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It All Began With... Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep |OT|

Jeels

Member
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[Title] Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep

[System] Playstation Portable
[Genre] Action roleplaying game
[Developed by] Square Enix Osaka Team

[Director] Tetsuya Nomura
[Co-Director] Tai Yasue
[Executive Producer] Shinji Hashimoto
[Game Producer] Patrick Chen
[Co-Producer] Yoichi Yoshimoto
[Writer] Masaru Oka
[Composers] Yoko Shimomura, Tsuyoshi Sekito, Takeharu Ishimoto

[Content Rating]
CERO A
ESRB E10+
PEGI 12+

[Release Date]
JP January 9, 2010
NA September 7, 2010
EU September 10, 2010

[North American Preorder Bonus] (Click for Picture!)
Deck out your Playstation Portable system with Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Decals. The set includes both dark and light trims, so your PSP is garunteed to turn heads regardless of its color! Preorder your copy today to ensure you'll be rocking the hottest handheld on the block!

[European Special Edition] (Click for Picture!)
Special Edition Comes With: 2 Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Art Prints, Hardback 48 Page Artwork Book "The Art of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep". The Special Edition is being distributed into UK, France, Germany/Austria/Switzerland, Nordic countries, Benelux, Spain, Italy, Australia/New Zealand, Russia, Greece, Portugal and Cyprus.
Please do check availability with your friendly local retail outlet! The box will contain the game in its usual PSP-style packaging with the additional components too, so please be assured that the original game boxart will still be a part of the Special Edition.

[System Requirements] Official Firmware Update 6.20 (Comes with UMD Disc)


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OP Note: The characters section contains early game speculation and spoilers. They aren't really spoilers so much as they are common pre-game release knowledge, but I thought I'd place a disclaimer regardless.

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[Terra] - One of three apprentices to Master Eraqus, Terra, along with Aqua, are preparing to take the Master Qualification Exam when mysterious circumstances arise. Terra has been said to be one who puts his goal as his top priority over everything else, and that his stress of his goals causes conflict between him and the other characters. His name is Latin for "Earth", a meaning he shares with Riku whose name means "Land".

[Ventus] - The youngest apprentice to Master Eraqus, Ventus hasn't been an apprentice long enough to qualify to take the Master Qualification Exam along with Aqua and Terra. When compared to the other apprentices, Ven's story is the one that is most similar to past Kingdom Hearts games. His personality is much like Sora's, in that he easily makes friends with the residents of the worlds he visits and he is able to blend in with the world's inhabitants naturally. Ventus' name is Latin for "Wind", which poses a connection to Sora's name which means "Sky".

[Aqua] - Master Eraqus' only female apprentice, Aqua, was set to take the Master Qualification Exam with Terra when a threat to the worlds arose. Aqua is said to be a serious character with a steady mind, although she often worries about Terra and Ven. Magic is Aqua's specialty and her fighting style uses it heavily. Her name is Latin for "Water", and while Kairi's name has a similar meaning ("Sea")

[Mickey] - Birth by Sleep goes back to the days when the King of Disney Castle was still training under the wise Yen Sid. He wields the Star-Seeker Keyblade and has been seen carrying around an object known as a Star Fragment, which seems to be involved with traveling from world to world. He is one of the games' D-Links.

[Master Eraqus] - Master Eraqus is one of many Keyblade Masters. When he passed his Master Qualification Exam, along with his peer Master Xehanort, he decided to stay and govern the Land of Departure. Not much is known about Master Eraqus presently. His name is an anagram for "Square" which mirrors Mickey's Master Yen Sid (which is an anagram of "Disney"). Though Master Eraqus is a brand new character to the series, he has been said to be heavily linked to the plot and a character to keep watch on.

[Master Xehanort] - One of Master Eraqus' old classmates. Master Xehanort has shown invested interest in Terra and Ventus, going so far to seek them out on multiple occasions. His reasoning behind these encounters are unknown however. Master Xehanort shares his name with the series' main antagonist, Xehanort. He also sports the same clothing that Xehanort's Heartless (Ansem, Seeker of Darkness) wore in the original Kingdom Hearts. There is an obvious connection between Master Xehanort and the apprentice Xehanort that Ansem the Wise finds without his memory, but the details of this connection are unknown.

[Vanitas] - Vanitas is Master Xehanort's only apprentice. His name is Latin for "Vanity" or "Emptiness" and was chosen for him both for its meaning, and for it sounding similar to Ventus' name. His face will not be revealed until the very end of the game, and it has been said that there is a very important reason behind him concealing his face. Because of this, he is to be considered more mysterious than the other characters.

