Merilly

Keeping it vague is always a good idea. We've often seen that they had to go back on certain statements because the game just went in a different direction. For example the interview where it said that it would be strange for KH3 to have fewer worlds than KH2. This doesn't seem so unlikely now anymore with how big the worlds are in comparison, which may not have been planned from the beginning. It still got anjounced too early, which is probably why some fans are so on edge for a release but I feel like those years were necessary to make it a worthy end to a saga and not some rushed entry full of holes and bugs. While I was never one for multiplayer, I would actually like to have one implemented as a DLC later. It's nicer to do it like this because we know they focused on the actual single player mode this way instead of multiplayer, since quite frankly, a lot of games suffer in terms of story when there's an extended multiplayer campaign attached. I did like playing together in BBS and since a Dissidia or Hyrule Warriors type of KH will likely never happen due to Disney, it would be nice to play other characters. I think that would be a good option to play as a variety pf characters like back in Days, just a little more developed. It may be an unpopular opinion, but I stilk beoieve we haven't waited that long. People claiming that they waited 10 years can do so and I won't judge anyone for how long they supposedly waited but just because KH3 was talked about way earlier before its official release doesn't mean ot was actually a thing. We recived so many games in the meantime and without those, KH3 would not exist in the way it will release since a large part of the story was contributed in BBS and 3D. And waiting 5 years is still within the estimated time frame for a large game that will hopefully be a quality product. I don't kind it if people say they waited over 10 years. I can't determine how long people wait for somenthing just because I'm not the type to wait for games which were not officially announced yet in the form of a trailer or concept art or whatever. I also understand peole are trying to be funny with all the jokes and memes but I don't really get most of them since it's not like we've never seen anything of it like with Half-Life 3. That's also a hit like waitong for KH4 to be released becauee we know the story will continue after 3. I think its development cycle was fine. Not without a hitch or problems, I mean they said it themselves that the engine was foreign to them and that they still have trouble with the models and lighting due to that, but overall, it did not seem at a standstill. As you said, the evolvement of the visuals were stunning to see and while the game was certainly announced too early (since no KH-related post ever goes without fans asking when the game is gonna come already), it is really rare to see a game develop practically from beginning to end and how much progress was made. And I honestly believe the feedback given by fans also helped that along because we could immediately say what we didn't like and they could change certain things. I mean, it must be when even the demo for 0.2 had its models changed after a plethora of complaints. There will certainly still be many speculations and theories going around but the actual act of waiting and getting giddy together will be gone for a while at least. It's been 5 years soon and it has somehow become a part of the community even more so than with any other game before.

I know and I'm not comparing it in terms of that. KH3 had a fairly consistent development. Except for the engine switch in 2014, it has seemingly progressed smoothly from what we can tell. We received a steady income of information, albeit months apart and except for when 2.8 took priority in marketing, which was understandable since KH3 would overshadow the release otherwise. Even the change in engine seems like a good idea now, even if the models initially looked worse, if one considers that the Luminous engine apparently isn't so great and immensely hard to deal with, potentially prolonging the development way beyond 2018 should they have stuck to it. But after they got used to the engine, they are improving and will likely fix the small issues I have with the models and lighting as well. (Though most of them are not in a state which would make me cringe anymore or truly disturb the experience. Some characters just need to look more like themselves again which can be achieved with minor alterations.) All in all, you can see that KH3 is approaching a release and has a direction which FFXV did not have for the longest time. All in all, it barely had two years to get it back on track while the 4 years KH3 had are well within a normal development cycle for such a game. We can also see the leap they've made in terms of visuals, we know at least vaguely in which direction it is heading plot-wise due to the other games and I'd think it promising and feel rather optimistic. Though I also agree with you fhat DLCs should not contain anything substantial. I would not mind Keyblades,skins, perhaps a new minigame for this console type of thing or a multiplayer mode coming later. They shouldn't make the mistake of releasing an incomplete story because it would surely enrage the fans, although I also can't blame them at times with how much pressure they're getting from the fans to release it. All things considered, I don't know why people still believe we won't get the game until 2025 or something. Currently, the worst thing I could see happening would be a delay of maybe a couple of months, though I do not see any indication of that transpiring at all. They should take all the time they need since there are things which cannot be patched away so easily, especially if fans are already on edge about the issues. Nevertheless, we receive a steady flow of information now, the trailers are long and detailed and I don't see a reason to doubt that the game is on its way anymore. SE has always been vague ane cryptic with their information anyway so it's no surprise we are not getting any clear answers anyway. The only thing I'd really like to see now is an English dubbed trailer. It was merely an idea but I feel like it would be a suitable end to the era of waiting for KH3. We all can't deny that July would be great and all if the game is truly done (which it does not seem to be yet despite being in its final stages apparently), but it just feels a little too soon, a little too rushed and in the midst of the concerts no less to release it then. While the wait is killing me mich like a good part of the fandom, I also cherish the hype, the theories and the reactions and having the sites go more silent again in terms of news will feel strange. Therefore, I wouldn't mind having it last just a few months longer.

