Pre-E3 06: Final Fantasy XIII goes huge

Today, Square Enix shockingly revealed three games bearing the title Final Fantasy XIII - two of them exclusive to the PlayStation 3.

Final Fantasy XIII is an RPG… we think. Details are slimmer than slim at the moment. The trailer shown at the Square Enix press conference started with gorgeous cinematics, as you'd expect a Final Fantasy should. The cinemas showed a lone female warrior, much in the mold of the gunslinging Yuna from Final Fantasy X-2 or Ashe from the upcoming Final Fantasy XII - sexy and badass. She flipped around a futuristic level filled with soldiers… and suddenly, it became apparent that the beautiful CG movies had seamlessly transitioned into real-time PlayStation 3 graphics.

The female character - name unknown - leapt into the air and spun to face her enemies, unloading a special attack. Every single enemy on the screen took damage, with the familiar bouncing Hit Point damage numbers appearing, live. It was then clear that everything we were seeing is what we will be playing when this game is released, with an unprecedented level of visual quality. The movie also showed the main character investigating a dungeon that looked much more normal for Final Fantasy - a long pathway through a mystical, glowing forest environment. This implies the adventure won't be too far from what we're used to.

In the world of Final Fantasy XIII, the "most advanced level of civilization ever seen in the Final Fantasy series," magic and technology have joined together. This sci-fi tinged adventure is unmistakably a Final Fantasy game, but its style is also a step beyond anything we've seen before.