Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep Message Board

#speakuponkotaku Commenter Madammina's tale of playing through Kingdom Hearts with her little brother reminds us how much fun it is to play video games with our loved ones in today's Speak Up on Kotaku. More »

If you think we're going to explain that mess of scribbles above -- fuggedaboutit! What we have parsed from Square Enix's six-month financial report (April-September 2010) is a rather slight net income: ¥1.723 billion ($21.4 million). While any company would take pocket change over a loss, Square Enix profits are indeed down 36 percent from the same period last year, and software sales for the first half of this fiscal year have relied heavily on "contribution from highly profitable carryover sales of major titles released in March" -- in other words: Final Fantasy XIII picked up the slack.

And who were the slackers? Square Enix highlighted five "major titles" released during the period:

• Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 (DS) - 1.28 million units sold (Japan-only)
• Final Fantasy XIV (PC) - 630K units sold (worldwide)
• Just Cause 2 (multiplatform) - 560K units sold (worldwide)*
• Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days (multiplatform) - 1.12 million units sold (worldwide)
• Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep (PSP) - 510K units sold (worldwide)*
  
  *Title released in some regions prior to April 2010; sales only reflect those recorded in the six months ending September 30, 2010.

Finally, Square Enix heralded its recent partnership with Chinese online games publisher Shanda Games; a deal indicative of two of the company's three proclaimed growth strategies: globalization and becoming "network centric." As for the third? Square Enix's three-pronged attack also stresses "strengthening our own-IPs." So when's that next Final Fantasy coming out again?

[Image: Year-over-year comparison of monthly revenues from existing outlets; source: Square Enix]

#review A decade before Sora faced off against his first Heartless, Terra, Aqua, and Ventus battled the Unversed across a multitude of Disney-themed worlds in Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. More »

The latest issue of Jump magazine has details on the next Kingdom Hearts release. In typical Square Enix fashion, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep is getting a "Final Mix" version in Japan this winter. As with previous "Final Mix" games, this re-release includes all the content from the North American version of the game, including English voices and the sticker system.

Previous "Final Mix" editions have featured hidden teasers for upcoming games in the franchise. (Birth by Sleep, for example, was initially teased in Kingdom Hearts 2: Final Mix.) Maybe this iteration will follow the trend -- and even let PSP Go owners in on the fun as well?

Highly anticipated prequel ships to North American retailers, Limited Edition PSP Entertainment Pack also available.

Unravel the aftermath of the Keyblade War in this engaging prequel.

Late last year, we heard a pretty troubling rumor about Square Enix's first keybladed outing on the PSP, Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep -- that the game wouldn't get a downloadable version on the PSN, thereby preventing any PSP Go owners from getting their hands on it. It's almost nine months later, and Square has finally commented on the rumor, confirming to IGN that "Square Enix, Inc. currently has no plans to release Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep through the PlayStation Store."

Considering Birth By Sleep is one of the highest-profile releases on the platform in some time, this is an awfully disheartening turn of events for owners of the download-only handheld. We've contacted Sony and Square Enix to find out the reason behind the title's absence from the PSN.

[Thanks, Guts!]

Keyblade wielders don't like digital distribution, apparently.

#pspgo Are you a big Kingdom Hearts fan? Did you trade in your normal PSP for a sleek and shiny PSP Go last year? Then you won't be playing Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep any time soon. More »

Though the seven-minute Gamescom trailer for Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep isn't what we'd call a "lighthearted romp," it's certainly worth the time investment for fans of the series. Or fans of Square-Enix's trademark overdramatic dialogue, because, hoo boy, this trailer's got it in spades.

A detailed look at the next chapter in the world-hopping series.

If you find PSP game boxes too small (or PSN game boxes too nonexistent) for your tastes -- and if you like Kingdom Hearts a bunch -- then prepare to be delighted by some Disney magic.

#specialedition The European PlayStation blog shows off the lovely box art for the Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep Special Edition. What's in the box? More »

#preview The first time I played Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep I was in Tokyo, well aware that I couldn't read the Japanese menus of the flashy new PSP installment. The second time was this week. The game was in English. More »

Pre-order now for an exclusive Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep decal set, free with purchase at select retailers.

Square Enix's pre-order bonus for Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep might not be extravagant, but it is ... adhesive. Putting money down at Amazon, GameStop or Best Buy will net you the system-bestickering decals shown, in light and dark variants so as to stand out on any color scheme.

#squareenix Take a trip through Disney Town, the Dwarf Woodlands, the Castle of Dreams, the Enchanted Dominion, and Deep Space, in this Worlds trailer for Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep for the PSP. More »

Just past the break, we've got a new trailer for Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, which highlights the PSP title's trio of protagonists: Aqua, Ventus and Terra. As you'd imagine, their keyswordthingy skills are without equal -- except for when directly compared to each other, we guess. So where were we?

