Final Fantasy XIII Runs as Smoothly on Xbox 360

[Rock Raiyu]

Vanille is just as surprised as we are!​

The biggest bombshell of the 2008 E3 gaming expo was the announcement that then PS3 exclusive Final Fantasy XIII would be released on the Xbox 360.

Final Fantasy XIII, which was released only on the PS3 last December in Japan, will be released as a multi-platform title this spring in the West. While many games these days are multi-plat, many of these titles also have a "lead" platform.

Take Bayonetta. It's available on both the PS3 and the Xbox 360, but the lead platform is the Xbox 360 — comparison here.

In the case of Final Fantasy XIII, the lead platform is the PS3 — the game was originally conceived and designed as a PS3 title. That's not good or bad, it's just the way things are. But does that mean Xbox 360 users will be getting an inferior version?

Not necessarily so, says game site 1Up. The site was able to check out the Xbox 360 Final Fantasy XIII demo and had this to say:

It was...a pleasant surprise when I discovered FFXIII runs just as smoothly on 360 as it does on PS3. It's a brisk, action-packed RPG with tons happening on the screen at any given time (and the series' requisite flashy visuals cranked up to full throttle), yet I didn't see a hint of slowdown or choppiness or screen tearing or any of the other visual hiccups that serve as hallmarks of a sloppy port. Admittedly, I didn't see the two versions running side-by-side — the bus set them apart with a looping trailer dividing the kiosks — but I honestly saw no tangible difference from my time with the PS3 version.

That disclaimer is important. Both versions were not compared running side-by-side; however, according to 1Up, there does not seem to be noticeable differences between the two versions to the naked eye. Does that mean there are differences? There could be. There just doesn't seem to be.

Smart of Square Enix not to run the machines right next to each other.

In the coming weeks and months, stay tuned he inevitable side-by-side comparison.

News Source: Kotaku

 

[FestusArrestUs]

I don't get it. Was it not suppossed to run as well on 360? 70% of the time 360 multiconsole games are superior. (Maybe that numbers a bit high but you get what I'm saying.)

 

[Cablephish]

Doesn't the game have more discs on the 360 version?

There you go, PS3 is a clear cut lead platform for FFXIII.

 

[SPH73]

360 version may have more discs but I'm sure the ps3 version has a lengthy mandatory install like most ps3 games. You win some, you lose some.

 

[Rock Raiyu]

The only reason the 360 games are "superior" is because most of the time, they are developed on the 360 then ported to the PS3.

360 version may have more discs but I'm sure the ps3 version has a lengthy mandatory install like most ps3 games. You win some, you lose some.

It's confirmed that the PS3 version doesn't have an install.

 

[SPH73]

The only reason the 360 games are "superior" is because most of the time, they are developed on the 360 then ported to the PS3.

360 version may have more discs but I'm sure the ps3 version has a lengthy mandatory install like most ps3 games. You win some, you lose some.

It's confirmed that the PS3 version doesn't have an install.

Long load times incoming. Have you played any of the PS3 games without mandatory installs? When you do, you'll know why they force you to install most games.

360 games are better looking only because the console is easier to develop. I wouldn't call them "superior."

 

[Jaems]

Long load times incoming. Have you played any of the PS3 games without mandatory installs? When you do, you'll know why they force you to install most games.

Guys over at Kotaku with an import of the game report 10-15 second load at startup, and virtually no load times, and no mandatory install. Sounds pretty good to me! As I usually use those long start-up times to use the bathroom/grab a snack.

Also, it's good to know that the 360 version is shaping up just as well as the PS3's.
I really don't mind swapping discs, but I'll still probably get a PS3 copy instead.

 

[Seek01]

I don't get it. Was it not suppossed to run as well on 360? 70% of the time 360 multiconsole games are superior. (Maybe that numbers a bit high but you get what I'm saying.)

They run better because the 360 architecture is very similar to developing for a PC game, which is what a lot of developers only know how to do fluently. The PS3 is very different to develop for, and a lot of devs who make multi plat games aren't as familiar as they are with the 360 architecture, thus resulting in less that good PS3 versions/ports.

Its like a Biology Major took a test for Biology and Chemistry. Obviously he would do better on the Biology test than the Chemistry test, because hes more familiar with Biology.

 

[Ace Gunman]

This is a pleasant surprise, but until I see a side by side comparison of the retail versions, I'll reserve judgment on which to purchase.

I don't get it. Was it not suppossed to run as well on 360? 70% of the time 360 multiconsole games are superior. (Maybe that numbers a bit high but you get what I'm saying.)

