kingdomhearts3
Latest
'Spider-Man' and 'God of War' highlight Sony's E3 PS4 sale
Sony might not officially have a physical presence at E3 this year, but that isn't stopping it from holding its PlayStation Days of Play sale. Not only is there a limited edition, 1TB PS4 in steel black ($300) and a discount on the jet black PS4 Pro ($350), but you can get $20 off a PS Plus 12-Month membership and $30 off an annual PS Now subscription.
'Kingdom Hearts' PlayStation VR experience launches tomorrow
Square Enix released a VR Kingdom Hearts experience for Japanese gamers in January, so where's the release for everyone else? Right around the corner, apparently. Sony has confirmed that Kingdom Hearts: VR Experience will be available on February 28th. The free PlayStation VR title serves as a sort of trip down memory lane, letting you relive key scenes from the Disney/Square crossover from Sora's perspective. This isn't a slice of familiar gameplay in 360 degrees, unfortunately, but it might spark some familiar emotions.
What's on TV: Super Bowl LIII, 'Kingdom Hearts' and 'Velvet Buzzsaw'
And we're back! After a few weeks off we're catching up with what's coming to your TV screens this week, including the Super Bowl and Netflix's art-world thriller Velvet Buzzsaw. In gaming, Kingdom Hearts III is the biggest release this week, and ESPN's 30 for 30 focusing on Deion Sanders airs Thursday night. Look after the break to check out each day's highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).
Sora is all about the 'gram in 'Kingdom Hearts 3'
In Kingdom Hearts 3, Sora gets an iPhone. Sorry, a "Gummiphone." The fictional handset was built by Chip and Dale (I like to think their company is called Acorn Computers) at Hollow Bastion, one of the fictional worlds dreamt up for the Disney-meets-Square-Enix mashup series. The Gummiphone allows Sora to call his friends and, conveniently, both deliver and receive plot-critical information while he travels with Donald and Goofy to distant worlds. It also takes pictures -- and oh boy, does Sora take a lot of pictures in Kingdom Hearts 3. At least, my version of the keyblade wielder does, anyway.
‘Kingdom Hearts 3’ brings you closer than ever to Disney’s worlds
People love Kingdom Hearts, the long-running Disney and Square Enix mashup, for a few reasons. There's the accessible and mesmerizing combat, which trades the turn-based roots of the Final Fantasy franchise for a frenetic blend of keyblade combos, summons and transformations. Some fans also enjoy the bizarre and, at this point, borderline nonsensical storyline concerning Sora, his friends and the eternal struggle between light and darkness. Others are simply enamored by the chance to explore their favorite Disney worlds with Donald Duck and Goofy. If you fall into the latter camp, good news: The Disney and Pixar-themed locales in Kingdom Hearts 3 are absolutely stunning.
'Kingdom Hearts 3' leaks six weeks early
It's not unheard of for games to reach players days before launch thanks to supply chain leaks, pirates or overeager retailers. Square Enix, however, is dealing with something considerably worse. The developer's Tetsyuo Nomura has confirmed that copies of Kingdom Hearts 3 are circulating roughly six weeks ahead of the game's January 29th debut. While Nomura didn't say how the Disney-tastic crossover RPG got loose, he did confirm that Square was "aware as to how this all happened."
Sony has a PS4 Pro bundle for 'Kingdom Hearts III' fans
If you're a Kingdom Hearts super fan, you know the third installment of the franchise is just around the corner. Don't worry if you're currently without a console to play it on, Sony has you covered. On January 29, the worldwide release date for the upcoming Kingdom Hearts III, Sony is dropping a limited edition PS4 Pro bundle centered around the title. The package is available for $400 in the US or $500 in Canada.
'Kingdom Hearts 3' trailer shows off 'Big Hero 6' world
Back in 2015, Square Enix confirmed that Big Hero 6 would be a playable world in Kingdom Hearts 3. Since then, though, we've heard zilch about Hiro, the lovable Baymax and the rest of San Fransokyo's residents. Well, the wait is finally over. During a "Lineup Tour" event ahead of Tokyo Game Show, Sony revealed a new Kingdom Hearts 3 trailer that shows cutscenes and gameplay from the superhero-inspired locale. As expected, Sora, Donald and Goofy team up with Baymax and eventually acquire a transformational Big Hero 6 keyblade called Nano Arms. Combat sequences take place on a bridge, atop a skyscraper, and on the city streets.
'Kingdom Hearts 3' made me feel 15 again
Kingdom Hearts II was my jam. I can't recall the number of times I've played those opening hours in Twilight Town. When the game came out in 2005, I was a 15 year-old grappling with adolescence and the relentless pressure to figure out my career path. Kingdom Hearts, with its colorful Disney worlds and random Final Fantasy cameos, was the perfect escape from reality. Over time, though, my interest in the series has waned. I enjoyed Birth By Sleep, but found the rest of the spin-offs to be underwhelming and full of needlessly convoluted story beats.
