Q: "How does it effect you, and Square Enix, that FFXIII is such a big project that it's been divided in a lot of separate projects?"

Toriyama:"We've definitely been forced to change our habits and work in new ways. In the center you have the crystals that define Final Fantasy and unite the three XIII projects. But every single game is evolving in its own direction and take place in their own worlds with their own characters. Nomura has designed Lightning, but she's our character."

Q: "Ten years ago, Final Fantasy VII became a symbol to the entire PlayStation format. Could FFXIII come to mean as much for the PS3?"

A:"FFVII was a milestone in PS history. The game changed the entire RPG genre and set a lot of new trends. Strictly content-wise, the theme alternated between fantasy and futurism and we're doing something similar with FFXIII. The game mixes a new kind of fantasy with futuristic elements that have never been seen in a game before. It's very interesting to explore the new hardware. When you've managed to harness the power in it the results become unbelievable. We're accomplishing things you hardly can manage without the PS3."

Q: "You've also said that this is going to be the darkest FF game ever."

A: "When I produced Kingdom Hearts, I was in a world so bright that I almost got blinded. So now I want to do something completely different. Maybe it has something to do with my love for extremes. FFvXIII is about man in the real world. In that sense, the game will contain less fantasy than usual We've created some dark environments and shown them in our trailers. But the entire game won't look like that; we've only just begun."