With a release date in October for Japan and December for everyone else, Kingdom Hearts 2.5 Remix will be coming to the Playstation 3 as part of Square Enix’s efforts to unite all of the Kingdom Hearts titles onto one platform, this time including Kingdom Hearts II, Birth By Sleep, and re:Coded. Of course, in bringing content from the Playstation 2, PSP, and Nintendo DS all onto one platform, a number of changes from the original content have been brought into the mix.
Perhaps the most obvious element of the Remix release is that the games are to be released in HD, converted from the aspect ration of 4:3 to 16:9. Not to mention that, in lieu of an adaptor or emulator, this will be the first time players will be able to play Birth By Sleep on their TVs, making the HD quality for the game more significant. Left to be determined is whether or not elements like “fish-facing” in Kingdom Hearts II, in which the facial features of characters are flat with out of sync lip movements. Judging by some of the trailers released, it does not appear to have been altered significantly from the original content.
Which brings us to re:Coded, which, much like 358/2 Days in the KH 1.5 Remix, will not have its full game playable, but will rather have key cutscenes displayed to make a sort of movie. Judging by the trailers, it will not just be the pre-existing cutscenes from re:Coded that will be on display, but scenes that were formerly text-based have also been converted into animated and voiced scenes. Also, there is the promise from Square that there will be additional cutscenes added to the end of re:Coded, speculation of which seems to indicate some kind of hint towards the long awaited Kingdom Hearts III.
Speaking of additional cutscenes, scenes which were previously only available in the Japanese Final Mix versions of KH2 and BBS are now present in the game, voiced over by the English cast. This includes the extra ending of Birth By Sleep, involving the Red Eyes boss. Other elements of the Final Mix will also be available for an English audience, such as extra boss fights (No-Heart, Lingering Will, and Monstro, to name a few), the Cavern of Remembrance (in which players can re-fight members of Organization XIII), the return of the Mushroom XIII challenges, and a battle with Roxas at the Station of Awakening. Something notable that is absent, however, is the multiplayer option for the BBS’s Mirage Arena. While players can still partake in the bosses and other challenges of the Arena, they will be doing so without jolly cooperation.
Other noteworthy additions within the Remix set includes new obtainable keyblades: Indicated by the official trailer were Royal Radiance, Two Becomes One, and Winners Proof, with possibly others.
With a release date in October for Japan and December for everyone else, Kingdom Hearts 2.5 Remix will be coming to the Playstation 3 as part of Square Enix’s efforts to unite all of the Kingdom Hearts titles onto one platform, this time including Kingdom Hearts II, Birth By Sleep, and re:Coded. Of course, in bringing content from the Playstation 2, PSP, and Nintendo DS all onto one platform, a number of changes from the original content have been brought into the mix.
Perhaps the most obvious element of the Remix release is that the games are to be released in HD, converted from the aspect ration of 4:3 to 16:9. Not to mention that, in lieu of an adaptor or emulator, this will be the first time players will be able to play Birth By Sleep on their TVs, making the HD quality for the game more significant. Left to be determined is whether or not elements like “fish-facing” in Kingdom Hearts II, in which the facial features of characters are flat with out of sync lip movements. Judging by some of the trailers released, it does not appear to have been altered significantly from the original content.
Which brings us to re:Coded, which, much like 358/2 Days in the KH 1.5 Remix, will not have its full game playable, but will rather have key cutscenes displayed to make a sort of movie. Judging by the trailers, it will not just be the pre-existing cutscenes from re:Coded that will be on display, but scenes that were formerly text-based have also been converted into animated and voiced scenes. Also, there is the promise from Square that there will be additional cutscenes added to the end of re:Coded, speculation of which seems to indicate some kind of hint towards the long awaited Kingdom Hearts III.
Speaking of additional cutscenes, scenes which were previously only available in the Japanese Final Mix versions of KH2 and BBS are now present in the game, voiced over by the English cast. This includes the extra ending of Birth By Sleep, involving the Red Eyes boss. Other elements of the Final Mix will also be available for an English audience, such as extra boss fights (No-Heart, Lingering Will, and Monstro, to name a few), the Cavern of Remembrance (in which players can re-fight members of Organization XIII), the return of the Mushroom XIII challenges, and a battle with Roxas at the Station of Awakening. Something notable that is absent, however, is the multiplayer option for the BBS’s Mirage Arena. While players can still partake in the bosses and other challenges of the Arena, they will be doing so without jolly cooperation.
Other noteworthy additions within the Remix set includes new obtainable keyblades: Indicated by the official trailer were Royal Radiance, Two Becomes One, and Winners Proof, with possibly others.
Edited by Dave