Final Fantasy XIII has garnered more spotlight in the last two years than any other game, and rightly so. It is after all the first FF game on hi-def consoles. It is also the first FF game to feature on an Xbox platform, making it rather unique. The game will be shipping this year in Japan on the PS3 (the rest of us will have to wait for another six-eight months) and as expected will sell through the roof. Gamers in Japan got a sneak peek of the game this year when a lengthy demo was packed in with the release of the FFVII Advent Children Blu Ray; this was a Japanese release with no English subtitles. I was lucky enough to get my hands on a copy of the Blu Ray and throughly enjoyed a 60 min demo of FFXIII.
FFXIII starts off with a grand intro, with visuals so beautiful they seem unreal. You are introduced to a very similar scene from the E3 trailers; the game's female lead, Lighting, is onboard a speeding train with her faithful companion Sazh, an Afro sporting sidekick. The train is on its way to Cocoon, a self contained city, a city that is engulfed in war.
After a length CG video, you find yourself emerging out of a ton of wreckage and confronting a large scorpion like robot. This is the first playable level, which also serves as a tutorial. As mentioned earlier the entire game is in Japanese, so I had to search a few forums and translate a few symbols to understand the combat system, which by the way is superb.
The game uses a Time Gauge (TG) system, which is pretty different from all other FF games. The Time Gauge is divided into three parts and to make a move, at least one of the parts needs to be full. The TG fills over time, automatically, so all you have to do is wait. There are different moves to choose from, you have the basic attack, fire and cure as well as the more advance power moves (that's what I am going to call it) that deals twice the damage.
The basic moves need one part each of the time gauge, so you can line up attack-attack-cure and deal a decent amount of damage while healing yourself in the end, or you can use the power move and use up all three parts of the gauge- it's your decision. The game uses a turn-based mechanic but the action is far more active than a Lost Odyssey (example). The first scorpion boss is rather easy to defeat and master the basics. After defeating him, you get to roam around the world of Cocoon and explore it, while facing enemies at regular intervals and learning more about the combat.
You always fight with Lightning, and Sazh helps in the combat by firing at the enemies. But in the full release he will be a playable character and you will need to control him as well. As you play, on the enemies do get tougher but the combat system is so smooth and simple that they don't really pose much of a challenge.
The other playable character is called Snow, a tall blonde fella with some amazing combat skills. His attacks follow the same rules but as his name suggests, he uses a Blizzard as his power move. He faces similar enemies for a while but eventually encounters a foe worth writing about. The last battle of the game is against this huge creature that deals 700+ damage in one blow. He is the only challenging enemy in the entire demo and requires a balanced Heal+Attack combo to overcome. I couldn't have asked for a better end to the demo, as the last battle taught me, how versatile the new combat system can be. On the second try the last battle was easy, cos I knew which combos to choose from, but I am sure in the final build there will be more than enough enemies to keep me guessing.
The gameplay was fantastic, it got me hooked on and has left me wanting for more, but Square needs to be celebrated for their unparalleled presentation. The Cinematics are absolutely breathtaking, with some of the best CG action you will ever see. The characters are very well detailed, the animations are smooth, the overall lighting and explosions are simply top-notch. The most interesting thing is that the game's visuals are enhanced due to the immersive art and design. Technically they are just as good as Uncharted, but its the design that sets the game apart from the rest.
This will be a true FF experience that might even rival the best in the series.
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