Worried that a game as big as Final Fantasy XIII will require a four-hour install on the PS3? Nope – in fact, it won’t require an installation at all.
Though for most games it’s hardly an issue, that pesky PS3 install time has been a little niggling thorn in the console’s side since its launch in 2006. After all, the major advantage that console gaming has over PC gaming is its accessibility – you pop in the disc, you press start, you’re on your way to gaming heaven! Having to wait 20 minutes for Dante to get his ass in gear, or having to watch Solid Snake contract cancer in between every act in MGS4 puts some people off.
Some developers have attempted to ameliorate the issue by using the install time for handy-dandy story information, while Sony has done its part to reduce the install times on the PS3 Slim. And then there’s Square-Enix’s Final Fantasy XIII which got around the problem of installation times in a very simple way: It doesn’t have any, Square’s Motomu Toriyama told IGN.
Toriyama also shared some technical details on the game. Save data will take up 500KB. Trophy data takes up 3,080KB (yes, it looks like the game supports Trophies!). In case you were stocking up munitions for a big system wars battle, there won’t be a hard disk installation.
Worried about load times? Don’t be. The only time you’ll see load times is when you transition from town to field. Once you’re out on the field, the game is seamless. Toriyama explained that the game’s tech staff tackled loading early on in order to keep the experience as smooth as possible.
Other FF13 information from Toriyama and Tetsuya “Nananananananana, Beltman!” Nomura includes this: Sexy femme fatale villainess Oerba Yun Fang was originally planned as a male, but was changed to a female later down the line – and was given a “sexy quality” that had been removed from main protagonist Lightning. Because Evil is Sexy, don’tcha know. Token black guy Sazh was originally more ridiculous – yes, he has a funny afro which houses a baby Chocobo, but he was going to originally wear a hat over it – and naturally, there will be a Cid. He didn’t say that outright, but “a familiar Final Fantasy character”? Who else could that be?
But then again, saying that a Final Fantasy game will have a character named Cid who works with airships is like saying that the main character will be extremely androgynous, use a sword, have ridiculous hair, and tackle some sort of final apocalyptic evil.
