Someone finally got a cheat code to access any “room” in Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+ (Edit: AND the original Kingdom Hearts II), including the hidden area in Hollow Bastion! You can now see it in full including the full spiral staircase, corridor, and the Room of Sleep itself - It starts at 5:30, but it’s worth watching the rest:

Edit: Not that this is relevant, but I’ve just noticed there are 20 caged rooms in the corridor and 20 chains from the centre of the Room of Sleep to 20 Nobody Symbols on the wall.

And now, the Official Square-Enix website has a subsite for Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep to finish off the sites for the trilogy. Click below to access it:

I’m guessing there’ll be no more news until Jump Fiesta itself which does take place on 22nd and 23rd December. A full list of Square-Enix titles is at:

Edit: All of the official sites are accessible from the updated Official Kingdom Hearts Homepage.

The Official Square-Enix website now has a subsite for Kingdom Hearts: Coded as well. Click below to access it:

Expect to see a Birth By Sleep site soon as well!

Eh? Check this out.

In an interview with CNET Japan, Square Enix president Youichi Wada talked about his company’s future strategy and the state of the overall game industry. Wada apparently is content with the industry’s current state, saying all segments (software, hardware as well as the arcade business) are performing very well. Asked about the three next-generation consoles, Wada explained the Wii was so successful, because it was different from PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Wada considers the Xbox 360 exactly the opposite of the Wii, namely a game machine targeting the hardcore audience. As for PlayStation 3, the Square Enix president said he still wasn’t sure yet where Sony Computer Entertainment wants to position the system. Therefore, he wants Sony to clearly define, whether PlayStation 3 is marketed as a game machine or a high-powered consumer electronics product.

Looking ahead, Square Enix’s top executive wants to establish Square Enix as the top company in the game business. While he admitted it would be difficult to achieve this goal within a five year time period, he was confident that the company will belong to the top 3 in five years.

Let’s hope Sony gets it’s genre of players figures out.

Source: http://japan.cnet.com/

The Official Square-Enix website now has a subsite for Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days. Click below to access it:

It doesn’t state anything we don’t already know except:

So there should be a lot of new information to come from Jump Fiesta this year!

The other interesting thing it states on the site is how the title is said, which has provided some controversy, and this still isn’t confirmation: “Kingdom Hearts Over 3 to 58 Days”

I just wanted to quick post these up, for they really do help out alot of what we can expect from each of the portable handheld games!! Enjoy!! Ohh..and by the way..Nomura talks about the “relationship/connection” of why Roxas and Ven are so similar in the KH: Birth By Sleep interview(but he doesn’t give out too much info.)

Nomura Interview - Birth By Sleep (PSP):

Interviewer: Can you tell us a bit about the development of Birth By Sleep?
Nomura: Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep is being worked on by the same team that created re: Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep’s development had originally started before the development of re: CoM, but production was stopped to complete re: CoM. At first it felt a bit weird starting the project again. I believe this project started before the other two of the Kingdom Hearts games, and I also believe it will be the last to hit the market.

Interviewer: The game still relates to Birth By Sleep? [KH2: FM+’s secret ending]
Nomura: The secret ending [from KH2: FM+] is actually a scene from Birth By Sleep, therefore the title of the game is also the same. However, because it is difficult to express such a violent battle as playable content, the secret ending [from KH2: FM+] is an image of the end.

Interviewer: How much talk was put into it, as it seems to be a game taking place in the past.
Nomura: This game goes the farthest back in the Kingdom Hearts timeline, about ten years before the original Kingdom Hearts. There is a screenshot of two children playing on the beach, and I believe the fans can understand what that means. [Sora and Riku as children?]

Interviewer: In the story it’s said that there are “Three Scenarios by Three Heroes”. Is there a relation between each scenario?
Nomura: There are three Heroes: Terra, Ven, and another character in Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. We have already prepared a story for each of them. Therefore, in a way you can say three games were made at the same time. (Laughs) It’s difficult to zap through the explanation right now, as we are still creating all of the scenarios. However, the beginning will be a bit hard to understand, but by completing all three scenarios, the player will understand the entire story.

