@Vezroth: Or you could just suck it up and stop hating a genre that you clearly don't understand, much like a very large percentage of this generation's gamers. And no, I don't care how long you've been playing games blah blah blah. There's an odd stigma that's grown out of the Xbox generation that the term JRPG means mindless grinding for decades or turn-based battles (wait those aren't bad to begin with) and that either thing means instantly bad or some other stupid idea and it needs to stop.

Persona 3 is an amazing game. Those aren't my thoughts. That's how the overall public and critics both saw it. It contained quite a bit of leveling near the beginning and had pseudo turn-based fighting. Still, everyone loved it. The same sort of stuff shown on PS3 or 360? It gets called stupid, archaic, etc, etc. Yet a game only a little over a year old was much the same. It's preposterous.

As for 13, the idea of making each character an actual main protagonist sounds a lot like FF6 so that has me happy. Lost Odyssey's cast worked somewhat the same and was wonderful because of that strong characterization.

Ueziel

@Nirolak: I saw that a few days ago, and its amazing. Too unreal. I'm almost afraid of the next generation.

Ahsayuni

@Gypse-scum: No, he's not. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

Ahsayuni

You know, looking at this and what Rage and Heavy Rain are promising, assuming it's all real, I'm seriously starting to wonder what the next generation will look like.

I mean, recently ATI has been holding more of their "Cinema 2.0" (god, that name is so cheesy) events showing off realtime graphics that seem almost unbelievable, but I'm starting to wonder if we might actually see it happen.

Here's the Scorpion ([www.flickr.com] , see video below as well) and the person ([www.joystiq.com]) if anyone is curious what they were showing.

+ Watch video

Nirolak

To be honest, I don't like it. Almost every male in this game, I can probably assure you, will have that spikey thing going on.

Am I the only one that thinks it looks silly? Kudos on the graphics. But, I just don't like that silly japanese art style the kids love so much.

Spootythegameguru

@DontTouchMyDaughterYouFilthyGaijin: are you stupid?

Gypse-scum

Looks good. Hopefully these truly are in game, unaltered screen shots.

Master_Achilles

As mind-numbingly beautiful as these shots are, --and they are!-- I have to sit here and twitch slightly. First, my aversion to JRPGs is something like my aversion to anyone with the Black Plague, but also because I've never trusted a Screen Shot in my life. Too much brushing, too much OOOOOOO Look how pretty, but when you get to the game it turns out that everything else is as mind-numbingly hideous as the cut-scenes are beautiful.

If only a happy medium could be found!

Vezroth

already looks better than anything shown or available for 360 and PS3. once again Square proves they have the best artists in the industry by a loooongshot. just when people say Japanese game developers are losing the graphics battle Square reminds us why all the Gears of Wars and Killzones of the world can't hold a candle to their graphical prowess.

DontTouchMyDaughterYouFilthyGaijin

If people are curious for some high quality FFXIII realtime shots these two seem to have a few of the same pictures but in better resolution:

[www.ff-xiii.net]
[www.ff-xiii.net]

Nirolak

Kinda wish we'd get some actual gameplay details. In game screenshots are always nice, but I still have little to no idea how things like the battle system work out.

ila

@Ahsayuni: hes saying hes stupid because these are obviously not gameplay pics

how can you say this is the best looking game if all they show is pre-rendered images?

if these were real time it would be annouced like the second coming of jesus christ.

MaloMan

@Black-Dog-Howls:

Versus has zero-shift actually. :D

Mongoosekun

@DontTouchMyDaughterYouFilthyGaijin: Care to point out which ones aren't pre-renders then?

Artdeux

Help...

Can somebody wake me up when this game (the Eng version, mind you) hits the shelves?

I'm in dire need of a good PS3 RPG... I'm getting serious withdrawal symptoms...

RPG... Errr, does that stand for RockPlayingGame?

RealPornGirl?

*sigh*

ob1ivion

@Ueziel:exactly my thought!

SaintEmpire

@Black-Dog-Howls: Also, the more that comes out about FFXIII the more it sounds like Xenogears minus mecha.

Black-Dog-Howls

Mr. 33cm confirmed to be the next Locke! Awesome.

-but that means that the ship wars are going to be worse than the FF7 ship wars. Not awesome.