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Official Playstation Magazine - 4/5 said:
Sleep remains a glorious reminder of what occurs when the grandeur of Disney melds with the talents of an A-list developer.

Level Magazine - 8/10 said:
As a game Birth By Sleep fills a couple of important functions. Partially it’s about a necessary explanation to one of Square Enix storytelling-wise most advanced series throughout the ages. Partially it’s an important lifesign from a format who during latter years has felt more and more shoved to the side. PSP truly needs more games like Birth By Sleep. And especially those that belong to that rare kind that makes you play a game to the final credits three times.

Best Buy Magazine -4.5/5 said:
On top of the deep combat, seasoned fans of the genre will appreciate looting and leveling through this sophisticated action-RPG. Rounding out the experience is one of the prettiest presentations to pop off the PSP's wide display.

IGN - 8.5/10 said:
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep has the best battle system in the series and one of the most ambitious storytelling devices yet; the game's few issues aren't enough to spoil the fun. With three characters to choose from, plenty of fun mini-games and a rich combat experience, Birth by Sleep comes highly recommended. Read More: http://psp.ign.com/articles/111/1118030p2.html

Gamespot - 7.5/10 said:
Like previous games in the franchise, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep provides good value for your money. Slashing through all three story strands may take you 25 hours or more, and the command boards and additional modes provide reasons to return once you've left the story behind. It's unfortunate that Birth by Sleep relies so much on repetition and that a few foibles from the series remain largely untouched. These and a few other woes hold this PSP exclusive back from greatness, but vibrant visuals and snazzy, evolving combat will likely charm fans and newcomers alike into forgiving most of the flaws. Birth by Sleep harbors few surprises, but it's a fun and comfortable addition to a quality series. Read More: http://www.gamespot.com/psp/rpg/kingdomheartsbirthbysleep/review.html?page=2

G4 - 4/5 said:
Disney and Square Enix make for the weirdest pairing since Danny Glover fought a Predator in a sensible pair of herringbone slacks. Kingdom Hearts series newcomers might be left in the dust by the hefty mythos, but inspired storytelling and deep, deft combat make Birth by Sleep a niche JRPG game with mass appeal.

Read more: http://g4tv.com/games/psp/48272/Kingdom-Hearts-Birth-by-Sleep/review/#ixzz0yV67B4eP


Game Informer - 8.5/10 said:
Overall, I loved the combat, leveling, and look of Birth by Sleep, and I applaud the bold storytelling approach of having three storylines. I’m just glad I won’t have to start up another character from scratch in this game ever again. Read more: http://gameinformer.com/games/kingd...ive/2010/09/07/kingdom-hearts-bbs-review.aspx

[Random Credit/Shameless Plugs]
-Kagari - OT inspiration comes from you, this is my first try at an OT guys, so tell me what can be improved/added. I know I'll be adding a section on general game play improvements sometime this week, depending on if this thread gets any interest.
-Wikipedia Page - for Birth by Sleep. Got a lot of the general information from there.
-Official Birth by Sleep Website (NA/PAL)
-Kingdom Hearts Insider (KHInsider.com) - This is where I pulled a lot of the graphics/renders/etc from. , It's been a personal project of mine as since the summer of 2005 I've been working as a site manager there. It is easily the largest Kingdom Hearts website around.

 

-DarKaoZ-

Banned
I was expecting a subtitle like "Identity Crisis has never been so damn confusing" or something along those lines. :lol
 

Aeana

Member
I'm really looking forward to going to the princesses' worlds. I've been waiting for that for such a long time.

I also hope the combat is as improved as duckroll says, or else!
 

Jeels

Member
Aeana said:
I'm really looking forward to going to the princess' worlds. I've been waiting for that for such a long time.

I really love how almost all of the worlds in this one are brand new, and the princess worlds in particular really makes this title interesting, what with the princesses of heart being so important in the game's sequel (KH1).
 

Zomba13

Member
Got the CE on preorder so day 1. Can't waaaaiit. I love KH more than I think I should tbh. Wish I got the sticker things for the back of the PSP on my preorder (at least we get the CE over here). They'd probably not look right on my PSP anyway, being black and all.

Also
<<< KH hyped my FFXIV hype avatar.
 
Looking at this OP and Bebpo's OP back to back is hilarious.

Anyway, totally looking forward to this. A bit disappointed since I got spoiled on a massive event in the other thread (people don't seem to care about marking spoilers when it comes to Kingdom Hearts :( ) but it still looks awesome.
 

bernardobri

Steve, the dog with no powers that we let hang out with us all for some reason
Great OP

By the way, has been the BBS soundtrack announced? Seems like it's one of the best works by Shimomura so far.
 