Oh, right, the trailer -- you can see it yourself just past the break. And if you're wondering what all of the hubbub is about, you probably haven't read our E3 preview yet. Don't worry, we won't hold it against you ... for now.

#disney Last year, it was revealed that Square Enix designer Tetsuya Nomura originally conceived with chainsaws. "There things I wanted to do [with Kingdom Hearts]", Nomura recently told Kotaku, "but things that were not allowed." More »

At last year's E3, I got a chance to check out Kingdom Hearts' first North American outing on handhelds, 358/2 Days (or, as Google's automatic calculator called it when I just searched to make sure I had the name right, 179 Days). I recall being impressed at how they managed to ape the solid experience the game delivered on PS2 on a portable platform, albeit at the cost of a bit of visual power and general gameplay depth.

To describe Birth By Sleep using these terms would be awfully irresponsible. If 358/2 Days was Square-Enix's attempt to emulate the franchise's previous offerings on a handheld, then Sleep represents the fruits of the studio's developmental labor. It's not just an attempt to squish the core franchise down to a smaller format -- it's a fully realized extension of said franchise.

The wielders of the ancient blades travel through space... on dope keys.

Square Enix reveals North American release date.

#releasedate Square Enix's vague summer released date for Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep has become a definite September release date, with a limited edition PSP bundle commemorating the next star-studded entry in the beloved Kingdom Hearts series. More »

A trailer embedded in a post on the U.S. PlayStation.Blog has revealed that Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, which had previously been promised to hit North American store shelves this summer, has received a firm release date of September 7. If you're extra enthusiastic about vanquishing the Heartless, the post explains that you'll also be able to pick up a hardware bundle that includes the game, an unannounced movie, a 4GB memory stick and a "Mystic Silver" (that's fancy-speak for "plain ol' silver") PSP-3000 on the same day.

The PlayStation.Blog post didn't mention a price for this package -- we'd guess it'll be around the usual $199.99 price point that other PSP bundles are currently being offered for, but we've contacted Sony to try and get a more official number. In the meantime, check out the brand new, ever-so-brief trailer for Birth by Sleep that's posted above.

KINGDOM HEARTS fans take note! Today, our friends at Square Enix announced that KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep will be available in North American on September 7. A prequel to the mega-hit series, this pivotal installment takes you back to the beginning of the KINGDOM HEARTS saga, where you will explore iconic Disney worlds through the perspectives of three different main characters: Terra, Ventus and Aqua.

In celebration of the game’s launch, we’re introducing a new limited edition KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep PSP Entertainment Pack, which brings together the stunning visuals of KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep and the robust portable gaming experience only possible on the PSP system. You’ll be able to pick up the new limited edition KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep PSP Entertainment Pack at GameStop locations on September 7.

The limited edition Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep PSP Entertainment Pack will include:

• “Mystic-Silver” PSP-3000 system
• KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep on UMD (Universal Media Disc)*
• PlayStation Network downloadable movie voucher (title to be announced)
• 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo

You can expect this along with many more premiere PSP titles from both first and third-party publishers coming later this year. If you’re looking for the best in portable gaming, PSP is the place to be.

*Movie content will not be related to KINGDOM HEARTS series

An interview with Square Enix's Tetsuya Nomura, printed in the Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep Ultimania guide book, outs the planning of three new games in the Disney/Square action RPG series. And one of them is, for real, Kingdom Hearts III. However, Nomura hasn't started the actual production of the title -- evidently he's busy with Final Fantasy Versus XIII, which is apparently a real game that people are working on.

"We won't take up KH3 until we've reached a certain target with FF Versus XIII," Nomura said, according to Andriasang's translation of the text provided by FF-Reunion. One of the two additional Kingdom Hearts games will be out this year. Another, due later, features multiple protagonists like Birth by Sleep.

Nomura also dashed any hope of another super-deluxe re-release like the Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix. "The voice actors for the overseas version are all high caliber, so it wouldn't be bad to release a Final Mix version," he said. " ... However, because for KH2FM+ we released Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories as a set, we have the feeling that people's expectations for the content of a Final Mix have become extremely high. I'd like to say this here -- we won't do anything that big ever again. (laughs)."

Tetsuya Nomura plans another release this year.

Prequel to the Mega-Hit Franchise Comes to the PSP system

Square Enix is sure hoping that the recent release of its long-in-production RPG hasn't caused you to forget about its other long-in-production RPG: The PSP-exclusive Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep. The company recently sent a jolt through the series' dormant U.S. fan base by announcing that the title will come stateside sometime this summer.

According to Squeenix's press release announcement, the North American version of the game will include new features, such as "an extra boss and additional multiplayer options," as well as something called "Crown Stickers." That certainly sounds like powerful weapon in the fight against the Heartless. We hear those guys hate stickers.

#psp Square Enix is bringing the PSP prequel to its incredibly popular Kingdom Hearts series to North American shores, unsurprisingly, applying a vague "summer" release date to Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep. More »