Black-Dog-Howls

@Ahsayuni:

No...I maintain what he said. Pretention void any and all opinion based statements and remove all chances of having a decent discussion.

[This is Sparta]

Tietsu

@Nirolak: Man, I'm sorry for the double post but I realized I linked to the wrong image of a human (damn you Joystiq's image gallery!). Here's the right one: [www.blogsmithmedia.com]

Nirolak

@EmeraldCockroach:

haha.

Thanks for asking the stupid question before I could.

Cause I don't have a clue what Versus is. Just that it apparently is exclusive to the PS3, unlike the other one.

Mact

Looking for a little clarification for people in the know, is Versus a completly seperate 60 buck game, does it have any correlation w/ the JRPG XIII , what platform etc??

Damn, shoulda Wiki'd

EmeraldCockroach

Mm, well, there are some visible polygons, meaning it's bit rough for pre-rendered, but really hard to believe that those are models for the basic game graphics. What I mean is that they might use different, more detailed models for cut scenes, similar to Silent Hill games on PS2. Just speculation, and hoping to be wrong, those are gorgeous graphics.

ara

@Ahsayuni: Wait, wait... you actually expect people to *read* the article instead of just throwing around random insults and acting like everyone else is an idiot? My good sir, you truly expect too much!

Nirolak

@MaloMan: "The magazine features around 20 new screenshots of Final Fantasy XIII, apparently real time, too. There are real-time screens of Versus XIII."

Straight from this article.

Ahsayuni

@everybest: So i have to shell out for two full games :X !? After playing 10 and 12 respectivly, I'm not sure whether i prefer real time or turn based battles. However the concept of testing both in the same universe excites me greatly :D

EmeraldCockroach

@EmeraldCockroach + Mact: Versus is just another game based in the same universe as FFXIII and Agito from what I know. They're completely separate games. Versus has a real time battle system, similar to the KH series, from what I've heard, and FFXIII is back to the familiar turn based battles we're use to from the earlier titles in the series.

Versus looks pretty good, but personally, I'm much more excited about FFXIII,

everybest

@Mact: God bless Wiki

"Final Fantasy Versus XIII; is, according to its developers, a wholly independent story unfolding with different characters and a different visual design. And, although it is set within the same Final Fantasy XIII universe, it is unrelated to any other entry within the compilation and is thus neither a sequel nor a prequel to any other entries in Fabula Nova Crystallis: Final Fantasy XIII"

and as for gameplay;

"will be a realistic derivation of Kingdom Hearts battle system with some elements of a third-person shooter - similar to Square Enix's Dirge of Cerberus"

EmeraldCockroach

that looks pretty impressive

Cufol33tcat

@Ueziel: Dude, don't be presumptuous. Why are you getting on Vezroth's case because he doesn't like JRPG's? You're acting like a hollering child over nothing. The man didn't say the genre was a product of Satan, but that he doesn't care for them. Whats wrong with that? There are more than the reasons you listed for why people don't play or like them and preaching the gospel about how good Persona, or any other JRPG is, won't change that. People are entitled to their own opinions, ignorant or not, and you don't help the cause by widening the barrier between fans and non-fans with browbeating rhetoric. Seriously, that shit makes all of us fans look bad.

@Topic: Well, it's always nice to see a Final Fantasy game that isn't going to be a one woman or man show. Most of the games have always featured a strong cast with many supporting characters that had the potential to be their own lead when given the spotlight, some like Yuna, Vincent, and Zack actually got their own games, but there was no mistaking they weren't the main characters (at least in Zack and Vincent's case) in the main games they originated from. Hopefully XIII will have a diverse cast whom all have roles important enough to not have characters sitting on the sidelines when things get heated and need one guy to save the day, but some how, I doubt it'll fall through with such a promise.

As for Versus XIII, can't say much about it, but I do like the style of the game so far and the casual look of the main character outside of his other costume. Is it so much to ask for a protagonist in JRPG's to wear a normal suit and not be adorned with ridiculously trite ornaments?

