Kotaku: kingdom hearts ii

Stuff A Squeenix Fan's Stocking With This Kingdom Hearts Statue

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 09:20:00 MST

It's Riku, he's looking moppish, this is a fine statue, it'll cost you $130. Standing 11" tall and due for release in Q2 2009, he'll look great on the shelf next to their 117 other figures/statues of floppy-haired, 17 year-old kids with giant weapons.

Clock Tower Movie Forecasts Snow

Mike Fahey — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 09:20:00 MDT

Further proof that a Clock Tower movie is really happening and not some sort of strange fever dream, Senator Entertainment has found their helpless lead character in the form of Brittany Snow. Most recently appearing in the remake of horror-classic Prom Night, Snow has also had a recurring role on Nip/Tuck as Ariel Alderman, played Meg Pryor in American Dreams, and also portrayed Amber Von Tussle in last year's remake of Hairspray.

None of those are important, however. The role that most gamers will recognize her by is the English voice of Naminé from Kingdom Hearts II, the mysterious young blonde girl who shares a strange connection with Kairi and Sora. See? The movie is gaining video game clout already. Brittany should do a fine job of spending two hours or so running from room to room and hiding from the nasty men with giant scissors.

Clock Tower Strikes Brittany Snow [CanMag]

Square-Enix Issues Master Arms

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 16:20:41 MST

Square-Enix will be releasing a series of replicas of weapons from its various games, including the Final Fantasy VII spin-offs, Final Fantasy VIII and Kingdom Hearts II, dubbed Master Arms.

The real-life versions are scaled at an uncertain ratio, but will range from a wee 6 inches for Vincent Valentine's triple-barrelled Cerberus handgun to a slightly less wee 10 inches for Seifer Almasy's Gunblade.

Other replicas include the Sora's Keyblade and Squall Leonhart's Gunblade. Each will set you back 3800 yen (or $39 if you buy from National Console Support). Pair a Gunblade with your mini-Spartan helmet for a miniature crossover epic cat battle! And don't forget to send pics! Michael McWhertor

Square-Enix Master Arms Info [NCSX]

Gears of War "Breakout" In Best Sellers of 2006

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 16:20:49 MST

Making a dozen "best of" lists doesn't matter if your game doesn't sell. The staff and the rent can't be paid with kudos. Fortunately for some developers, you can combine critical acclaim with mass appeal and healthy sales.

Such is the case with Epic Games' Gears of War. It was one of two original games to make the NPD's top ten sellers list (the other being Brain Age for the DS) with over a million units shifted in '06 and USA Today's so-called "breakout hit."

The rest of the chart is packed to the gills with sequels and annual updates—New Super Mario Bros., Final Fantasy XII, Madden NFL 07— but Gears stands out as the hyped-up sales hero of the year. Read on for the inspiration behind the game with copious amounts of industry congratulatory backslapping. Michael McWhertor

'Gears of War' breaks out for Xbox [USA Today]

2006's Best Game Music Moments

Mike Fahey — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 15:40:53 MST

For me, nothing quite spices up gameplay like a little mood music. I'm not talking symphonic soundtracks, but something with vocals, lyrics, and a beat that compliments the game I am playing. Take a game like The Way of the Warrior for the 3DO. An unambitious Mortal Kombat clone made playable solely because they used an entire White Zombie album as BGM. This year was great for game songs, and here's a list of my top five favorites to prove it.

5. Guitar Hero II

Starting things off with a given. It's hard to find someone who doesn't have a favorite song on GHII. Feel free to substitute your own song for Girlfriend here. This one holds special high school backseat memories.

4. Elite Beat Agents

Elite Beat Agent easily takes the prize for best use of a Village People song in a video game, though I am still confused as to why they didn't use "In The Navy" instead for this pirate-themed stage.

3. Grandia III

Months after beating the game I still find myself loading up Grandia III to catch the opening cinema. Japanese songbird Miz completely nails the spirit of the game with her song, "In The Sky," and the whomever was in charge of cutting together the sequence was bloody brilliant. Gives me chills. Happy chills!

2. Kingdom Hearts 2

Utada Hikaru's music is as much a part of the Kingdom Hearts franchise as Sora, Donald, and Cloud. It wouldn't be a console KH game without her. I've listened to some of her other music and haven't been impressed, but combine her song "Sanctuary" with anthropomorphic animals and spiky-haired heroes and you've got my attention. Incidentally Kingdom Hearts II also contains 2006's worst gaming music moment. "Swim this way / We'll dance and we'll play, now / It's very easy, come on in / Just take a chance and shake a fin!" Uhg.

1. Prey - Don't Fear the Reaper

You'll have to wait for the whole video to load in order to catch the moment I am referring to, but it's worth it. Of all the songs I've heard in games this year, nothing sticks with me quite like "Don't Fear the Reaper" playing on the jukebox as Tommy's world is torn apart. Haunting, and unbelievably cool. It's a pity the rest of the game didn't live up to the promise of that moment, aside from the battle in the reconstructed bar a bit later on, but for those moments alone it's worth a play through. That's the power of a well placed song.

So that's my list of the best gaming songs of 2006, complete with visual aids to help you along. Completely arbitrary of course, so feel free to add your own to the list. Share your favorites with us! I'll be sure to check them out if I manage to survive this weekend's festivities. Until then, Happy New Year! Michael Fahey

Clips: The Kingdom Hearts Good Ship Ding-Dong

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 03:22:21 MST

For most of our readers, it's late. That means one thing: Wheel out the Kingdom Hearts 2 flying penis clip. It's NSFW—That is, unless you work at an establishment where flying weenies are kosher. Note: It took not only one reader, but two to concoct this plan. Bryan writes:

My friend has finally gotten to play Kingdom Hearts 2, and as is oftentimes the case in that game, he got a little bored. So we decided to create a penis-shaped Gummi Ship, affectionately dubbed "Le Dicke." It turned out funnier than we hoped, what with Donald and Goofie's excited expressions. Feel free to point out the symbolism of a penis flying through a keyhole to reach the shining light... Heck, we could even turn this into an epic battle against STDs.