Interviewer: Do the names of the three heroes represent something? Nomura: In Kingdom Hearts, Sora meant Sky, Riku meant Land, and Kairi meant Sea. In this game, the three meanings make a large impact on the game.

Interviewer: Do all of the scenarios take place at the same time?Nomura: All of the scenarios do take place around the same time, however there are also some gaps between the timelines. Also there are times when all three heroes will meet.

Interviewer: Is the playing order [for the scenarios] decided yet?
Nomura: I believe it would be better if we gave the players a freedom of choice. However this is still being talked about, but I believe it would be better to choose whoever you want out of the three.

Interviewer: What is the importance of story?
Nomura: For example, the name Xehanort is bought up in Kingdom Hearts 2. The game will answer several things like, “Why is the elderly person who appears in Birth by Sleep bringing up the same name?” and ,”Why is he wearing the same clothes as Ansem in the original Kingdom Hearts?” Another thing I want to bring up, is, “Ven has the same hairstyle, face, clothes, and voice of Roxas, but just who is he?”

Interviewer: Is the voice actor of Ven the same as Roxas?
Nomura: Yes, it is the same actor. Therefore the player will only look at Ven as Roxas from Kingdom Hearts 2.

These are keys that will be revealed from playing Birth By Sleep. You will be able to separate Ven from Roxas with ease; I will hint though by connecting the story between Roxas and Sora, you will understand who Ven is.

Interviewer: May I believe that the one you fight in KH2FM+, and Terra are the same person? Because they both use a very similar kind of Keyblade.
Nomura: If they really are the same person or not is uncertain, though it doesn’t matter if you think they are the same person.

Interviewer: In Birth by Sleep, after all three are divided, the king appears? Nomura: It may be deeply related to the story,however I cannot tell whether or not that he is a”King” at that current age. This is because the development of Birth by Sleep will contain a very serious story. [Meaning…Mickey hasn’t been officially crowned a king yet??]

Interviewer: In Birth by Sleep, is the gameplay done by choosing action commands lined up in command list?
Nomura: I believe it is necessary to say first, The Command Menu that was shown to the public [A.K.A scans, and video] has now changed. A system close to that of re:COM has been created, feeling like a command deck. However, the present screen shots show it was a bit too close to the idea of re:COM. The battle screens you see in the images now, have already been changed. However the operating sense is similar to that of the Kingdom Hearts series. The gameplay has slight influence from the DS game “It’s a Wonderful World”.

Interviewer: Are there any features for the Growth System? (Leveling System)
Nomura: A new Growth System has been added into the game, in which you have to match four obligations with the scenario (?). We tried this variously because it was a bit hard with the PSP. However we made the best use of its Analog.

Interviewer: Are there new enemies you can confirm that are not shown in the screens?
Nomura: The new enemy is not a Heartless, or a Nobody, because the story takes place before even they appear. I can only give out more information, little by little, as time passes: an example being like the Shadow enemies that are heartless, and the Dusk enemies that are nobodies.

Interviewer: With the PSP, will it be possible for two people to communicate through a connection method?
Nomura: It’s too early to answer that, however, there will be some features that will be taking advantage of the PSP. [Monkey Note: I believe they are discussing the possibilities of things like wifi, however, only 358/2 Days has been confirmed to have multiplayer].

Nomura Interview - 358/2 Days (DS):

Interviewer: Is the beginning of 358/2 Days going to focus on Roxas’ birth?
Nomura: Roxas’ birth will be covered in the game’s prolouge, however the game really begins at the time in which Roxas enters the Organization XIII.

Interviewer: Will this game have an ending that has already occurred, like Crisis Core had?Nomura: Where do you think the end is? The point is, how did it get to the point where Roxas to left the Organization? The details of that will be discussed game.

Interviewer: Will we be going through Disney worlds in this story, like previous Kingdom Hearts games?
Nomura: The story does not entirely progress going from world to world, but there is a progression in story.

