Merilly

I apologize for calling him your friend then. Your acquaintance apparently is fairly biased toward one console. Not that I'm not favoring the PS4 over the Xbox One because the controller suits my small hands better and it has a lot of exclusives I enjoy, but there's no real reason to deny them access to Kingdom Hearts. If Sony decided that it would be understandable because big franchises, which KH has slowly come to be, are a selling factor against competitors and having the sole distributing rights can make a huge difference. But why fans are so against it... I have no idea. It's not like we're losing anything with it being on Xbox. In fact, I couldn't care less. It could be good for sales at least in the North American territory, so why deny that over some stupid war? People sometimes.... Having nothing better to do than to complain about issues which aren't even a disadvantage to them. However, exclusivity deals might also be instigated by Sony, Microsoft & Co. themselves. As I said, marketing plays a huge role and exclusive titles are a factor that gamers take into account since most people essentially use it to play games. The console differences could be as large as day and night and people would still buy the objectively weaker console if it offers subjectively better games. Otherwise, there would be no real reason for large companies to do this whole exclusivity deal or even propose it. The controls of the Xbox One controller aren't that different to really be considered in my opinion. Hardware-wise, the Xbox One S can compare to the PS4,so that's no issue either for the development. I can't imagine SE proposing this exclusivity nonsense unless they make a good akount of money from it. Because there are a lot of people who won't buy another console for one game and they'd be missing out on that audience by remaining on one console. I actually think that it's the larger companies like Sony and Microsoft proposing these things. With how little SE cares about the Xbox One version, I have my doubts that it was them who came up with the idea. Hard to tell though. I find this wjole argument of your acquaintance a bit wobbly without knowing the contracts. Of course they may prohibit ports to other consoles just like how there were difficulties with the ports at first, but just because of some text on a box... I mean, I'm European but those boxes are made with the current foundation of information as far as I'm aware and don't really prove anything for all eternity. Everything can be subject to change and even if there should be NDAs, I feel like SE could have straifht out denied that they will never be coming if that was the case. The fact that they did not and used a roundabout way of saying there are no plans still gives the whole thing a chance in my opinion. I believe they said something similar before about 1.5 and 2.5 coming to PS4 and here we are... As a matter of fact though, the industry is constantly changing and so are contracts, rights and obligations. While complex, they can also be fairly fickle and I wouldn't rule out the possibility of KH coming to Xbox in full just because of some text that isn't even universal and calling that proof. Marketing is arguably one of the most important factors in the industry. Great games can get lost without the right advertisements. It doesn't even have to be large on stage at E3 or something. Sometimes it's sufficient to have one famous Let's Player playing it for example and sales skyrocket. And the same applies to subjectively dull games. The nth entry of Call of Duty, Fifa, Assassin's Creed, etc. profit from large scale marketing as well as an established name. Hence the reason why developers seem reluctant to let go of franchises even if they aren't that critically acclaimed anymore because they do not have to sell the name. People know what to expect. And they buy it. Names, be they from developers, series, celebrities, and so on make all the difference in the world. Especially in a world were graphics aren't enough to impress on their own anymore. Long story short, I think it's mainly a marketing thing with no foresight into the future included which determines a game's fate for all eternity. It's basically like an advertisement screaming "look here, we are the only ones who have this amazing products so if you want to buy it, you need to be a member (in this case by buying a console)". That person you are talking to seems to have lost some objectiveness to take other possibilities into account and I personally can't support that very well because that's how misinformation is spread. Misinformation which can have terrible consequences in some cases. The only thing people can donis continue asking for it. If there's demand, SE will feel more inclined to deliver and perhaps alter contracts. As far as I'm aware, a lot of exclusivity rights are only there for a limited period of time if they are not renewed. I'll try to find said interview where they said there are currently no plans for an Xbox version of preceeding titles, though this may take a while. https://www.hardcoregamer.com/2016/01/02/why-arent-there-kingdom-hearts-hd-remakes-for-xbox/184773/ Here's an article by the way which picks up on that interview. It basically doesn't rule out the possibility but KH3 is their main concern right now, which basically sums up the whole there are no plans int he near future thing. I'll try to find the whole interview tomorrow. Must be somewhere around here. And btw, I don't see it as a bad thing to be doubtful and ask for sources. It's good to retain some skepticism egen toward trustworthy sources becauee mistakes happen, be it translation or trusting some dubious source. You have every right to doubt what I'm writing. After all, I already admitted with my phrasing that I'm going by memory here.

