I like to get my games as soon as possible, especially when it’s a huge release like Final Fantasy XIII. Plenty of like-minded gamers convened around local video game shops last night to grab Square-Enix’s biggest title of the last four years. Game Informer attended one such midnight launch to see how many hardcore Final Fantasy fans turned out, ask them to sound off on the game, snap some photos, and of course, grab our own copies.

Around 9:00pm there were only ten or so dedicated fans camping out for the anticipated release. By 11:00, the gathering swelled to about 30. One among them literally wore his Final Fantasy fandom on his sleeve, dressed as one of the game’s protagonists, Snow. When we asked the cosplayer about his past midnight launch experiences, he told us he’s been to every one since Final Fantasy X.

This devoted fan was the sole person in costume for the event.

When asked about his excitement for Final Fantasy XIII compared to that of Final Fantasy X he said, “That’s a tough one. This one I’m excited for because as soon as I found out the release date I just said ‘oh my god, this is a lot sooner than I thought.’”

Many were caught by surprise by FFXIII’s early 2010 release date, but that didn’t stop the line outside GameStop from growing. By 11:15pm I found myself surrounded by about 50 eager gamers. We decided to help them pass the time by asking Final Fantasy-flavored trivia.

“One of the espers, one of the summons from Final Fantasy VI, was called Stray,” began GI’s own Joe Juba. “What was that summon called in later iterations of the game? You would also have seen this name appear, not necessarily as a summon, but as a character somewhere else…”

Not only does Joe [left] delight in trivia questions, he also fancies a good riddle.

The questioned group fell silent, suddenly unconcerned with their previous countdown to midnight.

“That’s the only Final Fantasy I’ve never fully beaten,” one admitted.

“I can’t put a picture to that…” another added.

After much head-scratching and silence, Joe finally revealed that Stray appears as Cait Sith in later Final Fantasy games. “There we go. I don’t have any prizes…” said Joe as he apologetically shrugged his shoulders.

We asked one of the trivia contestants which console they were picking the game up for, and he proudly confirmed it was for PS3. When asked if he ever considered the 360 version he immediately responded with laughter. “No, because the 360 version blows,” he stated matter-of-factly. “That’s the biggest reason. And I don’t want to have three discs. And what is it, like an 18-gigabyte install? Way better on the PS3.”



Intrigued by the kind of brand loyalty that’s usually reserved for the comments section below this very article, we pressed on. “I was pretty pissed,” said the Sony fan we questioned about the E3 announcement of the Xbox 360 version. “It was frickin’ ridiculous.”

“I have to say that Sony just f***** up, as per usual,” chimed in another PlayStation fan rising from the woodwork. “I love Sony, but they have a tendency to screw themselves.”

With the group’s loyalty set in stone, we asked another fan what version of the game he was picking up. “Xbox,” he stated flatly. As if he had uttered a profane obscenity, I glanced over my shoulder to ensure that the Sony fans were a safe distance away. They were. He explained that he had a PS3, but he’d opted for the 360 version to bolster his gamerscore. When asked if he ever considered the PS3 version, he said “it will be better graphics, but I’m not in it for graphics, really. It’s the story for me.”

We questioned another patient gamer why he chose the PS3 version of the game. “I like the controller better, it’s more comfortable for me,” he said. “I own both, so I had the option.” When asked whether he was insulted that FF XIII was coming to 360, he offered the most positive response yet. “No. If it comes out on 360 that’s just more people that you can talk to about it.”

In Minnesota, a midnight launch in 36 degree weather is like a trip to the sun.

As the clock struck 11:45, we noticed the line had extended to about 75 people. With the witching hour rapidly approaching, we remembered that many of these people likely had jobs they’d soon have to be waking up for. We asked one fan how long into the morning he planned on playing Final Fantasy XIII. “I got the day off tomorrow,” he bragged, followed with triumphant laughter. “So… I’ll be playing it forever.”

Indeed, saving the world can take what seems like forever, especially in a lengthy Final Fantasy game. However, many of the Final Fantasy fans in this line were going into the experience fresh, since they had stopped paying attention to news and trailers related to the game long ago. “I gave up two years ago when it was supposed to come out at the end of 2007,” said one fan. Others had purposefully limited their exposure to information on the game to ensure a fresh experience.

Finally, midnight was upon us. As the GameStop employees began ushering in the expectant customers, we realized the line had easily surpassed 100. Also exceeded were our expectations for the triple-A release. It’s not that we didn’t think FFXIII deserved it, but in a world of mega-popular online war shooters and big budget western RPGs, we expected a milder turnout for a Japanese RPG. Even though FF XIII didn’t see the turnout that Modern Warfare 2 did, the substantial line of customers taught us that lumping Final Fantasy in with other JRPGs is folly. Entries in this series, along with its fans, simply stand apart from the rest of the genre.

Here, Final Fantasy fans prepare to bid adieu to their loved ones and social lives.

Following up with an employee we learned that out of 200 pre-orders, 138 copies of Final Fantasy XIII were claimed during that midnight release. Considering the Roseville location usually sees about 40 percent of their pre-order customers for midnight releases, the game had an above average midnight launch.

Were you among those who began the journey into Pulse at midnight this morning?

[GameStop is the parent company of Game Informer]