Would you like Audio logs in place of journal entries/reports?

[EchoFringe49]

Audio logs are pretty common in videogames nowadays, so i could see KH3 following that trend. They'd be a lot more engaging in my opinion. If Mark Hamill comes to voice Eraqus, I would love to see him voicing the majority of them, with some obvious exclusions like the secret Xehanort reports

 

[Chuman]

i think it would be better to include it as an extra option, rather than replace it. maybe press triangle and whoever wrote it will recite it.

it would certainly be the preferred method if you could listen to it while playing the game instead of stuck learning lore via boring menus.

 

[Kaweebo]

Honestly, I always kinda thought Jiminy should have been reading the journal entries to you. Maybe as Darknado said, they should put in an option, but they would have gotten more out of Eddie Carroll when they had the chance. I'm not saying EVERY entry needs a voiceover, even the Mass Effect codex had entries that weren't read aloud, but I do think they could have Jiminy take a little more initiative in the story instead of just being the silent record keeper and this would be a good place to start.

 

[Face My Fears]

I'd love if they had it like how it is in the Batman Arkham games. You get some audio tapes and they play while you travel around. THe option to read them should be there, but being able to move while listening to them is definitely the direction the game should go. It would also give Jiminy more lines and more presence. Did he even say anything or appear in a cutscene in KH2 besides the one where they wake up in Twilight Town and he's confused about "Thank Namine"?

 

[KeybladeOrder]

Honestly, I always kinda thought Jiminy should have been reading the journal entries to you. Maybe as Darknado said, they should put in an option, but they would have gotten more out of Eddie Carroll when they had the chance. I'm not saying EVERY entry needs a voiceover, even the Mass Effect codex had entries that weren't read aloud, but I do think they could have Jiminy take a little more initiative in the story instead of just being the silent record keeper and this would be a good place to start.

That would be fantastic. I agree that having Jiminy read them aloud should be an option by they should never take the place of the regular journal entries, the Journal by itself is practically a staple of the series already.

 

[VoidGear.]

i think it would be better to include it as an extra option, rather than replace it. maybe press triangle and whoever wrote it will recite it.

Yup.
I mean, sometimes it's nice not having to read, but other times, I really prefer reading it.

 

[disney233]

That would be fantastic. I agree that having Jiminy read them aloud should be an option by they should never take the place of the regular journal entries, the Journal by itself is practically a staple of the series already.

It would also make Jiminy more...apart of the story again. Remember Chain of Memories and Re:Coded? When Jiminy was more involved in the story? I hope it happens in KH3.

 

[Zeto]

It would also make Jiminy more...apart of the story again. Remember Chain of Memories and Re:Coded? When Jiminy was more involved in the story? I hope it happens in KH3.

uh, nah. There are a lot more side characters that deserve more screen-time then Jiminy.

That's just me.

 

[Antifa Lockhart]

uh, nah. There are a lot more side characters that deserve more screen-time then Jiminy.

That's just me.

Yeah, it is. Jiminy's with our main protagonist almost 100% of the time, and is overseeing the entire journey. Having him narrate a few things in the journal is something that really only he can do, so it's not detracting from any other characters.

 

[WhinyAcademic]

We should've had read-aloud reports from DiZ and Master Xehanort so we could have gotten more precious dialogue from dear Leonard and Christopher.

 

[The_Echo]

I want Kingdom Hearts to stay as far away from overdone modern AAA design tropes as possible.

Already, in the 0.2 gameplay, Aqua talks mid-gameplay, and I don't really...
Something about that doesn't jive with me in the context of KH.

If it must be included, I'd have to insist that it be optional as others have stated.

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

Personally I'd love it, but only if I can read it like normal and activate the voice part of it myself rather than it automatically doing it.

I think it is a cool touch that adds a bit of life to the game. Also make it so Jiminy is the one narrating. Sora should narrate special things, though, and then if there are special reports they should be narrated by the character they are "written" by.