Watch Square Enix's E3 keynote right here at 1 PM Eastern
How do you catch the news as it happens from Square Enix's E3 media briefing if you aren't in LA? You watch along with the publisher's livestream embedded below starting at 1PM Eastern, naturally. In a few minutes we'll (hopefully) find out more about Dontnod's next Life is Strange tale (above), Kingdom Hearts III and maybe an update about that Final Fantasy VII remake. Perhaps a few Marvel superheroes will show up as well? It's E3 week after all -- anything can happen.
'Kingdom Hearts 3' journeys to the 'Frozen' universe
Five years after the last title of the franchise first reached store shelves, Microsoft revealed a slew of new details about Kingdom Hearts 3, which the company announced last night will hit the PS4 and Xbox on January 29th, 2019. In KH3, players will be tasked with navigating a winter wonderland while guiding Elsa, of Frozen fame, past her feelings of self-doubt and towards a more heroic path in life. Beyond helping Elsa, Sora, Donald, and Goofy also find themselves in search of the seven guardians of light and the "Key to Return Hearts." Further gameplay details remain scarce roughly six months out from the game's official release, but stay tuned to Engadget for more information as soon as it becomes available.
'Kingdom Hearts III' will land on PS4 and Xbox One in January 2019
Kingdom Hearts fans will have to a wait until next year to finally play the franchise's next installment, but a few more months don't sound that bad when they've been waiting over a decade for the game to drop. Square Enix has announced at the KH Orchestra World Tour that Kingdom Hearts III will arrive on PS4 and Xbox One on January 29th, 2019. Series director Tetsuya Nomura apologized for the delay since the game was supposed to come out later this year, telling fans that his team is sorry to ask "for a little more time than initially planned."
'Monsters Inc' is the next Pixar world coming to 'Kingdom Hearts 3'
Pixar's presence in Kingdom Hearts 3 won't be limited to the Toy Story crew. Square Enix and Disney have revealed that Monsters Inc will play a role, too. You'll see Boo, Mike and Sully (minus the famous actors, of course) as well as settings from the classic CG movie, such as the door vault. There's even the chance to wield weapons themed around the movie... including Mike, apparently.
The world of 'Toy Story' is coming to 'Kingdom Hearts 3'
Kingdom Hearts 3 has been slow in coming, but you'll at least get a reward for your patience. Square Enix took to Disney's D23 stage to announce that the action role-playing game will have our heroes visit the world of Pixar's Toy Story -- yes, you'll be helping Buzz Lightyear and Woody clear the neighborhood of villainous toys. There's even a bit of Titanfall-style action as you jump into plastic robots to do battle. Oh, and did we mention that KH3's release has finally been narrowed down, to 2018? That could still put a release well into the future, but it's a relatively short wait given that fans of the Disney/Square crossover series have already gone more than a decade without a sequel.
'Kingdom Hearts 3' trailer shows combat, but no release date
Our long wait for Kingdom Hearts 3... is probably not close to ending. Still, fans can enjoy a new trailer that Square Enix premiered tonight at the LA performance of the Kingdom Hearts World Tour. There's plenty of gameplay and combat, as Sora, Donald & Goofy team up with Hercules in a Mt. Olympus level, as enemy bosses Maleficent, Pete and Hades discuss a mysterious box that could be linked to last year's Kingdom Hearts 2.8. Four years after our first glimpse of the game we still don't have a release date, but this ends with a tag promising another trailer and a new world at the D23 Expo on July 15th. Last month Square Enix informed investors that KH3 (and the Final Fantasy 7 remake) are part of its release plans for fiscal year 2018 and beyond, so keep those PS4s and Xbox Ones on ice, for now. Oh, and dedicated fans can expect patches tomorrow that will fix some issues on the PS4 Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX edition.
'Kingdom Hearts 3' promises bigger, almost seamless, worlds
Blending different fictional universes together is kind of a thing now in gaming. However, Kingdom Hearts was fusing together the Final Fantasy and Disney universes back in 2002. Before chewing director Tetsuya Nomura's ear off about a Final Fantasy VII remake, we got some insight into the still in-development Kingdom Hearts 3. With a PS4 (as well as Xbox One) powering Sora, Goofy and Donald's cartoonish battles, it's already looking damn gorgeous. But aside from grander scale, Disney ride-based attacks and a likely head-spinning storyline, what else can Nomura tell us? And is there a stage where we can hum along to "Let it Go"?
Don't expect any Square Enix games until April 2008
A lot of people have been keeping their fingers crossed for an announcement by Sony and/or Square Enix about Final Fantasy XIII releasing this holiday season. We've said it before, we'll say it again: not happening. It's not just that -- don't expect to see any Square Enix game get a release before April 2008. That means everything, no exceptions, the end.Is this really that hard for people to swallow? Final Fantasy XII hasn't even been out a year and people expect the next one to be coming out already? How long did it take to make XII again? Exactly. Don't expect Versus any sooner and despite what you may have heard, The Last Remnant is not that far in production! Star Ocean IV was barely announced, Kingdom Hearts 3 isn't even past the drawing board, and Parasite Eve 3 (that's right, Nick's gonna say it) is still a secret ... and not the supposed phone game. Basically, it's official that nothing from Square Enix is coming until the next fiscal year, but we're not torn up. We're going to have a packed holiday season.
