Final Fantasy IX Consumer Demo Day Impressions

[10.08.00] » Final Fantasy fans unfamiliar with "law of diminishing returns."

   This afternoon, Squaresoft held a "Final Fantasy IX Consumer Demo Day" at the Sony Metreon PlayStation store in San Francisco. The English version of Final Fantasy IX was on display, and eager consumers could get hands-on gameplay impressions just slightly over a month before the U.S. release. In theory, that is--more on the reality later. The event ran from 2:00 PM until 6:00 PM, and fans turned out in droves for this advance peek at the next Final Fantasy title. A few were even in costume: we saw an Aerith, a comely Rinoa, and even a Serge with a blue pom-pomesque wig for his hair.

   The crowds, in fact, were the most memorable part of the entire event. The line of gamers waiting to play stretched out of the Sony PlayStation store and around nearly the entire length of the Metreon's exterior; there were easily several hundred people waiting for a chance at Final Fantasy IX. Once they entered the building, however, the reality was slightly less pleasant. After being ushered to a kiosk by a security guard, an event staff member loaded a prefabricated save game and gave the player three minutes on the nose to experience Final Fantasy IX. There's not much you can do in three minutes, especially when you're made to start from the same starting point as everyone else. Universally people would talk to a moogle, enter the chosen location, fight a battle or two, read a short cut-scene before a boss, and run out of time before the boss could be defeated. There was no room to actually play or "experience" Final Fantasy IX--it was just an assembly line of gaming automatons being fed through the kiosks. Some gamers waited upwards of two hours for a chance at three minutes of "gameplay."

   But this quick-and-dirty experience was undoubtedly a necessary evil. Most gamers, less jaded and bitter than GIA staffers (note: this is not difficult), were thrilled with even their brief moments with the title. Local radio station Wild 94.9 was broadcasting from the event, a DJ was rocking the house with Squaresoft trivia and giveaways, and local news crews were constantly filtering in and out to provide coverage. Square even had a bag of respectable souvenirs put together for those who played the game: a neon orange t-shirt with the Final Fantasy IX logo/characters, the full version (!) of the Final Fantasy VIII soundtrack, and three current issues of popular gaming magazines.

   General buzz was very positive. Everyone who played the game enjoyed it, despite the lengthy wait, and intends to pick it up on its November 14th release date. One fan is anticipating Final Fantasy IX's return to a pure fantasy style--as he wittily pointed out, Final Fantasy VII and VIII weren't Final Fantasy, they were Final Sci-Fi. Oh ho! Metreon staff also felt that the event, the first of its kind and scope, was a success. As the adage goes, half a loaf is better than none; for a handful of Bay Area Final Fantasy fans, three minutes will have to substitute for forty to fifty hours.