Once again proving that lining up for video games is a national pastime, Japan came out cued up for Final Fantasy XIII.
There have been longer lines for game launches in Japan; however, these lines were especially impressive considering that FFXIII went on sale mid-week. The "main" countdown launch was at retailer TSUTAYA in Shibuya early this morning.
At 6:00 am, there were already a hundred people lined up to get into TSUTAYA for the countdown festivities that included violins, popstar Sayuri Sugawara singing the theme and Square Enix president leading the countdown. The line may seem short, but that is because there was a limit on how many could enter the store for the countdown. Hello fire hazard!
Lines were lengthly at other stores: According to Famitsu, at the Bic Camera in Ikebukuro, nearly 400 gamers lined up for the game at the time the store opened. There was a sizable line at the Yodobashi Camera in Akihabara with 300 strong lined up — the first in line got there at midnight for the early morning opening.
Of course, the game was available for pre-reserve so not everyone who bought the game had to line up.
『FF13』カウントダウンイベント実況は終了しました（動画あり） and 『ファイナルファンタジー XIII』解禁！ SHIBUYA TSUTAYAイベントレポート [Kotaku Japan] [Pic]