Sorry for the lack of news recently, you guys, the site was having some problems.

But now we are back and ready to give you everything you missed in the paste 30-odd days!

The first thing that should be noted is the North American Release of Kingdom Hearts Re:Com.

The game will be going for $29.99 in the US and for 34.90 Worldwide

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Now some UPCOMING GAME NEWS

The player selects “Traverse Town SPECIAL EDIT VERSION” from the main menu screen. Then they are given the options Load Game and. They select New Game and the opener begins, Jiminy Cricket is narrating. Jiminy Cricket: “Two remain containing our travel records.” Jiminy Cricket: “Inside the first book recording our journey, only one line is written.” Upon the first page, ‘Thank Namine’ is all that is written. Jiminy Cricket: “A duty…” Jiminy Cricket: “Was it carried out?” ‘We must return to free them from their torment’ is written. Jiminy brings the journals to the King and they look over the sentence together. King Mickey: “Trouble remembering that sentence…” King Mickey: “There is only one qualified to solve this mystery!” The footage then switches to Sora running across the bridge on Destiny Island. The screen goes black after that and text appears within a yellow border. It’s too fuzzy to read, but I think it’s probably updating the player on the storyline and what is going on in Coded. After that, Sora is shown being woken up by Pluto in a Traverse Town alleyway. Sora can hear King Mickey talking to him. Sora: “This place…” King Mickey: “Sora, are you alright?” Sora: “King, what is this place? What happened to me?” King Mickey: “You seem to have landed somewhere. From there, what can you see?” Sora: “Seems to be some sort of town…” Sora: “Oh yeah! My island? What happened to my island?” King Mickey: “Thanks to your actions, seems all the blocks have disappeared.” Sora: “Is that so…? Seems things have settled for the time being.” Sora: “But what about this place? This town isn’t familiar…” Sora: “Is there a disaster happening here too?” King Mickey: “Yes, seems like it. Sora, could you please check out the town?” Sora: “Understood! I’ll go look at the state of the town.” Sora then runs from the alleyway and into the 1st District of Traverse Town. Cid is to his right, standing in from of his shop. Sora: “Is this the outside world?” Sora: “I’ll go ask that person over there.” Sora: “Hello.” Cid: “Hey there, haven’t seen your face around here.” Sora: “I’m Sora! Nice to meet you.” Cid: “I’m Cid. I’m the keeper of this shop.” Cid: “So Sora, when you came here, you didn’t happen to see those guys around, did ya?” Sora: “Those guys?” Cid: “Three little brothers.” Cid: “They said they went to check out the disaster going on in town and they haven’t returned.” Sora: “The disaster going on in town?” Cid: “Weird blocks been rapidly showing up. Even if you erase them, they’re not gone for long.” Sora: “Weird blocks huh?” Sora: (Are they the same thing that appeared on my island?) Sora: “Which way do I go to see them?” Cid: “If you follow this street into the next district, you’ll find’em.” Cid: “Alright! Think you could keep an eye out for those guys for me?” Sora: “The three brothers right? What are their names?” Cid: “The one wearing red is Huey, the one in blue is Dewey, and the one in green is Louie.” Sora: “Huey, Dewey, and Louie, got it! I’ll try and find them!” Cid: “Alright then. If there’s something you don’t understand, don’t hesitate to ask anyone in town.” Sora: “Understood! Alright, I’m off!” The player runs Sora about, and then makes their way to the 2nd District. Before entering, the game asks ‘Go into District 2?’ with the ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ options. The player selects ‘Yes’ and enters the 2nd District where Sora says to himself: Sora: “This is the 2nd District. Better look for those three kids.” The player runs around the district and fighting some Heartless. When they get to the end of the area, they see Huey stuck on top of some blocks and surrounded by Heartless. Sora then goes to his aide. Sora: “！！” Huey: “Help me!” Sora: “It’s dangerous! Don’t move!” After rescuing the duckling, Sora and Huey talk, but are interrupted by Heartless again. Sora: “Are you OK? Um… You’re Huey, right?” Huey: “Yep, that’s right!” Huey: “The three of us were looking for the cause of the weird blocks!” Sora: “What about the other two?” Huey: “We were separated while examining the blocks, but I said I was looking in the alleyway.” Sora: “Is that so? Well, let’s look around for them.” Huey: “I’ll go along with you!” Huey: “Uwa-!!” Sora: “It’s dangerous! Stay back!” When the Large Body appears, Sora exclaims: “They still keep coming!?” During the battle with the Large Body we see the player select the Highspeed Debug mode from the command menu. That’s where the screen went green and the music changed, we could see Sora being trailed by ‘himself’ because of the action. Afterwards, Sora receives a Prize from the enemy. The informative text says: ★Prize★ You can obtain Prizes from Heartless and Bug Blocks. HP Balls restore HP and Debug Balls restore the Debug Gauge. From a Prize Box, you can obtain items, fragments, etc. You can use the fragments to synthesis items in the Moogle Shop. (You can’t select potions from the Moogle Shop.) Again Sora talks with Huey after the battle. Sora: “This neighborhood has a ton of Heartless.” Sora: “Since I went looking for them, Dewey and Louie probably returned to Cid’s shop.” Huey: “Yeah, I understand. Alright!” Huey: “When I examined the blocks, I found this! Here!” The screen then says: “You received a mysterious fragment.” Sora: “What is this?” Huey: “I found it when I was checking out the blocks! It was shiny and pretty, so I picked it up!” Sora: “Ah… Um… Thank you.” Sora: (Hm… Is this… junk?) Sora: “Ok! Back to looking around the alleyways!” At this point the player chooses to exit from the command menu and turn off the game. From the menu it says ‘Return to the title screen?’ with the options ‘Yes’ and ‘No’, the player then selects ‘Yes’ and is prompted again. The screen says ‘The game will save up to this point so next time the game will start from here. Is that okay?’ with the options ‘Yes’ and ‘No’, the player then selects ‘Yes’ and finishes playing.

