Close Up: Fidelity and Detail
Upscaling Final Fantasy XII to 1080p for the Zodiac edition has obviously made a tremendous difference to the clarity of what players can see up close. In combination with superior shading, the facial features of the above characters are far better articulated, breathing life into them with level of detail not possible in standard definition. The individual strands of hair are a notable improvement in these shots, as is the inclusion of bolder shading, which gives the characters a more three-dimensional appearance. Virtuos Studios has taken the time to color the textures with a deeper palette that, pictured next to the original, make the PS2 version appear washed out by comparison. Many games during the PS2 used a fairly muted color palette for a cinematic look; fine for low-resolution graphics, but in HD and pictured on LED television screens, a higher contrast of colors looks far more attractive.
