FFXI: TGS
I will admit that before TGS I was feeling a bit let down. It's not cheap to take the train down to Tokyo, spend a few nights in a hotel, etc. I knew from reading posts on Japanese sites before I left that there was not going to be much for FFXI so in a way, I wondered why I was bothering to go.
However, I am really glad I went. I met some amazing cosplayers who I hope to see again at VanaFest. I've never been to a fanfest for Final Fantasy XI before so it was nice to meet other people who play in person. Finding all the hidden FFXI references was also a lot of fun. All of the previous Final Fantasy games affect the ones that come afterwards so it is nice to see parts of FFXI being included as well. The chibi Mithra appearing in Echoes of Time were a happy surprise. Listening to the remix of Ronfaure from the new Chocobo game was also a treat. I wish you could save things you download to your DS. The website for the Chocobo game has a music section. It's not up yet but maybe in the future everyone will be able to hear the remix!
I think the ad campaign for FFXI has the chance to be successful. It stood out in SE's series of ads and I saw a lot of people giggling and smiling. Outside of the FF series, SE had a lot of titles they were trying to present in their booth. In my opinion, SE's booth was different from a lot of other companies. It was not nearly big enough to hold all the people that wanted to try the games or watch the open theatre.