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Square Enix NA has made another Kingdom Hearts eCard available on their Members page! Here’s the information listed on their blog. If you’re not a member yet, go sign up and get updates on the latest news coming from Square Enix!

New KINGDOM HEARTS eCard now available

The November edition of KINGDOM HEARTS Re:Chain of Memories eCard is now available for you to share with your friends and family. Send your Thanksgiving greetings with this cool new eCard and be thanked for it!You can get your hands on KINGDOM HEARTS Re:Chain of Memories next week (December 2), but in the meantime, you can get a copy of CHRONO TRIGGER, which came out today. Goodness overload!

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While it might not mean much to fans outside of Japan, for those people who interested, new information of Kingdom Hearts Mobile is now available. The avatar and gaming service is scheduled to begin in the middle of December 2008 with plans raging between 300, 500, 800, and 1000 yen. (That’s roughly $3, $5, $8, and $10.) Thanks again to the Light in Chaos blog for the update.

They shared this comment about the service:

“The mini games, Aerith’s head, and the queen’s dress are really too cute!”

The Kingdom Hearts Mobile service is available on NTT docomo FOMA 703i and 903i phones, as well as all later models of docomo phones like the Prime P-01a.

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At the moment, the only Kingdom Hearts title among the three new releases mentioned on the Square Enix featured titles list of the Jump Festa website is Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. In the past, all three titles were featured, so this may seem slightly unusual. Since V-Jump, the host of Jump Festa, heavily promotes 358/2 Days over the other titles, it’s understandable why it’s the only one listed.

Does that mean the other titles won’t appear at the event? I wouldn’t be so sure. I think it’s very likely we’ll hear about them anyways, Square Enix rarely misses a chance to promote their titles and with demos at hand, this is a great opportunity for them.

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FAMITSU.COM – The boy who appeared in Kingdom Hearts II, Roxas. This time he is the main character of the action RPG, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. This title follows the daily life of Roxas during his time as a member of Organization XIII, at the same time revealing what the Organization was up to. In this article, we take a look at the mission and cut scenes of Halloween Town.

Xion: “Hey… How could I be the same as you two?”

On Destiny Island, Xion confides her troubles. She feels “different” than Axel and Roxas, and seems to be concerned about it. Her modest desire is to be with the two of them, but it appears that wish does not come true as of now.

Xemnas: “The time is up.”

This is an event scene in the game. According to Xemnas, Member No.1 of the Organization, the group is fully prepared and ready to begin moving forward with their plans. This is the story that leads to Kingdom Hearts II.

Jack: At a very familiar place… Suddenly disappearing… Suddenly appearing…

Speaking of Halloween Town, it’s the Pumpkin King, Jack Skellington. Seems the three lovers of mischief Lock, Shock, and Barrel appear too.

Xigbar: “Hahaha! Saix sent me a really reliable guy!”

Top Screen: Information… Subdue the Dualblade*.Bottom Screen: Area- Suspended Bridge, Mission- Subdue the large scale Heartless.

Roxas is new to Organization XIII, so sometimes the other members are asked to support him on missions. But on the contrary, this time Roxas is the member doing the supporting.

*Dualblade is the name of the enemy Xigbar and Roxas are fighting in the last screenshot.

Credit to KHINSIDER for Translation

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In other news, in a press report released by Square-Enix announcing the arrival of Re:CoM today, they also made the official announcement that Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days will be releasing in North America. While this may not be much of a shock to a lot of you, it certainly is good to finally have an official confirmation. Read the excerpt of the press release below:

About KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 Days

Uncover the events that took place during the year Sora was asleep regaining his lost memories. KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 Days revolves around Roxas, the “other” hero from KINGDOM HEARTS II, and his days as a member of Organization XIII. Follow Roxas and the rest of Organization XIII across the various Disney Worlds, and discover the connection between him, Sora, and the mysterious 14th member, and the reasons behind his eventual departure from the organization. KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 Days also features a multiplayer mode for the first time, allowing players to control their favorite Organization XIII members!

