Wrath of Kon(shus) - Final Fantasy XIII: XBOX vs PS3?

If you follow gaming news, it's likely you've heard about a the potential sleeper-hit named "Final Fantasy XIII" from the rising development studio Square-Enix. Of course, even if you play games casually you'll probably know that was sarcasm, as Final Fantasy XIII is easily one of the most anticipated games of 2010, and we're still only in the 3rd month. It's also likely that you've heard numerous reports about the significant difference in quality from the PS3 and XBOX360 versions. This discussion has been hitting the internet since the game was first announced as multi-platform, but how much stock should you put in all the hoopla? More importantly, should you even care?

Let's get the facts out right from the jump: Yes, the Playstation 3 version of Final Fantasy XIII is indeed superior in graphical presentation than it's XBOX360 counterpart. The difference is small, but noticeable, which increases if you play on a TV capable of displaying 1080p. Now, I've scoured the message boards and forums and, as you can imagine, I've come across all kinds of inflammatory comments. They range from logical thought-out responses to idiotic Playstation fanboys jumping on the rare opportunity to trash Microsoft's system. Most of them can't even explain what the difference is, they just jump on the hate wagon and post as much as they can to make fun of 360 owners, because for once a mult-platform release is superior on "their" console.


video courtesy of Gamevideos.1up.com

Which leads me to this weeks wrath. I hate fanboys.

I get it PS3 fans. Bayonetta was superior on the 360; as was Oblivion, Modern Warfare 2, Brutal Legend, Resident Evil 5, and many, many more. Some were subtle improvements, where others were so bad a patch was needed to address some of the more glaring issues (I see you Bayonetta). Now, finally, a PS3 release is superior to the 360 one. "YES! Time to log into neogaf and get revenge on all those 360 fanboy fuckers!!" I get it Ps3 fanboys...I just hate it.

Has one of you even stopped to consider why the PS3 version of Final Fantasy XIII is better? It's not because PS3 is so much more powerful than the 360; it's not because of the developers spent less time with the 360 version, and no, it's not because Microsoft sucks and Sony paid Square-Enix off for a superior product. The reason is simple: storage space. Currently, the game is compressed to run across 3 dual-layer DVD's - about 25.5GB of space. Comparatively, the Playstation 3 version is uncompressed on a single 50GB dual-layer BluRay disk. If you do the math, that means Square-Enix would have had to release the game across 6 discs, instead of the 3. That would have cut into their profits, which they would have passed on to the consumer by charging more for the 360 version, and in order to do that, they would have needed to add exclusive content, which would have pissed off PS3 fans - and so on, and so on, and so on.

Let me be clear - I am not a Microsoft fanboy. I'm not a fanboy of any kind, because I don't see the point in rallying for a muti-million dollar corporation. I'm sorry, but I don't feel honored to spend my hard earned money on their product. If you do, then I'm pretty sure you plan to stand in line to buy an iPad on day 1; and I just can't help you.

In the end, the difference is so minor, it really dosen't matter which system you play it on, just grab it for whichever system you have. It's a fantastic game, so even if you own both platforms, you really can't lose. Don't let the ramblings of some Microsoft or Sony nut change your opinion or make you feel bad about your decision - in the end, the only person you need to please is you. So, next time you're on a forum and see some random fanboy slamming another system - don't reply, just be proud you have enough confidence in your own opinion to not seek reinforcement from others. That's a good thing.

~Konshus