Editorial ► Kingdom Hearts 2.5: Worlds of Possibilities

[Oracle Spockanort]

I still think 2.5 will be KH2FM, Coded cutscenes & playable DDD. In fact The official reveal of the PS4 makes it more ideal: the trackpad on the PS4 controller could be utilized in reality shifts. & yes, that means I'm saying 2.5 would be a PS4 title, not PS3. 1.5 can still be played on PS4 via Gaikai or Square could re-re-release it as a PS4 title (Re-re-re-re-release in CoM's case).

As for BBS, I see it & the long speculated BBSV2 comprising a 0.5 Remix. Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep Final Mix: Red Eyes Secret Ending - YouTube
The whole ".5" naming business began with the teaser for v2, how can the very names of these collections NOT be a sign that v2 is coming?

Furthermore, DDD can't be the odd one out. It's the lead-in to KH3. It pretty much defeat the whole purpose of these collections to not have it.

They wouldn't put DDD in a collection before BBS. Contextually it would make no sense considering there'd be a ton of BBS teases in Days (and CoM in retrospect) and a ton of BBS references in KH3D but no actual BBS to let the audience understand who the heck Terra, Aqua, and Ven are and why they are so important.

Also while it is hard to imagine 3D being the odd one out, I find it hard to imagine Nintendo having not written up some kind of timed-exclusive clause in whatever contract was drawn up between Nintendo and SE to make KH3D.

And again BBSv2 is not happening.

 

[MATGSY]

They wouldn't put DDD in a collection before BBS. Contextually it would make no sense considering there'd be a ton of BBS teases in Days (and CoM in retrospect) and a ton of BBS references in KH3D but no actual BBS to let the audience understand who the heck Terra, Aqua, and Ven are and why they are so important.

0.5 comes out before 2.5. DDD should be the last 1 played anyway.

Also while it is hard to imagine 3D being the odd one out, I find it hard to imagine Nintendo having not written up some kind of timed-exclusive clause in whatever contract was drawn up between Nintendo and SE to make KH3D.

They apparently didn't with CoM or Days so why assume they did for DDD? Plus if 0.5 comes out before 2.5, that gives an extra year for such a clause to expire.

And again BBSv2 is not happening.

Note that I never said BBSV2 would be a game. It could just as well be a theater mode too like Days. Personally depressing but probable.

 

[Chaser]

They apparently didn't with CoM or Days so why assume they did for DDD? Plus if 0.5 comes out before 2.5, that gives an extra year for such a clause to expire.

What she meant by time-exclusive clause means that they can't port the game or anything off the 3DS until a certain date. CoM was ported 3 years after it was first made, and Days was 4. All Master Spockanort is referring to is, if they put this clause on DDD, it could be years before it gets a port to another console.

Edit: I realise what you mean now but I fear it's too late.

 

[Rosebudx]

I honestly don't see there being much added from Coded. If anything, I'd say maybe we'd get some scenes from the ne'er before released 0.5 so we can figure out what happened to Aqua.

As much as I enjoyed the gameplay of Re:Coded, I always felt a little jaded by the story. I know it's a journey through the journal and all, but it's like nothing new was introduced to the plot until Castle Oblivion. Pete and Maleficent? Been there, done that. Evil Riku? Old news. Sora loses the ability to use his Keyblade and has to rely on other party members in Hollow Bastion? Nostalgic, but not quite as cool as the first time 'round. Even the big reveal, that

Spoiler Show

Namine is behind the weirdness within the journal

wasn't a big shocker to me. I vividly remember sitting back on my bed and saying "okay, where's the rest of the game?...what do you mean, that's it?!"

Unlike with 358/2 Days, which included a wealth of cutscenes or cutscene fodder but had sketchy gameplay, Re:Coded had a pretty cool system but didn't tell a good story. The little tidbit included in 3D as background information was just as informative as the actual game, which is kind of scary to me.

 

[Sigmablade]

@SoraRocks93 You write it 1.5 and 2.5 because Roman numerals can't have decimal points. Also, it's the title of the game.

 

[Sign]

@SoraRocks93 You write it 1.5 and 2.5 because Roman numerals can't have decimal points. Also, it's the title of the game.

Those rules don't necessarily apply with these titles. The logo itself clearly shows I.5 to be fair.

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

0.5 comes out before 2.5. DDD should be the last 1 played anyway.

Why would they release a presumable 0.5 before 2.5? Nobody wants to wait too long for HD remasters of these games. Honestly 2.5 is the most hyped because of KH2FM and the potential for BBSFM. Splitting them up and making three collections would a waste of time.

 

[Hillboy]

0.5 comes out before 2.5. DDD should be the last 1 played anyway.

3 Collections would just be silly, and 0.5 coming after 1.5 is just as, if not more implausible and silly

 

[DokemonStudios]

I still think 2.5 will be KH2FM, Coded cutscenes & playable DDD.

I'd rather have the console version of DDD be on the WiiU. Both the aformentioned console, and the 3DS use two screens, and you could switch screens on the WiiU Gamepad.

 

[Chaser]

I'd rather have the console version of DDD be on the WiiU. Both the aformentioned console, and the 3DS use two screens, and you could switch screens on the WiiU Gamepad.

Porting that game to another console wouldn't help with the widespread console issue.

 

[Sephiroth0812]

Porting that game to another console wouldn't help with the widespread console issue.

Exactly, that's why if they want to include DDD the most economic and time-saving method would be to include DDD as cutscenes, Re: Coded does not have as much material to work with anyways compared to Days.
Not to mention then everything would be really on one console like they planned, if they aren't so stupid and put the next collection on the PS4 just because it's available and some graphics-junkies want it.

