Thread: thoughts on the retail Japanese version of Final Fantasy XIII.

After having seen the game teased for what feels like the past 20 years, I almost started to take the cinematics for granted. In some ways, it's easy to expect the CG visuals in a Final Fantasy to be shiny and slick. Square Enix's certainly been setting the standard for in-game cinematics since Final Fantasy VII first stunned everybody with its--at the time--amazing visuals on the original PlayStation. FFXIII feels like a new high benchmark for Square Enix; combining art direction with HD resolution is a really good fit and shows how far the FF team has come. The new secret sauce I'm a big fan of is the smooth transitioning between cinematics and gameplay.

I'll leave matters of gameplay, story context, and character development to my esteemed fellow editors, who probably know much more about Final Fantasy XIII than me. Instead, let me focus on something else I have absolutely zero expertise in: the characters' hairstyles. We've all seen the crazy coifs of previous FF games--many of which have inspired cosplayers the world over--and it's clear that the character designers have pushed the follicular boundaries with FFXIII. Here are some highlights:

Lighting--First of all, I love the pink--nothing says ex-military like long, pink strands. Take that Cocoon appearance regulations! Plus, she might be all business once she busts out her blaze edge, but that asymmetrical mix of half-up, half-down suggests a playful minx once the bad guys are down.



Snow Villiers--With that black bandana pulled down low covering most of his long, blonde hair, Snow is a sharp departure from the typical Final Fantasy protagonists and their legendary need of hairspray. Looking at him, it's tough not to get a Triple H vibe off of Snow, as he smirks at the thought of another fight. The fact that he chooses to fight huge mechanical robo-monsters with only his gloved fists might also have something to do with it.

I really enjoyed the FFXII battle system. Though at times it did get boring. If you set up your gambits just right, then all you had to do was watch. No gameplay necessary. That alone was boring. What really made me enjoy the game was the hunts. That was awesome.

wow,the review and the screenshots looks awesome.can't wait to play the game.the 2nd screenshot is in English.is it taken from the demo version? anywayz,we have to wait 3 more months for the english version :(