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The Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days Japanese Official Site has updated with some new content. A new section entitled “Events” has been added. In the event section, there are currently three events, each event – when clicked on – plays a short video clips followed by two. Each event contains some information on what is taking place. The three events up now are: Roxas’ entering the Org, Roxas and Axel atop of the Clock Tower and Mickey meeting a Cloaked man in the Twilight Town forest. Under the “Characters” section, a profile for Xion has been added.

We plan on having the translations for all new content up shortly, until then, be sure to check out the site Here.

Source: Square Enix’s Official Japanese 358/2 Days Site

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CHARACTER PROFILES

XION

She is introduced as member No.14 into Organization XIII. Similar to Roxas, she is one of the few wielders of the Keyblade. Probably since it’s a common feature between them, she seems to get along with Roxas well, and opportunities to hang out with both Roxas and Axel increase. Triggered by events during missions, she comes to gradually doubt her own existence.

SECRET PROFILE – ROXAS

Xemnas: “Do you desire significance?”

KINGDOM HEARTS

The boy with no memories and no name

appeared in front of the haunted mansion

of the dusk city, Twilight Town.

Xemnas: “You are a new person.”

Appearing in front of that boy

was the one called Xemnas, the leader of Organization XIII.

He bestowed the name “Roxas” to the boy.

Roxas: “Again, a dream of that guy.”

Then about 1 year later—

KINGDOM HEARTS II

Roxas awakens inside his room in Twilight Town.

For the past few days, he’s been having mysterious dreams.

He is spending the remainder of his summer vacation

with his friends. Then mysterious events surrounding

Roxas begin to occur one after another.

Axel: “The wielder chosen by the Keyblade.”

Axel, a member of Organization XIII,

appears before Roxas.

He approaches him,

incessantly trying to make Roxas remember something,

but he is unable to remember anything.

Roxas: “Am I feeling Sora…?”

As such things continue,

Roxas comes to have doubt about his own existence.

Roxas: “What will happen to me after this?”

And so Roxas is lead to arrive at the mansion,

where he would come to know the truth about his existence…

SECRET PROFILE – AXEL

Axel: “So… Are you already Marluxia’s puppet?”

KINGDOM HEARTS

CHAIN OF MEMORIES

A member of Organization XIII,

Axel is the life of the Organization.

He often goes to Castle Oblivion,

a place controlled by the Organization.

There he comes to meet the Keyblade

wielder Sora and his fellow companions.

Axel: “If Sora disappears,

it could be dangerous for the Organization’s plans too.”

The plans of Marluxia,

the person in charge of Castle Oblivion,

were thwarted by Sora and company.

Axel alone returns from Castle Oblivion

to the other Organization members,

having harvested some kind of feelings from Sora.

Axel: “The wielder chosen by the Keyblade.”

KINGDOM HEARTS II

Axel left Organization XIII to recapture his close friend Roxas,

so he entered into the virtual Twilight Town and

urged Roxas to recall his memories.

Axel: “I’ll meet you in the next life.”

However, the memories of Roxas won’t return,

and in the end Axel has received commands

from the Organization to erase Roxas.

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INTERVIEW WITH NOMURA

KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep

—How do you express “KH Birth by Sleep” in a word?

Nomura: It’s Kingdom Hearts, evolved.

Yasue: It’s like a wonderful course made up of unexpected spices. To take in everything, from the unprecedented presentation, and every little bit of technology; it combines to complete a three star game.

Yoshimoto: It’s gonna be fun for the PSP.

—What does “KH Birth by Sleep” mean for you?

Nomura: Since the concept was “inevitable fate”, I wonder now if making this game was inevitable?

Yasue: Working on this thing was like competing in an Olympic event with a mix of an 100m race, an obstacle competition, a marathon, and wrestling! I ran my hardest at full speed, flew over the obstacles, used pinning techniques, made decisions, became annoyed, and after it all, I couldn’t even decide on a guts pose.

Yoshimoto: It was a mountain with invisible giants atop it. The climb is steep and difficult.

—How is “KH Birth by Sleep” different than other games?

Nomura: There probably isn’t another portable game with the same volume and feeling of variety as this.

Yasue: Times three is a big characteristic! There is three main characters, three stories to follow, and three game systems that are directionally totally different from each other. That’s three times the excitement!

Yoshimoto: The scenarios of the three main characters is the main feature! The image display challenges the limits of the PSP, it’s gritty but gorgeous! And the Disney characters are surprisingly luxurious! This is KH Birth by Sleep, it’s what everyone is anticipating.

KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 Days

—How do you express “KH 358/2 Days” in a word?

Nomura: A painfully sad story and bold system.

