Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Man, I really need to organize my thoughts better next time. That just a wall of text...

To redeem myself slightly, this time it's more coherent:

Woo! It just got confirmed earlier today on SE's European Twitter account, and they've stated that Kingdom Hearts Re:coded is to be released Internationally for the DS, like it logically would be based on the graphics and general gameplay of the original cell phone game. While it's not the bundled-with-Birth by Sleep deal I hoped it would, I have no problems with it being on DS, since it's a better option than if it were on a cellphone. Glad to see Squeenix understands the North American (and, evidenced by the source, the International) market. It was a matter of many a discussion of how this episodic title would get an overseas release, since it was the only title of the three Gaiden games not to have been announced Internationally.

It's also safe to assume that this is indeed one of the two titles Nomura mentioned would be revealed and released before Kingdom Hearts III is properly announced (and worked on after Versus XIII, which many an unformed person neglects to research).


Details on if Re:coded will be a retail game (I sincerely hope so!) or an episodic download via DSiWare is unclear at this point, but it seems unlikely that it's a download-only title, as it would easily alienate other DS owners.

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I'm generally optimistic on entertainment I enjoy until proven otherwise, and the fanbase is doing a decent job of trying to convince everyone that both Days and Coded are/were disappointments, and that Sleep is the only title worth getting. Being relatively unspoiled of the details of Coded aside from a hint at it's ending and Sleep's entire scenario and outcomes, I can understand how an uninformed fan would be persuaded and/or told-off at their uninformed opinions of a game they've yet to play/witness. However, our optimism for Re:coded is being shot at by the Japanese adoptors (and those willing to spoil themselves) and have confirmed now
if indeed the two (now) Nintendo DS KH titles are "filler" games.

Perhaps they are and can be supported by many a knowledgible fan, but I'm going to ignore their negativity and criticisms - as valid as they may be - and accept everything series' director Nomura throws at us. While the KH fanbase has a roller-coaster relationship with me - from the constant bitching of plotholes and instances of deus ex machina, to Mary Sues and wasted plots - all with varying degrees of pickiness, I've enjoyed their thoughts on the franchise, mainly concerning the mysteries the titles constantly throw at us. If they had it their way, it seems the only titles worth playing are KH, the parts of CoM and KHII that concerns the Organization, and BbS, and to completely throw away the rest of CoM and KHII as the aforementioned deus ex machinas, the fanfiction that is Days, and the filler that is Coded.

I have to respectfully ignore their dismissal, since they're choosing to ignore material they all think is unimportant. The truth of the matter is that since this is Nomura's plot, and he's largely making stuff up as he goes, what aspects of the franchise are important are whatever he deems they are. He chose Sora's sacrifice in KH to be important enough to base the next three titles around that one instant. That affected the entirely of Days' outcome, the latter half of CoM, and as such completely shaped KHII's plot. Whatever he decided to add into BbS and Coded is whatever he decided to implement from past games' mysteries, and all new material that the fanbase will surely find fault with. This is the man's baby - allow him to do what he wants with it.

I've been down this route too often, and I've said the same things then as I do now: you may not agree with the decisions that a series takes, but you don't have much of a choice. Some of us enjoy the stories this series has told, and just accept them, since we can't do anything but bitch and moan about how his series doesn't conform to our wants and wishes. Being a video game series, our input only legitimately affects the gameplay, as the series has done a decent job of addressing past issues as humanly as possible.

While it's fine that you haven't and won't accept them, it's fine to bring up such points when you're elaborating on your opinion. It's not very acceptable to try and convince everyone else that what they like is wrong and pass off your opinion as fact, since that's goes against the basic principles of an oinion. Agreeing to disagree is perfectly fine, but don't force your own opinion as fact, since it affects absolutely nothing of the overall plot in the slightest. We can't have an end-all hindsight of the franchise's plot as a whole until the series is all over and done with. Until then, our bickering doesn't affect the overall plot in any significant way. As such, having such negativity in the fanbase is unfortunate when the discussions are about how much something is going to suck seems to outweigh the genuine optimism and positives of the games.

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With the release of Days last Fall, Sleep out this September and Re:Coded to be released by the end of the year, the Gaiden titles will finally be out for all Kingdom Hearts fans a short year after Japan received them!

Again, this will be cleared up next week, and I'm just glad it's confirmed and that it seems we're getting Final Mix versions for two new games as our first and only options, which is always a good sign.

Yay for E3~

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