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Stick a pin in your Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD Remix pre-order
Customers who pre-order Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix will automatically be upgraded to the Limited Edition, Square Enix announced today via the PlayStation Blog. Along with updated versions of Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep Final Mix and Kingdom Hearts: Re: Coded, those who score a copy of the Limited Edition will also receive a nifty pin featuring Sora and Mickey. Now, a pin may not seem like a big fuss, but this is an official, collectible Disney pin - and thus, it is part of the pin trading tradition that officially kicked off in 1999. Disney pin trading is serious business to those with a passion for it, as some pins have reached prices upward of $1,000 on the secondhand market. So you take care of that pin, young man/lady! It just might be worth something someday. [Image: Square Enix]
NPD: 2010's bestselling game releases by platform
Gamasutra has obtained NPD data that puts a new filter on last year's US box-copy software sales, ranking the top ten bestselling 2010 releases for each console and handheld platform (PC excluded). Like the monthly NPD breakdowns, these rankings don't include actual sales numbers, but they do reveal some interesting trends. By omitting Nintendo's so-called "evergreen" titles (i.e., games released before 2010), Gamasutra found that -- perhaps unsurprisingly -- Just Dance 2 was last year's top-selling 2010 release for Wii, and among six additional third-party games that made the top ten in sales for the platform. On DS, however, Nintendo games filled out half of the top ten, and Pokemon SoulSilver and HeartGold were the only titles to surpass sales of one million units each. At first glance, PSP software sales look even bleaker, with Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep on top and, according to Gamastura, the only PSP title to break 300K units sold; with the other top ten games each falling below 200K. Of course, these rankings don't include digital sales or box-copy games bundled with hardware, so it's unlikely that Birth by Sleep (which isn't available on the PlayStation Store) was the true #1 bestseller among 2010's PSP releases -- let alone the most pirated. What is certain is that Call of Duty: Black Ops dominated torrents, as well as the games legitimately sold for PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2010. Still, both Sony and Microsoft saw two first-party releases make their console's respective top ten sales charts for the year; though each publisher's most critically-acclaimed release of 2010 -- at least, from Joystiq's perspective -- was not present. Perhaps telling of the two console's core player bases, Madden 11 beat out God of War 3 for the #2 spot on the PS3 chart, but fell to #3 beneath Halo: Reach in the Xbox 360 ranking. Finally, we have to wonder just what were they thinking? They, of course, being all those Xbox 360 owners that purchased Fable 3 and Fallout: New Vegas instead of Mass Effect 2. Three and a half stars plus four still doesn't add up to the Game of the Year, people. Check out Gamastutra for the complete breakdown of 2010's bestselling releases by platform.
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep: Volume 2 teased by Final Mix secret ending
The Kingdom Hearts franchise shows no sign of slowing down. Tucked away at the end of the Japan-only Birth by Sleep: Final Mix is a teaser for Birth by Sleep: Volume 2. Based on the trailer, it looks like it will bridge the gap between Birth by Sleep and the original PS2 game. But will it be a game? And for PSP?
Square Enix profits down, but not out as familiar franchises keep sales alive
If you think we're going to explain that mess of scribbles above -- fuggedaboutit! What we have parsed from Square Enix's six-month financial report (April–September 2010) is a rather slight net income: ¥1.723 billion ($21.4 million). While any company would take pocket change over a loss, Square Enix profits are indeed down 36 percent from the same period last year, and software sales for the first half of this fiscal year have relied heavily on "contribution from highly profitable carryover sales of major titles released in March" -- in other words: Final Fantasy XIII picked up the slack. And who were the slackers? Square Enix highlighted five "major titles" released during the period: Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 (DS) - 1.28 million units sold (Japan-only) Final Fantasy XIV (PC) - 630K units sold (worldwide) Just Cause 2 (multiplatform) - 560K units sold (worldwide)* Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days (multiplatform) - 1.12 million units sold (worldwide) Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep (PSP) - 510K units sold (worldwide)* *Title released in some regions prior to April 2010; sales only reflect those recorded in the six months ending September 30, 2010. Finally, Square Enix heralded its recent partnership with Chinese online games publisher Shanda Games; a deal indicative of two of the company's three proclaimed growth strategies: globalization and becoming "network centric." As for the third? Square Enix's three-pronged attack also stresses "strengthening our own-IPs." So when's that next Final Fantasy coming out again? [Image: Year-over-year comparison of monthly revenues from existing outlets; source: Square Enix]
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep 'Final Mix' shakes up Japan this winter
The latest issue of Jump magazine has details on the next Kingdom Hearts release. In typical Square Enix fashion, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep is getting a "Final Mix" version in Japan this winter. As with previous "Final Mix" games, this re-release includes all the content from the North American version of the game, including English voices and the sticker system. Previous "Final Mix" editions have featured hidden teasers for upcoming games in the franchise. (Birth by Sleep, for example, was initially teased in Kingdom Hearts 2: Final Mix.) Maybe this iteration will follow the trend -- and even let PSP Go owners in on the fun as well?
Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep not coming to PSN
Late last year, we heard a pretty troubling rumor about Square Enix's first keybladed outing on the PSP, Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep -- that the game wouldn't get a downloadable version on the PSN, thereby preventing any PSP Go owners from getting their hands on it. It's almost nine months later, and Square has finally commented on the rumor, confirming to IGN that "Square Enix, Inc. currently has no plans to release Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep through the PlayStation Store." Considering Birth By Sleep is one of the highest-profile releases on the platform in some time, this is an awfully disheartening turn of events for owners of the download-only handheld. We've contacted Sony and Square Enix to find out the reason behind the title's absence from the PSN. [Thanks, Guts!]
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep trailer just needs seven minutes of your time
Though the seven-minute Gamescom trailer for Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep isn't what we'd call a "lighthearted romp," it's certainly worth the time investment for fans of the series. Or fans of Square-Enix's trademark overdramatic dialogue, because, hoo boy, this trailer's got it in spades.
Nomura offers updates on upcoming Square Enix projects
We're pretty sure you'd need one of those bulletin boards from TV crime dramas -- you know, the ones with pictures of mafioso higher-ups with multicolored strings and push pins connecting them -- in order to keep track of all of Square Enix's upcoming games. The studio's resident star designer, Tetsuya Nomura, recently gave an update on these projects -- a laundry list which includes Final Fantasy Versus and Agito XIII, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep and Re:Coded, The 3rd Birthday, and "a number of unannounced titles." According to Andriasang's translation, Nomura explained the dearth of news on Versus XIII was due to a number of hardships which have rendered the company's old developmental tricks "completely inapplicable," but that progress is being made. He couldn't be any more specific than that, due to Square Enix's policy of promoting games in the order they'll be released. In that case, we may not hear more on Versus or Agito for some time -- Nomura explained that some of the company's unannounced games would arrive before the next installment in the Fabula Nova Crystallis franchise. For more info on the fate of Square Enix's future projects, check out Andriasang's translation of the 3rd Birthday Twitter feed.
Square Enix delivers Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep special edition to Europe
If you find PSP game boxes too small (or PSN game boxes too nonexistent) for your tastes -- and if you like Kingdom Hearts a bunch -- then prepare to be delighted by some Disney magic.
Stick Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep into and onto your PSP
Square Enix's pre-order bonus for Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep might not be extravagant, but it is ... adhesive. Putting money down at Amazon, GameStop or Best Buy will net you the system-bestickering decals shown, in light and dark variants so as to stand out on any color scheme.
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep trailer features fighting, floating PSPs
Just past the break, we've got a new trailer for Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, which highlights the PSP title's trio of protagonists: Aqua, Ventus and Terra. As you'd imagine, their keyswordthingy skills are without equal -- except when directly compared to each other, we guess. So where were we? Oh, right, the trailer -- you can see it yourself just past the break. And if you're wondering what all of the hubbub is about, you probably haven't read our E3 preview yet. Don't worry, we won't hold it against you ... for now.
Preview: Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep
At last year's E3, I got a chance to check out Kingdom Hearts' first North American outing on handhelds, 358/2 Days (or, as Google's automatic calculator called it when I just searched to make sure I had the name right, 179 Days). I recall being impressed at how they managed to ape the solid experience the game delivered on PS2 on a portable platform, albeit at the cost of a bit of visual power and general gameplay depth. To describe Birth By Sleep using these terms would be awfully irresponsible. If 358/2 Days was Square-Enix's attempt to emulate the franchise's previous offerings on a handheld, then Sleep represents the fruits of the studio's developmental labor. It's not just an attempt to squish the core franchise down to a smaller format -- it's a fully realized extension of said franchise.
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep coming stateside September 7
A trailer embedded in a post on the U.S. PlayStation.Blog has revealed that Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, which had previously been promised to hit North American store shelves this summer, has received a firm release date of September 7. If you're extra enthusiastic about vanquishing the Heartless, the post explains that you'll also be able to pick up a hardware bundle that includes the game, an unannounced movie, a 4GB memory stick and a "Mystic Silver" (that's fancy-speak for "plain ol' silver") PSP-3000 on the same day. The PlayStation.Blog post didn't mention a price for this package -- we'd guess it'll be around the usual $199.99 price point that other PSP bundles are currently being offered for, but we've contacted Sony to try and get a more official number. In the meantime, check out the brand new, ever-so-brief trailer for Birth by Sleep that's posted above. Update: A press release accompanying this announcement just arrived in our inbox, revealing a handful of the game's auspicious cast of voice actors: Mark Hamill, Willa Holland, Jesse McCartney, James Woods and Leonard Nimoy. Oh, Nimoy, our oldest friend. It's been too long. Update 2: A Square Enix representative confirmed the bundle will retail for $199.99.