Hasegawa: A Kingdom Hearts everyone can play together.

Yamamoto: Careful scenarios! Crisp action! A cool collection!

—What does “KH 358/2 Days” mean for you?

Nomura: Day after day of trial and error.

Hasegawa: An encounter with new friends.

Yamamoto: Because of the new experiment with the multiplayer interaction, it was about keeping the action itself in mind and sustaining a conventional feeling on the DS hardware

—How is “KH 358/2 Days” different than other games?

Nomura: I think with the stand alone story characteristics and the systematic nature of the multiplayer, the ways people will enjoy the game differ depending on the player.

Hasegawa: You can play as members of Organization XIII!

Yamamoto: In multiplayer mode, everyone will run about and play together, it’s a fresh idea!

KINGDOM HEARTS coded & mobile

—How do you express “KH coded” in a word?

Nomura: The components were carefully selected simply throughout it.

Tabata: Anyone can play it at their own pace, it’s the Kingdom Hearts game that continues and expands on the story people are looking forward to.

—What does “KH coded” mean for you?

Nomura: Including the portal site, it’s a compilation of information on the mobile phone.

Tabata: The portal site becomes a compilation of know how through the mobile game.

—How is “KH coded” different than other games?

Nomura: It’s the front for linking to the Mobile portal site. Also, I want to hype it up as a place for communication for fans of Kingdom Hearts.

Tabata: Linking not only through KH coded, but also through the Mobile portal site, all the players of Kingdom Hearts can come together in the Mobile world and enjoy it together.

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COMPLETE JUMP FESTA COVERAGE

KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 Days

- The Japanese release date for 358/2 Days has changed from February 2009 to Spring 2009.

- A new illustration featuring Roxas, Axel, Xion, Riku, and Mickey was displayed.

- Luxord and Demyx were introduced as playable in the multiplayer demo.

Arika-san from the Light in Chaos blog has played as both Luxord and Demyx in the 358/2 Days multiplayer demo.The first time she wanted to play as Demyx, but another player stole him. So she played as Luxord. He reportedly fights by scattering around cards which gives a wide attack range. He has high magic stats but low mobility, also doesn’t jump very high. She came in first. When she played as Demyx, she reported that he had strong magic attacks and that using skills like Thunder was very helpful. But since the number of spells a person can cast is limited, she had to be cautious not to run out. When Demyx was idle and not fighting, he sings and dances with his sitar. She regrets that she could not here his voice during the demo.

- The single player missions were the same as at Tokyo Game Show 2008.

1. Axel in Twilight Town
2. Xaldin in Beast’s Castle
3. Xigbar in Halloween Town

- 358/2 Days was the only Kingdom Hearts game to feature a new trailer.

358/2 Days Trailer Impressions from The Light in Chaos & FF&KH Online:BGM: Passion -after the battle- Voiced scenes. Xion: Who the heck am I…? Destiny Island. Roxas is standing on the shore and picks up a shell. Roxas: Xion… Twilight Town. In the pod room Sora sleeps. Namine: If it’s connected to another memory, surely she can’t endure it Diz: She? Beast’s Castle. It looks like it immediately follows the DKS3713 scene. Riku defeats Xion, she is fallen over, the keyblade that left her hand disappears. Xion: You say this keyblade is a fake…? Don’t say such a selfish thing! Xion moves to grab the abandoned keyblade. Xion: Hyaa–! Riku avoids her attack and deals a blow to her side. Xion: Augh… Riku: Here’s some friendly advice, get away from those guy’s base immediately Riku: If you do, you can be together with those two people Riku starts to walk away. Destiny Islands. Riku and Xion are talking beside the paopu tree. Xion: Do you hate me for taking away your friends? Riku: No… But I’m sad Xion: I’m sorry, but I can’t disappear now The King and Riku (as Ansem) appear in the forest. Riku puts on the blindfold and regains his original appearance. Destiny Island. Axel, Roxas, and Xion are together by the paopu tree. Xion: Do I not exist? Axel: What are you going to do, Xion? Xion: I… I want to be together with the two of you Roxas: Well, then come back Xion: But… I can’t return as it is now Xion: How can two people be the same? Twilight Town forest outskirts. Xion is being detained by Axel. Axel: Xion! … What are you doing? Xion: I’m… I’m going back to where I belong Axel: At first, I thought that was the best thing to do too… Axel: But… I couldn’t accept that. There had to be something else I assume these lines are in the same scene, but the bloggers weren’t specific. Axel: Even if I become a dusk, it’s fine Xion: At any rate, I’ll still be erased The World That Never Was. Saix: Your worthless friendship or the annihilation of Roxas Saix: Which one is more important to you? Castle Oblivion (Destiny Island world) Roxas: Huh? Zexion: Surely you knew this would happen Riku: Why would I know that!? Riku is standing behind Roxas. It’s very similar to the scene in Chain of memories, except that Roxas is present. Twilight Town, the clocktower. Axel and Roxas are waiting for Xion. Axel plops himself down beside Roxas. Roxas: Still… It’s getting late After Roxas mutters, Axel stands up. Twilight Town, open tram space. Roxas is on his own and Xion turns the keyblade on him, then Axel enters. Roxas: Wait! Xion points the keyblade toward him. Roxas: !! As they are about to fight, a chakram flies out and Axel appears. Then Axel and Xion begin fighting. Roxas: Cut it out! Xion: Hya–! Ha–! She fights back against Axel, they don’t hear Roxas’s voice at all. By the way, Axel fights in complete silence. Roxas looks to the sky. Roxas: Stop it! Also, Roxas does not have his keyblade. -Battle scenes- Twilight Town clocktower. Roxas and Xion are there, she is wearing her hood. Xion stands up. Roxas: Huh? Xion removes her hood, Roxas looks surprised. Xion: My power, it’s going to be fulfilled very soon. Like a vessel overflowing with water, now my memory is full of memories of Roxas. To Roxas… How do I appear now? The title appears, coming this Spring.