To be honest, FFXV really has been through development hell but I believe that just because that happened once doesn't mean the same will happen to KH3. Not gonna lie, the game did have some problems with the new engines and likely still sports some irregularities here and there, but all in all, the 4 years of actual development they would have in November showed a steady progress that is fairly reassuring. Which is why I don't really want to compare it to FFXV but it serves as a good example of what they shouldn't do with KH3. DLCs were already hinted it that they may have to resort to them, which doesn't sound too promising since it does not sound like optional content, but so far, every KH game was finished and only received minor added scenes,so I'll try to be optimistic. I think SE should know that people criticized that. The game itself wasn't terrible at all and they likely did the best they could with the time they had at their disposal. The engine is apparently hard to use, they changed a lot and all in all, it was still decent but they should still refrain from doing it again. I'm not sure if the concerts are really a clue, especially since they're "just" a continuation of last year's concerts, but to me it would make sense to finish them first, especially since it seems like they are already planning concerts for 2019+ involving KH3. I don't know,I just think I couldn't imagine going to a concert the week the game comes out because I would be busy with that. And they're also a nice promotion toward KH3 to experience the previous games again to a certain degree. I could also imagine that, if I suppose the game comes out late October after the conferts ended or in November, they might do a final trailer kind of thing at the very last performance.

I couldn't agree more. I think there are still some things they are planning to show us because I think there should be at least 3-4 more worlds revealed, even if they are recurring ones like Radiant Garden and I'm not sure that's a good time frame to do that of it indeed is scheduled for July. It doesn't make any sense to me either since Tomb Raider just got its release date for September and KH3 should suddenly release within 1 month after the release date reveal? Seems a bit too ambitious marketing-wise, especially if there are plans for a CE. I also agree about the comment regarsing FFXV. I want KH3's plot to be complete and not full of holes which will be provided later through DLC. The game has been out for 1 1/2 years now and they are still adding plot-relevant episodes to fill the gaps in the story and I honestly don't want the same to happen to KH3. DLCs are always a bit irksome for me anyway, but changing the game to such a degree is way beyond understandable. KH did have the Final Mix versions but they never changed ending scenes after two years and only added a moderate amount of new scenes which added positively to the games but weren't absolutely necessary for the general understanding. I personally would support November. They already have Tomb Raider as a rather big franchise in September, August and July feel a bit early and December is always a rather busy month for some. October would also work. Another reason why I think November would be good is because the last concerts end late October. While they are more of a reprise, I think it would make sense to complete them first before releasing a highly anticipated game before a weekend where people attend one of the concerts.

Of course delays are always something that can happen, even last minute, but I currently see no hints toward that either to be honest. I'd be more concerned over some aspects ending up unpolished/unfinished and to be added later rather than a delay. While I'm more of a pessimist and realist, I also think it will come out this year in one form or another and I'm mainly concerned about how the end product will look and if there'll be any issues with scrapping important content to use for DLCs, etc. That being said, I also disagree with people who are hellbent on a July release just to fulfill a trope. That would mean that it would come out barely a month after the release date reveal that would need to happen at E3. Sure, SE likely has become more cautious with announcing these things too early, but if they want to reveal every world there will either be a flood of information in the near future or not that many worlds at all,even fewer than expected. Now, I'm not saying it's completely impossible but they wouldn't have had enough time to thoroughly test the game if July really did haplen I think November would be fine by me. Not gonna lie, if I could I would also rather play ot right this instant but I want to enjoy the game and not be annoyed by an onslaught of bugs and ugly/inconsistent models. I have the feeling thst the people absolutely demanding it to release this summer would be the first to complain of the game is in a desastrous state just because they wanted the game out. The game has not been indevelopment that long. After they had to start over in late 2014, November 2018 would mean 4 years of actual development, which is a regular time frame for a triple A title that's not just copy and paste like Fifa for example. (Nothing against Fifa but to be able to put out a game every year basically implies that they don't really need to start from zero with an unfamiliar engine.) I think we can all agree that we want the best experience possible within a reasonable development cycle. These last few months of hype will be something that's going to be unrivaled for a while so it's nice to just speculate and have these events to look forward to, like the one this May and of course E3. Once that passes,we'll see what to expect. ^-^

