Tokyo, Japan:
Inside a Panasonic cell-phone store, demos of 358/2 Days, Birth By Sleep, and Coded were available to play today. Coded is being released THIS MONTH in Japan, so expect to see something soon.

Also, the Comic Calendar 2009 Kingdom Hearts is being released this month. There are some photos and ordering info below.

PANASONIC EVENT

Dengeki Online reported on the event that involved the 3 new Kingdom Hearts titles! The article contains demo reports plus some photos. I’ll have the compete article translated later tonight!

Famitsu also reported on the the event, focusing mainly on the release of the mobile phone Docomo PRIME series P-01A, P-02A, and P-03A. The report also contains some screen-shots of Coded which is set to release this month on the P-01A as preinstalled software. There is also a great shot of the game being played on a television screen while being handled via the phone, emphasizing the graphic capabilities of the game.

Translated Screen 1 | Translated Screen 2

COMIC CALENDAR 2009 KINGDOM HEARTS

Thanks to Arika-san from The Light In Chaos for sharing photos of the newly released Comic Calendar 2009 Kingdom Hearts featuring artwork by manga artist Shiro Amano. If you’re interested in purchasing the calendar, check it out on Play-Asia.com!

Square-Enix will be attending Games Japan Festa in a few days but, unfortunately, none of the upcoming KH titles will be showcased.
However disappointed you may feel, keep in mind that Jump Festa starts next month. We’ll keep you updated on any info that will arise.

Source: Games Japan Festa Official Website

At the Tokyo Game Show 2008 we learned that Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days will be released in February of 2009. Square Enix North America recently released a list of games that will be released during Q1, or “First Quarter”, and Days did not make the cut. (Pardon my pun)
This is not shocking news, nor is it groundbreaking, due to the fact that since Days’ release date in Japan is during the first quarter and because time is required to make the translations, advertise, and localize the game before it is released.
Q1 lasts from January to the end of March so it seems logical that Days may not get a NA release date until the end of Q2 (April through June) or even into Q3.

Stay tuned and once an official release date is revealed, you will be notified.
Make sure you check out our Twitter and subscribe to stay updated and to be notified when more news is released. 77 people already have!

Source: Square-Enix

Just one month left and you can run to your favorite Wal-Mart, GameStop, Target, (or whatever store you buy your games at) and pick up your copy of Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain Of Memories. Here’s some more Hands-On from IGN and GameInformer

IGN

The Kingdom Hearts franchise has garnered countless fans across the globe and the continuing presence of its spin-offs on various release lists is yet another sign pointing towards the continuing success of the series. When Kingdom Hearts II was released in Japan, there was speculation that a Final Mix of the game would be released as well, to follow suit with the release of the original Kingdom Hearts Final Mix. These Japan-only “special editions” included a number of new gameplay elements and new cutscenes. However, the most envy-inducing feature of Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix +, which was released last year, was the inclusion of a complete 3D remake of the GBA game Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. Fortunately for U.S. gamers, that remake is coming to the PS2 as a standalone product in the form of Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories, a card-based action RPG that bridges the gap between the two proper entries in the franchise.

Read the full article

Read the entire article

Also, if you pre-order Re:CoM from GameStop online or in the store, you get a lovely gift: three lovely character cards

Kyo here,
Sorry for the inactivity. I have had various problems with personal hard drives as well as Trojans (the sneaky things they are) completely ruin the registries of my brand new laptop.
I fixed the problem with the laptop but not the hard drive and now another computer of mine is infected with Trojans. It’s been a horrible couple of days.
And, before anyone has the chance to mention this or bring this up, I do not mean Trojan, the company that makes condoms.

ANYWAY, Gamestop has revealed their hands-on preview of Kingdom Hearts: Re:Chain Of Memories and has added numerous images of the English release. Gamestop also confirmed that the cards of the Organization members- that, previously, could only be gained when playing Re:CoM with a Final Mix+ save- will be in the NA version of the game. Make sure you read Gamestop’s preview of the game as well as check out the images they released.

Creating an entirely new franchise using popular characters from the Final Fantasy series mixed in with Disney’s animated musical cast was a move that made some fans skeptical, but the end result was one that paid off well. The Kingdom Hearts series has been met with much success, enough to warrant a new game, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, which is on the horizon for next year. Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories originally appeared on the Game Boy Advance and bridged the story gap between the first Kingdom Hearts and the second. In March of last year, the Japanese release of Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix + included a second disc, which was a remake of Chain of Memories on the PlayStation 2. It now, finally comes to North America, where Disney and Final Fantasy fans alike can relive this tale in full 3D, or play it for the first time.

Read the full review here

Source: Gamestop