New Final Fantasy Versus XIII info and scans!

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New Final Fantasy Versus XIII info and scans!

News is coming in from Famitsu/Dengeki PlayStation.

Game will be at TGS with some new announcements. There's new screenshots showing new in-game locations.

New screens show a Shinjuku-like environment, endless wilderness, a gas station. Screens are real time.

Nomura about the game's world, "If you try to go all the way to the end, it's truly far."

Nomura states the team is improving the graphics before the game hits shelves. With the release of XIII off their plate, the team is going to work with renewed motivation.

Nomura on Versus XIII:

- All the screenshots in the interview are captured from the game running in real time.
- The movement of the clouds in the game are controlled by the physics engine in the game.
- The game employs an open field concept, so you can travel anywhere except into mountains.
- The encounter system is a mix of random and visible encounters? (Confusing point, the blog doesn't seem clear either.)
- Battles are seamless. The only loading in the game will occur when moving between very large areas. They're aiming for the ultimate in seamlessness.
- Objects along the paths of roads can be destroyed.
- Most people will not believe their eyes when they see the high quality of the battles in motion.
- The staff are highly motivated now.
- There will still be improvements and more polish on the visuals made, the visuals in the screens are the game running at the moment.

- You'll be able to use a car as promised. You can exit it and move on foot at any time as well.
- Enemies will be visible on the field, and while some enemies are wandering around, others will suddenly appear and surprise you. (This clarifies what the random and visible comment meant, and it also confirms that game will be similar to FFXII in that sense.)
- Nomura says they're planning for a big unveiling of Versus at some point, but he doesn't really give any deadline for it.
- There will be some announcements at TGS of titles which have not been revealed at all yet.

gamegrep article --> NeoGAF

quote Interview

Is this a real-time screenshot we’re looking? The image quality is very good.
Yes it’s an image in real-time using the real hardware.We aim to improve the quality you’re seeing now even further. As of now we can’t share more details in full scale right now, so we removed the menus and subscreens where it shows Noctis expression (image projected on the subscreen).

Were the party members also there originally?
Yes, we removed because we haven’t formally announced their weapons and clothes yet.

The exquisiteness and shades are like a photograph taken from real life.
Indeed, we’re using physical calculations to determine the movement of the clouds. By this time it allow us to filter sunlight and others on Versus XIII.

Is the cliff to the wilderness & the Gas Station set in the same location?
Yes in the back of the Store is the cliff to the extended wilderness. You can walk all the way, to everything you see but the mountains.

What’s this giant Enemy on the other screen?
It’s a Military Behemoth and he actually bears a huge sword in his back. As for this pictures, the battle screen were on the screen but we omitted it.

Q: The street of Shinjuku is real.
Yes, it’s our model for this, even the bicycle lanes and crosswalks are decipted. But the sense of distance has been changed a bit since the last time. Right out of the city you encounter the wilderness with electric wires every as it’s this kind of territory for this country.

This region, It is only the Prologue, the early stages, nature is so even there.
Movement around this area is easy because you can use a car. Getting on and off the car can be done anytime, but only not possible to go all the way through it because it leads to a region underwater that has been shown on promotional trailers before.

Monsters appear on the field?
(Laughter)…Yes, there are monsters that appear on the field; Some staff were doing the tests and were surprised by how good looking some are in the evening sun.

Are the battles seamless, what about the world?
It’s basically seamless and we aim to make it even more seamless, but there are loadings between big areas.

Information disclosure, is very restrict as of now.
Development is very advanced along and according to expectations we’re taking steady steps; wait at ease please, information on Versus XIII will come. Moreover, we’re making preparations for a Big announcement.

You can actually see a signboard and things written inside in the screenshot?
The signboard is still temporary even though the inside of the Gas Station is modeled after the Stations in the US in detail. It’s possible to go up there using the stairs.

Do you play in this perspective the whole game?
Yes. The camera basically sits in this position. We decided to priority to the character’s presence and the world; that said we decided to scrap the over the shoulder perspective of the world.