Not voiced scenes, not in any particular order.Beast’s Castle. Xaldin (So it seems): The master turned into a monster? (It’s probably part of the mission in Beast’s Castle) Blogger forgot where. Xion finds a seashell. Xion: This, it was put here for me. She puts the shell to her ear. Xion: I can hear it… Yeah, I can hear the sound of the waves. Twilight Town. Roxas: Xion can use the keyblade too. White Room. Axel: There’s nothing here. Xion: Lies! My secret is here Blogger forgot where. Roxas: If Xion and I are special Nobodies, (blogger forgot) Blogger forgot where. Roxas and Xemnas are talking. Roxas: What’s wrong with ___?* Xemnas: It’s an important Organization member, I’m going to take a rest now. *Blogger just lists ??? for the person The World That Never Was Castle. Xion is alone in a room and appears to be crying on a bed. Xion is sitting with her knee pulled up. Xion: What should I do…Riku? Blogger forgot where. Axel (So it seems): Recently it’s Xion who has escaped. Olympus Coliseum, Xigbar and Roxas. Xigbar: We’re also entering the tournament Roxas: Huh? I’m entering too!? Continuance of the Coliseum conversation? Roxas: Demyx! What are you doing here? Demyx: What, I’m here to help you out! Anyways, that Xigbar guy sure is strong! Xemnas and Saix stand over Roxas sleeping in a bed. Saix: As I thought it seems to be the influence of Namine Xemnas: Is he waking up? Saix: ??? Xemnas: Axel, Xion, Roxas. They have shifted again (???) Roxas gathered up seashells and brought them to Xion. The World That Never Was Castle. Xion: I… It wasn’t me? Xion looks downward in sadness. Twilight Town. Roxas: Xion uses the keyblade too. Xion: Roxas too? Twilight Town white room. Namine and Xion are together. Xion: What should I do? A mission where Xion is wearing her hood is shown. The first appearance of multiplayer mode with Demyx and Luxord is also shown. Olympus Coliseum. As Roxas fights on his own, Sora seems to bear the damage he takes too. On the top screen Roxas fighting Heartless and this HP display is shown. On the bottom screen, Sora is shown without the HP display and Heartless. In the battle scene where Roxas and Sora overlap, there was a Shadow heartless with Sora. However, since his movements don’t match Roxas’s exactly the same, so he often misses the Shadow. ??? (Facing Roxas): Xion is different from you Twilight Town. Roxas: The members in Castle Oblivion are being annihilated– Axel: It’s because I’m strong

KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep

- The playable demo was the same as at Tokyo Game Show 2008.

- The trailer shown was also the same one shown at Tokyo Game Show 2008.

KINGDOM HEARTS Coded

-The demo and trailer was also the same as shown at Tokyo Game Show 2008.

KINGDOM HEARTS Mobile

-The demo and trailer was also the same as at Tokyo Game Show 2008.

- Players received a clear file and postcards after completing it.

- There were also promotional cards with info to add Tetsuya Nomura to your Mobile friends list.

A HUGE thanks to RXS from the forums for putting this together in about 30 minutes!

That’s all for now, check back later!

Kx.

Hello readers, the latest edition of the Japanese magazine Degeki Wii + DS contains an extended interview with Kingdom Hearts Director Tetsuya Nomura. In it, Nomura discussed the three upcoming KH titles, a new website for fans, as well as some hints of what will be revealed at the Hearts Director Tetsuya Nomura! There is discussion on all three titles and hints of more to come from the Tokyo Game Show 2008.

KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 DAYS
The keywords of Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days: “I can’t remember, something important.”

―― First let’s talk about KH 358/2 Days, it features the nobody Roxas as the main character?

