Operation Backlog Completion 2026
Oct 282016
 

kingdom-hearts-2-8-aquaYesterday was a huge day for Kingdom Hearts news.

Let’s start with something minor: this winter, Sora will be added to World of Final Fantasy as a free limited-time DLC Champion.

I’ve been enjoying World of Final Fantasy, and I’m curious if this means they’ll add other characters as time goes on. (Champions are essentially summons.)

Next, in a shocking announcement many people thought would never come, the Kingdom Hearts compilations are coming to the PlayStation 4! Kingdom Hearts 1.5 & 2.5 will be available on March 9th in Japan, March 28th in North America, and March 31st 2017 in Europe. You can already pre-order it from Amazon.

If you’re unfamiliar with the remixes, this collection contains:

  • Kingdom Hearts Final Mix
  • Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories
  • Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix
  • Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (HD cutscenes only)
  • Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep Final Mix
  • Kingdom Hearts Re:coded (HD cutscenes only)

In other words, this is the definitive way to catch up on the series aside from the content included in Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue. If you’re unsure of the correct order to play the Kingdom Hearts games, I’ve written a guide.

And speaking of which, Square Enix also released the opening movie of Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep 0.2, part of the upcoming 2.8 collection. It’s truly epic.

Finally, two new Kingdom Hearts 3 screenshots were revealed. They show Olympus and Sora using new Drive Forms, which confirms that Drive Forms will return.

Are you excited for Kingdom Hearts 2.8 and Kingdom Hearts 3? What do you think about the full collection finally being available on the PS4? Let me know your thoughts on yesterday’s Kingdom Hearts news and the awesome opening movie in the comments.

Sep 142016
 

kingdom-hearts-2-8-box-artYesterday, we finally got a release date for my most-anticipated game of 2016, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue. So when in December will it be out?

January 12 in Japan and January 24 worldwide! ……Oh.

Yes, Kingdom Hearts 2.8 has been delayed. Only by a month, but it’s still disappointing. On the bright side, at least it won’t be right up against Final Fantasy XV now.

We also got to finally see the game’s box art, and it’s beautiful.

In the center, we have Dream Drop Distance characters dramatically imitating the Final Fantasy XV cast, in the upper left corner we see Aqua and Mickey as they appear in 0.2 Birth By Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage, and the upper right corner features the critical characters of χ Back Cover.

(Specifically, the five Foretellers, Luxu, and the Master of Masters.)

I can’t decide which part of 2.8 I’m looking forward to the most: the HD remaster of Dream Drop Distance so I’ll finally be caught up on the series, A Fragmentary Passage because Aqua’s experiences in the Realm of Darkness look like they’ll be thrilling, or χ Back Cover to find out what the heck is going on.

Let’s take a look at the trailer.

(Warning: it implies some Birth By Sleep spoilers.)

Now that’s an exciting trailer! It looks like Aqua is having a rough time in the darkness, and I want to know more… but it’s the Back Cover section that really captured my attention.

Why aren’t the Foretellers allowed to form alliances? What did Invi do that made things worse? And what really got me, why does Luxu sound worried about the others at 2:07? Is he not such a bad guy after all?! Will we feel bad for him?

Meanwhile, the Master of Masters seems really sinister… oh, and is he doing his best Xigbar impression on purpose?

As you can tell, I’m more excited than ever for Kingdom Hearts 2.8. I just wish I didn’t have to wait until January. Oh well, I have a large backlog to work through in the meantime.

Things don’t look good for this year’s list of my most-anticipated games. Two are delayed until 2017, one is unknown, and I didn’t enjoy the two that came out as much as I hoped to. But at the time I made the list, Spirit of Justice didn’t have a release date, so I’ll retroactively make it my most-anticipated game of 2016. You know how good it is so far? It made me temporarily stop thinking about this trailer!

What do you think about Luxu, the Master of Masters, and the latest Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue trailer?

Jun 082016
 

Kingdom-Hearts-2.8-Final-Chapter-PrologueKingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is my most-anticipated game of 2016, and I’ll get to see most of the year before I play it.

Today, Kingdom Hearts 2.8 was confirmed for a December release.

(I was hoping for August, but oh well.)

While its glorious title can cause a bit of confusion, this is a new collection that contains:

  • Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD
  • Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth By Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage (which is brand new!)
  • Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover (which is an HD movie that doesn’t just re-tell Unchained χ, but is a different aspect of the story focused on the Foretellers)

Because of how late I got into the Kingdom Hearts series, I never played Dream Drop Distance on the 3DS. I do, however, intend to play the demo on my 3DS once I watch Re:coded.

The announcement was accompanied by an awesome new E3 trailer, because releasing E3 trailers before E3 has become a trend. I haven’t actually watched the trailer yet, because I’m still deathly afraid of spoilers, but you can enjoy it.

I’m certain (due to the explosion of 2.8 excitement across the Internet) it’s a wonderful trailer, and in a few days after I watch Re:coded, I’ll watch it and join you in your excitement!

(Update: I’ve watched the trailer now, and it’s awesome!)

Anyway, December 2016 for Kingdom Hearts 2.8. I can’t wait!