Post #10: Final Fantasy XIII
Much can, and has, been said about the story, characters, and gameplay in Final Fantasy XIII, but since this is an animation blog, I will concentrate on the visual aspect of the game. Everything else aside, Final Fantasy XIII is one of the most beautiful things that has ever been rendered on a computer.
A Trailer for Final Fantasy XIII
I am not just including games in that assessment: even compared to films and other types of computer animation, FF13 succeeds in a way that only a perfect storm of superb art and character design, character and environment animation, and truly stupendous background art can. It really is a marvel to look at, both from a technical and an aesthetic point of view. However, it accomplishes this in a way that only a game can. In a movie, the audience is treated to visuals only in the way that the director intended; that is, you only see things from specific angles, and normally for very limited amounts of time. This is sometimes true in games, and even in FF13 to a certain extent, as non-interactive cut-scenes play out like a movie. When the player is given control, however, is where the game really shines. I found myself sitting and staring at the environments for several minutes at a time, enjoying the beauty of the scenery, as well as the subtle idle animations of the different characters. I also found immense joy in just walking slowly through the areas, something that I either feel to compunction to do in other games, or I’m not given the opportunity to do so. People say what they will about the other aspects of the game, but it is hard to deny that Final Fantasy XIII is a visual masterpiece, and that alone warrants checking it out.
Posted comments here and here.
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Pingback on May 6th, 2010 at 12:31 am
[...] in Uncategorized For my final blog specimen, I’m going with Blog Post #9: Summer Wars and Blog Post #10: Final Fantasy XIII. I have made no alterations to either of these [...]
April 12, 2010 at 4:49 pm
I grew up on Final Fantasy, at least the Playstation generation of it, so I’ve been watching the progress of this game for some time. I remember play FFX and thinking that the cutscenes were the pinnacle of animation and there was nowhere farther to go with them. Now, the cutscenes and the in-game grahpics are the same. I watched a video review, and the final result really is breathtaking, from the scope and scale of the game, to the camera angles and the character models. In a game like this, it’s like you said, the player really gets the best of both worlds; a great, though some would argue melodramatic, story, that’s fully immersive, bringing the player into a great experience. Go video games.