though, I woulda preferred battles on the field like FFXI and FFXII, the transition in FFXIII is fast and fluid.

and transitioned battles makes sense since they want to sustain high quality graphics and framerate, so battlefield zones like the FFs before FFXI are the way to go with this one. I'm glad the victory fanfare of FF doesn't sound at the end of each battle, that would be tiring and would interrupt the mood of the situation. In the full version, it should be saved after major boss battles. but yes, this confirms FFXIII now has a proper battle theme, besides boss theme.

and I'm glad the camera is rotatable during the field travel. and I think battles too.
freedom of movement seems like it's still in there for battles, but I guess the player seems to stay still often cause for now, there doesn't seem to any strategy related to positioning and range like in FFXI and FFXII.

but I think for example that beam cannon from the first boss, might have been avoided if they moved out of the way.

haven't seen the Snow part of the demo yet, but this is really shaping up to be the best single player Final Fantasy ever. the full game really should be open and massive and lots fun side things to do like in FFXII (the mark hunts were some of the most fun side quests in FF) , that would really be great! :)

but they were right that FFXIII has the most exciting and epic introduction in the history of Final Fantasy! That was jaw droppingly superb!!!!! ^^

many are already wanting to import the full game instead of waiting next year! ^^;

:burger:

EDIT

here's the rest of teh gameplay and cutscenes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! truly emotional and super epic! ^^

http://kotaku.com/5213994/final-fantasy-xiii-gameplay-footage-saved-for-posterity

:burger:

amtalx

Apr 16, 2009, 02:42 PM

That actually looks...kind of cool. I knew there was a reason I bought this PS3-- OWAIT. :p

Syl

Apr 16, 2009, 03:06 PM

That actually looks...kind of cool. I knew there was a reason I bought this PS3-- OWAIT. :p

i c wut u did thar

Looks really hawt though :wacko:

Dragwind

Apr 16, 2009, 04:03 PM

This is one of those games that I'd probably only play for the graphics. :lol:

Dhylec

Apr 16, 2009, 06:10 PM

Look interesting. Dunno if I ever gonna play it though.

NPCMook

Apr 16, 2009, 06:34 PM

OH GOD ITS BACK!

Split

Apr 16, 2009, 08:01 PM

Was just on my way to post this...I should've known that Saner would've already appeared and created a huge topic about it lol

Sexy_Raine

Apr 16, 2009, 10:02 PM

That actually looks...kind of cool. I knew there was a reason I bought this PS3-- OWAIT. :p

Well TOV just got announced going multi, so it seems fair now. Both systems lose an RPG exclusive. FF Versus XIII is still Ps3 exclusive though :P

The FFXIII demo looks interesting, better than FFX at least.........
It's still too early to say how this will turn out storywise, but the characters look great. Much better than Tidus, uughh.

Split

Apr 16, 2009, 10:26 PM

Much better than Tidus, uughh.TIDUS IS THE MAN. He just falls flat in the places where the game isn't localized properly. Like the laughing scene - as english gamers, we can all share a good "uugghh" at that, but it might've actually been kind of funny/touching in the Japanese version of the game. Tidus sure as hell one-ups Vaan, that kid's a little Vyse wannabe bitch. Yeah, I'm gonna be an air sky pirate!! Not only is his main aspiration in life blatantly ripped off from the main character's in another game (by sega, of all companies), the story doesn't really advance those dreams at all! Also, Tidus is supplemented by the most badass character ever: Auron, a man who even in death has sworn to Jecht that he would protect/raise Tidus (sorry, I just don't know who has played what and consider those things to be fairly significant reveals). I think the cast in FFX as a whole is really underrated, actually. But anyway...

Speaking of characters who are the man, I already love Snow. Has anyone seen the scene where Snow hands a little girl in a hood a machine gun and she pretends to shoot him?

"Bang!"

and he plays along

"Ugh!"

Even in Japanese, the story is already extremely endearing.

McLaughlin

Apr 16, 2009, 11:16 PM

Well TOV just got announced going multi, so it seems fair now.

Anyone who has a 360 and a PS3 already bought it for the 360. Timed exclusivity is all that really mattered. More people get to play an awesome game, how horrid!

This looks pretty neat, but I guess Saner's time away from the site has erased the memory of the giant info thread this ought to be in.

Zorafim

Apr 17, 2009, 12:26 AM

Truth be told, I'd think that the afro guy would make a better main character than any of FF's main characters for the past 10 years. But that's not saying much.
That afro guy's a badass

Outrider

Apr 17, 2009, 08:51 AM

Tidus sure as hell one-ups Vaan, that kid's a little Vyse wannabe bitch. Yeah, I'm gonna be an air sky pirate!! Not only is his main aspiration in life blatantly ripped off from the main character's in another game (by sega, of all companies), the story doesn't really advance those dreams at all!

