Neoshadow99

Eh, I'm not bothered by the approach Square Enix took with the boxart. It really drives the point home that the two collections are merged into one large collection (2.9?). So, it's not all that surprising that the boxart of the formerly PS3-exclusive collections is being reused.

Even if an official explanation has yet to be given, we could safely assume (for now) that Kairi being a Princess of Heart allows her to do extraordinary things. She may not have known the extent of her power during the invasion of Destiny Islands, but her power of light may have awakened in response to the deep darkness. Perhaps her light was strong enough to "transplant" her heart into Sora's body, just before it would succumb to darkness.

Thanks for the replies. I played through the rest of TT since my opening post, and it made a bit more sense once Joshua explained the mechanics of the "dreamy" TT. But man, did it get really trippy once Joshua started explaining the alternate versions of the same world that Sora and Riku are experiencing separately. I mean, since when do dreams have parallel dimensions? :tongue: On a more serious note, the purpose behind Joshua's Traverse Town was quite tragic, as it was meant to be a "second chance" for the other characters' hearts, who were otherwise lost to the darkness (if I have that right). Did the fates of the TWEWY cast line up with what actually happened in that game?

This was a great, in-depth review. While I do not entirely agree with your sentiments on the story and gameplay, I do understand where you're coming from. Had the plot been expanded or fleshed out a bit more, even in the form of flashbacks, the story could have been considerably better. Don't get me wrong, the story of BBS is quite possibly my absolute favorite in the series, right next to Chain of Memories. Had we seen more direct interaction between Terra, Ventus, and Aqua, and less of them chasing each other, I believe that the player would have likely had a greater sense of just how strong their friendship is supposed to be. That said, the more dramatic moments in the story, especially the endgame, do a solid job of highlighting how far TVA will go to help each other when they need it most. I know, total blasphemy not to mention KH1 or KH2, right? :wink:

I just began playing DDD last night, so I can't say I've enjoyed playing/watching the entire collection, yet. From what I have played so far, I can already tell that I'm going to be enjoying this collection a lot! DDD really does feel quite a bit like BBS, with a bit of KH1, especially the classic battle pose for both characters. I'm also a huge fan of the Command Deck system, especially with how customizable it is. Lastly, I finished playing Aqua's story, the Final Episode, and the Secret Episode a few days ago. Now I can go straight into 0.2, since I'm all caught up story-wise! Oh, I chose "another option" in the poll, in case my description wasn't clear!

Hey everyone, I have a burning question about how Dream Worlds work in DDD. This is my first time playing the game, though I did watch a playthrough of the original version years ago. While I do understand the story to a point, I do not understand how Traverse Town in particular is in a state of sleep. I do not recall Traverse Town ever succumbing to the darkness. In fact, isn't it supposed to be a refuge/sanctuary world for people who have been displaced? I remember it being stated in KH1 that TT consists of fragments of worlds that were lost to the darkness. At what point did TT itself become consumed by the Heartless? If I remember correctly, the Sleeping Worlds were once consumed by darkness, but were subsequently restored by Sora and his friends during their journey. Gah, this game is already confusing me, and I've only just begun!

Just wanted to say that I was able to get the game last night, even before midnight! Long story short, a manager (I believe) from Gamestop called me, informing me that KH 2.8 would be available for pick-up from 9-10 PM only. I had pre-ordered the collection previously, and received the Limited Edition. Apparently, Disney or Square Enix (whoever is the publisher) had greenlighted a legal early release before the official release, mainly due to the game releasing ahead of time around the world. I have yet to play it, and there is only one reason for that: I'm still catching up with KH 2.5! I finally completed Aqua's main story, and am playing the Final Episode. Once that is finished, I plan to play the Secret Episode, especially before BBS 0.2. I may begin playing KH 3D tonight, depending on time. Either way, this a very exciting time to be a (hardcore) KH fan!

