E3 Day One (10)

"It couldn't compare. They were different genres. But purely in terms of the production quality of the in-game visuals, this was the highest of every presentation today."

"Look at how the characters are animated. It was somewhat like the approach Sega used in its own batch of games on Jupiter.

Similar sprite-animation overlay techniques had also appeared in the in-game demonstrations for Sonic and Phantasy Star."

"Of course. Sega bought in, so the technical documentation and development tools were shared. It would be stranger if Square didn't use those resources."

The Famitsu editor adjusted his glasses and quickly scribbled something in his notebook. The photographer beside him had already raised his camera and snapped the shutter seven or eight times in rapid succession.

The entire mixed trailer ran for around four minutes, including the earlier pre-rendered CG promotional segment, in-game footage of city exploration, an in-game demonstration of the combat system, and clips from two CG cutscenes.

There wasn't a single line of narration in those four minutes, only the game's own music and sound effects.

The music was Nobuo Uematsu's work.

You could tell without even looking at the credits.

The blend of orchestral music and electronic synthesizers, the way the melodic lines transitioned between narrative sequences and battle sequences—it carried this composer's signature touch.

The trailer ended.

The screen froze on the title screen for Final Fantasy VII.

Sakaguchi Hironobu returned to the microphone.

He didn't launch into a lengthy introduction of the features, didn't announce the number of characters, and didn't boast about technical specifications.

"This title is scheduled for release next year. For more details, please visit our booth."

Applause began from the front rows and swept across the entire venue within three seconds.

People in the front rows stood up.

It was the first time