BREAKING NEWS! Kingdom Hearts Orchestra World Tour!

Hi everyone it's Xebs, just announced hours ago, SQUARE-ENIX have just released details of a "worldwide" symphony concert of Kingdom Hearts music. The concert will be touring in Tokyo, Paris, London, Singapore, Shanghai, Los Angeles and New York, but NOT IN AUSTRALIA OR NEW ZEALAND!!! *fire everywhere*.

A Message from the Director and the Music Composer

"The idea of a KINGDOM HEARTS concert has been in the works for several years, but even so, I was astonished to learn that our music would be performed by a full orchestra, in other countries no less. I’ve been given the opportunity to oversee the creation of the title, logo, and many other aspects of this amazing production, and as the director of the series, I am confident that what we’ve created will touch the hearts of our beloved fans everywhere.The World Tour is slated for 2017, the same year as the KINGDOM HEARTS 15th anniversary. In the meantime, fans will get a chance to explore the world of KINGDOM HEARTS II.8, which is coming out later this year. I hope the excitement and joy they get from the experience will only increase their anticipation for the release of KINGDOM HEARTS III."

Tetsuya Nomura, Director of the KINGDOM HEARTS series

“Please have a KINGDOM HEARTS orchestral concert.”

I heard this quite often, and it echoed my own feelings. I’ve wanted to have a concert for some time, and I’m happy to announce that it’s finally become a reality. When I began composing for the KINGDOM HEARTS series, I couldn’t even dream this day would come. But it has, thanks to our beloved fans. This concert and the music of KINGDOM HEARTS could not have existed without their undying support. I can’t thank them enough. The concert will encompass my feelings toward the series and those dear to me around the world. I look forward to seeing everyone there!

Yoko Shimomura, Composer for the KINGDOM HEARTS series

About the KINGDOM HEARTS series

Directed by Tetsuya Nomura, and developed jointly by Disney and Square Enix, the first KINGDOM HEARTS video game was released on March 28, 2002 on PlayStation 2. Now with over 25 million copies sold over 8 games and multiple platforms, the series has received worldwide acclaim. While the main protagonist, Sora, travels alongside Goofy and Donald, players can expect to meet more than 100 Disney characters and worlds (Beauty and the Beast, Hercules, Aladdin, The Lion King, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, The Nightmare Before Christmas and more) and numerous heroes and villains from the FINAL FANTASY video game franchise.

With fantastic compositions by game composer Yoko Shimomura (Legend of Mana, Parasite Eve, Street Fighter II, Xenoblade Chronicles, etc.), music is a prominent element of KINGDOM HEARTS. The soundtrack’s main theme featured hit songs from Japan’s best-selling pop artist, Utada Hikaru. The single Hikari, from KINGDOM HEARTS I, topped Japanese Oricon music chart for weeks, was 2002’s tenth best-selling single, and was certified Double-Platinum. The single Passion from KINGDOM HEARTS II was also certified Gold by the RIAJ.

The next major release, KINGDOM HEARTS III, which will conclude the saga on PlayStation 4, is eagerly awaited. While the millions of fans are waiting, the mobile game prequel KINGDOM HEARTS Unchained X was just released on Android and iOS, and “KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue” is expected on PS4 later in 2016, which will include an HD remaster of Dream Drop Distance as well as the KINGDOM HEARTS X Back Cover.

About Disney Concerts

Disney Concerts is part of Disney Music Group, the music arm of The Walt Disney Company.  Disney Concerts, a division of ABC Inc. licenses Disney music and content to symphony orchestras all over the world.  Disney Concerts currently licenses 14 different concert packages including, Fantasia, Pixar In Concert, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Alice In Wonderland, Frozen, Ratatouille, The Pirates of the Caribbean series (episodes I-IV), and Silly Symphonies, which last year accounted for approximately 325 performances in some of the world’s top venues, including, Lincoln Center, Royal Albert Hall, Sydney Opera House, Tokyo Forum and the Hollywood Bowl.

