So How Far Along Was Final Fantasy XIII on PS2?

[Gingerbread Lesbian]

It's widely known that Final Fantasy XIII started development as a PlayStation 2 title. But how far along did the game get before Square Enix made the switch to 4D?

Producer Yoshinori Kitase and director Motomu Toriyama shared a few bits of FFXIII history in an interview featured in the Final Fantasy XIII World Preview guide book. This first official guide book was released by Square Enix on Thursday.

The two first recapped how the FFXIII project started. Much of this was previously detailed. Square Enix released Final Fantasy X2 International + Last Mission, an updated version of FFX-2 for the Japanese market, in 2004, explained Kitase. Development on FFXIII began on the PS2 right after that.

The FFXIII team hasn't actually been working for five straight years on the same game, Toriyama pointed out. When the PS3 was first announced, Square Enix showed off its support with that infamous real time demo of Final Fantasy VII's opening scene. As previously revealed, the FFXIII team worked on that. According to Toriyama, the team stopped work on FFXIII for about 3 or 4 months to make that demo.

It was only after the demo was completed that the team began work on FFXIII as a PlayStation 3 title.

Kitase provided a few precious details on what the PS2 version of FFXIII was like. In terms of areas of the world, the Hanged Edge local was already in. Hanged Edge is the futuristic city setting from the Advent Children demo.

They even had a character running around in the area. A PS2 version of Lightning? Actually, they were using a FFX's Yuna as a placeholder character.

What we're seeing in the PS3 FFXIII is completely new. "In the end, we had to throw away everything that was for use with the PS2 era, and restart anew," said Toriyama.

The PS2 version of Hanged Edge was "totally different" from the PS3 version, explained Kitase. At that point in development, they didn't even have any of the characters set.

I'm sure any FF fan would love to see Yuna running around in a PS2-spec Hanged Edge. Maybe we can hope that Square Enix pulls a Shenmue and includes the top secret footage as a bonus clip.

Maybe not. This is one vault that will likely remain closed for good.
Source: andriasang

 

[Stoic Hero]

Wait wait wait wait...it took them 4 MONTHS to make the short tech demo? Why?

Also, Lightning should never be made on the ps2. It can't handle her.

 

[Gingerbread Lesbian]

Wait wait wait wait...it took them 4 MONTHS to make the short tech demo? Why?

Most likely due to trying to optimize the Crystal Tools engine, which at the time was brand new to them and as far as I know Nomura stated that it was more difficult to switch from the PS2 to the PS3 than the PS1 to the PS2. That's the only reason I could think why.

 

[Linnaete]

Wait wait wait wait...it took them 4 MONTHS to make the short tech demo? Why?

Also, Lightning should never be made on the ps2. It can't handle her.

Also, you'll be surprised how time consuming it actually is to make CGI footage in general. That coupled with what Ryan said about the unfamiliarity of the PS3 hardware makes it unsurprising that it took so long.

The time taken to make Advent Children must have been staggering!

 

[Ohri-Jin]

very interesting, but only a insider knows the details i guess ;p

 

[SaShman]

Interesting stuff. I'm actually quite curious to see some of the PS2 footage now. I've always been interested in seeing how game designs and concepts change as development progresses. So I think it would be quite interesting to compare the old Hanged Edge to the new one etc.

 

[Kandy-Sugar]

It would be interesting to see some of the PS2 and PS3 footage just to point out the differences.

I can't believe that they threw all their work away and had to start all over. >.<

That would have shit me off if I was working for them!

 

[Fusionist]

I wonder had FFXI not been made at all would FFXIII (named FFXII then, and FFXII would be the FFXI game then) would have made it to the PS2.

I do think that the majority of the hype surrounding FFXIII is the fact that it's the first FF game on the PS3 so graphic capabilties are astoundingly much larger. If we're talking just the story and characters, from the looks of it, it seems like a neat game, but most likely wouldn't have the hype it has if it was on the PS2.