Bumping up my post for late comers.

lol at everyone saying there's only a small change. The difference is massive.

I wonder why? I find it hard to believe that it going multiplatform is the reason - a drop wouldn't be shocking of course, but not to this degree.

Maybe it's bullshots versus actual screenshots?

Oh, and for those who can't tell, the difference between the second set that Akvod posted is because the first (original) one was CGI.

Can't say I like the new images compared to the old ones.

Is the 4th pic part of a later build compared to the third pic? Holy shit if so. Wow Lightning looks choppy as hell.

Edit: Lightning still looks bad in that fourth pic.

The third pic was from the original CG trailer though if I recall correctly.

Third pic is CGI, fourth pic is in-game. Not surprising there's a difference in quality.

Seeing the first two images in the OP reminds me of playing FFX where the characters would be highly, partly, or hardly detailed depending on camera angle and such.

this, nomura confirmed this on a interview.

edit: wait no... i the game is being optimize first for the ps3... then the ps3  built its being ported to the 360.

hell the japanese demo i played looked much better than that, texture were tight even for a demo, there was a downgrade, and its mainly things to save space like simpler textures, and polygon optimization.

when the thing already running great on the ps3.

the vanille picture is taken from the english footage, later released around the E3 time when they begin porting it to the 360-

it better not be 360 fault!.

the ps3 already can do those graphics is seen in metal gear solid 4 if konami managed to do such character models, and i already seen it running on the ps3, why the downgrade now?

Well, Final Fantasy games tend to use multiple different character models.

You have the high quality cutscene model, a lower quality one for exploration, and then an even lower one for battles. Occasionally a cut scene would use one of the two lower quality ones instead.

I found the faces better in the second screens.