I think an English trailer should come around soon. The last one for KH3 was in 2015 and they should at least be at a point where they're done with some parts. Maybe not all of them, that's hard to tell and not even necessary for an English dub. The game comes out this year, it should certainly be time to present something regarding the dub(s) (if there are other languages). I do like the Japanese voices, but I think it would appeal to people who are not that involved with the franchise more to actually hear the version they are going to play. I guess it would also make more sense from a marketing point of view becauee despite saying the final game will feature English audio, potential newcomers migjt want to hear said audio beforehand. I'm still hoping for a Q4 release. I know percentages don't really mean anything in game development but considering how much was said to be done in February, a few more months could really do wonders for the game like it did for 0.2. Like even out the models to be roughly the same quality, fix potential bugs and glitches and overall make it connect nicely and not end up rushing the game out half-finished. Such damage cannot be undone immediately and day one patches should not be such a common practice as they already are. I also don't want the story to be cut just to get it out and get half of it delivered later through DLC. And also gove the game time to actually do some more marketing. We all want to get the game as quickly as possible. But I also prefer to receive a quality product and not a mess of models going back and forth between plastic and good and other terrible issues which may arise during playing the game such as crashing, save files getting deleted or other things which could be prevented by simply giving them the time to test it. That being said, I could imagine recordings being done, but also that there might be some missing scenes which still require recording. Though I hope people won't pester the VAs to break their NDAs any more than what was already done. I know you didn't, The Transcendent Key, but it's just something that seemed to become problematic recently with Vexen's VA claiming that it was apparently done.

Exactly! I also don't want to be spoiled during those videos because especially open world games could potentially do that by starting somewhere I have not yet been to (Fallout would also fall under that category). I want to discover the game myself, not watching someone else play it if I have already bought it.

To be honest, most of the time I look up specific forum topics on the internet unless it's something you can very easily locate on YT. Because sometimes, you'd have to look through minutes and hours of video content to get to the part you need. Other times, it may be useful to look up something on YT, especially if it's a well-known issue with lots of dedicated guides. So it really depends on what I'm looking for. For example, if I'm searching for item x to progress, it might be faster to just type it into google and get a description of the location than look for a video that shows that. Strategy guides are usually a good alternative to use since they include most of the game and if done correctly, you can easily find what you're looking for. But they can also cost quite a bit of money and might make you feel more inclined to just look things up without even trying to solve it yourself. That being said, for KH in particular, I never required any assistance to get through the games. I just looked up where to find certain materials or what to fuse to get this and that in BBS for example. I think KH3 will mostly be simple enough to get through the game without any guidance, though with the size, who knows how difficult some things will turn out to be? I liked the little puzzles in 0.2 and hope they return since they made it more interesting and not just "traverse the map and fight enemies along the way" but it neither should evolve into another Zelda with too complex puzzles. Either way, who knows what the game will do. Maybe there'll be completely frustrating parts that make me think buying a strategy guide is worth it.

Yep. It's not like there's absolutely no chance of anything appearing, but it will probably not be more than the accumulated experiences of those invited conveyed via reiteration rather than pictures. I didn't expect much from the Dandelion meeting concerning KH3 either and there was still a short trailer, so who knows? Square might decide to drop a trailer similarly to how one was shown at the concert and then made available online. I wouldn't count on it however since it would kind of overshadow the people they are using for marketing. I think it wouldn't make sense to put some sort of embargo on them and not allow them to talk about the part they played, mainly because they have little control over things slipping out by accident (like the person who revealed the month). Once something has seen the light of day, it's hard to erase from the internet. Another factor is that it wouldn't really be sensible to deliberately choose people with a lot of presence on social media, YT, Twitch, etc. relating to Kingdom Hearts and then prohibit them from talking about their experience. Then they simply could have chosen random fans or do some kind of lottery or whatever. With E3 being next month, I don't hope for anything too extreme. Not that I don't want new information, I just wouldn't like a release date at such an event for example. It feels appropriate for such a highly anticipated information to take the spotlight on a stage and reach out to as many people as possible, which the E3 is perfect for. It kinda would be a shame to do it like last year where the trailer was basically knon to a majority of the fans before E3 due to the concert. I like seeing the reactions of the audience, which were absolutely amazing during D23 Japan 2018.

