“Weather sure is nice. Good morning! Last night I talked with Taba-chan about various things. 3rd Birthday of course as well as about Agito. The staff that played Re:Coded are excited and the anticipation for 3rd Birthday is growing too. It seems the trailer for the other title occuring with Re:Coded is catching a lot of attention.”

Whether or not this “other title” is referring to Final Fantasy Agito XIII or Kingdom Hearts: 3D is not yet known. But it would be very exciting for 3D to be what we have in store at TGS.

Source: KHInsider, HeartStation.org, The 3rd Birthday Twitter

North American stores like Gamestop have released that they will be getting the game in stock on September 7th, 2010, leaving us less than one week before its long anticipated arrival. Players who buy the PSP bundle from Gamestop are in for an added bonus, including a brand new silver PSP, 4gb memory stick, movie voucher, and BBS of course. Did I mention that the PSP slim models have a video out function? Meaning yes, BBS, and other PSP games, can be played on your TV with video out cables for PSP. However, these do not come with the BBS bundle. Either way, TV or PSP, Birth by Sleep will become another great installment on September 7th.

Source: Gamestop, IGN

With the already amazing scans we’ve been getting, the demo will allow for a more hands on experience in this chapter of the Kingdom Hearts saga. Which areas will be playable in the demo have not been revealed at this time, yet one may feel that just the chance to play this once Japan exclusive title will leave its players in sheer awe. Below, you can see the official trailer for Re: Coded! I have to admit, the gameplay of it looks amazing, and was that a Final Fantasy style battle I saw? Check it out!

Nomura thinks about a system’s hardware every time he’s working on a new title, and that the presence or absence of an analog stick is extremely important in how the controls are designed. Handhelds without an analog stick need special emphasis on customizing the controls so that it is enjoyable for players. He feels that Re:coded adds a refreshing new control system that was re-innovated after working on titles such as Days and BBS.

Another tweet stated the team has been given the go ahead to start preparing the projects for Tokyo Game Show 2010, and that a Re: Coded trailer is definitely in the works.

We have also received some scans from V-Jump. They have screens of Olympus Coliseum gameplay and more.

Hi everyone, my name is Takeshi Fujimoto, and I am the Art Director for KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep.

The Research

For Disney worlds such as Castle of Dreams (Cinderella) and Dwarf Woodlands (Snow White), we based a lot of the map designs on the film. Basically we watched the DVDs over and over and recreated the worlds in 3-D as accurately as possible.

For the details we couldn’t quite get from the films, we contacted Disney for help. For example, there were no scenes showing the backside of the giant ship Durgon from Lilo & Stitch, so we had to ask Disney for materials that provided a full view.

In Castle of Dreams, there’s a section where the player shrinks to the size of a mouse and explores Cinderella’s home by traveling through the mouse holes. Even Disney didn’t have materials for the “behind-the-wall” environments, so we did a lot of research on Rococo architecture from the 1750’s and created the map from scratch.

We had a lot of research materials from the previous games on hand, so we didn’t have to do any scouting. But during early development (summer of ’07), there was a Disney Art gallery that all of us went to see! We saw so many exceptional pieces that got us motivated, such as artwork hand drawn by Ivan Earl (Art Director for Sleeping Beauty). The art portfolio we bought there became a great reference for the designs.

The Challenges

It was hard to determine how much data we could use during early development, since the game engine wasn’t running optimally yet.

The first environment we worked on was Sleeping Beauty’s castle , which is covered by a hedge of thorns. In its earlier renditions, the number of polygons we implemented on the map ended up exceeding the processing limit. What makes KINGDOM HEARTS so fun is all the fast-paced action and fighting multiple enemies at once, so it wouldn’t be any fun if things started to lag after two enemies showed up, would it?

To save data space on the maps, we toned down the thorns, removed some polygons from the back of the castle, and decreased the amount of textures we used. In order to compress the data and optimize the graphics, we went through a lot of trial and error with data tests, but by the time we were six months into development the programmers had fine-tuned the graphic engine to the point where the game could run smoothly even with higher poly-count maps. We were then able to add all the detail we wanted back into the game. And because we were able to create larger maps, we could incorporate much more volume into areas like the Rumble Racing course maps, making for a very satisfying racing experience.

Of course, the amount of data we could utilize on a PSP is significantly less than that on the PS2. Things like trying to realize the Disney characters in as much detail as possible, or figuring out how much resolution to maintain on characters’ faces, were challenges we faced throughout the development process. Lowering the resolution makes the images blurry, so for the areas we regretfully had to cut on the resolution, we adjusted the colors and contrast to make the visuals pop.

It was not easy to recreate the softer lines Disney characters are known for with the limitation on polygon count. We were definitely cautious about where to splurge on the polygons!

There were challenges and difficulties along the way, but I’m very proud of the final look and feel of the world and characters.

Are you excited? Yeah, I think you’re excited. Right? Am I right? Birth By Sleep’s is almost on America’s doorstep, will you welcome it into your home?

In other news, if you’re a complete and utter fan you may just want Terra, Ven or Aqua to tag along, literally. Recently, the Square Enix Shop released the trio in avatar cell phone charm form. Below you’ll see how adorable they really are.

Ain’t they the cutest lil thangs? Want to order one you say? Oh that’s quite the little bind you’re in, because I hate to inform you that they are all sold out. Darned lil buggers went like hotcakes. Don’t worry, there will be more soon, just watch the store site diligently to make sure you don’t miss out again.

Sources: Square Enix Store, 1UP

First off we finally have the full and final BBS trailer in all of it’s finished glory in addition to 72 new Battle Screens. Both of which come with full thanks to our friends over at KHInsider.