It's actually much more reminiscent of Treasure Island than Skies of Arcadia.

I'm kind of not loving these characters, but the action gameplay looks like it could be fun. They're very clearly going for the FFVII crowd (the devs have even said that Lightning is essentially a female version of Cloud), so I'm guessing the characters, story, and setting aren't going to do anything for me. Still, seeing the battle system in motion has piqued my interest.

Also: Thank God Final Fantasy has continued their habit of making characters from one game to the next look incredibly similar. What would I do if Snow didn't look just like Seifer Almasy's hypothetical younger stoner brother?

amtalx

Apr 17, 2009, 09:53 AM

Anyone who has a 360 and a PS3 already bought it for the 360. Timed exclusivity is all that really mattered. More people get to play an awesome game, how horrid!

This pretty much sums it up. Getting an exclusive months after the storm has settled means next to nothing in terms of unit sales, which is what Sony really needs right now.

I'll probably get it for PS3 anyway because I don't feel like swapping discs. It all depends on if you need to change discs even if its installed to the HD for 360. To be honest, I could really care less if exclusives go one way or another. It would be pretty cool if Sony got Halo and Mass Effect to come to the PS3. I just like seeing how butthurt Sony fans get even mentioning that FFXIII is cross-platform from day one.

Waki Miko Syamemaru!

Apr 17, 2009, 12:31 PM

I laughed so hard when FF13 went multi-platform and those PS3 fanboys flipped a lid. I actually wouldn't mind buying this game. It seems 5000x better than that vomit known as Final Fantasy 12. I hated that game. Hard. Like long time hard. But any game that has a badass battle theme and a black dude sportin an afro that houses a small bird is definitly getting my attention. Everytime Lightning went ahead with that "I don't give two craps about these soldiers" look I can tell afro-dude was like "This white bitch be crazy as hell!". Because I know if I was rolling with her I'd say the same thing. That and "Holy crap look at the size of that thing! We're fighting that!? GTFO! Game over man! GAME OVER!".

Kent

Apr 17, 2009, 04:26 PM

Saner

Apr 18, 2009, 02:05 AM

that's right. many people totally misinterpreted FFXII's story. it's really Ashe's story, IMO, and Basch to some degree. but I wouldn't say that it isn't about Vaan at all, his involvement did influence Ashe's final decision.

Omega_Weltall

Apr 18, 2009, 03:59 AM

why the HELL dose that guy have a fucking bird on his head?!
all though i am likeing the battle system, its hte way i always imagined how an RPG fight should have been. i mean relay, in a fight who takes turns hitting the guy?!

jShazBot

Apr 18, 2009, 01:26 PM

We all know this game will sell millions even if it sucks.
But it just me or SquareEnix slowly turning into Sega? Their releasing new games like everyday now and they all usually suck.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOg5XCZoQ8Y

Kent

Apr 18, 2009, 05:57 PM

but I wouldn't say that it isn't about Vaan at all, his involvement did influence Ashe's final decision.
...Just like the supporting cast in every other RPG.

Split

Apr 19, 2009, 12:19 PM

...Just like the supporting cast in every other RPG.Well guess what? You play as him. And you spend a lot of time with him. Aaaaaaaaand he has a lot of lines. You also play as Tidus, spend a lot of time with him, and he has a lot of lines. Vaan sucks and Tidus is good, a welcome change from the calm, cool characters like Cloud or Squall (even though they're both great characters).

Waki Miko Syamemaru!

Apr 19, 2009, 06:04 PM

You know who was an awesome Final Fantasy character? Lock from FF6. He was the cool, level-headed guy in the group always there for both Terra and Ceres. Truth be told I think 6 was the best of the series. I mean, the villan Kefka comes off as some sorta twisted lackey for the evil Empire then in a freak twist of events actually becomes god-like and destroys the world with his "LAZAR". Not only that there are tons of memorable scenes between the characters such as Edgar and his brother Sabin, Locke and Ceres, and not to mention Shadow's dog and Relm. It was such a kick-ass game. Man I miss it so much...hopefully 13 will give me those happy warm feelings like 6 did.

Kent

Apr 19, 2009, 11:31 PM

Well guess what? You play as him. And you spend a lot of time with him. Aaaaaaaaand he has a lot of lines. You also play as Tidus, spend a lot of time with him, and he has a lot of lines. Vaan sucks and Tidus is good, a welcome change from the calm, cool characters like Cloud or Squall (even though they're both great characters).
...Are you arguing with someone?

But I'm curious as to how "Vaan sucks and Tidus is good" being that that's the only contrast you drew betwixt the two.