Nomura: The KH series has consistently revolved around the theme of the “heart”, but now Roxas is the main character who joins up with Organization XIII who are said not to have hearts. Since the original KH, heart and memory are thought to be closely linked, therefore the theme drawn in this title is that of “memories”. So this time the catch copy of the title also becomes keywords: “I can’t remember, something important.”

―― Will the adventure of Roxas proceed the same as Sora did by traveling from world to world?

Nomura: It’ll be a little different. The main concern is the sticky situation with the worlds Sora has been since it can’t contradict with the story of KHII. This time the objective of the events happening in the Disney worlds is to influence Roxas, gradually producing some sort of change in him. For instance, in the Beauty and the Beast world, upon seeing the Beast and Belle, is Roxas able to recognize their love?

―― Will the content of such scenarios move the player to tears?

Nomura: I write the base scenarios for KH every time, but this time I think the surprising content is really being able to get a feel for their quiet everyday lives. (Smiles) Personally, I don’t want the contents to resemble that of previous developments. When I’m writing, I never think things like, “Oh, this’ll make the player cry.” That process is really up to the players, right?

―― Does the connection between the titles become a matter of concern?

Nomura: Naturally, there’s much to keep in mind. There are various parts to think about, like “this thing has to be connected with that kind of thing,” or fussing over things like the sea salt ice cream. (Smiles)

―― So we heard the lines spoken by the 14th member at the private event held in August.

Nomura: Really it was planned to reveal her voice in the scenes at the next event. (Smiles) It’s a curious thing, everyone is wondering which character her voice connects to. Already people are guessing she is the nobody of some character, but then who is Xion really? What becomes of her heart? This will be explored more at Tokyo Game Show this Fall, so please look forward to it.

―― Multi player mode is prepared for this title as well, what kind of concept were in mind?

Nomura: We wanted something simple that 4 players could communicate and enjoy together, but not be something that was just going to steal the game’s attention. The experience made in the main story can be utilized in multiplayer mode, likewise the experience made in multiplayer mode is useful in the main story, this system reflects them mutually.

―― Because the player can choose from the members of Organization XIII in multiplayer mode, it seems like an adjustment to balance them would be needed…

Nomura: Indeed. But growth among them will be a common element. In the multiplayer mode, the characters can be customized based on the progress made by Roxas in the main story. That growth is based on the parts of data being transfered, it’s a fairly bold thing to do.

―― Speaking of boldness, in the demo version, the player could operate the camera using the lower screen, that was also a bold idea.

Nomura: Moving the camera by directly moving one’s finger across the touch screen made sense, even for players who generally aren’t used to that sort of thing. It was also popular among staff, though it was their opinion that “it was difficult to operate with the stylus.” Therefore operating with the stylus is optional. (Smiles) Still, some people will resist touching the screen with their fingers. In the current version you could only survey left and right, I though that you wouldn’t need to look up or down, but the opinion of the staff was that “it’s inconvenient unless the player can look up.” Will there be room for improvement? (Smiles) The current demo is only one part of the game. At this time there are more cool things to do, so please look forward to it.

KINGDOM HEARTS MOBILE

Make an avatar in KH Mobile and it will become a resident of the world in the palm of you hand!

―― Kingdom Hearts Mobile starts on the mobile phone, what kind of service will it be?

Nomura: The portal site for KH Mobile will be crammed with KH related information and items. You’ll be able to look up information on the games of the KH series, mobile phone screensavers and ringtones will be available, the plan is to have this site contain everything related to KH so that it can easily be accessed on the mobile phone. But in order to keep it from being a dull general information site, users can create avatars. So when the user wants a new screensaver or ring tone, they take their avatar to the town shop and make a purchase (downloading it).

―― Will users be able to change their avatars after they’ve made one?

Nomura: As for that, they’ll be able to do it freely. (Smiles) Your avatar could have the face of Sora and body of Riku. With accessories and costumes, and customizing the face and hairstyle little by little, the users can create good variations. In order to do so they’ll have to go to the town shop and purchase these things (download them).

―― Other than the avatars, will site information and other buyable items be updated?

Nomura: It’s intended to be updated regularly. As the number of buyable items increase, hopefully event items for every season will become available.

―― Will contents of Kingdom Hearts Coded be available on KH Mobile?

Nomura: Well, KH Mobile will be the first out, so from it you’ll be able to choose to play KH Coded.

―― When does the service start?

Nomura: It’s announced for this Fall, but the portal site is earnestly being developed so that is ready in time for Tokyo Game Show. There isn’t a particular update yet, but it’ll be an fun place people will want to play at.

KINDGOM HEARTS CODED

The keywords of Kindom Hearts Coded: “A forbidden secret.”

―― KH Coded is the direct sequel of KHII, could you tells about it’s highlights?

Nomura: The content of KH Coded is similar to that of KH Chain of Memories (COM below). Even for players who aren’t aware of the previous story, everyone will be able to deepen their understanding
of the KH series. Therefore people who already fans of KH will really want to play this game by all means.