Click Here to purchase tickets (until they sell out).

If I hear any Australian of New Zealand tour, I'll keep you guys noted.

Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ Development Team Message Video!

Hi everyone it's Xebs, SQUARE-ENIX have release a minute long video showing the team behind Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ's development. You'll see the members at SQUARE-ENIX designing the characters and the Heartless for the game. At the end of the video, Tetsuya Nomura leaves a message for fans and newcomers.

Please give it a watch! And write your comments on how you feel about Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ's development.

Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ Interview With Producer Hironori Okayama!

Hi everyone it's Xebs, at PAX East 2016, Gamerescape.com had the chance to sit down and talk to Hironori Okayama, producer of Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ. About the latest entry in the Kingdom Hearts series that launched a couple of weeks ago on mobile devices.

Gamer Escape: "Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ started out as a web browser game when it was released in Japan in 2013. Were there any big changes to the game when it made the move over to mobile devices?

Okayama: The game is actually completely different from the browser version. We decided to bring it to the mobile devices because there are a lot more users on smartphone devices now. I wanted as many people as possible to be able to play the game. The way that you want people to play the game would be different going from a computer screen to a smartphone touch screen and so we had to create the rules from the ground up for the mobile version.

Gamer Escape: More and more games are releasing globally these days, was there any reason why the game launched first in Japan before arriving in North America?

Okayama: People might think “aw Japan first again?” But our prototype was actually in English first. We brought it to the States to do a user test in America and that’s how we tested and built up the game. Now, the reason it released in Japan first well, we’re a Japanese team and so it was a lot faster to create that version first. But the prototype was in English so we always had the mentality of releasing in America.

Gamer Escape: As new content is released, is that global? or will it be similarly staged?

Okayama: One characteristic of a Kingdom hearts game is that it has a really deep story. When you think about having the correct nuance in English, and we have an on-going discussion with Disney all the time – but if we have to do English and Japanese at the same time it would decrease the speed that the content would come out with and I don’t want that to happen as much as possible. I’d like to release it as simultaneously as possible, but there could be delays when it comes to story content.

Gamer Escape: Why did you decide on a game that’s free to download with micro-transactions instead of a game that you would pay once for?

Okayama: One big role that Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ has is to have players who have never touched Kingdom Hearts before to get into the series and now Kingdom Hearts. When I looked at the users on the mobile platform, the most popular monetization system was the Free to Play. So it was pretty much one choice for me.

Gamer Escape: What kind of end-game content is there in the game?

Okayama: As far as the main story line goes, there’s not really any end-content to it because it will be constantly updated. There are two things on the development side we consider end content. One is the Coliseum – which we used to call the infinite colliseum internally – but you  figure out how high of a level you can challenge and it resets every month, but you challenge yourself to see how far you can get each month. The other is the raid boss that appears in the tutorial. The raid bosses you’d like to try and kill with party members because it gets stronger and stronger as you defeat it. This resets every month as well, and it can go up to level 99. So trying to defeat those raid bosses and gaining more experience points or “looks” as well call them, to raise your party ranking, that’s what we want people to enjoy as end content.

Gamer Escape: Was there a process for determining the characters that appeared on the medals?

Okayama: When we decide medals, the battle system comes first when we think about it. We think about what kind of skills are necessary to move through the story and quests and we decide which character might fit the kind of action or skills they want so it’s a bit of a reversed way of looking at it. For Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ, we made it in a way so that any character that has appeared in the Kingdom Hearts series can still fit into this world. We hear alot from the medal team that they don’t know which character to use next because of how many there are to choose from.

Gamer Escape: Is there a lot of interaction with Disney for that at all?

Okayama: It’s a long running series and so we’ve always been in talks with Disney. It’s nothing new when it comes to this title.

Gamer Escape: Will we see any more worlds added in future updates?

Okayama: In regards to the stages in the quests, we do plan to release at minimum, 50 stages per month. There will also be seasonal events as well. As far as the worlds go, it is a Kingdom Hearts game so we do plan to maybe add more but we have nothing concrete now. It is very difficult to create a new world.

