NEW "Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep" game !

[disneyboy20022]

Also it's not going to on the PSN Network anytime soon so PSP Go owners are mighty ticked....as am I since i have one but im getting the bundle.....I saved up for it once there were rumors about it not being on the go...

Although alledgedy the reason its not going to be on is to prevent excessive pirating BBS, though I heard it's already been leaked....so much for that brilliant plan of keeping it unleaked

[ajmrowland]

Yeet, the PSN logo is at the bottom of the NA site-and is on every ad that appears for the game these days.

[avonleastories95]

I hope they do like what they did with Chain of Memories and release this (and Days) on the PS2(Not the PS3!)

I second that, Kracken Guard! Birth By Sleep is sure to be an excellent game, which would be a pity if it is, because we don't get a chance to play! Someone is sure to put a Gameplay video on YouTube. Maybe we'll Youtube it (that is, if copyright violations don't get in the way).

[Disney's Divinity]

Also it's not going to on the PSN Network anytime soon so PSP Go owners are mighty ticked....as am I since i have one but im getting the bundle.....I saved up for it once there were rumors about it not being on the go...

I'm not sure I know what you're talking about. What is the PSN Network and what does it have to do with BbS? You don't need anything else to play BbS except a PSP, right?

Oh, btw, I probably won't play this game 'til Christmas. I just won't have time this semester to play it like I would want to, and, besides, maybe the price will go down some by then and my mom won't have to spend as much to buy it.

[Big Disney Fan]

Does anyone know who does the voices of the Seven Dwarfs?

[ajmrowland]

Also it's not going to on the PSN Network anytime soon so PSP Go owners are mighty ticked....as am I since i have one but im getting the bundle.....I saved up for it once there were rumors about it not being on the go...

I'm not sure I know what you're talking about. What is the PSN Network and what does it have to do with BbS? You don't need anything else to play BbS except a PSP, right?

Oh, btw, I probably won't play this game 'til Christmas. I just won't have time this semester to play it like I would want to, and, besides, maybe the price will go down some by then and my mom won't have to spend as much to buy it.

Right, you dont need anything except the PSP. the Playstation Network is the online services provided for free for PS3 and PSP owners. various games both new and old are available on the Playstation Store.

[ajmrowland]

been up all night playing this game.

[ajmrowland]

the command board minigames r fun and challenging

[Coolmanio]

the command board minigames r fun and challenging

Yeah, and I really like the Ice Cream Beat Mini-Game.

I am currently only at Terra's Final Boss thanks to University, and I am playing in the order of Terra-Ventus-Aqua.

[ajmrowland]

that was a tough boss on proud mode.

[Mason_Ireton]

Well here's some fresh news

accordin to kh2.co.uk

Square enix Japan has annouced a final mix of Birth By Sleep, it'll contain even more content aside from US verison, including a new world, Monstro (damn wish we got Monstro/Jungle Book)

http://www.kh2.co.uk/kingdom-hearts-bir ... vealed.php

[Disney's Divinity]

I hate Square Enix. I don't know why I even bother with their games.

[DisneyJedi]

Well here's some fresh news

accordin to kh2.co.uk

Square enix Japan has annouced a final mix of Birth By Sleep, it'll contain even more content aside from US verison, including a new world, Monstro (damn wish we got Monstro/Jungle Book)

http://www.kh2.co.uk/kingdom-hearts-bir ... vealed.php

Seriously?! As if a Final Mix of KH2 wasn't bad enough!

[Mason_Ireton]

At least I can import Birth By Sleep: Final Mix, can't wait for more screen's of Pinocchio's world, i'd be surpised if they were actualy savin Jungle Book's world for the final mix since half of it was finished minus the world's main characters.

[ajmrowland]

at least we can import it without trouble. i already have the other two.

[Disney's Divinity]

Well, I’ve finally played and finished Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, and I just watched Blank Points. I waited until after my classes were over so I could focus.

Overall, I have to say this game made me excited about the series again. With this and 358/2 Days, they managed to repair some of the damage that was caused by KH2. It still annoys me that Nomura has to make everything a convoluted mess, but I‘m glad he tweaked the mythology so some of it makes more sense now.

I loved what they did with the worlds in this one. The three perspectives helped you from feeling that they were just re-hashing the movies shot for shot (a la KH2). I love love loved[/I] Cinderella’s world; easily my favorite. I loved Ventus’ storyline there, rat-size. Aqua’s was probably the most boring story there, but I love how she fell off the banister when growing to normal-size, and then tried on the slipper, too. Although I’m still shocked that they would actually “kill” the Tremaines in the game--that was one of the darkest things they’ve done. At that part in Aqua’s story when Tremaine started using the Heartless, I started to roll my eyes because they were turning the stepmother into Maleficent 2.0, but when they had her lose her heart so easily, it made me feel better. Lol

On that point, I don’t think they’ve managed to fix what they’ve done to Maleficent, if that’s even possible at this point. They’ve turned her into a joke--she’s some pathetic old witch who won’t stop coming back in these games (v. the darkness mentor and master-mind from the first game). She and Mickey were practically the only Disney characters that had serious roles in the story, and now they’ve turned her into some cartoon-ish gag.