My guess would be Twilight Town, Tangled or Olympus. Those were around for such a long time and I think they would choose worlds which are completely or on the verge of being done than something that has never been seen before or one of the worlds which were announced later. As far as demos go, so far they usually took something from the beginning of the game rather than later. Probably because they also included cutscenes and they won't spoil as much then. Should the content they get to play be a demo that will be made available at events/online, I would also prefer a world which does not involve a form change. While the gameplay likely won't change drastically in terms of movement speed since he is still walking on two feet, I just think it would be better for newcomers and experienced players alike to play as Sora the way he will be like throughout a majority of the game. That's only an opinion though since I prefer demos which show what could be considered the standard, not a deviation.

I'm not going to buy it right away, but Detroit: Become Human interests me quite a bit. I like the fact that there's something new on the market of bigger titles and not just another continuation, spin-off, remaster, remake or definitive edition that has all DLCs packed into one game which should have done in the beginning. Except for the latter, I don't mind the rest but I also think the gaming indutry could use some new content once in a while instead of pushing out the nth Call of Duty, Assassin's Creed, etc. It's probably also the reason why Indie developers are getting more and more popular. Original concepts are hard, if not impossible, to find but quite a few games feel like a copy and paste of their predecessors with a different skin, a slightly better graphic and some new stuff here and there. They can still be good, God of War has most recently demonstrated that, but seeing something else that appears to be promoted on a larger scale is refreshing and definitely catches my interest.

I think if an exclusivity deal was the reason, then they would not dodge the topic to be postponed until later. It would be much easier to say that there won't be ports to the Xbox One and be done with it instead of having people pester them about it time and time again. I know SE has a penchant for avoiding precise answers but if it were something like a contract absolutely prohibiting it, why not say so? Then the fans can ask Sony about it or Disney or whoever is responsible. Then again, contracts are rarely made public and sometimes, embargos are put on the the parties involved in order not to divulge secrets. Personally, I do agree that it is rather questionable to release KH3 for both consoles if preceeding titles won't be ported. It won't attract new people who only ever stuck to the Xbox. I can understand that they don't care much about the console in Japan, but with the release of 2.8 on PS4 only, even people who played the games on the other consoles will be required to buy a PS4. If they were going to do it like this, the reasons are neglectable, it would have made more sense to simply let it remain as an exclusive. Like this, sales for KH3 on Xbox One likely won't be nearly as high to be worth the effort. Focusing on KH3 may be a reason but I doubt it would have cost them that much more time to optimize the games for Xbox One. The gamepad's layout is fairly similar too and while the consoles are not the same, it should notbhave been much of a problem to port them too. I feel like SE doesn't particularly care about the Xbox One. Maybe they were approached by Microsoft that they had an interest in publishing KH3 as well since exclusive console titles can make a person decide which console to buy. Back when KH3 was first revealed, the Xbox One was not in a good position after the whole disaster of no offline play, no used games, etc being planned but then abandoned due to a massive outcry and Sony had the subjectively better line-up which could prompt people to decide on the PS4 instead of the Xbox One. At least speaking for myself, the Xbox One was still a bit shady to me at that point. Not anymore, but I remember when Sony did that huge presentation of the PS4 and people were cheering for "features" that all consoles had beforehand because everyone was anxious about the future of consoles, completely ridiculing Microsoft in the process.

While Japanese is appealing due to the vast possibilities of using it, I'd also like to learn American Sign Language. Communicating with just your hands has always been rather fascinating for me, which is why I'd definitely like to try learning that. Japanese is very hard in comparison and I'm not that good with languages. Even English and French took me awhile to learn and Russian took me over half a year to just get the alphabet down.

I'm not that much into her type of music to be honest. It wouldn't have mattered to me if she didn't do the openings either since I also like instrumental pieces. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind her doing them since they aren't bad and my favorite orchestrated track is based on her song, I just couldn't have cared less if she returned for KH3 or not. That's why I don't have a favorite album either...

Let's be honest here, at this point there is not much to catch up on. And the things that are there are likely easy to catch up on by watching the story relevant cutscenes, which don't amount to that much yet. Even Back Cover did not have a partocularly deep plot so far, so all in all I feel like it wouldn't even take a day to catch up. I believe that even a brief summary with a few pictures would suffice for casual players to get the gist of it without having played the game or having watched the movie. For now.