KeroseneClimax

also one of the screens is from parasite eve 3

Gypse-scum

@Ahsayuni: your right every one is entitled to there own opinion. but there are these things called facts k? k, and these facts transcend opinion these facts included important things like historical dates and the like (VE and VJ day for example) and unimportant things like the graphical prowess of a game. now when it comes to graphical prowess there are two routes technical and artistic (have i lost you yet if you need me to explain any of this just ask i would want you to get confused) now if the idiot i called out was talking about artistic graphics(he wasn't) then you might be right. but because he was there is no room for debate when it comes to technical graphics, Gears of war is technical better looking then anything else on a console. I could go more in depth but you'd probably get lost

Gypse-scum

Another crappy protagonist with spiky emo hair. This is all new and exciting! Square Enix is truly creative. I'm very serious. /end sarcasm

I love the Final Fantasy franchise for its gameplay. But Square needs to start and design characters wich are a little more appropriate for the western market.

I see they are taking the realistic approach with FF Versus 13... and I like how the main character wears a suit. But his emo hair style just ruins his looks.

One of the best character designs from Square are probably Auron, Vincent, Lulu, Wakka, Barret, Sepiroth and Seymour. Out of the top of my head.

Paincake

@Vezroth: You sir, are awesome. Yes you are.

FeatherNET

Better everyone be a main character than no one be a main character (saving the Leading Man, of course). Here's hoping the demo rocks the socks off the people who play it so that we can, you know, actually know something about the game other than the fact that it's really pretty and has some good music.

Ladi

Holy shit. I just actually took a moment to Re-read that... I went a bit over-board didn't I? O.O;

Vezroth

@Ueziel:

*peeks out from behind KeroseneClimax* Yes, yes! What that one said! Indeed, indeed he speaks the truth! Truth, truth, a humble alliance is all I seek, all I seek, all I seek from you! Nothing bad, nothing bad! Nothing wrong! Nothing evil! I said that JRPGs are not my particular flavor of wine, not mine! Not mine! I do not mind Turn based combat, I loved, loved, enjoyed even KOTOR, both, both, both!

I didn't, did, did, did not, choose to invest in a PS3 because the branch of games they would provide me with, me, me! I was considering, thought about it, then decided it was naughty, but thought about it because of Lair! Lair! Dragons and fires, and armies! So nice, yes, nice, nice, nice! But I settled on a 360! A circle! A Sphere? I came back to an Xbox because that is what I had last generation, last time it was what I got, what I got! Because of the same reasons. I looked, peered, glanced and stared at the games, the games I say! And decided, convinced, concluded that the Circle was my best choice. Choice, choice, choice! That is what I seek for us all, all of us gamers, yes! Choice, choosing, difference.

I like not the Wii too gimmicky for me, no, no, no, not for me, all of that controller waggling?! Looks shameful, shame, shame, shame! PS3? Japanese! Many, many, many games designed for that market, them! Them and you, you, and your friends! You like them, I do not, not, not I! So I looked at the 360! I came full circle, back, back, back where I started at. How'd I get here? Where is here? Yes, yes, yes! Back here! Back to the Xbox again!

Small is my collection, small! Tiny, tiny, little. But they are games that are not, not, not on the PS3! Nope, nope, nope! I like them, enjoy them though I want to break them sometimes because they were made by fools, bad design, bad controls, foolish devs need to play the games before they send them out to the masses, masses, buyers!

But I like my RPGs, sometimes, yes, I like them occasionally. I like to WoW, wow, wow, World of Warcrack! I like to Elder Scroll! Scroll, scroll, strolling through the land with all of my stolen goods! Stolen from their owners, such fun, fun, fun!

But no need to be angry, no need, no need to be angry with me! I seek only a happy medium, medium, a middle ground! A middle ground between jaw dropping cut-scenes, movies, cinema that make the real things pale in comparison and the ground of game play! Play them, games, game play! I like to be able to walk, walk, stroll around with my stolen goods, to walk without getting attacked by a monster that wasn't there a moment ago! Appeared, right there, there! Magic! Random Encounters, not like, yeck! Leave a bad taste, foul, like licking a paper towel. Yeck, yeck, yuck!

Middle ground is what I seek, middle land, middle earth? No! Not middle earth, hobbits need to learn to shave their feet.

Vezroth

*nerdgasm*
*finally buys a PS3*

Hot. damn.

