News ► Holiday Message from Tetsuya Nomura

[BlackOsprey]

You know, if people want to ask where KH3 is, and talk about how they've been waiting 10 years, that's fine. It doesn't matter whether you're a hardcore fan who's played every single game in the franchise, or a casual just waiting for another fix of SDG, because unless you got into this series late, EVERYONE has been waiting for KH3 for 10 years. I know as well as anybody that the handheld titles as just as important as the numbered titles, but I think it's safe to say that just about anyone who has played KH2 has been waiting on KH3. Hell, the people who take the time to play and process the handhelds should know better than anyone else that the franchise was leading up to KH3!

No, what REALLY bothers me is this incredibly whiny and entitled tone that usually accompanies such statements. And it becomes PARTICULARLY frustrating to watch when the entitled tantrums are directed towards an impromptu season's greeting video of all diddlying things. This bullshit doesn't make the difference between a "real" fan and a "fake" one, it distinguishes the self-entitled brats from people with a little more self-respect.

 

[Launchpad]

yeah, my dudes. I've played all the KH games, but that doesn't mean shit. You only need to love ONE of the games to be a fan.

Take Bizkit047 for example. Super popular speed-runner. Only runs KH1FM and KH2FM; hates all the other games. He's a huge fan of the games on a mechanical level, praising how they play, their mechanics, the content within the games. He knows more about KH1 and 2 than any of y'all do, but he doesn't really play the handheld games. Doesn't make the brother any less or more of a fan.

 

[Chuman]

The subject of real and fake fans is ridiculous. If you enjoy the series, you're a fan. Why does there need to be a huge debate over it? Both sides of the fan base seem to have entitled prudes, just play the video games and stop being a stubborn jackass because the creator is actually acknowledging his fan base by sending them a fun little Christmas greeting. I'll just say it; if you want to throw a fit over that then you don't deserve to play the game.

 

[DarkosOverlord]

This thread sure devolved.
(And I wasn't involved in it, holy cow)

You can argue about fans being more knowledgeable, more skilled, more dedicated, even, but none of it defines righteousness in being a fan.
It happens a lot in the group I run too... people thinking knowing the lore makes them better fans than others. It's an absurd argument especially in a saga like Kingdom Hearts, where fans come for all the possible different reasons: Disney, Final Fantasy, characters' design, gameplay of this or that chapter, and more. I know people who came and stopped for the ships.
Not saying I don't take pride in being in the business for 14 years, or being a more than decent KH1 speedrunner: but it's only to reassure myself and never to give away from what others have.

And as someone who has to run through countless people asking the same questions, making the same (wrong) memes, getting angry at Nomura/the games for things they actually didn't understand can be tiring. But we don't all have the same experience or learning capabilities, nor the same interests, even regarding the same game.
In the end: "x fans need to adapt or die" is just as stupid as "we're in 2016 and people still don't get x right".

Take Bizkit047 for example. Super popular speed-runner. Only runs KH1FM and KH2FM; hates all the other games. He's a huge fan of the games on a mechanical level, praising how they play, their mechanics, the content within the games. He knows more about KH1 and 2 than any of y'all do, but he doesn't really play the handheld games. Doesn't make the brother any less or more of a fan.

BBizkitz said something like that too. He claims (rightly) BbS was for better or worse the turning point for the series on many layers, and he wasn't that happy about it.

 

[Audo]

guys, i'm the only true kh fan.

i've ascended.

 

[DarkosOverlord]

Eraqus and Xehanort strike you down if you don't see things as they do, deeming you as a blind ignorant.
They're definitely true KH fans.

 

[Lnds500]

It's such a stupid, theoretic argument.


It's really not about who is the "biggest fan" of the series. This isn't "prick waving 101". It's about not posting unproductive, random, entitled comments on the internet, comments with no basis and reason.

It's not just KH either. It's particularly prevalent in KH related news but I would react the same way if I saw "where's uncharted 5/star wars 8/ff 16" somewhere else. Just "stfu for a while".

That kind of whiny, pathetic comment practically shows off how people have abandoned the series and only care about having a number in the title. That's not a fan though, not by a longshot.

If the only thing you can say about a holiday message from the series creator is something irrelevant about KH3's release date, you are not a fan, you are a whiny, number-loving douchebag.