―― What kind of concrete development will it have?

Nomura: The story investigates the mystery message left inside Jiminy’s Journal, so like in COM the characters travel through the past. But like the case of COM, a new drama following KH unfolds, those intervals will enter as original episodes. In the case of KH Coded, they visit the same Traverse Town but something is different. Why is that? Examining those kind of parts close up becomes the content of this game.

―― A very deep story seems to unfold.

Nomura: It’s breadth is not so vast, but the inner part of the story becomes deep. At the private event last month the keywords “the forbidden secret” were compiled in the trailer, so generally speaking that becomes the image of this title.

―― In recent screenshots, depictions of arrows on the screen are shown, are these instructions for attacking?

Nomura: The arrows indicate the order of input for the direction keys. The system works by inputting the keys in order which results in a simple combo of attacks. Since it’s operations are suited to work on the mobile phone, it becomes similar to ordinary mobile phone operations.

―― Will KH Coded also be released via mobile delivery format?

Nomura: That’s right, but it won’t be released in it’s entirety. Because the KH series is based on moving through the worlds while advancing the story, I’m thinking that the new worlds for the title will be distributed gradually.

KINGDOM HEARTS BIRTH BY SLEEP

The keywords of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep: “Connections of the heart.”

―― What kind of theme is drawn up in the story of KH Birth by Sleep (BBS below)?

Nomura: The theme seems to revolves between “connections of the heart” and “fate.” When it is played last, the player will understand that the KH story that take place afterwards is one “not of chance, but a story that becomes inevitable.” Unlike the tender atmosphere of the older games, this one is serious. Because it is a very sad story, people have asked “how do you manage it?” when involving Disney works. (Smiles) A painful story unfolds. Though KH “isn’t that kind of thing”, this time we’ll try to progress the story in that direction.

―― Terra, Ventus, and Aqua appear as the main three characters, but what kind of characters are each of them?

Nomura: Terra is the type who makes his goal’s his highest priority. But he’s not a bad fellow, though his stress on obtaining his goals causes conflict. The story of Ventus seems to feel closer to the ones of KH seen so far. He is able to make friends with the dwellers of the worlds he visits and is the type to blend into a world naturally. Aqua is a serious character, she has a steady mind and often worries about the other two. She is eyewitness to the recent events, therefore she takes that sort of a standpoint.

―― How does the story of these three advance?

Nomura: They advance by taking separate actions on the same time axis. For example, when Terra visits a certain world and the other two people have not been there yet. There by naturally the connection to the particular world changes too. Such story development will really be the charm of BBS.

―― As for the play order of each character, can the player decide?

Nomura: I assume that it’s being developed right now. Therefore depending on the order chosen by the player, if they have not played as Terra yet, and they choose Aqua and start visiting worlds with her, they’ll understand the actions of Terra early. (Smiles) That might not be what was expected or hoped for, but I think it will be a little interesting.

―― If all 3 characters come together in the ending, will the entire image of the story become clear?

Nomura: Indeed. For instance, the mysteries of Terra are revealed in Ventus’s story. Overall, it’ll have this type of composition.

―― Terra is power based, and the from the demo it’s obvious Ventus is based on combo + speed, but what type of character is Aqua?

Nomura: Aqua is special. As for the type, she is magic based, though it is considerably tricky. Fight while rotating like a spinning object, doing cartwheels, that sort of thing. (Smiles)

―― After grasping the feel of the game play, the combat system seems considerably based on powering up.

Nomura: Seems like it, with locking on to multiple enemies using the Shoot Lock System to attack and customizing the deck of skills. At the demo the deck of skills was already pre set, but in the actual game you’ll be able to edit it freely. At first BBS was expected to have a fighting system closest to the older games, but now it seems that KH 358/2 Days is and BBS’s system has evolved. The feeling is more like, “you can’t fight like Sora with this system,” therefore a real taste of managing the keyblade is shown.

―― Of the stories heard in these three titles, it seems BBS will probably be the last to release, are you thinking about future titles after these?

Nomura: Considering the nature the KH series, I do not intend to end it here. Even as BBS is being made, I am thinking about the future and how it connects. Thus, please continue to support the KH series.

Thanks to forum member Tidus-dude for the tip, and thanks to KH Insider for posting the interview. And a special thanks to Leno from Final Eclipse for taking the time to type up the interview, and to forum user RxS for making the images you see above.

A rumor is going around that during Square Enix’s presentation at the GameStop Expo, yesterday, KH CoM was mentioned being released on the PS2. But that’s not all! There’s a good chance it could be released outside of Japan!

Once Square-Enix was up, there was a small mention of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. When asked if it was the one that was included with Final Mix II in Japan, they confirmed it with a nod. There hasn’t been any official announcement through Square, just a small mention…

This is congruent with the rumor in July that an English voice cast audition was held, which means that there is a good chance that this rumor is true. However, until an official announcement from Square Enix has been made, this will also run under the category of Rumor.

