Welcome to Gaia! ::

Final Fantasy XIII (Fainaru Fantajī Sātīn?) is an upcoming role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix. It is the thirteenth installment in the Final Fantasy series, and is 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, and a heroine who wields a gunblade-type weapon. 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.


Gameplay

Combat in Final Fantasy XIIIFrom 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 enemy. Square Enix has also confirmed that the game will feature real-time battles. [3] Not much else is conclusively known about the system, as the game is still in development. Most of the below is speculation.

Each action the player makes (for example casting a spell) seems to cost points, which adds up on an "ATB cost" numerical value on the lower part of the screen. In the 5 action slots (on the bottom of the screen) it seems that a player can queue up to five commands at a time to execute in battle; so long as the sum cost of all actions are not greater than the character's total "ATB cost" points . All of the currently known commands shown from the trailer and scans thus far are "Escape", "Cure", "Shoot", "Aerial", "V Strike", "Attack", "Fire", "Blizzrad" [sic], "Thunder", "Defend", and "Firaga", each with an allotted amount of ATB cost. It may be that the player fills up the queue, and then the character performs these actions in successive order making it an interesting combination of real-time and turn-based battle systems.

When the blue gauge in the upper right corner becomes full. The player is given the opportunity to instigate a move, the action slows down while the player selects up to 5 commands and possibly targets. The game then resumes to real time once the move has been confirmed. This will add a dynamic to real time combat which other games such as Seiken Densetsu have pioneered.

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. It has some unique properties by allowing her to defy gravity, as well as allowing her to use it as a weapon. One may be reminded of the Gravity Leveller in Kurt Wimmer's UltraViolet, which allows its user to redirect gravity, enabling them to maneuver on walls and ceilings. [4]

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. [5]

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 play Final Fantasy XIII online as well. [6]


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. [7]

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. [8] Square also announced that there will be still other titles in the Fabula Nova Crystallis series, though they have not indicated how many. A diagram was shown with three empty circles around the Fabula Nova Crystallis logo, so it is possible there will be another three titles in the series.

The game runs on the White Engine, an all-new exclusive next-gen graphics engine built for Square Enix's future games. It was originally slated to be used with the PlayStation 2 but was later moved to the PlayStation 3. The White Engine can be used to create highly realistic in-game cut scenes, the likes of which have never before been seen on either the PS2 or the PlayStation.


Characters

The new weapon featured in the trailer.The only confirmed main character as yet is the young woman featured in the E³ trailer. It is uncertain at this time what role she will play in the game, or even what her name is. A number of sources incorrectly listed her name early on as either Natch or Chara (terms used to abbreviate the words "naturally" and "character", respectively, in an article discussing the game)[citation needed]. Some people believe she will be called Lightning, as this word is displayed in the trailer gameplay footage occupying the spot which would normally feature the active character's name. It has been proposed, however, that this may simply be the name of the game's Limit Break system or of another gameplay feature.

Square-Enix has yet to confirm any other main characters in Final Fantasy XIII.

Final Fantasy Agito XIII (Fainaru Fantajī Agito Sātīn?) is a video game for mobile phones which, alongside Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII, makes up the compilation Fabula Nova Crystallis: Final Fantasy XIII so far. Unveiled at E³ '06, the game "[offers] players easy on-the-go access to the FINAL FANTASY XIII universe. Utilizing gameplay functions only available through mobile phones, this title provides players with a unique take on a story accessible anywhere their real-life adventures may take them." [1]

The game is set in a magic school named Akademia[citation needed], and will gradually expand to the larger world oustide of the school. It is described as an Online RPG, but not "massively multiplayer". [2] "Agito" in Latin roughly means "to engage in motion" (and is also the root from which the English "agitate" is derived).


Characters

Final Fantasy XIII Agito Characters So far, there are twelve characters revealed, all of whom appear to be students. Weapons include longsword, katana, handguns, a mace, a bow and arrow, a spear, a scythe, an extending flail, and bare fists. Other instruments which may relate to the use of magic also appear - in this case, a flute (possibly used to summon the moogle in the picture) and a deck of playing cards.