Moving forward we have also become aware that the BBS website has been updated and now features three- count ‘em- new gameplay vids that gives a more in-depth look at what to expect in terms of the battle-system and certain other tasty tidbits like the mini-game exhibition as well as the multiplayer exhibition

Additionally you can now view the remaining worlds that were previously unavailable on the map which include Olympus, Mysterious Tower and the Mirage Arena. There are new wallpapers there as well so ya’ll should really feel free to check it all out!  What’s that you say? You want some more scans? Well just point your cursor here and please enjoy yeah?

Last but not least it was brought to my attention by Spade that if you pre-order a copy of BBS there is a special-edition psp that will soon be made available! This slick new psp will feature on of the three starring characters from the game and is all and all a must-have for any prospective BBS enthusiast. More on this will be included later, that you can bet on.

Well, till next time stay tuned and keep your eyes open!

Source: KH-Insider

On top of that one of the first reviews for Birth By Sleep has stated that it is “the best Kingdom Hearts game since the original.” The entirety of the review in all of its spoiler-free glory can be found Here. I can tell you personally from reading it I felt a glimmer of hope as well as nostalgia, not to mention a bit of excitement of what lies ahead. Such praise is highly encouraging but of course it is just one opinion, what will yours be should you choose to partake in the Birth By Sleep adventure?

Last but not least the Birth By Sleep Official Strategy Guide is now available and ready to be swiped from any local gamespot. It is currently listed as being $19.99  and will be shipped on August 31st.

Sources: Kingdom Hearts Insider, RPG Land

They specifically feature the Alice in Wonderland areas, characters profile snippets and other exciting tidbits.

The next order of business is a new Re:Coded site update. In particular, it’s been updated with characters, and worlds such as Traverse Town, Wonderland, Destiny Islands. Also featured on the front page of Re:Coded’s site are brief vidoes of the overclock and bug block combat system.
You can check them out here.
Since the site’s in Japanese, click on the tab with the Mickey Mouse head to view the newest additions of characters and worlds.

And the very last bit of news I have for you guys is the unveiling of Re:Coded’s pre-order bonus for those who reside in Japan. Ahem, drum roll please….
….
……
…….
A Kingdom Hearts Shopping bag!
It will feature monochrome illustration of the Kingdom Hearts characters. Its size will be A4 and will be made of cotton. (Oh look, its earth friendly too.) Definitely a collector’s piece for any Kingdom Hearts enthusiast. I’m fairly certain that the North American release bonus will be the exact same gift, but nothing’s confirmed at the moment. I suppose we’ll find out in the coming months. Stayed tuned to find out more.

Also, join our forums. No, we don’t bite and we’re a great group of people to get to know. Did I mention there are entire sections devoted to the discussion of Kingdom Hearts? But we have other interests besides the classic Disney and Final Fantasy crossover. So drop in and stay for awhile.

Sources: Official Re:Coded Japanese Site, KH Destiny.

First things first, the 1up developer blog. The first entry made into the Birth by Sleep developers blog was made by Tai Yasuie, the Co-Director/Battle Director of Birth by Sleep. Yasue writes that they wanted something that would be exciting to control and that gave a lot of freedom to the player to customize combat capabilities. He goes on to exlpain the different gameplay aspects of the game; the command system, controls, D-Link, Shootlock, and the evolution of commands.

IGN seems to have all the luck with BBS and it still doesn’t cease! They’ve got yet another exclusive trailer and gives a detailed, hands on look at BBS.  For any new comers to BBS, this would be a good article to read, since it pretty much explains the game without spoiling anything. GameSpot has an article in the same vane as IGN, with yet another trailer.

KH Destiny has obtained a, wait for it, whopping 62 screenshots. Yes, you read it right 62.  Some are new, some are similar to others seen before. Heres some of what you’ll see on the site,Click here to view all of them.

Some rather unfortunate news now, Birth By Sleep will not have Infrastructure mode available. For those who don’t know, infrastructure mode is a way to connect people all over the world in a multiplayer game. In this case, it would be for the Mirage Arena. Thankfully BBS does have ad-hoc, so you and your friends can play, if you’re within 60 feet of eachother.

Sources: 1UP, IGN, GameSpot, KH Destiny, Playstation

The North American site of Birth by Sleep has also updated with multiple things.

Dimension Links Video
Command Board Video
“Special” Updated/Unlocked
Shootlock Video
Disney Town World Map
Radiant Garden World Map
New screen shots of Disney Town and Radiant Garden

If you click the ‘special’ tab of the site you learn that you can pre-order Birth by Sleep and receive a BBS themed decal for your PSP if you buy from Game Stop, Amazon, or Best Buy.

Siliconera has posted an article about a new element to gameplay for Re: Coded.

Kingdom Hearts Re:coded introduces a new kind of meter, the overclock gauge. It’s the bar to the left of Sora’s portrait.

Attacking enemies increases the overclock gauge and Sora gains new abilities each time the bar fills up. The skills you can access are dependent on the type of weapon Sora exists. Some skills seen in a new batch of Famitsu screenshots include: auto potion, protect, medic, shell, and counter aero.

Sora will revisit familiar worlds, but Square Enix designed them to be different in Kingdom Hearts Re:coded. In this Nintendo DS game, Wonderland is a Space Harrier style shooter. Levels also have new stage gimmicks like the turn based RPG system for the Olympus Colosseum.

In addition to that Re: Coded has been added to Square Enix’s site for ￥5,490, about 63 dollars, and a CERO rating of A, the japanese equivalent to E (For everyone). Thankfully our games cost quite less in the NA. We also now have a complete list of European countries receiving the BBS Special edition; Germany/Austria/Switzerland, Nordic countries, Benelux, Spain, Italy, Australia/New Zealand, Russia and Cyprus. These will arrive on shelves on September 10th, 2010.

Sources: Famitsu, Siliconera