GGUK decided to take a stroll to the flagship store of HMV on Oxford street, London, for it’s official Final Fantasy XIII launch event as 2,000 fans flocked to queue up and celebrate the release of Final Fantasy XIII from Square Enix. As I made my way over there you could see the crowds of people that queued up along the store and down the high street. I was amazed how many people turned up.

 
DJ Alex Zane hosted the event as people made their way into the rather crowded store and that was a slight understatement. Also in attendance was the acclaimed series producer Yoshinori Kitase and Isamu Kamikokuryo, the game’s art director. People from all over the country had made their way to the event and had even spent an incredible 17 hours queuing to secure their place in the line.

 

 
Once everyone had managed to squeeze inside, the famous Final Fantasy theme music merrily played in the background while showing cut scenes from the new Final Fantasy XIII game. DJ Alex Zane chose 5 people from the crowd to come up and answer a series of questions to win a Final Fantasy Super Elite Bundle for the Xbox 360 which they had on display.There was a lot of excitement and anticipation as people jumped up and down on the spot waving their hands about, hoping to be chosen.

 


 
Most people had purchased their Final Fantasy XIII game in which they wanted it signed by Yoshinori Kitase. I queued up like everyone else and got Yoshinori Kitase and Isamu Kamikokuryo signature.

 

 
It was a great event and everyone seemed to have a relatively good time, even though most of us felt like a can of squashed sardines. Most people managed to get onto the stage and get their Final Fantasy XIII merchandise signed even though it was a very long wait. I apologize that my photos were not particularly great on the day, due to the camera and lighting in the store.

 


 
Some people had dressed up as characters from the Final Fantasy game and that was great to see. All that time I had been waiting, and I had only just noticed ‘Cloud’ standing to the left in front of me a few feet ahead.

 

Bookmark to