09-22-2006, 03:25 AM
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#3
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http://ps3.ign.com/articles/734/734330p1.html
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Quote:
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.
And 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 trailer consists of a short game play sequence where the main characters run about over an expansive forest field, encounter some enemies, then face off against a boss.
This may sound like a typical RPG demo. But wait until you see White Knight Story in motion. In our early preview of the game, we posted some comments from Level 5's Akihiro Hino, the producer of the game, regarding the title's focus on animation. He wasn't just hyping up his game; 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 in enemy, the character will jump at the enemy, slash his sword, 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 enemy.
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 characters. If a character blocks an incoming attack, you'll see his shield go up and physically block the sword. 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 Story is a pretty good looking next generation title, with distant views of its natural landscapes and smooth, at times surreal camera movement. See it in motion, with the most realistic animation ever seen in the genre, and you'll understand what the next generation of RPG visuals is all about. The game's battle scenes look less like gameplay footage than they do the hand scripted sequences that we've seen in countless RPG cut-scenes before.
The TGS demo shows the characters and enemies performing a number of moves over the course of a single battle. The battle starts with your three allies splitting up to take on the three enemies. The main character engages in a sword fight with one of the enemies, and quickly lays waste to him. He then
grabs a second enemy, allowing a female party member to take him out. The third enemy attempts to flee, prompting everyone in your party to follow in pursuit.
This is where the White Knight of the title enters the scene. Your party members are stopped by a giant fire beast. One member runs into attack, but is batted away. The main character tells the female character to step aside, as he shouts out a chant and transforms into the White Knight. The 7-meter alter form charges at the fire beast and leaps in for an attack. Just as you're getting hyped up to see the game's animation engine work on large scale enemies, the demo comes to a close.
White Knight Story looks far along in development. It has all the menus and maps in place, it has attractive titles that introduce new areas and bosses, and it even has voices, with English subtitles (which we presume were specially prepared for the TGS version).
Hopefully this is an indication that we'll get a chance to experience what could be the next generation of RPG gaming in the not-so-distant future.
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 I cannot wait to see a video of all of this.
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icon to pop-up a window with pricing information.
enemies), FFXII (battle system and free-roam navigation), and Level 5 awesomeness.
You don't need any kind of account to download from gamevideos at all. I've been doing it all week and haven't been loggen in, if my 1up account works for the site, so there's no need to sign up if you don't want to.
