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Square Enix has updated the official site for the Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix, revealing the release dates as September 10 in North America, and September 13 in Europe.

If Light Yagami was a military strategist, he’d be Shu. Continue reading ‘Mass Media 03/03/13’ »

Square Enix has revealed that the Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix will launch in North America and Europe this fall.

Source: Gematsu

Square Enix has just announced that the PS3 high definition re-release of Kingdom Hearts will launch starting March 14, 2013. Interestingly, although the release is currently for Japan only, Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix will have an English voice option alongside Japanese subtitles. As a reminder, the 1.5 Remix includes the original game (Final Mix), Chain of Memories, and 358/2 Days.

Source: Gematsu

Speaking with Famitsu, Kingdom Hearts co-director Tai Yasue revealed that the 1.5 HD Remix of the first game is between 80 and 90 percent done. KH1.5 is planned to launch in Japan next year, although a more specific timeframe has not been stated.

Source: Gematsu

In an interesting turn of events, Square Enix will be bringing older Kingdom Hearts titles to the PS3 in one tidy bundle. The 1.5 HD Remix includes HD-remastered versions of Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, Chain of Memories,, and 358/2 Days; Final Mix being the previously Japanese-exclusive re-release of the original.

No details have been given regarding the Japanese release, and a US release was not confirmed.

Source: Joystiq

Look, Blizzard, I told you: I’ll come back when you start making RTSs.  Complete RTSs, not the shenanigans you’re pulling with Starcraft 2.  Your Diablo III screenshots, while delicious, have no power over me!  I’ll not be tempted, damn you!

…I’m gonna wind up buying Diablo III, aren’t I.  Nyaugh.  Anyhoo, let’s get to some news:

• Japan makes noises about regulating a peculiar form of gambling social media sales.  Japanese game companies shriek in horror, including a few you may recognize.
• EA confirms it’s restructuring, which includes some of the previously-mentioned layoffs.  CEO John Riccitiello also owns up to the company’s distant second place in social gaming.
• All aboard the doom train: Sony posts its forecasted loss, announcing (in a roundabout fashion) a meager 1.8 million Vita sales.  Experts (and professional amateurs such as myself) opine on what may save the device.
• Microsoft, by way of Michael Pachter: “Don’t expect a lot of game stuff [at E3]; expect a lot of dashboard, interface, multimedia.”  Excellent, now I know which conference I can ignore.
• Tetsuya Nomura indicates that he’d like to see Kingdom Hearts return to consoles.  Square Enix confirmed for working on the Blizzard-Valve Timescale.
• Diablo III preorders make it bigger than Jesus, Redbox goofs on Max Payne 3, social gaming is slowing down in the US, and more!

 
Continue reading ‘What Happened This Week – Random Revenue Generators’ »

While Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance has been on sale since last month in Japan, Square Enix has announced plans to release a demo verison through the Nintendo e-Shop, starting May 2. The demo drops you in a portion of Traverse Town, controlling Sora and a preset Dream Eater party. Reportedly, you’ll need about 90mb of space and can play the demo 15 times.

Source: Andriasang

In a recent interview regarding Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance, Tetsuya Nomura dropped a few stronger-than-average hints that there may be more The World Ends With You to come. In particular he said the character Rhyme, who had only reaction voices with no actual dialogue in TWEWY, was given voice casting for KH3D “out of consideration for the future of The world Ends With You series.” Nomura ended the interview by adding that, “Regarding The World Ends With You, I can’t say anything at present… but there probably is something.”

Source: Andriasang

In an official response, Square Enix admitted to a major bug present in Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance. Although rather specific, it can prevent players from making further progress, and SE has set up an information page on how to avoid the problem. Said page is accessible here, currently in Japanese as KH3D has not been released worldwide yet.

