Post by t0xin_ven0m on Jan 30, 2007 19:34:41 GMT -5
Level-5 made the PS2 sing with Rogue Galaxy and Dragon Quest VIII. Judging strictly by the early screenshots in Famitsu, it seemed that the team's first PS3 project, White Knight Story, wouldn't be the technological marvel that those two titles were... but then I saw it move.
Sony Computer Entertainment is airing a short trailer for White Knight Story exclusively in its "PlayStation 3 Theater" here at the Tokyo Game Show. The video consists of a short gameplay sequence where the main characters run about an expansive forest field, encounter some enemies, and then face off against a boss.
This may sound like a typical RPG demo. But wait until you see it in motion (which you can do by clicking on our video page). In our early preview of the game, we posted some comments from Level-5 producer Akihiro Hino regarding the title's focus on animation. He wasn't just hyping up his project -- White Knight Story looks like no other Japanese RPG before it thanks to its next-generation animation.
In a typical RPG, when you instruct one of your characters to perform a sword attack on an enemy, the character will jump at his foe, slash his sword, and then jump back. The enemy might block the attack, or might take on the full blow. Either way, the sword will probably pass right through the opponent. But that's how RPGs looked before White Knight Story. With Level-5's animation system, swords realistically strike other swords and shields, rather than cutting right through models. If a warrior blocks an incoming attack, you'll see his shield go up and physically block the blade. The collision is perfect. In White Knight Story, two characters sparring really look like they're sparring.
From a modeling and shading point of view, White Knight is a pretty good-looking next-generation title with distant views of its natural landscapes and smooth, at times surreal, camera movement. It definitely has the most realistic animation ever seen in the genre, and you'll understand what the next-generation of RPG visuals are all about after seeing it. Battle scenes look less like gameplay footage and more like the hand-scripted sequences you'd expect from cutscenes.
Anyhow, the TGS demo shows characters and enemies performing a number of moves over the course of a single battle. It all begins with three allies splitting up to take on the three enemies. The main character engages in a sword fight with one of the foes and quickly lays waste to him. He then grabs a second enemy, allowing a female party member to take him out, while the third opponent runs away... prompting everyone in the party to follow in pursuit.
This is where the White Knight enters the scene. Party members are stopped by a giant fire beast. One member runs into attack, but is batted away. The main character tells the female warrior to step aside as he shouts out a chant and transforms into the White Knight. The seven-meter alternate form charges at the fire beast and leaps in for an attack. But just as we were getting hyped to see the game's animation engine at work on large-scale enemies, the demo came to a close.
White Knight Story looks to be farther along in development than we first thought. It has all its menus and maps in place, has attractive titles that introduce new areas and bosses, and even has professional-level voice-overs (with English subtitles that we presume were specially-prepared for the TGS video). Hopefully this is an indication of what we'll experience in other next-generation RPGs in the not-so-distant future.
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This game sounds pretty neat...I'm hoping that they will bring it to U.S....there has been no release date yet.
Sony Computer Entertainment is airing a short trailer for White Knight Story exclusively in its "PlayStation 3 Theater" here at the Tokyo Game Show. The video consists of a short gameplay sequence where the main characters run about an expansive forest field, encounter some enemies, and then face off against a boss.
This may sound like a typical RPG demo. But wait until you see it in motion (which you can do by clicking on our video page). In our early preview of the game, we posted some comments from Level-5 producer Akihiro Hino regarding the title's focus on animation. He wasn't just hyping up his project -- White Knight Story looks like no other Japanese RPG before it thanks to its next-generation animation.
In a typical RPG, when you instruct one of your characters to perform a sword attack on an enemy, the character will jump at his foe, slash his sword, and then jump back. The enemy might block the attack, or might take on the full blow. Either way, the sword will probably pass right through the opponent. But that's how RPGs looked before White Knight Story. With Level-5's animation system, swords realistically strike other swords and shields, rather than cutting right through models. If a warrior blocks an incoming attack, you'll see his shield go up and physically block the blade. The collision is perfect. In White Knight Story, two characters sparring really look like they're sparring.
From a modeling and shading point of view, White Knight is a pretty good-looking next-generation title with distant views of its natural landscapes and smooth, at times surreal, camera movement. It definitely has the most realistic animation ever seen in the genre, and you'll understand what the next-generation of RPG visuals are all about after seeing it. Battle scenes look less like gameplay footage and more like the hand-scripted sequences you'd expect from cutscenes.
Anyhow, the TGS demo shows characters and enemies performing a number of moves over the course of a single battle. It all begins with three allies splitting up to take on the three enemies. The main character engages in a sword fight with one of the foes and quickly lays waste to him. He then grabs a second enemy, allowing a female party member to take him out, while the third opponent runs away... prompting everyone in the party to follow in pursuit.
This is where the White Knight enters the scene. Party members are stopped by a giant fire beast. One member runs into attack, but is batted away. The main character tells the female warrior to step aside as he shouts out a chant and transforms into the White Knight. The seven-meter alternate form charges at the fire beast and leaps in for an attack. But just as we were getting hyped to see the game's animation engine at work on large-scale enemies, the demo came to a close.
White Knight Story looks to be farther along in development than we first thought. It has all its menus and maps in place, has attractive titles that introduce new areas and bosses, and even has professional-level voice-overs (with English subtitles that we presume were specially-prepared for the TGS video). Hopefully this is an indication of what we'll experience in other next-generation RPGs in the not-so-distant future.
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This game sounds pretty neat...I'm hoping that they will bring it to U.S....there has been no release date yet.
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