Can you really fault more casual fans for assuming that the numbered titles are the most important titles that forward the plot?


Yeah. It's 2016. You have internet and people screaming from the rooftops and explaining that the games are important. So shut up and check out the games. If you don't care about "portable spin-offs", spare us your opinions and theories about Nomura and KH3. No one gives 2 f***s what you think.

It's common knowledge that all these games are important to the overall plot now, but this wasn't always the case.

It's not cause people are in denial. I had a discussion on GAF recently which proved exactly that. Apparently, some people are actually salty that the series has catered to their gaming habits apparently and are in denial over it.

I mean look at Rogue One, which is the first Star Wars side story film. Rogue One did exactly what CoM was supposed to do. It bridges episodes 3 and 4 together the same way that CoM bridges KH and KH2 together. You don't HAVE to see Rogue One to understand episode 4, but it enhances the overall experience. Meanwhile, KH requires you to play every single game to understand the overall plot. Most franchises that have numbered entries don't do this, so I don't think its fair to call someone who casually played KH1 and KH2 and assumed that anything that wasn't 3 was side stuff not a "true fan". I'm not gonna tell someone who hasn't read and watched every single piece of Star Wars media outside of the numbered films that they aren't a "true fan", and I wouldn't do the same to someone who has only played KH and KH2, which includes many of my friends.

Star Wars is not a good example. Far bigger expansion and side stories. Games like BBS and 3D are not Rogue One or some non-canon comic. And I would argue that most people who are watching something outside of the main film series are bigger, more engrossed fans than the rest. But that's a whole other argument.

No, what REALLY bothers me is this incredibly whiny and entitled tone that usually accompanies such statements. And it becomes PARTICULARLY frustrating to watch when the entitled tantrums are directed towards an impromptu season's greeting video of all diddlying things. This bullshit doesn't make the difference between a "real" fan and a "fake" one, it distinguishes the self-entitled brats from people with a little more self-respect.

Yep.

yeah, my dudes. I've played all the KH games, but that doesn't mean shit. You only need to love ONE of the games to be a fan.

Opinions. Play one game and call yourself whatever you want, no one cares. Just keep your idiotic opinions away from the rest.

 

[Sonicfan2525]

Yeah. It's 2016. You have internet and people screaming from the rooftops and explaining that the games are important. So shut up and check out the games. If you don't care about "portable spin-offs", spare us your opinions and theories about Nomura and KH3. No one gives 2 f***s what you think.



It's not cause people are in denial. I had a discussion on GAF recently which proved exactly that. Apparently, some people are actually salty that the series has catered to their gaming habits apparently and are in denial over it.



Star Wars is not a good example. Far bigger expansion and side stories. Games like BBS and 3D are not Rogue One or some non-canon comic. And I would argue that most people who are watching something outside of the main film series are bigger, more engrossed fans than the rest. But that's a whole other argument.

I can't tell if that first part is telling me I need to shut up or not. I am not a casual fan. I'm someone who has played every single game on its launch day and bought new systems just for Kingdom Hearts. I'm assuming you weren't and you were referring to the fans complaining about KH3 on the video.

Anyways, yes I do understand that there are people in denial and what not. As I said in an earlier post, these people have had their complaints answered multiple times now, and the HD collections exist with the mindset of getting everyone caught up on the series. One of my friends has been wanting to get back into KH because the last game he played was KH2, and he wants to be caught up by the time 3 comes out. The HD collections finally give him the opportunity to do that without buying several systems. If other people don't want to take advantage of that, especially when the upcoming PS4 collection is $10 cheaper than your typical modern day PS4 game, then that is on them and they have only themselves to blame.

Now for the Star Wars bit. I think my point still stands. It being a more expansive universe doesn't suddenly negate the argument. People are going to assume that numbered games are going to be the main ones and everything else is spin-offs because literally every other franchise does this including Star Wars. It certainly doesn't help that KH1 and KH2 were console titles and every other game was on some kind of handheld system. You are right that CoM and BBS aren't Rogue One because they are required material. My point was that they SHOULD be like Rogue One, where it bridges two titles together and deepens the story/lore, but aren't required to understand the story overall (well BBS should have been important regardless but still). And I am someone who typically defends this franchise's convoluted story (well at least everything before Re:Coded and 3D but still).

