ERIE, PA—Solemnly describing a game cut tragically short, local man Patrick Howard told reporters Tuesday that he remembers exactly where he was in Final Fantasy X when he heard about 9/11. “I was well into my third match of Blitzball when my roommate walked in and told me to change the channel,” said Howard, vividly recalling the “orange hoodie I always wore” and how he was overwhelmed by feelings of hopelessness and despair after losing the Chocobo Race in the Remiem Temple. “Things really changed that day—I messed up and I was like, never again. I had leveled up Tidus to about 28 when the second plane struck and I had to turn off my PS2. I didn’t even have time to get to a save point, so I had to track down the Mercury Sigil all over again.” At press time, Howard recalled exactly where he was in Final Fantasy X2 when Saddam Hussein was killed.

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