Impressive. You're parents must be so proud. Brian Ashcraft

Thanks, Bryan and Craig!

Disney Wants Its Kingdom Hearts III And Pronto

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 10:42:06 MST

Kingdom Hearts is a cash cow. I know it, you know it, Square damn sure knows it and bet your ass Disney knows it. The game's producer Tetsuya Nomura says that the animation company has already asked Square Enix about making a third installment into the highly successful series. Nomura dishes:

We've already been approached by the Disney side saying that they want us to make it. What I can say at this time is 'We have various ideas, but we're not at the point where we can say that.' It's physically impossible at the present. I feel that it's not the right time to talk about the future of Kingdom Hearts.

Yeah, like a gazillion Final Fantasy incarnations and spin-offs. So Mickey, chill the fuck out. Brian Ashcraft

Disney Wants More Heart [IGN, Thanks Pete!]

Square Looks Beyond Final Fantasy Gasp

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 25 May 2006 06:22:49 MDT

Square Enix president Yoichi Wada admits that it is difficult to repeat the success of Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts. It's getting hard to maintain a flow of new game titles," said Wada. ""We haven't come up with hit software to follow in the footsteps of 'Final Fantasy' and other major titles. So we will have to alter our strategy."

Even though Final Fantasy XII and Kingdom Hearts II were monster hits, Square still ended up short due to a weak online segment and the newly acquired Taito. To combat this, Square signed a deal with Osaka's Matsushita to provide graphics for Panasonic TVs, DVD recorders and music players. Both companies have previously worked together (see above image). Square inked other deals as well, such as providing educational products and working on Pokemon cell phone packages.

Square Enix educational products, TV graphics and Pokemon crap? Bring on the frosted hair. Brian Ashcraft

More Here [Next-Gen]

New Kingdom Hearts Toys In Purple Boxes

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 17:21:46 MDT

The second series of Kingdom Hearts II dollies dropped in Japan. Figurines include Cloud Strife, Kairi and Goofy. Each figurine goes for around 800 yen (approx. US $7.20).

The game was recently released in the U.S. and has been selling briskly. Are these figs worth the import? Check out Cloud Strife and his enormous sword after the jump. I wish I had Goofy pics. The Cloud images are goofy, but not Goofy. Ehem.

More Goofyness Here [Moeyo!]

Kingdom Hearts II Coming to the US with Loads of Actor Types

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 06:21:01 MST

March 28th. That's when the English-language version of the Square-Enix and Disney's love child Kingdom Hearts II gets unleashed on the US market. The game will feature an impressive ensemble of Hollywood vox talent with the likes of James Woods, Rachel Leigh Cook, Christopher Lee, Mena Suvari and the kid, err man child, from The Sixth Sense all picking up decent paychecks and paying off the mortgages on those summer cottages. Ka-ching!

Full Story [IGN] Thanks, CJ!

Watch and Hear: Kingdom Hearts 2 Theme Song

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 18 Jan 2006 07:22:38 MST

Utada Hikaru's about as big as they get in Japan. The Columbia University educated, American-born pop star has recorded the theme song for Kingdom Hearts 2. Recording tunes for PlayStation games? Yes, she's that cool. Bummer about that US debut, Hikki.

Watch the Video [YouTube]
Watch It Live [YouTube] via Siliconera

"Kingdom Hearts II" Is Japanese for Cash-Cow

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 11:22:36 MST

Yamakiyo sends word that Kingdom Hearts II surpasses 1 million sold. And that's in three days after it originally went on sale. The worldwide sales for the series stands at 7 million units. Kingdom Hearts II will hit US and Euro shores sometime this year, and Square-Enix expects the series to hit the 10 million units sold mark.

Full Story Here [Yamakiyo Press]

Kingdom Hearts Opening Movie

lsmith — Thu, 22 Dec 2005 16:20:35 MST

Gamers Reports has the opening movie for Kingdom Hearts 2 linked and watchable on its site. A holiday treat if you're into Disney characters crossed with the stars of Final Fantasy. When the music starts, for a good two bars I totally thought it was "Kiss from a Rose" by Seal.

Kingdom Hearts II PS2 Intro Movie [Gamers Reports]

New Kingdom Hearts Characters

lsmith — Fri, 02 Dec 2005 11:40:30 MST

The Magic Box via Shonen Jump reveals a couple of "new" characters slated to appear in the Kingdom Hearts sequel. Expect to run into Yuna and Rikku from Final Fantasy X-2, Chicken Little and Stitch (from the Lilo & Stitch) film. There's a screenshot (after the jump) that shows Cloud and Sephiroth fighting. I didn't get to Sephiroth in the first KH so maybe this is a screen from that battle. If not, apparently Cloud and Sephiroth will be back in KH2 capitalizing on gamers' softspots for FFVII.

New Kingdom Hearts Characters Revealed [The Magic Box]

What Kingdom Hearts II Needed Was More Tron

lsmith — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:40:06 MST

According to scans over at Games Are Fun that's exactly what Sora and the crew are getting in the KH sequel. Is Tron going to be totally lost on the age set that the majority of Kingdom Hearts II players are going to fall in? Talk about feeling old. Le sigh.