Source : Kotaku

As more people have a PlayStation 3 now, I figured this would be more useful now than it was at the time, so I reposted it. The compatibility issue only applies to people with backwards compatible PS3s that don’t include the Emotion Engine.

Also, a few people asked about it anyway.

Sony recently put up a website for people to check the compatibility of PlayStation 1 and PlayStation 2 games with PlayStation 3:

Your version of Kingdom Hearts may result in problems but Kingdom Hearts II shouldn’t. You need to check your product code (found on the spine of the box or on the disk) first. Click to enlarge:

Riku Edit: Apparently if you have the latest software update, codes SCES-50968 and SCES-50969 now run without problems. SCES-50967, previously unlisted, has minor issues. SCES-50970 still has major noticeable issues, and apparently SCES-50971 also does now too. Any codes beginning SLUS should work without issues.

Hey everyone!

Well, this past month we’ve been having a lot of news swarming in. I’ll just post them in a brief sum up of them:

Kingdom Hearts 2008 Calendar

The Kingdom Hearts 2008 Calendar was announced to be released on November 16th in Japan, and to our surprise it was released a day early! A blog user has been kind enough to provide the public with some scans:

Kingdom Hearts: Dawn of a Friend (Trading Card Game)

The Kingdom Hearts Trading Card Game is currently available. You can purchase it in your local store or through: Fantasy Flight’s Game Store. You can also check out the official website for more info, and for the commercial which we will get to later on.

KH: Visual Concept Book

“The KH: Visual concept book is set to be released on December 14th in Japan. A neogaf forum member has posted up the following info:

“The latest issue of Japanese magazine Dengeki PS has announced that Square Enix is to release a new concept visual book on December 14, 2007. The book, called CLOUD, will be published by Media Works.The book is going to feature many Square Enix titles, but will focus mainly on Fabula Nova Crystallis and Final Fantasy VII. Among the titles: It’s a Wonderful World and Kingdom Hearts.Included in the book is a special DVD. This DVD, according to the magazine, features the new trailers of Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy Versus XIII and Final Fantasy VII AC: Complete.This time, by the way, it’s for real.”

FFG announces KH: TCG commercial

It seems as though a KH: TCG commercial will be airing. Make sure to keep an eye out for it in select cities!

Fantasy Flight Games to Air TV Advertising for the Kingdom Hearts TCG

Roseville, MN (November 19, 2007) Fantasy Flight Games announced today that they are initiating a four week television advertising campaign for the Kingdom Hearts Trading Card Game in select cities.

“We’re excited about reaching a new audience of gamers,” said Jeremy Stomberg of FFG. “Kingdom Hearts is a hugely popular brand, and we’re hoping that these commercials will help make US and Canadian Kingdom Hearts fans aware of the availability of the TCG in North America! We hope that retailers in these markets will experience the blockbuster potential of this new game.”

The 30-second commercial will be shown in the Minneapolis/St. Paul, Baltimore, Seattle, and Atlanta media markets. Channels will focus on the Cartoon Network, but will also include Toon Disney(Atlanta only), the Sci-Fi Channel (including spots in the highly anticipated Battlestar Galactica movie on November 23), as well as spots during the December 9th Video Game Awards on Spike TV. The commercial will run continually from November 19th through the 16th of December.

Firstly, Some in-depth descriptions of the trailers showed in the Squenix Closed Mega theater will be featured in a new issue of Gemaga Magazine!

Next,It seems as though a blog user from The Light in Chaos went around the Square-Enix Shop recently, and took some images of the new and old items they have in stock.

Plus, Jeux France updated their website tonight with 3 new Magazine Scans featuring the upcoming Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. These images, taken from Nintendo Dream magazine, are nothing new, but do give us a better look at King Mickey’s role in the game, alongside a conversation between Axel & Saix..

Lastly, it seems as though Kingdom Heart’s TCG website has now been put up by the publishers Fantasy Flight Night. The website contains various information such as rules, an FAQ, card products, about the game and more! Not only that, they have a video about the game up which you can view on their official website. Here

Stream

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Hey Guys! It’s that time of year again…… Jump Festa 2008 is coming and the Kh3 staff will be giving coverage of it! Jump Festa is an annual party or exposition in Japan, all about anime and manga, sponsored by Shueisha, creators of the various Jump anthologies. New movies, manga, games and merchandise are introduced during this event. The tradition is that of already existing material a special item or episode is produced and presented at the convention to prove the makers aren’t out of ideas and to experiment. They also showcase new and old trailers of video games and many announcements. This year it will be taking place on Dec. 22-23.

The coverage will be starting two days before the event as Pre-Jump Festa coverage. We’ll be sure to keep you up-to-date this year.

See ya real soon!

Info from TKH