I'm not going to partake in the whole Xbox argument because in my opinion there's nothing much to argue about. Microsoft likely approached SE to get the game on their console, they said yes since it likely won't increase their workload a whole lot, but they don't really care, there's a contract or whatever. Of course it makes no sense to deny them access because it's confusing and few people will decide to buy an Xbox One just for that game. However, while I cannot say it holds true 100%, the "Only on Playstation" banner has been around for a long time and mainly exists for the sole purpose of marketing. Exclusive titles are an incentive to buy said console to play the game in question. There are quite a few franchises which are exclusive to one console and it may tip the favor toward one console if someone can only buy one and doesn't know which or deciding to buy a second one. This banner does not indicate that a game will forever remain exclusive as far as I'm aware. But if there are no indications for a release on other consoles in the near future, they can put it there without any issues. For KH, it makes sense since Square has more or less said that there won't be any other title than KH3 coming to Xbox One from the franchise in the near future. No plans could translate to that. They may wait for newcomers and people with no console to demand it on Xbox before doing that since the old fans who will play the game will likely own a Playstation 4 anyway if they have the money. The series has been on that console from the beginning along with Nintendo, so fans expected it from the get go. To be honest, I never found it too appealing but I guess some consumers are too lazy to look up exclusivity and simply see it on the boxart and decide on it then. It may even be directed to those people standing in the store, trying to decide what to buy without having informed themselves prior. We don't know if there are any contracts which forbid previous games from being released on another console, but I think that it's not evidence it will never be coming. Contracts are legally binding, yes, but it's not like there's absolutely no way out of them and that they last forever. I think exclusivity is a terrible choice. I won't buy two consoles for just one game and it feels more like a tug of war between Sony and Microsoft than a real necessity. Nintendo is somewhat understandable since they use different controls, but the other two... Those must be really good deals if developers only stick with one company. But I cannot judge what happens behind closed doors and won't do it because it simply is as it is. I just know that some console exclusive titles got ported to PC at a later point without being announced beforehand so the same can still happen to KH at one point, especially after 3 is out. I wouldn't argue with your friend so much about some text on a boxart. Especially when it's only on the European one. We have some strange laws sometimes and even stranger marketing, but it's not like this continent sets most of the standards in the gaming industry.

It's getting closer and closer Though I have enough to do to keep me busy... But I'm glad the time is fairly accessible this time around. In my country, some or the conferences take place at 2 or 3am while this one is 7pm. I'm grateful for that since it's still a working day and I've got classes until 6. It's much more fun to experience it with others. I often watch reaction videos and it seems much livelier with groups. 12 more days....

I doubt that a success in ticket sales will cancel other projects. Rather, I believenit would only encourage them to do more in every direction possible because the desire for more is apparently there. One of the only ways to cancel other projects is to not go and watch them. And not every sequel, prequel, whatever is bad. I just believe that the franchise itself is dead.

Thank you! I think we will. I don't think we're at a point anymore we have to be nervous about whether it will appear or not anymore. Be it the concert and/or E3, there'll be something waiting for us, I'm 99.99% sure. Watching it together always is something else, like those people meeting up at theaters to watch E3. It's amazing and we did the same last year at D23. I drove 90km so we could since her internet bailed on her.

After last year, it is certainly possible that they showcase the trailer early instead of during the livestream for the first time. Then again, I still find the orchestra to be a terrible place for showing something significant because it should be about the music and the musicians are doing their best there. Maybe toward the end though.

I remember that two weeks ago I thought that it's still one month but two weeks were over in a flash. (Probably because I played another game.) But now it's really hard not to get excited. >_< My friend and I are meeting up to watch the stream on my TV, eat something nice while doing that and just discuss. It'll be amazing for sure!

How does college and patience go together? I've been studying at a university for quite some time now and did not require much more patience than in school...

Roughly 2 weeks can feel awfully long, can't they? But soon it'll be upon us. What's more interesting though is what happens after.