Nomura mentions three more Kingdom Hearts games in interview
An interview with Square Enix's Tetsuya Nomura, printed in the Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep Ultimania guide book, outs the planning of three new games in the Disney/Square action RPG series. And one of them is, for real, Kingdom Hearts III. However, Nomura hasn't started the actual production of the title -- evidently he's busy with Final Fantasy Versus XIII, which is apparently a real game that people are working on. "We won't take up KH3 until we've reached a certain target with FF Versus XIII," Nomura said, according to Andriasang's translation of the text provided by FF-Reunion. One of the two additional Kingdom Hearts games will be out this year. Another, due later, features multiple protagonists like Birth by Sleep. Nomura also dashed any hope of another super-deluxe re-release like the Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix. "The voice actors for the overseas version are all high caliber, so it wouldn't be bad to release a Final Mix version," he said. " ... However, because for KH2FM+ we released Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories as a set, we have the feeling that people's expectations for the content of a Final Mix have become extremely high. I'd like to say this here -- we won't do anything that big ever again. (laughs)."
Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep to be born unto the U.S. this summer
Square Enix is sure hoping that the recent release of its long-in-production RPG hasn't caused you to forget about its other long-in-production RPG: The PSP-exclusive Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep. The company recently sent a jolt through the series' dormant U.S. fan base by announcing that the title will come stateside sometime this summer. According to Squeenix's press release announcement, the North American version of the game will include new features, such as "an extra boss and additional multiplayer options," as well as something called "Crown Stickers." That certainly sounds like powerful weapon in the fight against the Heartless. We hear those guys hate stickers.
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep intro video released
The latest portable iteration of Squeenix's keyblade-wielding franchise, Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep, also known as "Not The Card-Battling One" or "Not The One With The Stupid Numbers On The Title," recently got released in Japan. Without hesitation, its purchasers set to capturing its visual delights, which they then posted on the internet. One such delight is the game's intro video, which we've posted after the jump. As you might've guessed, it's rich with spiky-haired children wielding weapons bigger than they are, slow-motion running, and that one song that's been in every Kingdom Hearts game ever. It was even in the Kingdom Hearts manga, which is impressive as books typically aren't capable of playing music. [Via Siliconera]
Finally! A 7-minute Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep trailer in Japanese
You might have noticed a serious dearth of Disney characters speaking in Japanese on Joystiq lately -- we sure have, and it's just tearing us to bits inside. Thankfully, Square Enix seems to have taken note as well, recently updating the Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep website with more than just wallpapers (though you'll find three of those on there, too). How about the entire seven-minute-long trailer from Jump Festa 2010? We've embedded it above, though if you're dying to know what the people in it are actually saying, we suggest you check out the full translation right here. And then, once you have it in English, you might ask your nearest Kingdom Hearts fan to translate further. %Gallery-29323% [Thanks, G. Finnsson]
Nomura has more unannounced games, one 'not entirely new'
If you're reading gaming blogs on a regular basis, Tetsuya Nomura needs no introduction. While Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep is by no means finished, Nomura is already talking about what's next. In the latest issue of Famitsu (via Siliconera; scan can be seen here), he confirms two additional projects: one that is already fairly far along in development and another unannounced project that's "not entirely new." Aside from Birth By Sleep, Nomura's other known projects include Final Fantasy Agito XIII and 3rd Birthday, a new game in the Parasite Eve series. Keep an eye on Famitsu's site, where the full interview will soon be available.
Jesse McCartney confirms Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep localization
It may seem like an unlikely source for video game news, but pop singer Jesse McCartney's Twitter account has confirmed the localization of Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. Square Enix hasn't announced a US release for the PSP prequel, but considering the franchise's penchant for making money, it certainly was never in doubt. Birth by Sleep would be McCartney's third foray into the Kingdom Hearts universe, having previously voiced Roxas in Kingdom Hearts II and 358/2 Days. Kingdom Hearts Union suggests that McCartney may be voicing Birth By Sleep's "new" character, Ventus (pictured, right) -- y'know, the one that looks exactly like Roxas (pictured, left). %Gallery-29323%
Rumor: Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep not releasing on PSN
There's a rumor circulating around the wild wild web right now that says Square Enix may not be looking to offer Kingdom of Hearts: Birth by Sleep via digital distribution on PSN, possibly adding insult to injury for all PSP Go owners out there. The rumor originated from Twitter user Magunus, who apparently attended a recent PlayStation event in Japan (we can't figure out which event this is referring to, and there's no mention on the official Japanese blog) where a clerk confirmed it, citing "copyright issues." This strikes us as odd not only because of the tenuous nature by which this has been reported, but because a lot of Disney Interactive's titles have been made available via digital distribution in the past. We've contacted both Square Enix and Disney Interactive about this and will be sure to let you know what we hear back. [Via Sankaku Complex (site NSFW)]
