I just did some reading on FFXIII Versus and it sounds like the FF7 sequel we've always wanted... Realistic, believable characters in a dark, bleak city, fighting behemoths in the dead of night with flaming cars in the background? Summons and EX-ARTS... sounds like summons and Limit Breaks. Obviously this FFXIII Versus team knows what we want! Talk to them, FFXIV Dev team! Don't talk to us... We're obviously idiots as you can tell from all of these retarded threads.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_Versus_XIII

Gameplay
The main character, Noctis, with eleven floating weapons surrounding him.

Director Tetsuya Nomura has stated that Versus XIII's gameplay will be a realistic derivation of Kingdom Hearts's battle system with some elements of a third-person shooter. Nomura has also stated that the game will depart from the light and magical aesthetic of his previous directorial games (i.e. Kingdom Hearts) and opt for a darker, bleaker world that is intended to counter previous Final Fantasy installments. According to Nomura, the world of Final Fantasy Versus XIII is based on the modern Shinjuku district.[10] In formulating a realistic world, Nomura has stated that he wants the characters to be "believable" and thus realistic. As a testament towards his desire for realism, in the PlayStation Premier trailer, in contrast to previous Final Fantasy titles, Versus XIII had a greater display of graphic violence with an instance of blood.[11]

Battles will take place in real-time environments using all regions of the field, from up high buildings to down low streets. Nomura said that the game will feature battles that take place in areas with great differences in height, as shown in the trailer, and the players will have to fight using the full environment. This means fighting what's in front, as well as above and below (vertical battles).[12] The battle interface consists of several aspects, mainly Magic, Item, Summons and EX-ARTS. In addition, there are highly animated character portraits on the lower right corner of the screen. The portrait will change according to the character's feelings and current movement similar to Star Ocean: The Last Hope albeit in a wider variety. The game also uses a real-time event system, allowing players to suddenly be attacked or trigger certain events while walking around. For example, when Noctis reaches a pedestrian bridge, a behemoth beast will attack. Another example is a plane crashing into the road. Implementing these kinds of real time events, which transition seamlessly into the flow of gameplay, takes a long time in terms of development, said Nomura.[13]

The game's combat will be party-based, with each party consisting of a maximum of three characters at a time with players being able to switch between the controlled characters. At the start of the game, the party line-up will be predetermined, though players will get the ability to freely switch out members as the story progresses, similar to Final Fantasy XIII. Each character will have his or her own special attack capabilities, and all characters will be able to use magic, although the effect of the magic differs from character to character. For example, when Noctis casts magic, it emerges from his weapon, while for another party member, it may light his surroundings with fire. Noctis is the only character capable of equipping all weapon types in the game; other characters each have their own unique specialties. For example, one of the characters is a gun specialist who can switch to a third person view for precise aiming at the enemy's weak points, buildings, and other objects.[13]

Nomura has also stated in Dengeki PlayStation that he aims to create previously unseen "tricky" battle sequences, reminiscent of the CGI film, Final Fantasy VII Advent Children.[8] He has also stated that the development team have been implementing a traversable world map, used in the main Final Fantasy series up until its removal in Final Fantasy X.[14] Nomura later commented, in an interview conducted via Twitter, that players will be able to control an airship around the world map.[15]

The game will feature large open fields in the world map which allow players to walk through almost anything on the field apart from the mountains. Nomura has also mentioned that the fields are truly vast and that it was very far to traverse from one end to another;[16] thus, to facilitate easy navigation, the game will feature the return of vehicles such as an airship[17] as well as a car, allowing players to easily traverse the large fields.[16] Players can ride cars, aircraft and Chocobos; they can also steal tanks.[13][18]

One of the trailers shows Noctis selecting from a number of different weapons to defeat the enemy soldiers in front of him. The various weapons in the game will have different methods of attack, and some will even be usable as shields to go along with Noctis's crystal power. Weapons will have some sort of customization element as well. The trailer also showed Noctis warping around killing enemies. Nomura explained that players won't be able to warp freely to every spot but will be able to warp to the location where the sword is placed. This is one area that is being tested on so it's a matter of time to see if this all makes it into the final product. Summon beasts are in the game and will have to be defeated to be used. Nomura has also said that the game will have Sixaxis support but has given no specifics about it.[12]
Setting

Final Fantasy Versus XIII involves Noctis Lucis Caelum, the last heir to an isolated nation, which holds the last Crystal protected by kings. Its isolation is due to the city's resistance; to protect itself against invading heretics.[19] The game has been said to initiate at the "clearing" of a long cold war between warring nations that revolved around the crystals.[20]

The official trailer starts with the words, "This is a fantasy based on reality." The trailer shows modern technology such as cars, freeways, and automatic weapons and bears a striking resemblance to the real world today.

Very little information regarding the plot of the game has been revealed since E3 2006; however, Square Enix representatives have commented that Versus may be the darkest Final Fantasy game yet.[8][21]

Screenshots from Japanese gaming magazine, Famitsu, have revealed a large city reminiscent of Tokyo which showcases a recreation of the real-life Shinjuku, surrounding Square Enix's office, in game.[16] The lead character is seen battling a Behemoth in the dead of night with cars and flames in the distance.[22]