Jeels

Member
Fimbulvetr said:
Why is Tink in the banner?

I don't know, ask Square Enix. :D That's from a wallpaper.

By the way, has been the BBS soundtrack announced? Seems like it's one of the best works by Shimomura so far.

Did Shimomura even do the majority of the BBS soundtrack? I'm actually not sure.
 

rataven

Member
Really looking forward to visiting some new places.

Dwarf Woodlands sounds fun. Hi ho, hi ho, off to there I'll go...sorry.
 

ULTROS!

People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
Hopefully this game comes out day one in my country.

Sorry for the question but what's the difference between Enchanted Dominion and Castle of Dreams?
 
By the way, is Birth By Sleep supposed to be a prequel?

I'll definitely get this game. I guess, since it won't be on PSN, I can get the collector's edition for old times' sake! :p
 
ULTROS! said:
Hopefully this game comes out day one in my country.

Sorry for the question but what's the difference between Enchanted Dominion and Castle of Dreams?

Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella worlds respectively i'm guessing.
 
I kind of wish that guy isn't named Terra. Because everytime I think of that name, I think of FFVI's Terra! Same with Rikku from the PS2 KH games. I keep thinking of Rikku from FFX!

Why does Nomura reuse names like that? I kind of wish he didn't. It's a little odd when Sora is calling out for Riku and than you got Rikku with Yuna and Payne in the game also!

I know it's no big deal, but it's slightly annoying I guess.
 

jiggle

Member
too bad won't have time to play this
gonna be busy with XIV
was really looking forward to it too





TheFLYINGManga_Ka said:
Why does Nomura reuse names like that?


not sure if serious

Tina
Terra
Ryukku
Riku
 
TheFLYINGManga_Ka said:
I kind of wish that guy isn't named Terra. Because everytime I think of that name, I think of FFVI's Terra! Same with Rikku from the PS2 KH games. I keep thinking of Rikku from FFX!

Why does Nomura reuse names like that? I kind of wish he didn't. It's a little odd when Sora is calling out for Riku and than you got Rikku with Yuna and Payne in the game also!

I know it's no big deal, but it's slightly annoying I guess.

Terra is named Tina in Japanese FFVI. I got nothing for the Riku/Rikku business though.
 
cosmicblizzard said:
Terra is named Tina in Japanese FFVI. I got nothing for the Riku/Rikku business though.
Didn't know that.

Well, that sort of clears it up. It's kind of confusing for U.S. audiences though, since I remember Tina from FFVI as Terra for so long.

Ah well. Like I said, it's no big deal.
 

Borman

Member
Cancelled my FFXIV preorder earlier to avoid the day 1 MMO mess, and went with this. Cant wait :p Figures, that the DS KH game and now the PSP game are the first games I've bought for the respective systems on release day in years.
 
TheFLYINGManga_Ka said:
I kind of wish that guy isn't named Terra. Because everytime I think of that name, I think of FFVI's Terra! Same with Rikku from the PS2 KH games. I keep thinking of Rikku from FFX!

Why does Nomura reuse names like that? I kind of wish he didn't. It's a little odd when Sora is calling out for Riku and than you got Rikku with Yuna and Payne in the game also!

I know it's no big deal, but it's slightly annoying I guess.

Theme naming.

Sora, Riku, and Kairi mean Sky, Land, and Sea.

Ventus, Terra, and Aqua mean Air, Earth, and Water.
 
Looking forward to this =]]] I'm disappointed that I won't be able to play on my PSP Go, but oh well. The multiplayer mode mode I played at E3 was fun too. Can't wait.
 

Jeels

Member
DarknessTear said:
I recall you played it before.. is it really that good?

From the impressions I've been hearing, it really does sound like its a perfection of the Kingdom Hearts formula, I've heard some people say they haven't liked the series this much since the first one originally came out (and the only reason that title even holds a place in people's hearts is because of how fresh the idea of the series was at the time).
 
ULTROS! said:
Hopefully this game comes out day one in my country.

Sorry for the question but what's the difference between Enchanted Dominion and Castle of Dreams?

Enchanted Dominion is the Sleeping Beauty world, Castle of Dreams is the Cinderella world.

They're different levels in the game.
 

sciplore

Member
Great Op, now starting to get a little hyped up.

Aurora, Snow white worlds were a long time coming now and I hope they dare not disappoint. Hoping that the inclusion of stitches world will make up for the lack of Halloween town.

duckroll said:

Nope not falling for that until Tail Solarobo is released first.
 
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