VANCOUVER GAMER MEDIA.
Just some of the party members who join over the game’s instalments. (L-R Red XIII, Aerith, Cloud, Barret, and Tifa)
Final Fantasy has had a tricky decade or two. After a close to unrivalled run on Playstation and Playstation 2, the past few titles- with the exception of the online titles XI and XIV: A Realm Reborn - have all come with mixed reception, despite their successes.
Are Final Fantasy XIII or Final Fantasy XV good games? Yes, but for their own individual reasons (A simplified battle system where player input is almost optional and an impossible to meet level of hype, respectively) they never captured the attention of fans the way that Final Fantasy X did in 2001.
We don’t know anything about Final Fantasy XVI (When it inevitably drops), but in the meantime Square Enix have decided to remake the most successful Final Fantasy game- and arguably their best- Final Fantasy VII. I went to a launch party hosted by KupoCon, which is skipping 2020’s Vancouver event after they failed to secure the funding. In a lot of ways, it felt like a “light” convention. There was plenty of cosplay, and even most people who weren’t dressed up wore something Final Fantasy related. There was a merch table selling a combination of KupoCon exclusives- including an exclusive cover and a CD of music.
Pomko, the mascot of Kupocon There was one celebrity guest (John Bentley, the voice of Barrett) but—while there was a charge for autographs—he was more than happy to take selfies with anyone who asked, and both before and after his talk (stood in the middle of a crowd, rather than sat on stage) he was mingling with the crowd to talk with the fans. Whether he was playing matchmaker or reading some classic Barrett lines from the original Final Fantasy VII he was always down to earth and relaxed.
He even recognized people from previous events, which only added to his charm.
John Bentley, voice of Barret and special guest at the event.
Article by Lewis Rees
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