 

[Mirby]

I knew the PS4 was an inevitability when I wrote this, but I wrote it off because, as has been pointed out, putting on PS4 just because they can (or for any reason, actually) would be counterproductive to their goal of centralizing the franchise on one console again.

If you want to play it on PS4, stream it or however that cloud-based BC works.

 

[Taochan]

I knew the PS4 was an inevitability when I wrote this, but I wrote it off because, as has been pointed out, putting on PS4 just because they can (or for any reason, actually) would be counterproductive to their goal of centralizing the franchise on one console again.

If you want to play it on PS4, stream it or however that cloud-based BC works.

Yeah, I can't see Nomura stressing the importance of bringing KH back to one platform just to be like "lol 2.5 on ps4". It just wouldn't happen.

Neat editorial Mirbs!

 

[Mirby]

Wasn't the wording that it would be "unnatural" for there to not be a 2.5?

In the same vein I think it would be unnatural for any KH game until after 3 (or 2.5, at the very least) to be on a system other than PS3.

 

[kidodarkness]

Look, I have no clue why you people are suggesting that Birth by Sleep will be on 2.5, it makes no sense chronologically. 1.5 is the first Kingdom Hearts through to the end of 358/2 Days that's the first 1.5 of the series. Logic dictates 2.5 will follow the same pattern, as in Kingdom Hearts II through to Dream Drop Distance as that's the 2.5 part of the series. Birth by Sleep is before the first Kingdom Hearts, meaning it should be before 1.5, in perhaps it's own remixed title, or with another game in 0.5. Remember, Square Enix can take as much time as they need to put out their next "new" game. But chronologically in story:
1.5 - KH1, KHRE:CoM, KH358/2Days
2.5 - KH2, KHRE:Coded, KHDreamDropDistance
This makes sense.^
Again, to restate my point, Birth by Sleep being in 2.5 makes absolutely no sense. It could be it's own title or with another "0.5" collection. But absolutely not with 2.5.

 

[Mirby]

We're suggesting BBS would be in 2.5 because this is our opinion, just as it is your opinion that it won't be. Neither is inherently correct until details on 2.5 come to light. For now, it's all complete speculation as to what games will be included.

 

[Sephiroth0812]

Look, I have no clue why you people are suggesting that Birth by Sleep will be on 2.5, it makes no sense chronologically.

Um? Maybe because KH 2 and Coded are littered with References towards BBS, heck, the whole Secret Ending of KH 2 Final Mix teases BBS like nothing ever.
BBS itself has scenes that play after KH2 and the whole story of BBS, despite taking place before anything else, very heavily influences anything that happens after KH 2.

Chronology isn't the only factor that plays into the whole issue. Birth by Sleep not only has a Final Mix (as it is equivalent to a main title), it's also on a largely dead console and therefore in much more need to be made accessible to the wider audience by putting it on a more recent console than DDD or even Coded are.

 

[Theta]

I really hope they include some equivalent of BBSV2 into it. A video collection that is unlocked after completing the secret episode of bbsfm perhaps? Back when they first teased it, it looked like it might have been one last game to pull together all the previous ones up to it. I mean it had kh1, days, kh2, dark realm mickey story, bbs, and not so much CoM, but still. It would have been too ambitious to try to catch players up with a game like that unless they have already been the diehard fans, but now it would be the perfect icing on the cake that is the 1.5 and 2.5 remix!

I really don't see how kh3 is going to handle all the plot points that have been set up for it: Kairi's training, Lea's training, the thirteen darknesses, the seven lights, the other seven lights, the chambers of sleep and repose, rescuing Ventus, rescuing Aqua, how Mickey knows where Aqua is, the Terra-Eraqus-Xehanort mess, Maleficents intrest in the data, the x-blade, time travel, and still offer compelling stories in the disney worlds. That Kingdom Hearts 3 is going to take on all of that is not going to make it any better of a game. I'd even guess worse, but bbsv2 alleviate some of the presumabely less crucial elements such as Aqua's whereabouts and the two chambers

And one last thing: Coded could only have somewhere around an hour of cutscenes, most of which I imagine would be "fluff" leaving a lot of time for bbsv2 stuff. Unless Square doesn't feel it necessary I don't see why they wouldn't do this.

I need somebody to get my hopes back down again.

 

[Vixx]

I think the cutscenes are gonna be from KH 3D since that games story leads up to KH3's story, it would only make sense.

 

[The_Echo]

I think what we'll see in 2.5 is (obviously) KHIIFM, BbSFM, the cutscenes from Re:coded... and Dream Drop Distance. All of these untouched, except the Mirage Arena/Command Board/Flick Rush being reworked for online play. These are HD remasters, not Director's Cut editions. There will be no new content, barring possible card additions for Re:CoM.

A Blu-ray can hold a lot of data (50GB dual-layer, which is what I believe PS3 discs are). I'm sure all four of those games could easily fit onto one disc, made easier by giving Re:coded the Days treatment (though I really do love its gameplay).

Nomura wants all of the games on one system. If 2.5 is to go with three games like its predecessor, one is left out in the cold, and there isn't enough to make a third collection. (There are a few of you saying Birth by Sleep v2 could be a thing, but I say it already is: BbSv2 is 3D, which makes a lot of sense to me. Not to mention there's literally nothing to add to the series until KHIII, unless they feel like telling the King and Riku's absentee stories, which I don't think will happen.)