Interviewer: Is the 14th Organization Member [Newly Revealed] a new character in the Kingdom Hearts Series? It appears as though the character is…a woman?
Nomura: I should bring it up now, that the XIV member is not Namine, since some people believed it to be Namine by seeing the trailer. However it will be explained as to why there’s no pillar for this character, as well as why she never appeared in Kingdom Hearts 2.

Interviewer: In the trailer, four characters are shown playing simultaneously. Is this possible in game?
Nomura: Multiplayer can be played with up to four people. Not only that, multiplayer gives a sense of freedom, as this mode has no effect on the story. But it is possible to choose less then four, for the multiplayer content.

Interviewer: How does the multiplayer mode progress?
Nomura: The point is to basically complete given missions. For instance, defeating an enemy or whatever the goal of the mission is. There are various goals, both big and small. There is a constant feeling of competition in multiplayer, so sometimes the player may forget just what the goal is!

Interviewer: Is multiplayer mode possible for one player only?
Nomura: Multiplayer mode is rather complicated ; we had to design a growth (leveling) system. For example, when Axel is used in Multiplayer mode, Roxas will gain some extra experience from this as well. Also, you are able to customize your character freely.

Written by: Kh3fan02 from the forums

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

Download WMV
Download MOV HQ
Download MOV LQ

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

Excuse me for my abscence. It seems as if I’m the only active one here at the moment.

No worries. My friends at the kingdom hearts forums will help me out with the info. We’re going to keep this site going till Alex gets back from whatever he is doing.

=) I’ll post some info tommorow. Alot of info I suppose.

Kota~

Xaldin from KHV received an anonymous email containing the first known recorded footage of Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days for Nintendo DS, presumably recorded at the Tokyo Game Show. It’s only 3 seconds long, but it’s worth it:

For those of you who can’t recognise the areas, it includes Roxas in his Organization XIII cloak:

• First in Twilight Town battling Yellow Operas and Shadow Heartless
• Then in Wonderland battling Shadow Heartless
• And finally outside the station in Twilight Town battling Darkside

Currently, it seems all the enemies are the same as in Kingdom Hearts I, but we’ll have to wait and see!

This is nothing new, but there’s been no news for a while now; so I compiled this together from the Tokyo Game Show to use on the forum. I’m sure you know all of this already. I’ll edit this tomorrow as there’s still a lot more that should be added.

KINGDOM HEARTS NEWS AT THE TOKYO GAME SHOW~

The past month has been abundant with Kingdom Hearts news, what with the highly anticipated Tokyo Game Show 2007 taking place. There were quite a lot of interesting announcements given regarding the future of Kingdom Hearts. Here are the main stories which have got people talking:

NOT ONE GAME… BUT THREE~

Prior to the Tokyo Game Show this year, there were a lot of Kingdom Hearts fans hopeful that Square-Enix would announce a continuation of the popular series - a Kingdom Hearts 3 for the next-gen - but they had bigger plans for us.

Tetsuya Nomura had earlier given an interview stating that Kingdom Hearts fans should expect to see a side-story on the DS, PSP or mobile phones, giving the option of three characters and left us to guess what would happen and debate about which would be the better game to play – well, we needn’t have bothered because Nomura planned on releasing all three! I don’t think many people anticipated him meaning all three, but it was a nice – if not surprising – announcement. Square-Enix showcased off three trailers of these games, unfortunately in a private screening. All we had to go by were written up descriptions of the trailers, and here they are along with all of the other important information we have already.

BIRTH BY SLEEP~

WHAT DO WE ALREADY KNOW?

☆ The unseen trailer~

Here is a description of the Birth by Sleep trailer:

Scenes of the ending of Kingdom Hearts 1 flash by on the screen, and two phrases are seen clearly onscreen. One reads “Deep Past” and the other “Shut-Eyes gives birth to the concealed fate.”

We are then confronted by a young boy who looks like Roxas conversing with another young boy with black hair. Their surroundings seem to resemble Hallow Bastion (Radiant Garden). The name “Ven” is thrown outward, referring to the boy who looks like Roxas.

