Friday, November 10, 2006
or
You Got Purdy Ears
Final Fantasy XII is the most beautiful video game I've ever layed eyes on. Seriously. Square Enix has done it again.
I'm no mad fan of RPGs, but I have to appreciate their work, for the artistic value if nothing else. For one, the digital characters are strikingly life-like. Their eyes exhibit saccade motion, for christsake. And their expressions . . . astounding. No longer do they appear boxy and souless to any degree. Great voice acting (finally!) brings the whole package together.
Another thing I'm fond of are the filler characters and general populace. A certain degree of randomness has worked its way into their programming, so that if you watch a particular sprite for a while, its actions seem natural, free of the precision that burdened his predecessors.
Oh, I also love the elimination of that turn-based battle bullshit. I mean, really, what self-respecting monster plays eenie meenie, waiting patiently for retaliation after every attack? I'm all about the real-time, baby.
Great music, too, though I can't justify sending away to Japan for it at sixty bucks a pop.