I actually started laughing when reading that official ESRB description: 1. It said that KH HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix is based on the Kingdom Hearts franchise. It is the majority of the franchise, excluding KH 2.8 and KH3 obviously! 2. The Heartless being referred to as "shadow imps" was funny, too. 3. The descriptions for the various moments of fantasy violence were oddly worded IMO. Well, "magical key-shaped swords" is an on-point description of keyblades, to be fair. 4. Of course, we can never forget about all of that gushing blood in KH2! And don't even get me started on that alcohol consumption! Gosh, these video games are poisoning young, impressionable minds, aren't they? :wink:

Hey everyone, it's your totally-not-vicious neighborhood Neoshadow! As some of you may have seen in other threads, I have been meaning to finish as much as 2.5 as I can before 2.8 releases. I am currently playing Aqua's story (first playthrough on PS3), and I must say, I am enjoying this playthrough far more than I did on PSP. My reasons for this are a better understanding of the gameplay mechanics the second time around, as well as a greater appreciation for Aqua's journey, and yes, her character. I know that Aqua has drawn a lot of criticism from the fanbase, but has also become a well-liked character, at the same time. When I first started my PS3 playthrough of her, I had hoped I would be able to overlook the harsher criticisms of her character, and perhaps her personality. As it turns out, I really like both of these attributes for her. As the story has progressed, I have definitely seen a change in her character, and it became quite clear just how much she cares about her friends. It may have made more sense for her to bring Ventus back to the Master Eraqus once she found him, but there are hints that she is conflicted about what to do. I was able to tell that she was internally conflicted between choosing to obey her master's (questionable) orders, or doing right by her friends and letting them decide what they wanted to do for themselves, allowing them to choose their own paths. I have come to further appreciate Aqua's role in the KH story, as well. Were it not for her actions, and best intentions, the KH storyline would not have progressed the way it did. Future characters would not have daunting obstacles to overcome (Ansem SOD, Organization XIII, Castle Oblivion, etc.), obstacles that ultimately proved how strong in heart and determination they would be. Of course, some may argue that Aqua's actions only lead to others' suffering, and that may be so. However, it is important to remember that she did not intentionally create hardships for Sora and his friends. Castle Oblivion was originally designed to prevent darkness from overtaking the Realm of Twilight (realm between Light and Darkness, if I have that right), and especially protect Ventus while he sleeps. As for her attempts to save Terra from his unfortunate fate, she fought valiantly to free him from Xehanort's control. She even sacrificed her very small chance to escape the Realm of Darkness and instead gave Terra(nort) her armor so he could fly to safety. Aqua did not have any way of knowing what exactly would happen to Terra, or just how strong Xehanort's influence was over him. This is what makes Aqua's ending and fate so tragic, that despite her best intentions to save her good friend, she unknowingly unleashed a great evil into the Realm of Light. To sum it up, I would have to call Aqua a tragic hero, a flawed but caring friend. Wow, this went a little deeper than I first expected it to, but this is how I currently feel about Aqua's portion of BBS. Oh, if anyone was wondering, BBS is indeed one of my absolute favorite games in the series. It offered so much for being a mere "side game". If it would have originally been released on PS2 instead, it may have been just as long as KH1, for all we know. I will post more thoughts related to BBS if anyone is interested. I was really hoping to discuss BBS a bit more right before 2.8 releases worldwide. I know some of you may be/are already playing 2.8, but I thought it would be a good idea to talk about the fine points of BBS' plot, and how they have shaped the KH story so far. For quite some time, BBS was the "true" beginning of the series, then (Unchained) Chi came along and really made things interesting story-wise. Oh, another thought regarding BBS: I am so thrilled that the Shotlock system is carrying over from this game to KH3. I know this is old news, but I'm still excited nonetheless. It really didn't look like much of BBS' gameplay mechanics would be used in other games, as it seemed to be somewhat experimental with its approach. In other words, mechanics like Shotlocks, Command Styles, and Dimension Links all seemed so specific to BBS. It's great to see one of these possibly revolutionary features (in the context of the KH series) return in a future title. Edit: I finally finished Aqua's main story, the Final Episode, and the Secret Episode! This was my first time playing the Secret Episode, and it was a great, and fairly challenging, experience. Now I'm really excited to start 0.2, but will likely begin DDD tonight.

