200°

10 strange facts about the Kingdom Hearts franchise

Gamepro: It's been almost nine years since the Disney-Square crossover Kingdom Hearts debuted on the PlayStation 2 and the series has developed a strong following in the near decade since. To celebrate the release of Kingdom Hearts Re:coded, we've unearthed the following 10 strange facts about the franchise.

4839d ago Replies(3)
rrw4839d ago

what wrong with kurt zisa?

ps3rider4839d ago

a new fact: its not coming to PS3 . WTF

ps3rider4839d ago

as long they didn't announce it. it consider as a fact.

MidnytRain4839d ago

A Kingdom Hearts for the PS3 seems like a no-brainer. I can't imagine whatever obscene reason they have for neglecting a KH3.

Seferoth754839d ago

Well they may make one, it just most likely wont be on PS3.

rezzah4839d ago

I dislike the fact they actually toned done violence since when people go to watch the movies its not like their toning done the violence in them.

Still Its sort of understandable since its dealing with Disney Characters. However the main reasoning behind this is those whos job is to look for scenes that are "too" violent must think video games make kids violent (though Im sure there are some exceptions in the world but very few). Those people should pay attention to others games released here from within america (BO, which many kids averaging age 10 play).

MidnytRain4839d ago

The whole 13 fetish is interesting. Hopefully, it will be explored in a proper sequel. On another note, the Lance Bass thing is just disturbing.

Show all comments (15)
120°

Kingdom Hearts Is Too Hard To Get Into

Trying to break into Kingdom Hearts is a nightmare.

Read Full Story >>
thegamer.com
wwinterj104d ago

Play the first game. That is a simple enough story to get into the series.

Crows90104d ago

Was going to say the same. It's really not hard to get into.

Hofstaderman104d ago

My advice; play the games in release order. Alot of people say story chronological order but that can be really confusing. Trust me.

Inverno104d ago

Read the manga, story makes more sense there.

-Gespenst-104d ago (Edited 104d ago )

I think a problem that SE is going to run into (or already has run into) with this series is that a lot of the people still following it were kids / teens when they played the first one, and are now much older. I know I'm finding it increasingly hard to tolerate the childishness of some of the stuff in these games, and I'm sure there are plenty of original players who have since just stopped following the series for this reason. I can't count the number of times I was playing KH3 and just feeling like, "What the f*** am I doing?"

SE can keep the series PG-13, and try to get a new audience of kids, but how do they intend to get kids into a series with a story that has been expanding since 2002, and over the course of like a dozen games? Especially when there are already loads of newer franchises out there that have already pretty much cornered the kids / teens market.

Honestly, I think they should either end the series once and for all, or take it in a more mature direction, and ditch the Disney stuff (I know, unpopular opinion, probably). It is a series that hasn't really grown with its audience, I feel. Alternatively, they could try to steer it in a more all-ages Studio Ghibli direction, sort of like Final Fantasy.

banger88104d ago

I felt this way with KH3 as well, ended up dropping it around half way through. I won't even bother with KH4.

CS7104d ago

Same here. Kingdom Hearts 3’s dialog was way to childish for me and I only played just to finish the story and wrap up the near 15 year wait.

I doubt I would be buying any other games unless they go in a more mature (all-ages) direction as OP said.

jambola103d ago

It doesn't help with Sora's loud stretched out constant yelling either

smashman98104d ago

you gotta remember Disney has to sign off on everything they do with KH. Disney is super protective of their IP,

Either way I don't disagree with you on a lot of this stuff becoming more and more of an issue. But it's okay that fans grow out of things like this. But if they do decide to keep it more for the young audience then they will have to solve the problem that the article mentions.

-Gespenst-103d ago

Yeah, I just don't know what they could do to get all the kids invested in it at this stage. The only thing I can think of is a total reboot, but that would be an enormous project, and they clearly have no intention of doing it. I mean, the series has just embarked upon another "saga", which, if it's anything like the last "saga", will take another 2 decades to complete, will consist of 6+ games, and will convolute the overall narrative even further (if that's even possible). It seems to me that, if this is SE's plan, and if they want people to still care about the series in 5-6 years time, then their only real option is to try to appeal more to a non-adolescent audience. Otherwise, the kids won't care because they won't have a clue what's going on, and the adults won't care because the series is too childish.

Having said all that, the Yozora stuff, and the footage we've seen from KH4, does seem to MAYBE indicate that the series is going in the direction I'm talking about, but it's too early to say for sure. KH4 might look completely different the next time we see it, knowing SE.

Crows90104d ago

Kingdom hearts 3 is horrible ..that's why you felt that way. It's the worst in the series by far.

FinalFantasyFanatic104d ago

My issue is with the decline of the writing which has been an issue for Square-Enix games across the board. KH3 should have gone out with a bang and felt very satisfying, but instead it was like a wet tissue and left feeling like I missed a lot of content. Having said that, KH3 was probably the last KH game I'll purchase.

Rainbowcookie103d ago

Im playing 3 as my first one and I got that same feeling. Enjoying the variety and combat but im not into the story...too confusing.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 103d ago
GoodGuy09104d ago

Indeed. If you wanna give it a try, just go with 1-3. The other games are unfortunately needed to know but you can just youtube all the cutscenes by order of release of each game.

Show all comments (25)
100°

8 Best Games Set In A Multiverse

One of the biggest TV and movie tropes in the last decade has been the multiverse, the idea of exploring multiple dimensions to uncover alternate versions of existing ideas. From both a business and creative perspective, it makes sense why established franchises are shaking things up in this way.

However, there aren't many video games latching on to this trend, as rendering multiple worlds in real-time is a difficult feat and the medium is relatively young in comparison to its contemporaries, making crossover opportunities more difficult. Still, there are a few great titles that manage enough to overcome these challenges, and here are some of the best examples.

Read Full Story >>
thegamer.com
Christopher283d ago

While I love someone mentioning Planescape, not really multiverse. Planes and dimensions, yes. But, they are typically their own locations and are very rarely tied to another 'verse' let alone another plane. The only things that are directly tied are the ethereal and material planes. Otherwise, they are dimensions created of their own design and goals by the creator/owner and not comprised of 'their own version of another dimension'.

70°

Final Fantasy XVI Combat Owes A Lot To Kingdom Hearts Staff

NP: “When I played through Final Fantasy XVI, I occasionally found what I believed to be evident Kingdom Hearts gameplay inspirations that I’d rather not detail here due to spoilers. Still, with it having been previously confirmed that Kingdom Hearts staff was working on this title, the notion wasn’t all that surprising.

However, I didn’t realize how truly instrumental Kingdom Hearts team members were in developing Final Fantasy XVI. After digging through the title’s credits, I found crucial Kingdom Hearts development staff who played significant roles in ensuring the combat design excelled.”

Read Full Story >>
noisypixel.net
288d ago