Gamer Escape: I saw online last week that new medals would be making their way into the Japanese version of the game for Zootopia. Is that something that North American players can expect to see?

Okayama: May 2nd.Gamer Escape: That was a lot more specific of an answer than I thought we would get!

Okayama: We haven’t told anyone else yet. We do plan to release it on May 2nd, of course it is subject to change.

Gamer Escape: How many stages are there right now?

Okayama: It’s around 250 right now.

Gamer Escape: We have a lot to go then. How many quests are in the Japanese version right now?Okayama: It’s 500 right now in Japan.

Gamer Escape: Is there anything your excited for or something you’d like to share with our readers?

Okayama: There are actualy hidden Mickeys in the stages that you can look for.

Gamer Escape: Like the shape?

Okayama: Yes, it might be very difficult to find them but they are in there. They’re not in every stage though."

Here's the links to download Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ on your smartphone or tablet devices: iOS (App Store): Click Here! Android (Google Play): Click Here!

NEW! Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ Chirithy Plushy!

Hi everyone it's Xebs, SQUARE-ENIX have announced that a plush toy of Chirithy, the cute little feline friend from Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ will be available to pre-order at SQUARE-ENIX North America's online store, ONLY.

The Chirithy plush is available for preorder for $55.00 (US dollar), to be shipped in August 2016. Limited to 1 per customer.

If you live in Australia and want the chance to buy this cute little feller. Head to ShopMate, follow the details, then go to the SQUARE-ENIX North America's online store and Pre-order.

Disney Updates List Of Live-action Remakes!

Hi everyone it's Xebs, with the sweeping success of the live-action version of "The Jungle Book" at the box-office. Announced by the Hollywood Reporter, Disney have announced their confirmed list of sixteen live-action remakes of well known Disney animated films. 

The Hollywood Reporter has also stated three of the upcoming Disney live-action films that have confirmed dates.

"Alice Through the Looking Glass" 

May 27th 2016 (US).

"Pete’s Dragon"

August 12th 2016 (US).

"Beauty and the Beast" (starring Emma Watson)

March 17th 2017 (US).

NEW! Finding Dory Japanese Trailer!

Hi everyone it's Xebs, Disney Japan have released a new trailer of Pixar's upcoming sequel "Finding Dory". The trailer features new scenes of the colourful fish, turtles and other aquatic creatures.  Including a quick look at the aquarium that Dory (voiced by Ellen DeGeneres) has been taken to.

Pixar's "Finding Dory" will be out in cinemas on June 17th for US, 16th for Australia and July 29th UK, 2016.

The Secrets Behind Final Fantasy XV's Animation!

Hi everyone it's Xebs, Gamer Informer published an article on the impressive animation work created by Final Fantasy XV's lead animator Taisuke Ooe and his team while visiting the SQUARE-ENIX.

"We spoke with Taisuke Ooe about the team's approach to animating such a large game, the role of mocap, and how the animation process has changed for this entry. Also, we want to note that the gameplay footage and video behind Ooe during the interview is from an early build of the game and does not represent the finished game's quality." 

Final Fantasy XV will be out is stores on September 30th, 2016.

REVIEW! Of Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ (North American Version)

Hi everyone it's Xebs, today is very exciting. Because I'll be doing my first ever (non-spoiler) review of a game within the franchises of Kingdom Hearts, SQUARE-ENIX, and Disney. The game I'll be writing about is the North American release of Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ. (Please note, that even though I'm from Australia, I was able to download the game by doing something very similar to what KH13.com recommended. Click Here to go to the link if you want to know how to download the game outside of North America).
 
Ok, where should I begin.

Story: Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ begins before the time of the Keyblade War. You, a Keyblade wielder must choose one of the five Unions: Anguis, Leopardos, Unicornis, Ursus or Vulpeus.