Since I'll be there 4 days, there's plenty of time to check out a bunch of different titles. I love the indie section,especially because you get to really talk about the games there and not just wait and play it. I had a lot of interesting conversations with the developers there. I also like the retro section to take a break and enjoy some quietude. Last year, I played a lot of games with various strangers and it was a lot of fun, even if they're not new and I know most of the games. But it's not as crowded and loud there. All in all, I like some diversity. The indie games are great because they don't get the same amount of exposition, as you already said, and you get to play games you would have never even found out about, but 4 days allow for some bigger titles as well and KH3 would be a highlight. The free merchandise is nice but it would be a bit too expensive for just a few games and merchandise. Though I was honestly bummed I waited 1 1/2 hours for Mario Odyssey last year only to see it on a smaller convention a month later with no waiting line. I did like the T-Shirts they gave away for playing something from their FFXV booth and the free drinks they provided though. It was really nice to play as long as we liked there.

Since I already have tickets for the gamescom, I would play it there. The agonizingly long waiting times would probably be worth it. Since my guess is that it's mainly a shortened version of the demos that were playable last week, I would not spoil myself any more than I already have since I watched a bit of footage and saw pictures from the people who attended. Though the demos may have the same size even if they're too long. I remember when one of the longer demos was available for FFXV and we started playing the full game, we were just interrupted after about 20-30 mimutes. (Which was kinda ironic to have waited 1 1/2 hours when I could play it as long as I wanted during a smaller anime/manga convention later since people had better things to do there than play video games...) And to think waiting up to 6 hous would actually be considered worth it in my opinion...

You're of course entitled to your own opinion but a new creative team won't necessarily make it better. It's fairly simple that not every movie would fit KH. For example, I can't really imagine what the point of a Jungle Book world would be. The Black Cauldron is something they could potentially work with but they won't be able to fit every single movie into one game. What the fans want is also not the only factor but also how worlds fit the narrative.

Now that I'm done with God of War, I want to play something else to shorten the wait. I am interested in Detroit: Becomr Human but the game is still too expensive. There's more to choose from than I thought...

Yay Have fun to those who will be attending and playing! That being said, there might be a chance they will do the same as they did with 0.2 and it will appear at other events and conventions as well. I'd be so thrilled if it would be playable at gamescom this year. ^-^

I can relate to that. Tragedies certainly have their place and are also realistic with wars, but there seems to be the popular opinion going around that, in order to be great and profound, everything must be dark and tragic. Personally, I don't think anyone has to die to make the game satisfying (except for Xehanort maybe because I cannot imagine him suddenly redeeming himself in a believable fashion). But the main reason a really tragic ending would make me unhappy in KH3 is that the concept of death is really ambiguous and not really all that present. They are literally going to bring back people who don't exist anymore. Who don't even have a real body. For some reason, it would be a little grating for me if they bring back Naminé, Xion and Roxas, who were all more or less not meant to exist, and then kill of characters because they allegedly cannot be saved. I have nothing against those three or them getting a happy ending, I just don't think it's justified to kill off other characters either because they're not that popular or because they are too popular. Or because they disturb the beloved trio dynamic, which would be the case if Isa is killed off just to create a deep emotional impact for Lea and so he doesn't get in-between Xion, Roxas and Lea. (Since his behavior toward them has not been easily forgivable.) Either way, this whole "hard to accept" business can really refer to so many things or is Nomura creating more drama than there actually is. I could find at three scenarios for that statement without resorting to too drastic measurements, such as that it will simply be hard to accept that it's the end of a saga. That it might end up being rather open despite the main theme of resolution, like KH1 did or BBS, to prepare for the next games. Knowing that we will have to wait an indefinite amount of time for a continuation. Etc. I don't see the need to make KH3 too tragic either, mainly because the franchise is a bit like Marvel in the aspect that almost everyone presumed death returns in one way or another. Except for characters like Uncle Ben or so. It would be hard to explain why some characters won't be able to. I'm not even sure Master Eraqus is truly gone.

I don't want to judge anyone or point fingers, claiming that this is atrocious behavior since some people enjoy it, but personally, it was a bit of a bummer, similar to how Monsters, Inc. got leaked because the trailer did not have the same impact and some people don't tag their stuff. (Though in this case, the leaks were made public due to SE's own fault since they put it on a public server...)

I don't mind it for minor stuff. Of course the software shouldn't be tempered with but seeing some unused areas in the franchise was fun for example. But this whole leaking information thing when it does not really give us an advantage... In the end, it might even have repercussions. Maybe not for us but for the people working for the company for example. And it's not like it can be avoided so easily.

I agree, it was likely meant to be included in one of the next waves of information and I couldn't exactly unsee it since someone I follow retweeted it. Of course there's still the surprise of how it will look in 3D and how her hair got styled but I feel like this was not necessary. But perhaps if Kairi gets an appearance, Lea might be too.

To make it clear, it's not the outfit itself which bothers me but rather that it was datamined before being shown in a trailer or KH3.

Not sure how to feel about that allegedly datamined KH3 Kairi outfit from Union Cross.

The first question is a fairly certain no unless Disney decides to collaborate with Ghibli, which I don't see them doing. They may be the company distributing the Ghibli movies, but they do not hold any copyright or other rights whatsoever which gives them the possibility to use Ghibli property. It's basically a license like many other streaming services and distributors acquire which allows them to sell their movies. They do not take ownership of them however. No offense here, and as much as I like Ghibli and deem some of their movies suitable, but Disney is fairly protective of their properties and so is Ghibli. They could clash immensely with SE in the middle and I'm not sure that's what the series needs. If they do decide to take another company into the boat, I would imagine something like DreamWorks since they worked together before. (And HTTYD as well as The Guardians of Light would make nice worlds in my opinion.) But even that is a stretch. Too many people working on one project could become a clash in interests since right now, Disney has the last word for everything. They may give SE a good amount of free reign, but the final approval is given by Disney. Pixar only made it into the games after, what recent reveals suggested, a prolonged period of persuasion, and Disney owns that studio. It isn't always as easy as it seems. Some of the other questions are interesting, though I doubt there were many situations where fans could actually ask questions outside of official press interviews. I'm glad to be proven wrong however, though knowing them, their answers would be evasive as usual with a simple please look forward to more information in the future or they can't say anything now... But why Fire Emblem? I don't see the connection between that franchise and KH. I still believe the Stark Industries shirt is more of a nod toward Infinity War or that SE/Disney Marvel IP. Just my opinion, but back then when world selection was a topic and it inevitably fell on Star Wars and Marvel, they said it was difficult. While that's not a downright denial, it does make it seem rather unlikely since they usually never are that straightforward. Then again, things change so quickly, no one knows.

the original cast of every movie either due to death, age, busy schedules or because they simply do not want to. I get that people grow up with them and that it may take time getting used to but a change does not necessarily have to be bad.

I don't really care as long as it fits. Of course some voices are hard to replace because they're exceptionally unique. For example, I'm a bit worried who will replay Nimoy as Xehanort, but especially for older Disney/Pixar movies, I was often not impressed with the original VAs and this notion to hire well-known actors instead of professional VAs. A good actor does not necessarily imply that they manage hreat voice acting. That, and as far as I know, KH never managed to get...

I think it's a similar reason as to why they avoided showing Rapunzel for a long time. Not only will it likely be one of the later worlds and may been rather spoiler heavy, such large cities are a challenge to portray, especially characters with partly unique powers. Since they now use NPCs, I can only imagine that this world in particular may be rather complicated. And as much as I like seeing the progress Olympus has made for example over the past years, there's no need to show something which could have been problematic until reaching a certain standard. Another point is that Nomura said they would reveal all worlds beforehand. While this is not the first time things have changed, a reveal does not necessarily equal actual footage. It was basically a confirmation that the world is making it in. Scrapped content and even entire worlds aren't particularly new to games, KH being no exception, but I have never heard of a world getting entirely taken out after being announced. Not to mention that this would mean they would have to change scripts, etc. which should have been done at the point of announcement for the most part. So I don't think that we should be worried. I can vividly imagine Big Hero 6 being among the more challenging worlds on their list and that beinf the reason why they cannot show much. The Tangled world did not have much exposition yet either, and nearly none before this year. (I wouldn't consider showing a tower and some grass/stone a real showcase. And just because of Rapunzel's hair.)

I'd personally prefer the Sony conference so I can see people's reaction but I think their own showcase is rather likely. It's at least among the most probable possibilities. Speaking for myself, I'd rather like two trailers again like at D23 but have one during SE's showcase and another with the release date during Sony's conference. That is if it's not a disaster like last year's. I somehow like having shorter trailers which aren't too imposing and have an onslaught of information. At some point, it makes me unable to process every detail and shorter videos make it easier to go back to certain scenes as well without having to search. I'm certainly not complaining about 5 minutes or longer trailers and such like we received on Friday, but if it's not only gameplay but story, there's only so much a person can take in at once.