I think the idea itself is great and all, but I dislike that you don't get notified at all whether you got chosen. My player name is really generic in KHUX so even if it does appear, it won't really make me think that this is definitely me that was chosen. (Unless they display the ID in the credits or something.) Otherwise it makes me believe that this might just be an easy way to get names. Otherwise, I do have a chance in terms of login days. Ever since the day of the release, I did not miss a single day. But with combined sections, I would likely not stand a chance.

That's also true. If there were major changes to be made, it would likely have made more sense to address that earlier and allow fans a look on the game. I think the critcism Square received for the last trailers and 0.2 were only helpful because they had the time to adjust things. But now that we're closing in on the actual release, it might be a bit late to change anything crucial anyway. And if that's not the goal, why allow people to get a preview? It's another matter to receive the whole game early of course, but it should be closing in on the finishing touches soon. A few months are still sufficient to change certain matters such as polishing models, but not to overhaul entire segments should they be problematic. I'm not a fan of day one patches or games that are full of bugs and glitches just for the sake of having it out. (Like Far Cry 5 magnificently demonstrated again.)

I think it would depend on the content and the conditions involved. A preview would likely not reveal too much so that would be fine but not being allowed to talk about it with anyone to share the excitement for example would probably be very hard for me, especially if the wait for the full release is long. I can take secrets to the grave, don't get me wrong, but part of the hype before the actual release is communicating with other fans for me. So it would actually depend what would be shown, when and under which conditions. Not all previews make the wait endurable either.

That's really amazing that more people get recognized for their dedication to the series! While everyone definitely wants to play it early, I guess it's also a good opportunity for Square to see if there are any immediate issues that need to be taken care of. If the game is really as long as they're hinting at, it'll be impossible to discover all bugs and glitches, but fan opinions certainly help along and a lot of the major problems can surface rather early. (Because the last thing people want is suffering from corrupted safe files. I'm looking at all the Day One patches in particular.) I see it as a good thing that selected people who are very well-versed in the franchise get to play it early. They see the game from a different point of view than the developers or any random people and while they may not have the time to fix every little thing, the rest of us will likely only profit in the long run.

Likely because for him, it isn't much more than that. I dunno what he thinks about the series but Hades will likely be a minor role despite the larger worlds and for many VAs, it will just be a normal job. I got the same vibe from him but I can also understand it if he's not a fan of the series. It's the same when a whole fandom just plunges into chaos because of a development but anyone who isn't part of it just goes "so what?" I'm not particularly fond of him as a person though but since it's impossible to know the world views of every person working on the game, the controversies around him likely aren't much of a problem. I still don't support this but it's not that the game itself will be linked to the stuff he said. I really hope the next one will be in English. I've been missing that ever since the E3 2015 trailer for KH3 and it should be about time by then that they're done with a lot of the VAs' parts. I don't mind the Japanese voices but it's just a different feeling when it's in English since that's the language I'll be playing in, regardless of whether there'll be a dub in my native language. (If there is, I sincerely hope they allow to choose the language.) I can also focus more on the trailer when I don't have to read subtitles.

I really have no words for this. Left me completely speechless.

I don't think it's suitable. I remember some concerts offering an opportunity to play 2.8, but the game was already out by then. But the reason I wouldn't want it is because the concert itself would be swapped away by the excitement. If so many people want to play it, they'd be there all day and it's all too natural that people want to talk about it afterward and share that experience. It's why I am still not particularly happy about a trailer debuting at a concert. I've seen footage of the reactions and while I could understand the excitement, I also found it rude when people suddenly start talking animatedly among each other, start screaming and shouting and basically burst into an uproar while there are musicians performing live on stage. During the trailer. I can understand that reaction, I really do, but I imagine it would be hard to really appreciate the music when you can't even sit still on your seat. I found it unnecessary too with E3 right around the corner back then. Personally, I think it should be better left to expos/conventions to introduce trailers and provide demos. They can direct the flow of people better, have the technical side covered and it's their purpose to advertise games. What can't be forgotten is that some of the concerts take place in buildings which have historical meaning. They are old and the venue should be treated with a certain amount of respect since neither Square nor Disney own the place. So anything in that regard should be done with moderation in my opinion. I attended the concert in London and will attend the one in Munich and it was simply amazing without any demos or trailers present. The chance to just enjoy the music was incredible and I loved getting in contact with other fans from all over the world.