The scene change various times before stopping at an iamge of the Old Man from the KH2FM+ secret ending. He is called “Master Xehanort” by Terra. Soon after, Terra summons his keyblade and the screen changes.

Various worlds are shown, and one of which is familiar to us all. “Olympus Colliseum” is making another comeback, followed by a brand new world, that of which resembles Sleeping Beauty.

The video then changes back to Terra battling against a dark figure, whom you can tell is male. This is the same man from the Secret Ending of KH2FM+, the one who the Old Man creates. Terra is able to forceably get the man’s helmet off, but his face is concealed.

King Mickey is shown summoning kis keyblade, and then the scene changes very quickly to Terra on a beach. He seems to be watching two boys play in the ocean. After he rests his weapon into the ground, the two boys he was watching are clearer and they look like Sora and Riku. Soon after, Terra says “Please don’t depend on me, just erase me… friend.”

The phrase “Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep” arises.

–

☆ The scans~

High quality scans of Birth by Sleep can be found in the following links:

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m274/bekkiglittz/Pictures/09da0145.jpg

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m274/bekkiglittz/Pictures/947c4974.jpg

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m274/bekkiglittz/Pictures/43613330.jpg

–

☆ The plot

Taking place in the past, this game will focus on the scenes we have already witnessed from the secret endings found in Kingdom Hearts II and Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+. Three apprentices go in search of their missing master.

–

☆ The characters~

Terra - Already seen previously in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix as a boss, he is now one of the three playable characters you can control in a choice of three different scenarios.

Master Xehanort - A mysterious old Keyblade Master, also resembles Xehanort’s Heartless a lot, but I wonder if this means anything?

Aqua - Shares a connection with Ven, although we do not know what kind of relationship they have. So far, her role in this game is undefined, as she hasn’t been mentioned a lot.

Ven - His true identity will be explored in Birth by Sleep.

–

☆ The confirmed worlds

So far, there have been a few new worlds confirmed - and some not-so-new. Here is the full list so far:

• Sleeping Beauty

• Olympus Coliseum

• Cinderella

• Hollow Bastion

• Destiny Islands

• Sunset Horizons (A fan-name as far as I’m aware)

–

☆ The console~

Birth by Sleep will be released for the PSP.

–

☆ The release date~

So far, unknown. All we know is that this game has been planned to be released last out of the three games.

–

☆ The timeline~

This game is set before the events of Kingdom Hearts 1.

–

☆ The gameplay~

An improved version of the deck system used in CoM will be used in Birth by Sleep. However, instead of cards, the user will choose from commands, which will be implemented into their menu.

–

358/2 Days~

WHAT DO WE ALREADY KNOW?

☆ The unseen trailer~

Here is a description of the 358/2 Days Trailer:

We are introduced with the scene where Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories had came to an end, and are then confronted with the phrase “The other side attached to Sora still sleeps”, along with “The mind comes back whenever they touch.”

The video then focuses upon Roxas and Axel, sitting atop the clock tower in Twilight Town. This seems to be the same scene from Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix+. Soon after, the video shows Roxas being invited into Organization XIII. He is being greeted by all, and introduces himself, and they do the same to him. Then the scene fades into Roxas actually joining the Organization.

Following this is a short clip of Mickey talking about Axel, and Saix near Roxas. Roxas is shown pulling out both of his keyblades, and it moves into gameplay. The gameplay confirms indifenatley that you may play with Roxas, Axel, Saix and Xigbar.

Xemnas then mentions something very interesting. He explains that a 14th member has joined their Organization, and that this member is female. This scene is quickly followed by the title of the game: “Kingdom Hearts 358/2 days” and a whsipering Roxas saying “I will disappear from this world in 151 days”

–

☆ The scans~

High quality scans of 358/2 Days can be found in the following links:

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m274/bekkiglittz/Pictures/5b0cdb65.jpg

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m274/bekkiglittz/Pictures/642a0e82.jpg

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m274/bekkiglittz/Pictures/5f333379.jpg

–

☆ The characters~

Every Organisation 13 character WILL be playable, according to Tetsuya Nomura. We also know that a 14th member will be introduced - a female member - but nothing is known about her yet, except that she ISN’T Naminé and that she wasn’t present in Kingdom Hearts 2.