Genoa

Apr 20, 2009, 04:42 AM

It is official
It is literally impossible to start a conversion about Final Fantasy without it exploding into some form or fashion of favoritism and dislike.

On a more on-topic note, I have to say... for someone who really isn't a huge Final Fantasy fan (with a few exceptions) this game looks absolutely amazing. The graphics and scenes alone were enough for me to want to play this, now the gameplay looks exquisite as well.
I have high hopes for this one.

Split

Apr 20, 2009, 11:24 AM

...Are you arguing with someone?Is that a serious question? You're the one who initially said Vaan wasn't the main character of FFXII. I very clearly quoted your post backing up your argument and disagreed with you. Please stop acting aloof/oblivious, it's the lowest way to argue. "I didn't even know this was an argument!" That kinda bullshit makes people angry as hell.

Tidus' voice actor can pull off a really wide range of emotions and he as a character has to make some really difficult choices [spoiler]and eventually must give the ultimate sacrifice[spoiler], which he handles with incredible wisdom and maturity that really shows a positive [spoiler]but heartbreakingly final[spoiler] development in his character and an incredible commitment to Yuna. Vaan...[spoiler]stabs Vayne Solidor[spoiler]. That's about the only cool thing he does, and his voice sounds like a girl and has this annoyingly muddled, curt quality to it. His sky pirate ambitions are also a rip off of Skies of Arcadia (Treasure Planet works too, but I chose SOA partly because it's a video game and the term "Sky Pirate" is soooo close to Air Pirate), and aren't fleshed out AT ALL. No one really even commits any acts of piracy after the introduction of Balthier and Fran (although their renown as Sky Pirates is enough to establish them as such)...

It is official
It is literally impossible to start a conversion about Final Fantasy without it exploding into some form or fashion of favoritism and dislike.That's because instead of saying "Oh, that character in this new Final Fantasy game looks awesome!" People will say, "Oh, that character looks much more awesome than (insert previous FF character here)." Naturally there are going to be people that disagree, and argument ensues.

Aaaaaanyway, FFXIII is going to be amazing, and I'm pissed that Square is taking down the videos from Youtube. It's not really creating competition for sales of the demo, since you could only get it from preordering the new Advent Children director's cut, which is already out...

Solstis

Apr 20, 2009, 11:46 AM

Looks pretty, though I am amused that awesome afro guy does less damage with guns.

I don't care how magical your sword is, accurate gunfire is going to hurt a lot more.

Unless this is Star Trek and you're facing off against the Borg, or something.

Syl

Apr 20, 2009, 12:12 PM

I don't care how magical your sword is, accurate gunfire is going to hurt a lot more.

How does getting stronger make your bullets hurt more? Does having more strength make you pull the trigger harder or something?

Waki Miko Syamemaru!

Apr 20, 2009, 02:03 PM

How does getting stronger make your bullets hurt more? Does having more strength make you pull the trigger harder or something?

I guess so. But wouldn't a HIT or Accuracy be more realistic? I mean pulling the trigger with the power of "100 Angry Gorillas" isn't exactly gonna turn a 9mm bullet into a .50 caliber round now will it?

Yunfa

Apr 20, 2009, 02:26 PM

I guess so. But wouldn't a HIT or Accuracy be more realistic? I mean pulling the trigger with the power of "100 Angry Gorillas" isn't exactly gonna turn a 9mm bullet into a .50 caliber round now will it?

OH but thats EXACTLY how RPGs work. *rubs hands greedily*

Have to say, I got all teary eyed at the end, *sniff* Freaking awesome stuff. I'm sold, +80$ for Sony!

Outrider

Apr 20, 2009, 02:44 PM

I guess so. But wouldn't a HIT or Accuracy be more realistic? I mean pulling the trigger with the power of "100 Angry Gorillas" isn't exactly gonna turn a 9mm bullet into a .50 caliber round now will it?

I know Chrono Trigger definitely had ranged weapons rely on the accuracy, but I actually have no idea if that's a convention they've stuck with over the years.

Waki Miko Syamemaru!

Apr 20, 2009, 02:44 PM

OH but thats EXACTLY how RPGs work. *rubs hands greedily*

Have to say, I got all teary eyed at the end, *sniff* Freaking awesome stuff. I'm sold, +80$ for Sony!

Your right...I just remembered Parasite Eve 1 and its "universal" bullet. Apparently someone defended it and said the reason why if your at a high level and use a low level gun the high damage is due to Aya using telekinetic force to propell the bullet faster and harder. What an epically scientific mound of bull.

joefro

Apr 20, 2009, 02:46 PM

Waki Miko Syamemaru!

