The DS-based 358/2 Days hasn't arrived in the States yet, but Japan is already preparing for the next installment in the hugely popular Kingdom Hearts franchise. The PSP-exclusive prequel, Birth by Sleep, should be arriving in Japan this winter, and Square Enix is prepping its marketing muscle by opening the game's official website -- and with it, debuting a new direct-feed trailer for the masses. (An off-screen capture was taken at last year's exclusive Closed Mega Theater at TGS.)
This story-heavy trailer shows off a number of Disney movies in action, like Cinderella, Snow White and Alice in Wonderland. (Hey, where's Stitch?) Birth by Sleep will be a huge presence at Tokyo Game Show soon, so expect our hands-on reporting later this month.
I just might give this game a shot. I can't really sit down and play a game like Kingdom Hearts on a console (it's just too shallow/repetitive a game for me to really be able to enjoy like that) but as a handheld title, something I can just pick up and play, it may be something I'd be able to enjoy more. Certainly looks polished.
I don't see how Kingdom Hearts is considered to be a shallow or repetitive game? But if you consider that to be so, then I'm sure that any action oriented rpg is repetitive then? I also don't understand how a game you consider to be repetitive on a console, is going to be any less repetitive on a handheld...
I didn't say it'd be any less repetitive on a handheld.
Repetitive is more excusable on a handheld. Some of my favorite handheld games happen to be pretty damn repetitive (Space Invaders Extreme and Geometry Wars Galaxies, for example), but I'm okay with that because I play handheld games wanting - and expecting - a different experience than I do when I go to play a console.
Anywhos, yeah, I do find most action RPGs repetitive, but most of 'em make up for that with their stories. After having played KH and KH2 (the former, I enjoyed somewhat, the latter I thoroughly disliked), this isn't a series that really impresses me storywise - and because of that, I don't really have a motivation to play on. Not when I've got other games to play. As a handheld game, though, story isn't always what draws me in - I could, in fact, ignore it completely and just have some fun with the combat.
I don't see how you don't see KH as repetitive. It's the very definition of repetitive. And it's certainly not deep. Not to say a game can't be good if it's shallow or repetitive - like I said, I enjoy a lot of games that fit that description. KH just doesn't happen to be one of them, mostly because of the (for lack of a better term) absolutely effing crazy story.
"but most of 'em make up for that with their stories."
I wanna correct that - most of 'em make up for that with their stories, or their characters, or the dialogue, or by having a little more depth than what KH's combat system boasts. Not necessarily just the stories - I've played my fair share of action RPGs that absolutely fail it on the story front.
Kingdom Hearts has what I personally think, is one of the best stories out of any games I've ever played. I like the dark direction it took as well. I didn't find it too repetitive either, each level was very different, yes the combat may have not been deep, but you can't expect that much from an RPG from squenix who's typical games are turn based.
Sometimes I think the Marvel buyout isn't that bad when you think of the possibilities, really. This makes me think how fantastic it would be if X-Men characters appeared in the Kingdom Hearts series, and how it would be über awesome that Kefka (I WANT MORE FFVI CHARACTERS IN KH DAMMIT) and Magneto joined forces to destroy the world, Deadpool was part of Organization XIII just because he got payed by them, and Onslaught was an optional boss, far more harder to beat than Sephiroth, just to piss off the fanboys. Marvelous indeed.
Now, how would that game be called? Kingdom Hearts: Children of the Atom?
My biggest gripe about Kingdom Hearts has got to be that there's too much of everything. Too many things going on in the story. An interface that's too cluttered and garish. Too many commands when really you do end up doing a lot of button-mashing. And too many poor attempts to mix up the gameplay in between battles. It's just too much.
Oh and I really wasn't fond of any of the characters. Mind you I only played part 2, but I didn't find it particularly compelling and I couldn't figure out how KH was hailed as anything more than mediocre.
You really should have played 1. I found it far superior. 2 was a very disappointing sequel for me. The original game was a match made in fan service heaven. KH2's writing should have its own section in the Geneva Convention.
To quote Fimbulvetr over at GAF - KH1 was charming and fun.
KH2 was "Lets try to make it as close to an anime as possible. Then reduce the gameplay to being only about combat, but do the combat badly anyway".
Must be some really sensitive KH fans on Joystiq. First time I've ever gotten downvoted for anything. I'm not even allowed to dislike a game that I played. lol
The problem is that it's not a good thing in my book.
The combat system lacks depth, and in my book it isn't helped by the (imo) unintuitive controls.
The menus are very unattractive. Which one? All of 'em. I understand the whole changing the menu in accordance with the stages but it just doesn't work. They should have just made the look of the menus consistant throughout.
Maybe it's just because I came in at KH2, but the story really wasn't that great. There was little to no reason to care about most if not all of Organization XIII. Why? The characters lacked development. I blame all of the Disney characters. Frankly, I wish KH would focus on the original KH characters and get away from all of the Disney characters - they take up way too much screentime, partly because there are just so many of them.
Lose the Gummi ship and the insanely over the top QTEs.
I mean I can see why some people like it, but the game just has no to very little appeal to me.
This trailer has certainly increased my interest. I'm glad Square decided to greenlight games that actually explain what the hell is going on in the Kingdom Hearts universe. Too many sideplots to know the whole convoluted truth.
I hope the story of the keyblade is good. It's already bad enough that in KH1 it was said that the keyblade chooses its wielder, and then every other character had one.
I wish Square would port KH1&2 to the Wii so I can play them.
I bought Chain of Memories for the GBA when it came out and I enjoyed it for what it's worth and I'd like to play this PSP & DS installments but without playing the original two games I can't help but feel like I'm missing something.
It's a prequel. Sora, Donald, and Goofy may have small cameos, but Sora will be younger. Oh and I don't believe there are any FF characters. Also, as you can see from the trailer, the Disney worlds are all new. Wouldn't make much sense for Aqua to help out a toddler Aladdin and then 10 years later Sora goes and Al just doesn't remember.
If this is a prequel how the hell is ROXAS there or did i miss something, also hope they get to finish FFXIII Versus ASAP so they can get started with KHIII.
I've been asking myself that as well... I predict a plot twist revealing Sora is Roxas' nobody, not the opposite! I also predict a PS2 port so I can play this game :D
It's really a completely different character? I mean he looks pretty much exactly like Roxas. Maybe it's possible that there's yet another entity created from someone's heart and Sora's that entity.
It's funny how people screamed that they bought PS3s to play PS2 games so much that Sony removed Backwards compatibility, but ever since the GoW collection was announced everyone talks about what PS2 games they'd like to see on PS3...
Honestly I've given up on trying to understand Nomura's convoluted shitfest and would recommend you do the same. The story is already pretty awful and it's only getting worse with all the unnecessary "twists" he adds in. I really only play them for the combat and disney fanservice at this point.
To me, the more it tries to be much more darker in tone, the more KH starts to lose alot of its charm the first game has. Now it just seems like a generic rpg with disney characters.
Just read some wikipedia on this Ven guy, seems like he has some kind of relation to both SORA and Roxas. Well let's see , and come on atleast announce KHIII, just so we know its gonna be out.
I'm getting tired of Nomura's art/direction style for FF/KH games.
He has made some great stuff in the past but lately it all of his characters are beginning to look identical. Just looking at the pictures, I think you could replace any of his KH characters with those in Versus XIII and nobody would realize it.
Nomura has done a good job with KH and should pilot that ship (as well as any other VII remake/sequal/spinoff) but I think his era in the FF games should be over.
He is the main reason I am FAR more excited about FFXIV than FFXII.