After you select a Union, you'll be introduced to a Foreteller (A Keyblade Master that represents one of the Unions you have chosen). Soon after you'll meet Chirithy, your little cat friend that will aid you on your journey. You, Chirithy and your friends must defeat the darkness from worlds within the Book of Prophecies that depict a possible future.

So, the story is undoubtedly complicated, especially if you're a newcomer to the Kingdom Hearts series. As for me, the intensity of wanting to know more about the Foretellers and Chirithy makes me want to play more and more. (Which undoubtedly will be shown once you completed the game or in Kingdom Hearts III). However the way the story progresses is very slow, which again makes the intensity a little bit frustrating because you want more story, but instead, you have to complete a lot of missions.

Gameplay: So I've been playing Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ on an iPad Air 2, which isn't bad, especially if you have big hands like me. *laugh*. So basically you use your finger to select items from the menu, write or type, walking your character, and battling enemies. Using your finger to navigate or swipe can be a bit tricky, but you get the hang of it.

The battle system is quite easy. You'll have to collect different medals from missions, attach to them to your Keyblades to strengthen them. There are three particular medals; Attack (Red), Speed (Green) and Magic (Blue) that you'll need to defeat the Heartless. Depending on the Heartless weakness, you'll have to change Keyblades on whether the Keyblade is the right one. To level up your Keyblade you'll need to go to other worlds and collect particular ingredients. 

Personally, it can be fussy sometimes, especially when you have a limited range of medals. If you want to get stronger medals you'll need to spend Jewels, which is another form of currency that you can achieve in missions or daily rewards, but you can also use real currency to purchase Jewels. To me, it can be a little unfair.

Another type of currency is Avatar Coins. You use Avatar Coins to purchase different kinds of clothing for your character, to strengthen their HP and to increase your AP.  

I think it's fun to create a personal avatar that represents you. Again it's a fun little feature.

Graphics/Design: Now, I know a lot of you guys and gals don't like the particular art style that SQUARE-ENIX has chosen, but I think it looks "charming". The character and background designs look like they came right out of a storybook, which makes sense because of the Book of Prophecies. To me, it gives a modern take on of a fairytale for your electronic devices.

Also, the art style reminds me of a number of 2D animated TV shows like; Dex Hamilton: Alien Entomologist, Total Drama, Samurai Jack and etc. Mixed with good old Disney magic. I do think that people can relate to this art style and what it has to offer, but unfortunately, its complicated story doesn't help.

 

Music/Sound: Not much to say about the music. Because they used the same tracks from the previous Kingdom Hearts games. However, there are some new soundtracks for the new world, Daybreak Town. The sound choices do establish the gaming environment really well. From hitting sounds to encountering the Heartless, you do get the sense of a previous Kingdom Hearts game.

Overall: Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ is a game that is very much dedicated to the fans... ONLY. I personally don't see a newcomer getting into this game, at all. The reason why is because it's so undoubtedly complicated, that I think to a newcomer they'll be very confused. Example, they may ask questions like: "Why does Hercules look much older when this game takes place before Birth by Sleep?". All these questions, but no direct answer. I would recommend newcomers to play the first Kingdom Hearts or Birth by Sleep and to do their research before playing Unchained χ, just so they get the idea of the games world and law.

For a "free" downloadable game (internet connection ALWAYS), it's not too bad. Good story, Ok gameplay, wish I didn't have to do so many missions, great graphic/design and of course great music by composer Yoko Shimomura. As a fan, I do have high hopes for this game. Hopefully, I'll finish it before the arrival of Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue and Kingdom Hearts.

I give Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ (North American Version) a score of:

☆ 3.5 out of 5 ☆

I hope you like my review of Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ.

Please, write in the comments down below on what you thought of Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ. Thanks.

Is 'Once Upon a Time' a Good Show? - And Other Questions!

It's a question I've been asking since I started watching the show. Is it any good? It was the huge influx of live action remakes of classic animated Disney films that prompted this post. Once Upon a Time started as a unique show, with a weird mixture of being wonderfully good, and poorly underdone. I first decided to watch the show for two reasons.

