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So with the release of the new screenshots and renders from famitsu, I decided to compare the renders of Mickey and Aqua to their Ps2 era models, to see how they look overall and to see a side by side comparison. Upon comparing them I have to say that my appreciation for the kingdom shader has gone up even more, due to the fact that they look like the character designs from the last generation but with major improvements of course and how the models actually look like they could've been from a Disney animated film. Anyways, seeing these new renders makes even more excited for the game's release in January.

Update: As of March 21, 2017, the PlayStation Store is offering a discounted price for the digital version of Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue. The price is now $41.99, 30% off the original price of $59.99. The original article follows. Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is now available for pre-order on PlayStation Store US for $59.99, with a file size of 28.7 GB. The game comes with a pre-order bonus of an exclusive PSN theme, which is the same theme that comes with pre-ordering the game from the PlayStation Store Japan. The game will be available on January 24, 2017, at midnight Pacific time. The PSN icon for the game can be seen below. (You may notice an editing error where Riku's arm can be seen behind Sora's left arm.) A picture of the pre-order bonus PS4 theme can be seen below. The description reads as follows: This news comes only a day after the game was made available for pre-order in the PlayStation Store Japan. Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue will be the first game in the Kingdom Hearts series to be fully available digitally. Will you be pre-ordering Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue? If so, will you pre-order a digital copy or a physical copy? Let us know below! Click here to view the article

Famitsu Weekly has just released, featuring a 2-page spread on Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, with special emphasis on Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A Fragmentary Passage-. Eight screenshots are featured in this spread, including some which were previously revealed by Weekly Shōnen Jump, the Kingdom Hearts 0.2 BbS AFP opening cinematics, and the Famitsu's Twitter account. Two new screenshots show gameplay of Aqua wandering in the Enchanted Dominion section of the Dark World, with her surroundings full of thorns. One of these screenshots features a Darkside waiting ahead. The screenshot featuring Ven shows a much clearer color difference from his original outfit. A previously revealed render of Aqua is also available, along with a new render of King Mickey Mouse holding Starseeker. The article also mentions the Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX PS4 collection. You can view pictures of the spread in high quality below. Translations have been provided thanks to Catherine Mueller (nichiei.translations@gmail.com) and can be found below. Click here to view the article

The PlayStation Japanese Store has updated with a pre-order section on Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue. The game is priced at 7,344 yen and marks the first time that a Kingdom Hearts title has been fully available digitally. Those who pre-order the game on the PlayStation Store can play the game starting on midnight of the release date. You can check out the icon for the game on the PlayStation Store below. It was previously announced that those who do pre-order from the Japanese PS Store will receive a free Kingdom Hearts theme for their PS4. Are you downloading the game digitally? Let us know in the comments below! Click here to view the article

Famitsu.com has released two new screenshots for Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue. These two new screenshots feature Aqua & Mickey from the game. Furthermore, Famitsu has confirmed that the next issue of Famitsu Weekly (November 17th) will feature Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue with Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- as the main spotlight. You can check out the screenshots below. Click here to view the article

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue was given a 1 page spread in the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in Japan. The page most predominantly features the new model of Aqua used in Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue as well as a few screenshots of gameplay, the opening cinematic, as well as a screenshot of a never before scene taking place in the Dwarf Woodlands world in Birth by Sleep 0.2 -A Fragmentary Passage- with Terra and Ventus making an appearance. In this particular screenshot, there seems to be a difference in Ventus's outfit, as it shows a different color scheme for his jacket and seams compared to his default outfit, as you can see below. A screenshot from the Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A Fragmentary Passage- has also been provided for comparison. You scan see scans of the magazine below thanks to Twitter users @kazu4281 and @xenosaga7. Translations of the spread are now available thanks to Katie Armstrong. You can read them below. What do you think of Terra and Ven's appearances in BbS 0.2 that we've seen so far? Let us know in the comments? Click here to view the article

