Just in: the next Kingdom Hearts installment has finally been announced: Kingdom Hearts 3d: Dream Drop Distance.
Is this FINALLY Kingdom Hearts 3?
Kingdom Hearts is a video game series that combines the Final Fantasy franchise with that of Disney creating a successfully popular RPG. It follows the hero, Sora, as he travels through various Disney worlds, trying to keep the darkness from swallowing the worlds. In Chain of Memories, he enters a castle of memories that ends up swiping his memories, so he’s forced to get his memories back, which is through the same worlds Throughout the series, the designers, Square-Enix, have created several games for the franchise, most of which are considered “side stories”. Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, Kingdom Hearts II, Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep, and Kingdom Hearts Coded. The only games that Tetsuya, the official creator of the series, said were important were Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II. The others are considered “side games”, considering that they only REVEAL more of the older stories but they don’t ADD to the actual storyline. And they keep seeming to grow in numbers in the game, adding more and more confusing plot twists.
With that said, fans are getting a little irritated.
They’re wondering about Kingdom Hearts 3D. Is this finally the REAL DEAL? Many fans are crying that if it is KH3, why is it going to be on another portable console? They would expect it to be on one of the next gen consoles that are BIGGER in storage space and size, like PS3. They also know that more effort will be put into it than the last games if it is put on a bigger console. Though really, Birth By Sleep didn’t disappoint. It was pretty good for a portable game. However, people want Kingdom Hearts to go out with a bang, and if this is 3, many will be sadly disappointed. At the same time, if this is not a 3, many of the fans are going to be whining about how they’ve just introduced, yet again, another “side story”.
It’s just safe to say that either way, the fans won’t be satisfied with this game 100%. BUT if you take a peek at this game, the gameplay is not only promising, it looks like it’s moving Sora’s story along, AND we’ll be going to new worlds (one of my personal Disney movies will be in this game! So I’m SUPER excited):
This game looks like it will be awesome. I understand the fans’ concern about it not being a sequel, or not really moving the story along. I, too, started playing this game at age 12 and now I am a grown-up person who doesn’t have as much time for fun and games anymore (well, half of my time), and I’m not getting any younger. Neither do I want to die before I get to find out what is going to happen next. I also am getting more and more responsibilities. So I can understand the frustration fans are having when they say “Hurry up, I’ve had this since I was 12!”. This game came out when most of my generation were tweens. Now, we’re all adults, and this game still hasn’t reached a conclusion. And the funny part is, many in my generation still play the game. Maybe we just have a hard time growing out of childish things. We haven’t completed the “rites of passage” where we give up all of our childhood loves yet…not until we actually have no time left for it anymore. We’re breaking that old tradition, I suppose.
Some fans are just angry that the story is getting more and more confusing with every new “side story”. Now the story seems to get a whole new chapter every new game that just keeps getting more and more complicated.
But I think the fans should chill. Think about it. If you’ve loved it this far, do you really think you will stop loving it? You might not have as much time for it, sure, but it doesn’t mean it will completely fall away from you. Besides, rushing the release of Kingdom Hearts is the worst thing to do. Besides, the complication of Kingdom Hearts is the best part. There are several reasons why I think KH3 should not come out as soon as we want it:
1) Okay, we’re getting older. So, just stop playing if you think you can’t keep up with it. Square-Enix now has to cater to the younger crowd. Our time is up. So, they have to sort of reintroduce the story to the new-comers, and make it appealing to the new generation. What better way then to make a bunch of games? But the only way to do that without having it end quickly is to put in a bunch of side games. Without them, the story would’ve been over several years ago. And this series would be invisible to the next generation. Not a smart business tactic, right?
2) What great gaming series only has three games? What legendary gaming series doesn’t have a bunch of side games dedicated to the fans? The fans asked for more info about the Black Organization, and they released 358/2 Days. We asked to fight with new characters besides Sora, we got Birth By Sleep, what more do you want? Plus, think of all the Disney Worlds they can make use of? Disney has so many movies. And they’re going to get more as the years progress, so they are trying to make use of as many of the old movies as possible before our generation grows completely up. After they’ve done all the movies catered to us, they can then focus on the next generation. We have to be patient with KH3.
3) Last time the fans complain, Kingdom Hearts 2 came out way sooner than it was supposed to. And fans now claim that as the worst game in the franchise. Well, if the fans hadn’t been pressuring Square-Enix to hurry up and release it, they would’ve been able to take more time on the game. To add, people saw so many spoilers online it spoiled the game for many people. But aside from that, they didn’t give the company enough time to develop the game, or receive feedback. The longer they wait on releasing the game, the more time they have to work on it. These side games are sort of like tests to see exactly what the fans like v.s. what the fans want to discard. This is a chance for them to use their creativity to the full and expand it to all kinds of platforms.
4) Expectations were WAY to high for KH2. They don’t want to release KH3 too soon, not knowing exactly what will “work”, and it turns around and ends up being a disappointment, like with KH2. They want to make sure that the game goes on the next big platform, one that will have new age technology. Sure, for now PS3 and XBox are the next gen game consoles, but who knows what will be invented in the future…if you’re willing to wait that long. By waiting to come out with the game, the game has the chance to come out by the time an epic gaming system is released.
5) Do you really and truly want the series to end? A great majority of fans say they’re ready to hear the end of the story already and solve the mysteries of Kingdom Hearts. They’re anxious, and tired of waiting. They don’t want to be dead before the series ends. But when it’s over, think about it. No more Sora, Donald, and Goofy. There will never be another gaming franchise like this, one where two extremely different companies come together to make the most spectacular game a success. And even if they DO have another saga, it, more than likely, won’t have the same characters, story, and may not even have the same appeal. Be careful what you wish for. Once something is over, it is over, and the joys that came with it are too. All of those Kingdom Hearts forums? A thing of the past. Closed. Or losing traffic. All of the cosplay and merchandise are going to skyrocket in prices online, and will be very hard to find. And if this was the only game series you played, tough luck. You are now a bored little cookie. Think about that mental picture, and then come back to me and tell me you want the series to end. TRULY.
So everyone, watch out for commercials dealing with the next game in the Kingdom Hearts franchise, coming soon!
Generation Next 