Kibo

@Gypse-scum: "but because he was there is no room for debate when it comes to technical graphics, Gears of war is technical better looking then anything else on a console. I could go more in depth but you'd probably get lost"

Umm, I guess you're right if shiny normal maps make it technically best looking for you. Because there is nothing else going on with that game, everything is just covered in normal maps full of details and gloss, at least for me it was rather one trick horse. From what I'm seeing in these screenshots SE is firmly following along the patch of trying to hide the technology behind their images, and they are doing it well. It's hard to tell if some of those are realtime or not, and what maps they are using, in Gears the technology was clear as day, as if they were so proud of it they wanted to just show off the technology instead of the content they were presenting with the graphics. Very different approaches, but just because you don't see the tech in SE graphics, doesn't mean it's any less amazing.

ara

Going on previous Final Fantasy's and how long this is going to take to be released.. I find it rather hard to get excited about.

hamandcheeseUK

Too bad FF versus 13 is PS3 eclusive.Oh well!!

cxplorer

@Vezroth: ...I read all of that. *sigh*

Mobus

looks awesome.

This game has something games like Gears and Killzone just don't have.

art style.

mr_big_nutz

@hamandcheeseUK: Just so you know...

Final Fantasy VII: 1997
Final Fantasy VIII: 1999
Final Fantasy IX: 2000
Final Fantasy X: 2001

Hmmmm... I think you mean more RECENT Final Fantasies...

RealmRPGer

@Paincake: Wow....an attack on SquareEnix's creativity? How does your brain even process this stuff without SOME sort of garbage filter grabbing it before it leaves your mouth.

They need to make character's more accessible to the west? So everyone should make characters and games just like we do? I actually agree with you on that point. I am getting tired of getting different culture and outlooks in games. The protagonist for Versus XIII would probably look better with a shaved head and a dashing five-o-clock shadow. /sarcasm.

Lord Thayer

@Gypse-scum:
"Gears of war is technical better looking then anything else on a console. I could go more in depth but you'd probably get lost "

DING DING DING! You win pompous internet post of the week award! While you weren't able to change anyones mind, you were able to say harsh things about other posters without supporting it with facts, which is just as good! congrats!

superapplekid

@EmeraldCockroach: ...is Versus a completly seperate 60 buck game[?]

It is. In fact, it's the new Final Fantasy game Sony fanboys began clamoring for since approximately half an hour after Microsoft made its FF XIII announcement at E3. To hear them tell it, Versus XIII is actually the FF game they've been anticipating all along!

Day Man

@Day Man: IMO it is the more anticipated one before the 360 announcement. I may sound like a fanboy, but I am more excited about Vs about 10% more than regular, and always have been since I've seen both trailers. VS just seems a little more edgier then 13.

After all that though, I still plan on getting both regardless if it is also on the 360 or not.

NexusSIX

@Paincake: Yes, every single gaming hero should be an steroid-pumped testosterone monster of pure MAN, like every generic Western gaming hero is.

What is it with this generation and the increase in jingoism?

Rebochan

Those graphics look possible. I mean just look at Old Snake's super detailed heiny

OddOne

@Rebochan:
Yes, every single gaming hero should be a gay dude with spiky emo hair, like every generic Japanese gaming hero is.

What is it with this generation and the increase in japanophiles and obsessive otaku's?

See? I can generalise too.

Besides, I never said anything about big bulky and bald testosterone man in my comment. You're just twisting my words around.

Paincake

@Lord Thayer:

I see I hit a nerf there. I expressed my opinion towards their design team.
If you got offended by my critcism, then thats not my problem. Perhaps you should just calm down.

Square makes excellent games. But they are not perfect. There are some things I dislike about their way of approach on the art design. And Art is a subjective thing, you can't change my mind about it. Argue all you want :)

Paincake

The more I see of Vs. XIII, the less I want to play it. Enough recycled Cloud costumes and manorexia, please.

Roto13

@Ueziel: Agreed. I'm not saying that disliking JRPGs necessarily makes you an idiot, but I am rather alarmed by the rise in outright hatred towards any and all JRPGs that seems to have coincided with the rise of the XBox 360's popularity. Maybe they're not necessarily correlated, but still.

As for the FFXIIIs, I'll save my judgement for the demo or even better, when it actually comes out. People like to make waaaay too many assumptions from just screenshots. These games could be amazing, they could suck *shrug* Either way, you can't really predict it.

