Reposting this from general discussion forum (meant to post it here)
First off I just wanted to say that Fanfest was simply amazing and if asked if I would go again I would say yes without a doubt. The work that the NA SE team and everyone that came over from Japan did for this weekend was simply amazing. I really hope you guys get a chance to read this. I had a great time making new friends and meeting old friends from my server and other servers as well. My friend’s list will surely grow after this weekend because of it.
I made sure to attend each of the panels as that was my main purpose for coming. Coming into Fanfest I was expecting information on patch 2.4 and some teasers for 2.5 and at the end of the weekend we’d see the splashscreen for the expansion. But no, I was sorely mistaken and couldn’t be any happier that I was. Honestly after they opened with the 3.0 trailer I was expecting Yoshi-P to walk out, drop the mic and just walk off stage. But again NO, they went over soooo much information and what we can expect to see in 3.0 without giving too much away since we have the European Fanfest next weekend and the Japanese Fanfest in December.
I can not repeat how many times I was pleasantly surprised with the details and different events planned. The excitement started even before Fanfest as soon as I got my gift bag with a portable phone charger, I mean c’mon we all knew how much we were going to be using our smartphones to take photos of our friends and the events going on. That was such an unbelievably considerate gift to give everyone so that they had juice for their smartphones the whole time, I definitely used mine both Saturday and Sunday.
Learning about how much work was done by Gondai (MR. G!!!) and his team was simply amazing especially after hearing how small his staff actually is, incredible! And Koji Fox? Really? I thought he was merely a translator for Yoshi-P but boy was I wrong and I apologize. After this weekend and learning so much about what he does he’s almost as amazing as Yoshi-P himself. I just wish I had gotten the chance to walk over to him and thank him for all that he has done to make this game so enjoyable for NA fans and of course the rest of his team. His singing ability was both amazing and comical especially how he crushed the Moogle song on stage. Matt Hilton and Devin were great and I hope they start doing their podcast for the game again like they did for a few episodes before. Just make sure you get Koji Fox in there too, you guys were hilarious and on point all weekend long.
I was one of the few lucky people who was able to get a VIP pass and boy did it not disappoint. Getting to jump in the line for registration was a huge perk and getting early access into the conventional hall was great as well. I made sure to use my discount on the SE merchandise offered by picking up my delivery moogle and art book. And getting to meet the dev team was truly amazing, after going to the VIP session with them I’m certain now that Yoshi-P isn’t human and his blood has been replaced with a mixture of coffee and red bull. He was so upbeat, personable, and friendly to me and each and ever person I saw him talk to that I have no idea where he gets the energy and patience from.
The show did not come without some criticisms though. I felt bad when talking to people at the event reception with how long they had to wait in the registration line. While I understand something like this would take awhile it seemed that even still something could have been done to make this run more efficiently as one person I spoke with waited 4.5 hours in line for their badge. Also the merchandise, there was such a small selection of items made available which was somewhat depressing. The people at Fanfest are FANS and I spoke with so many that wish they had offered so much more. Also 40 dollars for the moogle felt really steep for what was being offered plus the fact that the line for merchandise got pretty insane mainly because there were only 3 places to checkout and only one taking credit card. Maybe next time have more staff there in the morning and slowly pull them away as the day goes on. The lines at events got a little chaotic at some points and could have used a few extra hands to help out as well especially near the end of the lines. At one point the end of the line for Odin became a two headed dragon and one side had to go behind the other side making them have to wait even longer.
The closing ceremony was also totally unexpected and amazing all at the same time. I did not think we’d have a concert of that level at the end of Fanfest, it was a great way to cap off such an amazing weekend. I hope the Primals who if you didn’t know… play.. Primal.. songs.. were great! I hope they come out with a live CD maybe from the event/s.
All and all it was an extremely enjoyable experience and even with the criticisms was well worth the trip from DC to Vegas. I met so many wonderful people that enjoyed the same game with me and I hope to see them all in game!
TL;DR It was a great enjoyable event even with the few hiccups along the way.
And here is me with Yoshi-P at the VIP signing session, such an awesome guy.
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