I don't mind the wait for all of this, despite how exciting all of the content is. I STILL have to finish Aqua's story in BBS, the Final Episode, and the Secret Episode (if I can unlock it), all before KH 2.8 releases, hopefully. Oh, and watch Re:Coded, if there's still time :tongue: Man, I really wish now that I would have been caught up with the series, as far as completing games go. I'm up to date (mostly) with the story, but finally being able to play KH 3D will really help me understand things better.

I hope you're enjoying BBS if you've decided to start playing it yet. It is without a doubt one of my absolute favorite entries in the series, even in my Top 3. Keep in mind that I have not played any of the Nintendo titles, except the PS2 remake of Chain of Memories. While I did watch 358/2 Days "The Movie", I never did get a chance to play the actual game. Still haven't watch the Re:Coded "Movie", but plan to soon (never played the game for this title, too). Oh, about BBS, it is recommended, but not required, to play the through the story in this order: Terra, Ventus, and then Aqua. Terra's story is typically an "introduction" to the world and its characters. Ventus' story is usually set right in the middle, after learning about Terra's presence (and actions). Aqua's story typically resolves and concludes the conflict in most of the worlds, with more to follow (but that would be a spoiler, so I won't say any more). I hope this helps.

I think that the 1.5 Collection was handled really well overall, considering that one of the games is from so long ago (2002). I do not remember encountering any major issues in either of the games or the "movie", though the camera in KH1 Final Mix did act wonky from time to time. If anything, I was so thrilled to FINALLY be able to play the Final Mix version, as I had never had the opportunity to play that on PS2. Some great, quality content was added to the first game, especially those new combat abilities. The entirely new "mini-boss" Heartless were really cool, too, although some were just recolors.

Thanks for the heads-up about the timeline placement being a spoiler! I will be sure to pay very close attention when I finally play through BBS 0.2. In other news, I plan to very quickly finish Aqua's story in BBS, complete the Final Episode, and hopefully unlock and complete the Secret Episode, all before KH 2.8 releases. Think I can manage that? I would certainly like to, as it seems to make more sense to play the Secret Episode before 0.2, from what I understand.

Chain of Memories is the best card game I have ever played, period. No, really, it is the best game involving cards, without a doubt :wink:

I was also surprised to hear about both collections re-releasing on PS4. Knowing me, I will most definitely be getting the games (again). Higher resolution, and 60 FPS, make 1.5 + 2.5 sound like a real winner to me.

While this is all very exciting, I do not mind waiting for the international release. Unlike past games, we are getting the 2.8 collection less than two weeks after the Japanese release, which is awesome. Waiting 10 years for KH Final Mix and 7 years for KH2 Final Mix to release internationally was not fun, especially for those of us who were never able to get a Japanese PS2!

Thanks for all the replies, folks! It seems that we may not know for sure until we see how 0.2 ends, or until a developer (or Nomura himself) clarifies the chronological order of events. For now, I will just go with 0.2 taking place after the Secret Episode. Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the short teaser trailer for what was going to be BBS Vol. 2 play right after the Secret Episode? I remember seeing it a while back, and it showed Aqua looking at what appeared to be Cinderella's Castle. I find it very interesting that we will be able to revisit "dark" versions of the worlds we explored in BBS. This game may actually show us what exactly happens to a world once it is consumed by darkness. I know that KH1 showed us the absolute destruction of Destiny Islands, but not what it was like after the Heartless had devoured it.

All of them. I've never played KH 3D, so every boss battle will be a first for me. Very excited to finally be able to play this game (never owned a 3DS).

Hello everyone, it's been a really long time since I last posted! Something has been confusing me lately, and that is trying to figure out when exactly Aqua's story in BBS 0.2 takes place. As we know, she has been in the Realm of Darkness for an incredibly long time, at least 10 years (though time in the ROD flows differently, so who really knows?). We were able to first see her journey in the ROD in BBS' Secret Episode, which I still have not been able to play through yet, regrettably. My question is, when do the events of 0.2 take place, exactly, relative to the events of the Secret Episode? Or, are these events not directly connected to each other? I'm not even sure that the Secret Episode was actually the start of Aqua's journey in the ROD, or towards the end of it. Any help with clearing up this confusion would be greatly appreciated.