Apr 20, 2009, 02:55 PM

My favorite part of the video (I only watched the first one) was the music. I'm a sucker for any kind of FF music. The graphics looked okay; they were about the same quality as games out right now. I will probably get this game next year, if only for the music. :p

Actually Joe, the graphics in this demo are only in they're infancy. It's definitly gonna get a major polish in the end product. I do say that I agree with you on the music. Especially the battle theme. It may be one of the few RPGs I would definitly not mind power leveling to.The last RPG I had no qualms about power leveling was Persona 3. Now that game had a good battle theme!

amtalx

Apr 20, 2009, 03:34 PM

I doubt that the graphics will suddenly become ground breaking, unless they decide to switch to a post-processing engine at the last minute. I don't think that's going to happen...

Kent

Apr 20, 2009, 03:42 PM

Is that a serious question? You're the one who initially said Vaan wasn't the main character of FFXII. I very clearly quoted your post backing up your argument and disagreed with you. Please stop acting aloof/oblivious, it's the lowest way to argue. "I didn't even know this was an argument!" That kinda bullshit makes people angry as hell.
You misinterpret my question. I think you need to cool down a little.

The reason I ask is that you are, for some reason, directing arguments at me, without actually stating a counterpoint or refuting something I've said. I don't see you mentioning anywhere that Vaan is the main character. In fact, let's examine the exact quotation from what you said:

Well guess what? You play as him. And you spend a lot of time with him. Aaaaaaaaand he has a lot of lines. You also play as Tidus, spend a lot of time with him, and he has a lot of lines. Vaan sucks and Tidus is good, a welcome change from the calm, cool characters like Cloud or Squall (even though they're both great characters).

You're arguing that Tidus is a better character - not that Vaan is (or is not) the main character of Final Fantasy XII. The reason I ask if you're arguing with someone, is because this is almost entirely unrelated to the statement I made (that Vaan is not the main character), and goes off on its own tangent about how much better Tidus is (and that Vaan "sucks") - something on which I never commented. My reply was more pointing out that you're comparing the main character of one game (Tidus) to someone who is effectively a (cleverly-?) disguised supporting cast member, as the story actually revolves around Ashe.

Zorafim

Apr 20, 2009, 03:43 PM

Waitwaitwait... those graphics were bad? Where the hell have I been?
Oh right, WoW. That would explain it...

I've gotta say, the music really is good. I heard Nobue SomenamethatIcantspell stopped making music for the series, is that a new composer? If so, he really picked up the slack.

Once again, I'm highly impressed. While keeping the traditional FF turn based combat, it's really polished it up quite a bit. Are those combos? And are spells being thrown in?
As someone else stated, I'd love to see how a pure spell caster would work with this, I'm sure it'll be beautiful.

Also, GIB LANCE UZER PROX

Kent

Apr 20, 2009, 03:57 PM

Reading about the battle system, it doesn't really operate in the context of "turns," but rather, every action takes a certain amount of time out of the ATB meter, and actions can be queued up to execute them in a combo if they fit within the meter.

The only thing that I'm really concerned about, is that it doesn't look like you can take control of any characters other than the "leader" during combat - or at least, it hasn't been shown yet. It has been stated in an interview that you're intended to work with the AI of other characters in combat to perform combos, which leads me to believe you may not be able to control characters other than the current party's leader (e.g. Lightning, Snow, etc. (if there are more)). Personally, I'd like to see a return of the Gambit system, since static AI in RPGs tends to be a little bit dull... But they may do a pretty good job with it here, I don't know.

...Though I do rather like the dynamism in combat, I think I'd still prefer that battles take place on the field like in Final Fantasy XII, without the transition. I'd have to take another look at the demo footage, but it seems like the transitions are there specifically to "mask" the respositioning of characters on the field, as opposed to switching to a different "battle scene" entirely. That's what it looked like at first glance, anyway.

Saner

Apr 21, 2009, 03:46 AM

well ya, not sure how "running away" will work in FFXIII. but I think the battles are instanced zones, the transitions just mask the fact that it's traditional isolated battle zones. I mean it makes sense, it allows the game to continue running smoothly with such high level graphics
and effects, and still have fast loading times. that's why even in this day and age, single player rpgs often use the battle zone transitions instead of real-time battles in the same playing field. because the playing field has tons of other stuff going on, treasure, memory keeping track of the current map's graphics, npcs, etc.

ya I do agree that a Gambit-type of system would really help instead of preset a.i. with
minor adjustments. I think the final build will let the player change leader, and there might
be a more custom a.i. system in place, but really, FFXII's gambit system really is the most
customizable a.i. system I ever seen for an rpg. and at the sametime, using it is entirely
optional.

You know one great thing I like about battles now, is that there is no blue health bar above
their heads. ^_^ I really was puzzled that FFXII had no option to disable those "health bar halos" I mean the game already displays their HP like 24/7 on the lower right. even FFXI's GUI was better.