Source: Andriasang

So yeah, how about that absolutely terrible ending to Mass Effect 3, huh? Continue reading ‘Mass Media 03/17/12’ »

Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance will reportedly feature a system that recaps the series story to date. Under a ‘memoirs’ submenu (which includes tutorials and game hints), players will be able to read summaries of previous games – Birth By Sleep, 358/2 Days, even the first Kingdom Hearts – to bring them up to speed.

Source: Andriasang

Square Enix announced a release date of March 29 for Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance, along with a price tag of ¥6,090. Apart from the standard retail version, a Kingdom Hearts Edition 3DS bundle will also include the game, though that price was not stated.

Source: Andriasang

More details have dribbled out for Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance, this time centered around the game’s worlds. In addition to the previously listed Hunchback of Notre Dame and Three Musketeers, KH3D will feature a world based on Fantasia.

Source: Andriasang

Boy, I have to go out grocery shopping on Christmas E…TOUCHDOWN PANTHERS! WOOOOOOO! Continue reading ‘Mass Media 12/24/11’ »

Square Enix has announced that Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance will see a release in North America and Europe. Although there was little doubt the title would launch in those regions – it was at E3 2010, after all – the official announcement indicates the game will be out sometime in 2012, presumably following the Japanese release in March.

Source: 1UP

Further information regarding Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance has emerged.  Apart from featuring new Disney-themed areas, old worlds will also include new ground to cover.  “Dream Eaters” play a central role, likely referenced by the game’s title.  Spirit type Dream Eaters fight alongside Sora and Riku as allies, of which you can bring two into battle with you.  Nightmare types, by contrast, serve as powerful enemies.

The game’s combat will feature new mechanics that allow certain context-sensitive actions: Free Flow Actions, which use walls and other objects to launch attacks, and Reality Shifts, which temporarily freeze the enemy in place while Sora or Riku drop to the lower screen to perform other special moves.  Lastly, Neku from The World Ends With You will make an appearance in the game.

Source: Andriasang

Coffee vs. cold medicine: the eternal struggle rages on. Hey, I needed something to stay up long enough to finish the media, what with my browser deciding that now is a fantastic time to fuss over every single image. But I ramble. Let’s get to said media: 7th Dragon 2020, Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime 3, Dragon Quest X, Final Fantasy Type-0, Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance, Lord of Apocalypse, Tales of Innocence R and Tales of the Heroes Twin Brave. Continue reading ‘Mass Media 09/22/11’ »

A new trailer for Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance from TGS was chock full of new details. First and foremost, a new world for the Kingdom Hearts universe has been announced: Notre Dame. The trailer shows Riku with Quasimodo telling him he also wants to fight.

The trailer also had another unexpected twist; it shows Sora meeting Neku Sakaraba, the protagonist of The World Ends With You, in Twilight Town. Previously, characters in Kingdom Hearts have come in one of three origins: Kingdom Hearts itself, Disney, and various Final Fantasy games. This marks the first time someone from another Square Enix game has made an appearance. Hit the jump to see the trailer for yourself.

Continue reading ‘KH 3D Gets New World, Surprise Cameo’ »

Related to its forecast revision, Square Enix has released information from a recent earnings briefing that sheds more light on its future plans. Of particular note is the intent to double its major IPs: two from its main Tokyo studio (Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Kingdom Hearts, etc.) and one each from subsidiaries Eidos Montreal, IO Interactive, and Wimbledon.

The company also aims to become more “network centric,” by way of strengthening downloadable content and digitizing catalog titles. “Revitalizing our major MMO titles” is its own bullet point in this subsection, which likely refers to the ongoing renovation effort in Final Fantasy XIV.

Lastly, the presentation also covered sales projections, revealing the numbers behind the revision: 16.85 million total sales in 2011, down from 26.66 million in 2010, with a projected 14.50 in 2012. This in spite of a marked increase in investment abroad, with spending in North America and Europe up to 8.4 billion yen from the prior year’s 5.7 billion.

Source: Andriasang