Oh, so BBS 0.2 is set during the events of KH1, while many of the worlds were still lost to the darkness, but before CoM, if I understand correctly.

Hello everyone, I have been thinking about the re-appearance of the Castle of Dreams, and what it could mean. From what I remember, this castle (along with the rest of the world) was saved from the Unversed in BBS. As we know, once "Ansem" went further with his experiments of the heart, Emblem Heartless were born and, together with the Purebloods, invaded and devoured many worlds. My confusion comes from not remembering what exactly happened to Cinderella's world. Was it already destroyed by the time the events of KH1 occurred? If so, how did the Castle of Dreams end up in the Realm of Darkness intact? Or, is this an entirely different castle? Something tells me that a good chunk of the plot from what would have been Birth By Sleep, Vol. 2 was repurposed for BBS 0.2. If I remember correctly, the original story somehow involved the Castle of Dreams, but not much more about it is really known, since that project didn't come together. Any clarification about what is currently known about 0.2's plot would be much appreciated. I admit that I haven't been paying that close of attention to KH lately, since my focus has been on other games. I've mainly just followed (and watched) new trailers, as well as reading some news articles. At any rate, I am very excited for KH 2.8, not just because of BBS 0.2 but also because of Dream Drop Distance, a game I was never able to play!

Hey everyone, it's been ages since I last posted here! Just wanted to drop by and say that I am VERY hyped for KH 2.8! I wasn't really sure what to make of it when not that much was known about it, but now we have a much better idea of what we can expect (and of course, there will be more surprises). Willa Holland sounded more confident as a voice actor this time around, and she (Aqua) undeniably looks beautiful in the KH3 engine. Also, I have never been able to play KH3D (or just DDD on the PS4, I'm betting), so I am super excited for that, too!

Here's my Top 10, in no particular order (KH is one of those series where there are too many great songs to give them proper rankings): Sinister Shadows (This would be such a great theme for another "against all odds" battle, especially when hopelessly outnumbered) Graceful Assassin (If Marluxia somehow returns as a villian, hero, or something else) Radiant Garden/Hollow Bastion Main Theme (Preferably a variation on KH2 HD version) Sacred Distance (I know this is the theme of the "dream" version of TWTNW, and it could fit the Organization's stronghold in the real world quite well) Organization XIII Main Theme (Or a variation on it, considering we're dealing with a "new" Organization) Forgotten Challenge (If Castle Oblivion returns as an explorable area, this is a must for a battle theme; I'd prefer the 1.5 HD version due to the more prominent haunting choir vocals in the background and the eeriness of the strings) Terra Theme Song (Rescuing Terra seems like it will be an important plot point, so this can be used to build more drama at the right moment) Unbreakable Chains (If Vanitas is truly returning, a variation of this song could be used, especially if he fights Sora) Fragments of Sorrow (This has always been a favorite of mine from KH1 and 1.5 HD ReMix made it stand out even more) Tears of the Light (This song has been underused IMO and could really add a lot more impact to a sad or depressing scene, as there are sure to be dark moments in KH3) This is by no means a comprehensive list of all my favorite songs, as there are several more I could put down. I feel that these songs would work especially well in KH3 given that they sound more "mature" and could help reflect Sora's own maturity and the dire circumstances he and his friends face.

Thanks for clearing up the doubts/confusion I had, everyone. It truly is amazing how rapidly Square Enix has been able to develop KH3 given that the animation work only began in 2012. I really hope development with FF XV hurries up so it can be full speed ahead for KH3.

The only way I could see this happening is if Sora summoned his "inner light" and wielded a third ethereal-type weapon similar to Ventus' Wingblade form and Young Xehanort's Ethereal Blades. Come to think of it, YX Ethereal Blades aren't Keyblades, right? They seem to be their own type of weapon.