I guess my point was that while I hate all of the people crying and complaining about KH3 literally everywhere that is related to the franchise, I also am not gonna fault someone who only played KH1 and KH2 for being a little annoyed that so much has happened in the time frame that they were gone and almost all of it is required material to understand the plot for the upcoming KH3. I am just as annoyed as anyone else with all the complaints, and calling out the rude and bratty/entitled behavior is important, but let's not put people down for coming back to the franchise after years of being absent and being somewhat overwhelmed and confused. And the whole true fan/not-true fan argument is really ridiculous.

On a lighter note, we are only a few weeks away from the launch of 2.8, and I honestly couldn't be more excited. The message Nomura gave was a nice pick me up for the holidays.

 

[Elysium]

I think one side of the fandom should stop acting like moralistic, arrogant snobs about any subject they can't stand. Prattling off a thousand reasons about why you think x people are lesser human beings, stupid, entitled, etc. because they don't respond to Square Enix/Nomura the way you've delusionally deemed appropriate really changes nothing at all. Those people are fans whether or not they couldn't care less about the handheld games or the re-releases or the re-re-releases and rehashes and re-rehashes; believe me, SE want their money just as much as they want money from those people who make themselves feel good about slobbering up every money-sucking release the company decides to shit out on a plate.

And, btw, that's coming from someone who has bought and played every game.

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

Honestly, all of you guys are way too angry.

Even all of you feeling upset about bitchy fans posting about KH3 on a holiday message are essentially doing the same thing. This is a holiday message thread but everybody is trying to define what a true/fake fan is rather than...idk, enjoying the message and spirit of the holidays.

A fan is a fan, regardless if they have played all of the games or not. Some people have more or less valid reasons for why they didn't play the other games, but it isn't up to any of you to decide what defines a fan. Do not invalidate people's feelings for a series if they have only ever played one or two games.

I think fans who purposefully do not keep up with the series but can are silly, and fans who complain about KH3 are annoying, but I'd never deny the fact that are fans.

Cut the shit. This forum exists to educate fans. It is not about having some elitist view that makes you better than some fan who may not know who Aqua is.

Sonicfan honestly said it best.

 

[Taochan]

Everyone should get back on the topic of Nomura's message before we need to close the thread.

This was a nice Christmas message and EVERYONE IS RUINING IT. sob.

 

[Sonicfan2525]

Yeah sorry I contributed to the thread derailing. It wasn't my intention. CHRISTMAS CAN STILL BE SAVED (even if its the 29th but Santa works overtime for this kind of stuff)!!!

But yeah there isn't much else left to say about the video other than it was a really nice message that he didn't have to make. It made me a tiny bit emotional, and I can't believe we are so close to the launch of 2.8! I just wish there wasn't a week long gap between the Japanese and Western releases so everyone could get it on the same day. :'(

 

[Launchpad]

Dear Santa,
All I want for Christmas is to be considered a real Kingdom Hearts fan

 

[DarkosOverlord]

This was a nice Christmas message and EVERYONE IS RUINING IT. sob.

How Kingdom Hearts fandom ruined Christmas.
We're about to get visited by three spin-offs of different times this night.

 

[FudgemintGuardian]

Can we all just appreciate the person who woke up the adorable Nomura from his sleepy slumber to make him wish us all Happy Holidays?

 

[Zephyr]

Can we all just appreciate the person who woke up the adorable Nomura from his sleepy slumber to make him wish us all Happy Holidays?

I wonder who could that be hehe. It is quite funny it was recorded without any notice in advance.

 

[Lnds500]

I wonder who could that be hehe. It is quite funny it was recorded without any notice in advance.

The man didn't know that he was the one directing FF7r until he saw the trailer, that's peanuts compared to that

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

The man didn't know that he was the one directing FF7r until he saw the trailer, that's peanuts compared to that

What? lol I think you've got something mixed up there.

Nomura didn't know he was directing until Kitase told him after a few months of planning for the game. Nomura knew he was director by the time they they were making the CG announcement trailer.

Nomura didn't know the FF7 PS4 port had been released until he saw the trailer lol