Akisazame

Now they attack me with pretty girls. Damn them. Looks good, I hope the gameplay and story are good.

LionheartAce

@KeroseneClimax: I wasn't "preaching" anything. I was using Persona 3 as an example of a very recent game that everyone loved (note, going off everyone else here and not my own opinion) in comparison to the extreme hate that that kind of game gets on newer systems for no apparent reason. Honestly, I was going to post that anyway, but then someone came along who stated hatred for the genre (his words) and it worked just fine. That's hardly hollering like some baby. It's actual outspoken annoyance about completely unjustified and not entirely explained hatred for a genre. I'd be this way with anything that was like that.

Another point in general here. What, exactly, is so bad about random battles? I can't think of really a single modern RPG with a high encounter rate. Now think of seeing monsters on screen. You normally have to run around them (which is usually designed not to work very well) or you kill them and they just spawn more guys whenever you come through again. They become permanent encounters. So how exactly is that so much better?

Ueziel

@Ueziel: I've never understood all the rampant hating on random battles, either. When FFXII's battle mechanics were revealed, everyone was saying how great it was that they got rid of random battles. Except all that meant was that you ended up with boss fights where the minions would just overwhelm you with numbers and make it nearly impossible to actually fight. Not to mention that you can no longer get an item that just gets rid of encounters entirely.

I wish I knew exactly how that was better.

Akisazame

I suspect that what people really hate about random battles is the "Chinese water torture" aspect of it. You know, you tie someone down and let water slowly drip on their forehead for hours and hours. They can look up and see the water droplet forming, but they never know exactly when the droplet is going to fall, and the constant waiting and expecting drives them bananas. I think it's like that for some people. They're walking around some area trying to make their way to the exit and every few seconds WOOOSH! a random battle interrupts their exploration. Personally, I don't mind them at all. I don't like them or hate them, they're just part of the genre. They were part of D&D when I was a kid, they've always been part of virtually all of the RPGs I've played for the last 20 years... I'm totally used to them and fine with them. But some people just can't cope, they get on their nerves too much.

Druffmaul

These absurdly good realtime graphics have made me excited for FF XIII again. Plus the characters in normal FF XIII look fairly well designed, and so far there is no hideous emo hair, unlike the main character of Versus, who makes me want to vomit. Hopefully they can improve on FF XII's pacing and AI problems, have more of a story, and make an amazing game.

Placentasaurus

found my new cell phone background images, thanks kotaku!!!!!

KristenBal

@Paincake: *sigh*...I almost miss the earlier days of FFVII when people at least correctly called Cloud emo, not because of his hair but because he indeed was whiny and emo throughout almost the entire game. How people think your hair cut automatically determines your personality, I'll never know. Of course, if you're talking simply about the feel that the characters give just from looking at them, I notice you loved the design for Vincent, even though his entire character seemed to exude a far more dark and sad, one can say emo, feel than any other Final Fantasy character I've encountered.

And finally a question. Can you give me a reason why Squeenix should make their character designs more suited to "western" tastes? Considering Final Fantasy is the most successful jRPG to hit the west, I'd say few of your gaming peers share the desire to any great extent.

Turambar

Lol

Just because you are incapable of being fashionable or does not like to be fashionable meant every other gamer is in your shoes.

As for me i love the spikey hair and the emo/arrogant personality. When you have the goods, you can be however emo/arrogant you want. And that's what final fantasy is about and that's what asian culture is all about. Actually you will understand this culture if you work in any of the BigLaw 100 or Wall Street or if you study in Ivy Leagues.

So i find this being up to date with style very appropriate for all markets. Unlike most western games where you can identify the bad guys by just how shobby they look in contrast to the good guys, asian games made both sides very stylish. And i definitely prefer the latter and this is why japanese RPGs are almost definitely better.

ElvishD

@Lord Thayer: considering how fucking awful 90% of the art in videogames is that comes out of the west thats a scary though. And yeah, generic anime characters (see Tales of series) suck too but Nomura's characters are some of the most loved characters in all of gaming. They just hate zippers and belt buckles!