I really loved what they did with Hercules this time though. Zack was actually a really fun character--it was hilarious when he asked Aqua out. Hopefully, in future games (because you know Olympus Coliseum will be back), we’ll get to explore Thebes or Mt. Olympus, and meet some of the other gods and fight the other Titans. I enjoyed Neverland and Deep Space more than I thought I would; those aren’t really film favorites of mine. I was a little disappointed that we didn’t get to fight the Evil Queen in this game, and instead had to fight the Magic Mirror twice. I’m guessing Disney was touchy about how SE would do that, and didn’t want them to change the fact that the dwarfs save SW. Still, maybe they could’ve had Terra fight her at the end of his story there, with her surviving to become the hag after he leaves.

As far as the game system goes, I thought it was the best one so far. KH and KH2 didn't really offer a lot (except for the Drives from the latter), and CoM's battle system (with the cards) was overly difficult at times. The three characters were given noticably different styles, and thankfully we got a Critical mode where the game can actually be a challenge. Also, I actually enjoyed the Command Board mini-game. I usually hate their mini-games.

I have to say I’m still confused by the Terra/Xehanort storyline, just because at some point they’re taken by the darkness (leading to the Ansem-Heartless-wannabe from the first game and the Nobody-cares-about-Xemnas from KH2), and I don’t know how Terra could survive that. And I don’t really understand why Ventus’ dark side (the masked boy) looked like Sora, considering Ventus and Sora didn’t join until after everything went down. Also, I think it’s a sore misstep that they didn’t show Leon, et al at Radiant Gardens (along with some other FF characters that probably lived there, since the name is partly based on FF8) or that they didn’t give more screen time/roles for the Org. members. And the Unversed are really the Heartless, right? I figured it was just another name for them before they became known as the Heartless, but the game never really tells you.

With Blank Points, I’m guessing we’ll finally get to go to the realm of darkness in KH3--whenever that is. I just hope they don’t wait too long, or I’ll get bored again. Birth by Sleep was easily the best game since the first one. I really hope they keep going strong. I’m really looking forward to seeing more of Aqua and Terra.

KH - 9/10
KH2 - 4/10
KH:CoM - 6.5/10
KH: 358/2 Days - 7/10
KH: Birth by Sleep - 9/10

EDIT: I also forgot to mention how cool it was that they had Kathryn Beaumont (Alice) play Kairi’s grandmother and tell the story of the light/darkness.

[ajmrowland]

SPOILER POST

Ven and Sora *technically* did not join until after BBS(in a cheap manner). at the very beginning, after xehanort extracted Vanitas from Ven, he took him to his "boyhood home", supposedly the night that Sora was born(even though Ven should've been 11 and voiced by a younger actor). Somehow, that affected still-new Van.

Terra/Xehanort is simpler to understand. Xehanort's Heartless was essentially Xehanort, whereas Xemnas had more of Terra. I like Xemnas as a villain, btw.

[Kossage]

*UNMARKED SPOILERS AHEAD*

I have to say I’m still confused by the Terra/Xehanort storyline, just because at some point they’re taken by the darkness (leading to the Ansem-Heartless-wannabe from the first game and the Nobody-cares-about-Xemnas from KH2), and I don’t know how Terra could survive that.

Terra's will was simply that strong, and he was most likely backed up by Eraqus's heart as well, which is implied in the secret ending.

And I don’t really understand why Ventus’ dark side (the masked boy) looked like Sora, considering Ventus and Sora didn’t join until after everything went down.

This similarity is due to Sora's heart connecting with Ven near the beginning of the game, and had anyone else connected with Ven's heart, Vanitas would look like that person. Note that we don't see a clear shot of Vanitas's face without the mask until after Ven had connected with Sora's heart. However, Vanitas's appearance before Ven's connection with Sora has yet to be revealed.

And the Unversed are really the Heartless, right? I figured it was just another name for them before they became known as the Heartless, but the game never really tells you.

The Unversed are not Heartless; they were born from negative emotions when Ven and Vanitas were separated. Vanitas basically controls them and you could say they're extensions of him.

[Disney's Divinity]

Yeah, I'd asked the same questions at kh2.co.uk and got a lot of the same answers. Thanks for the replies!

I think The Unversed were a bit unnecesarry to introduce, when they could've easily used the Heartless (considering both Eraqus and Maleficent are users of the Heartless). Very bizarre.

Anyway, I've finished this and now there's another! KHRe:coded has got a few mediocre reviews, but I'm not trusting them. I've enjoyed all the side-games so far--yes, even CoM. Plus, the commercial for this looked awesome. And more Riku!

Unfortunately, classes just started, so, again, it'll have to wait. Besides, I still have to finish FFXIII (I'm in the middle of Chapter 10...ugh).

[ajmrowland]

except they couldnt've easily used the heartless, as the diaries in KH1(or 2) clearly state that Heartless were a very new discovery made after BBS.

But it doesnt mean they're entirely excluded. From the only existing screen, it seems the "Secret Episode" in Final Mix will have players battling Darkballs.