Reason 1. I was a fan of 'Lost', and with two of the writers I thought the show would have a unique and interesting story that kept you on your toes.

Reason 2. I have a love of fairytales and enjoy the twists and complexity of those fictional typical characters been brought into our corrupt serious world.

The show started well, with a mysterious story slowly unravelling and revealing pieces bit by bit. The show had little Disney references and some easter eggs but was never 'What if Disney was in real life' like the later seasons became. Dedicating whole episodes to show characters from the Disney films in live action rather than focusing on retelling and reshaping the original tales isn't that big a deal. Hell, for some people it's part of the draw of the show. This can be a good thing. I was beginning to feel like I would stop watching by season 3. I found the whole 'Wizard of Oz' and Wicked Witch story to be awfully done. I found the story to be already told numerous times (oh another introduced character related to another character, this has only been done a thousand time already in the show *cough* Peter Pan *cough* and throughout the whole of Lost), and when I found they were going to do a whole half season on Frozen, a recent movie that had exploded into popularity I almost lost my shit in frustration. I felt the show had been cheapened and really was about to give up.

However I decided to keep watching. To my surprise the story ended up being really good. They filled in some back story for Frozen linking it in well with the main story and providing some back story for Emma.

So I pushed through and even wrote a blog before defending the show against the backlash of the rape that occurred against Robin Hood.

After an interesting opportunity about the 'Author' we find Merlin, have a backstory about the Dark Ones, and have NONE of our questions answered before moving onto a shitty story and pumping our faces filled with more Disney references.

So is the show any good? Sometimes. At it's best it's brilliant. At it's worst it's an atrocious monstrosity that makes me question why in the hell (or hades) I'm even still watching. But have your say in the comments below!

Which brings me to the live action Disney remakes. Are they necessary? Do they build anything or give anything or are they even good enough to account for, well, essentially remaking them all from the list I've seen of the ones coming out. But it also begs the question, with 'Once Upon a Time' Once Upon a Timing Disney, and Disney, Live Actioning all its films we have to remember that a lot of Disney films are based on fairy tales, or other original source materials. So when Disney originally 'Disneyfied' (I know this is all a mouthful) these stories, like The Fox and the Hound, how did fans of the originals feel.

Have any of you went and read the source material and how did you find them?

Comment below and feel free to discuss. Or head over to our forum and start discussing things there! I'll write again soon! - Steven

Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ Is Out Now! (Only For North America) & Kingdom Hearts χ[chi] Services Will Be Terminated In September!

Hi everyone it's Xebs, today on the 7th of April 2016, Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ is officially out to download now in North America, however there has been no indication on whether it'll be out for European and Australian audiences.

In sad news, SQUARE-ENIX have announced that the service for Kingdom Hearts χ[chi] (the Japanese-exclusive PC browser game) will be terminated in September, 2016. Some adjustments are planned for users while the game is still online.

Here are the links to download Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ on your smartphone or tablet devices:

iOS (App Store): Click Here!

Android (Google Play): Click Here!

My personal opinion, if you're living in Europe or Australia. The best option to play Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ. Is to create a US based account to access the North American version of the game.

I'll keep you guys and gals updated, whether there is more information about the European and Australian localisation.

Update: A special message from Tetsuya Nomura.

Nomura - We wanted to thank all the KINGDOM HEARTS fans for patiently waiting for the launch of KINGDOM HEARTS Unchained χ in North America. Ever since the launch of the Japanese version, we’ve received many inquiries about when the North America version would become available. Because this is the first KINGDOM HEARTS title that we are providing operation support for outside of Japan, I’m afraid the preparations took longer than expected; but at last, we are ready to begin services for the North American version of KINGDOM HEARTS Unchained χ.