Kingdom Hearts series producer and Final Fantasy series brand manager Shinji Hashimoto was in attendance at a conference at Lucca Comics & Games 2016 in Italy last month. During this conference, Hashimoto was able to discuss and answer questions relating to the upcoming Kingdom Hearts releases. The translations below have been provided by Aquaberry. Hashimoto noted that the cinematic movie Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover, present in the Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue collection, will fill up a missing space in the Kingdom Hearts timeline and that it will be comprehensible even to those who have not played Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ for smartphone. He commented on Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A Fragmentary Passage-, saying that its story will connect directly to the story that will be presented in Kingdom Hearts III. He also said that the duration of the game will partly depend upon the player's abilities. While it may seem a short game, it has a substantial amount of playable content. He also noted that there will be no "Kingdom Hearts 2.9" after Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue as "it will proceed directly to [Kingdom Hearts] 3." Hashimoto discussed Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX, saying that the idea for the compilation was due to fans all around the world commenting on the complexity of the plot of the Kingdom Hearts series. The PlayStation 4 release will address this issue by enabling the fans to own the entire collection on the same console. Furthermore, he indicated that the PS4 re-release will contain some differences from the PS3 releases; it will have much better graphics. Hashimoto was also asked to comment on the legitimacy of the story surrounding the conception of Kingdom Hearts in an accidental meeting in an elevator with a Disney employee who worked in the same building. Hashimoto answered that this is a matter he has been asked about many times. He clarified that while Square were working in the same building as Disney, it was the latter that approached with a proposal for a collaboration that later became the Kingdom Hearts series. As reported previously, Hashimoto confirmed that Kingdom Hearts HD Dream Drop Distance will be fully translated in Italian and Spanish; this is a novel development as Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance for Nintendo 3DS was not fully localised in these languages. The game, originally intended for two screens, will certainly be playable in one screen on the PS4. Hashimoto also reminded fans that the Sora DLC for World of Final Fantasy will be available for only a limited time only this winter. Lastly, Hashimoto reflected on his contentment towards the evolution of the Kingdom Hearts series, saying that he is happy about the success of the series reflected by fans across the world. A full video of the conference can be viewed below, thanks to GamerClick.it. What are your expectations from Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue? Are you excited to play Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX on PS4? Let us know in the comments below! Click here to view the article

The Entertainment Software Rating Board has updated their rating summary of Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, which had been previously rated as E10+ by the board for fantasy violence and mild language. Their rating summary is as follows: This ESRB rating of E10+ is similar to that of other games except for Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, which were rated E. The rating for Kingdom Hearts 3D Dream Drop Distance, in comparison, lacks mentions of mild language, and in contrast to Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, the rating for Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue does not include "mild suggestive themes." Click here to view the article

January ain't far away...

I have started work on my "Road to 2.8" November piece. Decided that this one was going to be themed around Back Cover. I was super excited about drawing the foretellers as I love their character designs. This is just a work in progress sketch for now. Just wanted to give you guys a little sneak peek! Let me know what you all think!

Update 2: An Yodobashi Camera store in Japan has put finished versions of all three acrylic stands on display. Image provided thanks to Twitter user @Kazaton. Update 1: Tetsuya Nomura used the official Japanese Kingdom Hearts series Twitter to give a few details about the "AIR" acrylic stand as well as provided pictures of all three stands once they were set up. Nomura explains that the "AIR" stand actually has Sora coming from behind the clouds, which is different than the image that was previously shown (as pictured below, Sora is in front of the clouds). He also adds that he thinks assembly is relatively simple because of the size of the plugs. The new promotional images of the mini acrylic stands can be found below. The original article follows: Square Enix Japan have updated their Special/DLC page for the Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue with exciting news. Fans in Japan will be able to obtain, at random, one of three mini acrylic stands drawn by series director Tetsuya Nomura if they pre-order a physical copy of the game from select retailers. These will also be available in limited stock with pre-orders from Amazon Japan. You can see pictures of the stands below. New pre-orders of the game from Amazon Japan will also be accompanied by an exclusive PS4 theme, previewed below. Furthermore, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue will be the first Kingdom Hearts game to be made available for download at the PlayStation Store, with pre-orders in Japan starting mid-November. Pre-orders will also come with a unique Kingdom Hearts PS4 theme, shown below. Interestingly, Nomura had commented on the possibility of a download release for Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep in a Dengeki PlayStation interview back in 2011, saying that it was a difficult task for reasons he could not talk about and that did not involve problems with Square Enix, Disney, or Utada Hikaru, the artist behind the Kingdom Hearts theme songs. At the time, he had said that it was a task that required time to make possible. Square Enix Japan have tweeted that they will announce the start date for pre-orders soon. Thank to Churro, aibo, and KH13.com user blue490246 for the tips. A complete translation of the Special/DLC webpage has been provided thanks to goldpanner. You can read the translations below. Are you expecting a digital version of Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue to be available for download outside of Japan? Do you think Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX and Kingdom Hearts III will also have downloadable versions in the future? Let us know in the comments below! Click here to view the article

During a presentation promoting Final Fantasy Trading Card Game at Lucca Comics & Games 2016, Kingdom Hearts series producer Shinji Hashimoto has confirmed that Kingdom Hearts HD Dream Drop Distance will be translated in Italian and Spanish for its release as part of Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue. This marks the first time that the game will be fully localized in these languages, as the original Italian and Spanish releases of the game only featured translated text with English dialogue. Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue releases internationally on January 24th, 2017. Click here to view the article

There has been some discussion already on why Venitas has blue eyes and not the normal gold we have seen prior, but I thought it would be good to make a thread and see what we, the fans, believe the reasoning behind it is.

Square Enix have released the opening cinematic for Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, featuring beautiful CGI by Visual Works and music by Utada Hikaru – the new Simple and Clean -Ray of Hope MIX-. You can see it below. Click here to view the article