 

[alexis.anagram]

I like the idea of Jiminy narrating the journals so long as it's an optional voice-over. It also wouldn't be too bad if whatever KH3's secret reports turn out to be are read aloud by the character(s) who wrote them.

Already, in the 0.2 gameplay, Aqua talks mid-gameplay, and I don't really...
Something about that doesn't jive with me in the context of KH.

Same. I'm worried it will detract from exploration and/or be totally redundant.

 

[Sephiroth0812]

Same. I'm worried it will detract from exploration and/or be totally redundant.

Not if the mid-gameplay audio actually aids exploration as i.e. the character pointing out how a seemingly impossible to reach location could be traversed to after all.

They somewhat had this non-spoken-wise with the Dream Eaters in DDD already when they would visually point out hidden chests or something similar.

 

[VoidGear.]

Not if the mid-gameplay audio actually aids exploration as i.e. the character pointing out how a seemingly impossible to reach location could be traversed to after all.

They somewhat had this non-spoken-wise with the Dream Eaters in DDD already when they would visually point out hidden chests or something similar.

If they do it well, it's okay.
Lightning Returns: FF XIII also had SOME good elements. Hope was annoying as fuckin that game, but sometimes, when you had to find an item for a mission, he pointed out you already found that, which was pretty useful. I know it wasn't exactly Lightning herself, but still, the method was similar.

 

[Grizzly]

Not if the mid-gameplay audio actually aids exploration as i.e. the character pointing out how a seemingly impossible to reach location could be traversed to after all.

They somewhat had this non-spoken-wise with the Dream Eaters in DDD already when they would visually point out hidden chests or something similar.

Agreed, this is how audio cues in games are best handled. I do agree that Jiminy should have a more active role in the party, as sometimes, I can't speak for everyone, but I tend to forget that he's in the game at all. It doesn't happen often, but it's an issue that is definitely solvable. Having Jiminy provide these audio cues while out and about in the worlds, or verbally denoting that he is making a note of something after you (as in Sora) as come across it could be a great way to bring some needed life into the character. Him reading the journal is fine if given the option, but I'd much rather see him perform a more active role.

 

[Launchpad]

Jiminy should be able to crawl into small places to grab goodies, like a crack in the wall or Sora's bumbum

 

[alexis.anagram]

Not if the mid-gameplay audio actually aids exploration as i.e. the character pointing out how a seemingly impossible to reach location could be traversed to after all.

I'm confused about this statement. Isn't the point of exploration in a game to make places seemingly impossible to reach specifically so that players have to seek out the method to get there? Take the library in Hollow Bastion in KH1: there are areas that seem impossible to reach (some which extend outside of the library itself), but if you're paying attention you can work out the puzzle and are rewarded with various items. Same with Traverse Town, with the hidden rooftop passages, Merlin's Fire spell door, etc. Same with Wonderland and the Bizarre Rooms. How redundant would that whole process and the work of designing those areas become if a character just told you where to go?

If they do it well, it's okay.
Lightning Returns: FF XIII also had SOME good elements. Hope was annoying as diddlyin that game, but sometimes, when you had to find an item for a mission, he pointed out you already found that, which was pretty useful. I know it wasn't exactly Lightning herself, but still, the method was similar.

I wouldn't mind something that prevented the player from redoing tasks unnecessarily, but even that could just take the form of a checklist in the journal or something. Just like how the various games have completion pages for treasure/trinity/sticker/whatever collection.

 

[Blue Master Mage]

I love this idea. It would give Jimminy more of a presence in the game & I would love to read the Xehanort/Secret Reports read by whoever wrote them. Another suggestion would be to do what they did with Dissidia 012. In Dissidia 012 they had secret reports and certain word were highlighted and when you clicked them a cutscene would play showing some kind of backstory. That would be a nice feature as well. As far as the debate about mid-gameplay dialogue between characters, i'm all for that. There are a lot of issues i have with modern AAA games, but that is not one of them. I feel mid-gameplay dialogue makes the game feel more active and alive. Plus imagine boss battles when Xehanort says something and Sora can respond mid-battle, the banter could be very interesting.