Seriously though, I sure as hell don't want an RPG with buzzcutt, emo swoop, or that shaggy horrible looking hair all the kids have now dirtying up my JRPGs. If you think the "Price" from VXIII looks emo than obviously your close-minded asses dont know anything about Japanese culture and what women in that country find attractive. Here's a tip, do a google search on Gackt and Hyde. Acting like a wannabe macho fuckhead, all gangsta gangsta like isn't what makes a man a man.

DontTouchMyDaughterYouFilthyGaijin

@Paincake: Just like every Western RPG should be full of generic barbarians and scantily clad amazons with ugly as shit shoulderpads/armor. Just like every shooter should be chock full of generic western space marines who say shit like "lets kick some ass!" while fumbling around in 300 lbs of ugly space gear.

DontTouchMyDaughterYouFilthyGaijin

Actually all 3 XIII shots are in real-time. The Versus XIII ones except the close up of the main female character's face are CG. Just take a look at the high res scans and see for yourself.

Finally a non cell shaded game with some godamn color. Im sick of all the ugly ass Unreal Engine 3 games that have been coming out. Plastic people with scar tissue that look like they just took a dip in chocolate syrup. Care to point out which game looks better? Because the only game on the market that is comparable to XIII right now is Crysis. Everything else is just brown and fucking ugly for the most part.

Now go back to playing that Euro-trash lookin wannabe overrated piece of shit Braid...Yeah, thats right, I said. Game fucking sucks, has horrible music and quite possibly the worst art I've ever seen in my 25 years on planet earth. Then you got that sorry ass Jonathan Blow asking for more pretentious fools to buy his moneypit of a game. Probably so he can move to France.

DontTouchMyDaughterYouFilthyGaijin

@Paincake:

No you didn't said it that way but still you said it all the same.

They don't need to cater the west in anyway, thats why sadly the genre splitted in JRPGs and WRPGs, which is crap but whatever.

They are different kinds of style and if you don't like it don't buy it. Many do and thats why the series sells well.

WDYC

@Gypse-scum: uh are you? give me one next gen game that has as much color and detail as those shitty screens do. thats right, you fucking can't.

DontTouchMyDaughterYouFilthyGaijin

@Gypse-scum: Most players don't care about the technology behind graphics in the game, just that the game itself looks good to them. That is also a fact. (Ho ho, see what a did there?)

Turambar

And just for the record, I LOVED Gears of War. Cliffy B even said himself the game draws a lot from Japanese RPGs because he's such a huge fan. He even cried during the ending of Lunar!

DontTouchMyDaughterYouFilthyGaijin

@superapplekid: lol yeah really, technically speaking Metal Gear Solid 4 is the best looking game on next-gen consoles, technically. But I won't go into all that right now.

DontTouchMyDaughterYouFilthyGaijin

@FeatherNET: Thankyou.

@Mobus: I'm very sorry.

@Ueziel: For me the whole leveling progression system in both JRPGs and sadly, most (ALL!) MMOs are the same. Grind on X number of trash mobs until you can kick the shit out of Y boss and take all his stuff. Loot all you can from X, sell it, get better gear, then go back and kill Y some more.

Kill Y enough times and you can level to W. YAY! X changes to a proportionally higher, though, still completely fucking worthless monster to which you grind on until you can be Y. FINALLY having reached the Zenith level you can now get together your completely tricked out group and take down Z! Then parade around and strut your feathers while showing how much time you put into the game to get those attractive feathers.

Straight RPGs are somewhat less evil of a brood in my view because at least they have an effing Story. There is a progressive start, middle (heartbreak) and end. I'm a WoW addict. Not proud of it, trying to cut off the addiction but it's certainly not easy. But with MMOs it's even WORSE because there's not even an engaging story to keep your mind occupied with.. just that endless grinding to reach Z.

So, I can assure you, despite my apparent madness I am quite sane, and I also have a deep-seated distrust and general twitchiness when exposed to any RPG, Japanese or otherwise. Personally JRPGs hit me a bit harder when it comes to convulsions because they have the lovely aspect of being positively BEAUTIFUL when it comes to their pre-rendered cinematic sequences and (at least in Final Fantasy) with their amazing summons or otherwise big, flashy, DAMN! inducing attacks. But then.. you get back to the game and realize it's all speech bubbles, and hard-edged Polygons.

Vezroth

Now if I only understood what I was looking at I would be golden.

Ryodestined