-

☆ The confirmed worlds

Not many worlds have been confirmed so far, but Wonderland is making a return.

• The World That Never Was

• Twilight Town

• Wonderland

-

☆ The console~

358/2 Days will be released for the DS.

–

☆ The release date~

So far, unknown. All we know is that this game has been planned to be released first out of the three games.

–

☆ The timeline~

This game takes place from Roxas’ birth, (in KH1), his entrance and time in the Organisation, into the events of CoM, and when he leaves to find more about himself and his TRUE self, and then eventually, when he gets taken to the digitised Twilight Town.

–

☆ The gameplay~

There will be single and multiplayer options in this game, and Tetsuya Nomura has revealed that there is a bonus to using both modes:

“The character’s growth is shared between the two modes,”

Also during multiplayer mode, the bottom screen of the DS can be used as a chat system, if you wish. Players will be able to communicate with each other as they play the game; by drawing pictures on the screen! Although not official yet, Nomura and his team are planning to add some further plans to this feature.

–

CODED~

WHAT DO WE ALREADY KNOW?

☆ The unseen trailer~

Here is a description of the Coded trailer:

When the video begins, we are introduced with a series of images, followed by the words “Kingdom Hearts: New Concepts and Game Titles.” Right after this, the ending to Kingdom Hearts 2 plays, followed by the phrases “The secret ending has been dealt with, and the worlds extend once again” and “flow”.

The screen fades back in to Jiminy Cricket and the phrase “Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories”. He is peering into his journal, noticing a phrase he cannot remember writing. It reads “You need to return, to heal the wounds”. This phrase seems to alert Jiminy in some way, as he runs off to report the finding to King Mickey. The king is startled by the discovery, but only replies with “Only he is the one who can solve it.”

We fade in and out to Sora standing on the beach at Destiny Islands. He is wearing his Kingdom Hearts 1 style clothing, but he is only shown as computer data being transmitted.

When the image of Sora dissapears, a battle scene commences. As Sora is moving blocks around to finish a puzzle game, heartless are attacking from all angles. The gameplay mechanics seem very odd. After the puzzle is finished, a command called “Debugging” appears on the screen. After being activated, Sora moves extremely quickly and then vanishes.

The last scene includes Sora and Mickey in Traverse Town. Mickey says to no one in particular “I was here on that day.” and “Let’s speak truly”.

We are then presented with the name of the game: Kingdom Hearts: Coded.

-

☆ The scans~

High quality scans of Coded can be found in the following links:

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m274/bekkiglittz/Pictures/b0511241-1.jpg

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m274/bekkiglittz/Pictures/b0511241.jpg

–

☆ The plot~

After finding an entry in his journal that he didn’t write, “we must return to free them from their torment,” Jiminy confronts King Mickey about it and so he digitizes the contents (along with himself and Sora), and they go and investigate.

–

☆ The characters~

So far, we only know about Sora, King Mickey, Jiminy Cricket, Donald and Goofy.

–

☆ The confirmed worlds~

Not many, but Traverse Town is coming back.

• Traverse Town

• Disney Castle

• Destiny Islands

-

☆ The console~

Coded will be released on the mobile phone.

–

☆ The release date~

So far, unknown. All we know is that this game has been planned to be released second out of the three games.

–

☆ The timeline~
This game apparantly takes place after the events of Kingdom Hearts 2.

–

☆ The gameplay~

Half puzzle game, half action/RPG. There will also be something called ‘Debugging mode’ in Coded, and basically this means that Sora will confront bugs (the type found in your computer, not insects) when he approaches normal enemies. Sora will need to clear the bugs (that look like blocks) in order to fight. We have already seen a screenshot of this. The bugs also have other purposes too. They can be used to help Sora get higher up, and they can be used in puzzle games.

–

We should expect to see the trailers at this year’s Jump Festa - December 22nd-23rd - but nothing is confirmed yet. Let’s hope, anyway.