The potential problem here isn't about the porting process itself. You're correct, most of the time, the 360 ports are superior. Though it often comes down to which is the lead platform, sometimes it is a complete crapshoot.

Where the problem lies is that the Square-Enix internal development studios have virtually no experience developing for the Xbox 360 platform. The handful of offerings they've provided were either licensed out to a second party studio, or in the case of The Last Remnant (their only true internal 360 developed game)... extremely buggy to the point of near unplayability at times.

So the reason some have concerns is that for all intents and purposes, this is them porting a game from a very different development architecture, to a system they know little about. My personal concern was never that they wouldn't try their best, but rather that they'd do all they could and call it good enough developing a playable but inferior port.

However given the latest trailer, the information released that they developed all the versions side-by-side and even went as far as re-animating the mouth movements of the FMV cutscenes to give them proper English lip-syncing, and now this bit that the demos seem to be of equal quality... Well, that's a very good sign. They seem to be dedicating their all to the North American version.

 

[SPH73]

Where the problem lies is that the Square-Enix internal development studios have virtually no experience developing for the Xbox 360 platform.

What a big load of fanboy BS

http://www.square-enix.com/na/game/xbox360/

http://www.square-enix.com/na/game/ps3/

 

[Ace Gunman]

Where the problem lies is that the Square-Enix internal development studios have virtually no experience developing for the Xbox 360 platform.

What a big load of fanboy BS

http://www.square-enix.com/na/game/xbox360/

http://www.square-enix.com/na/game/ps3/

Well, first of all, I don't know exactly what aspect of that statement is "fanboy BS", as it doesn't lean in any particular direction. The comment favors neither the 360 nor the PS3.

Second, the aforementioned statement still stands. That page you linked to, those games? They're exactly the ones I was referring to. Infinite Undiscovery and Star Ocean: The Last Hope were not developed by Square-Enix's internal development studios. They were developed by Tri-Ace, a second party developer that does work-for-hire projects.

And the other two, the upcoming Front Mission Evolved and Supreme Commander 2 were outsourced as well, to American developers, no less. Double Helix Games, and Gas Powered Games, respectively.

The final game on that list, Final Fantasy XI, the 360 port may or may not have been developed internally, but even so that is hardly in the same category. Porting a game that ran on PS2s and PCs in 2002 on a similar architecture is entirely different from porting from the PS3 to the 360, which they have no experience with and are two vastly different machines on a technical level.

The only game S-E has actually developed internally for the 360 that was released thus far is The Last Remnant, and it was a technical mess. It was in fact so buggy and unresponsive (not to mention not a terribly big seller, because of those facts) that Square-Enix actually has yet to publish the PS3 version that was supposed to be released alongside the 360 and PC versions, way back in 2008.

S-E may have published all of those games for the 360 platform, but they only developed one of them (maybe two, if FFXI wasn't outsourced for the port). There is a difference between the two. Don't worry, though, it's an easy mistake to make.

 

[Cermage]

i wouldn't think se would skimp out on performance in a big multiplat like this. maybe graphical drawbacks due to the nature of brd vs dvd but definitely not performance.

 

[Ace Gunman]

i wouldn't think se would skimp out on performance in a big multiplat like this. maybe graphical drawbacks due to the nature of brd vs dvd but definitely not performance.

It certainly seems like they've given it their all, and a little bit extra, too. The fact that they're saying the North American version of the game is 100% completed, well, that likely includes the bug/glitch portion as well. Which means they quashed any technical issues early on and have been sitting pretty since. That's impressive.

 

[prowler]

The only game S-E has actually developed internally for the 360 that was released thus far is The Last Remnant, and it was a technical mess. It was in fact so buggy and unresponsive (not to mention not a terribly big seller, because of those facts) that Square-Enix actually has yet to publish the PS3 version that was supposed to be released alongside the 360 and PC versions, way back in 2008.

I can agree with that. The Last Remnant framerate dips and loading times are horrid. Sometimes you can go get a drink while your waiting for a battle to start.
Thats why the PC version is more better then 360. Same with FFXI

 

[shakirmoledina]

this topic really got the best out of Ace...
its really impressive to see the SE has grown over the years and making games even 90% equal (speedwise) to the PS3 is fantastic
but seriously, these days the PS3 is much more famous than Xbox and they may be rethinking whether it was actually necessary to develop/outsource the xbox version (still dont get it clearly) since it was better (more famous) at tht time