KINGDOM HEARTS Unchained χ falls into the earliest part of the KINGDOM HEARTS series chronology, and it is also the story of new beginnings. The main story may progress slowly, but part of the narrative experience is to take the time to tangibly feel other players existing in the same world as you do. By unraveling the mystery behind the era of “fairytales”, and experiencing the truth leading up to the Keyblade War, we believe players will be able to enjoy KINGDOM HEARTS II.8 even more, which is expected to launch this year. And it goes without saying that it will link not only to KINGDOM HEARTS III, but also to what lies beyond.

The gameplay will be much different from what you may be used to in previous KINGDOM HEARTS titles; in this game, the players would aim for a “one-turn triumph” which focuses on providing players with an exhilarating gameplay experience in a short amount of time on a smartphone. The battle mechanics were designed by the main programmer of The World Ends With You and the Co-director of KINGDOM HEARTS Unchained χ, Hiroyuki Ito, so if you’ve ever played The World Ends With You, you can expect a similar kind of enjoyment there as well. While we have various elements included, such as collecting and strengthening medals, avatars with a broad range of customization, communication between party members, a ranking system and much more, it is also a game that feels right at home within the KINGDOM HEARTS franchise.

We hope KINGDOM HEARTS fans can dive into the world of KINGDOM HEARTS not only through this title, but through the upcoming titles, KINGDOM HEARTS HD II.8 Final Chapter Prologue and KINGDOM HEARTS III. At the same time, as an origins story, there are many elements in the game that new players can enjoy, and the game can also be easily picked up and played, so players in Japan are enjoying the game even if they’ve never experienced the KINGDOM HEARTS series before. So, it would be great if fans new and old take the opportunity to play the game!

Tetsuya Nomura

KINGDOM HEARTS Series Director

NEW! You Can Now Add KINGDOM HEARTS Unchained χ To Your Wishlist & Website Now Activated!

Hi everyone it's Xebs, on Google Play, you can now add Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ to your wishlist, so you'll be able to download it once it's available on the 7th of April. Also, new screenshots and images of downloadable costumes. Two of the costumes are none other then Nick and Judy from Disney's Zootopia, which is quite fascinating that they're able to use their outfits. It's probably to promote the film for Japan, due to the film not being released in Japan yet. 

No word on Apple's App Store yet.

"Adventure across Disney’s magical and wondrous worlds in the first mobile app for the beloved KINGDOM HEARTS series!

KINGDOM HEARTS is a tale about Light and Friendship overcoming the power of Darkness. Over the last 15 years, millions of fans have experienced the epic tale of King Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and more than 100 Disney characters joining forces with Sora, Keyblade warriors, and heroes from Square Enix’s popular FINAL FANTASY video game series as they battle to protect their friends and save all worlds from the Heartless.

Become a hero at the very beginning of the KINGDOM HEARTS story in the era of the Lost Masters. Gather LUX—a mysterious form of light—and fight the Heartless as you explore beautiful Disney worlds. Meet familiar faces, strengthen yourself and your Keyblades!

- Battle against the Heartless using your legendary Keyblades. Tap to attack, swipe to hit multiple enemies, and flick medals to unleash their special abilities.- Strategize to defeat enemies in fewer turns for greater rewards by using your special attacks and finding the right balance of power, magic, and speed medals.

- Customize your hero by changing your avatar’s outfits to match your style of fashion. Be on the lookout for outfits based upon popular Disney, FINAL FANTASY and KINGDOM HEARTS characters, as well as seasonal clothing!- Collect and evolve hundreds of character medals, which contain the harnessed power of popular Disney and FINAL FANTASY heroes and villains.- Team up with friends to challenge and take down monstrous Heartless raid bosses for even greater rewards!

- Survive the challenges in the Olympus Coliseum, where the strongest heroes can brave additional bosses and unlock the rare medals.

NOTE: An additional download of about 700MB will be required after installation of this application, so please make sure you have access to a stable internet connection. The download will expand in size during installation, and you will need a total of about 1.1 GB free in order to play this game."

SQUARE-ENIX has officially activated their new updated site to promote Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ. 

Images are down below: