I just wanted to quick post these up, for they really do help out alot of what we can expect from each of the portable handheld games!! Enjoy!! Ohh..and by the way..Nomura talks about the "relationship/connection" of why Roxas and Ven are so similar in the KH: Birth By Sleep interview(but he doesn't give out too much info.)!!!

Nomura Interview - Birth By Sleep (PSP):

Interviewer: Can you tell us a bit about the development of Birth By Sleep?
Nomura: Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep is being worked on by the same team that created re: Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep's development had originally started before the development of re: CoM, but production was stopped to complete re: CoM. At first it felt a bit weird starting the project again. I believe this project started before the other two of the Kingdom Hearts games, and I also believe it will be the last to hit the market.

Interviewer: The game still relates to Birth By Sleep? [KH2: FM+'s secret ending]
Nomura: The secret ending [from KH2: FM+] is actually a scene from Birth By Sleep, therefore the title of the game is also the same. However, because it is difficult to express such a violent battle as playable content, the secret ending [from KH2: FM+] is an image of the end.

Interviewer: How much talk was put into it, as it seems to be a game taking place in the past.
Nomura: This game goes the farthest back in the Kingdom Hearts timeline, about ten years before the original Kingdom Hearts. There is a screenshot of two children playing on the beach, and I believe the fans can understand what that means. [Sora and Riku as children?]

Interviewer: In the story it's said that there are "Three Scenarios by Three Heroes". Is there a relation between each scenario?
Nomura: There are three Heroes: Terra, Ven, and another character in Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. We have already prepared a story for each of them. Therefore, in a way you can say three games were made at the same time. (Laughs) It's difficult to zap through the explanation right now, as we are still creating all of the scenarios. However, the beginning will be a bit hard to understand, but by completing all three scenarios, the player will understand the entire story.

Interviewer: Do the names of the three heroes represent something?
Nomura: In Kingdom Hearts, Sora meant Sky, Riku meant Land, and Kairi meant Sea. In this game, the three meanings make a large impact on the game.

Interviewer: Do all of the scenarios take place at the same time?
Nomura: All of the scenarios do take place around the same time, however there are also some gaps between the timelines. Also there are times when all three heroes will meet.

Interviewer: Is the playing order [for the scenarios] decided yet?
Nomura: I believe it would be better if we gave the players a freedom of choice. However this is still being talked about, but I believe it would be better to choose whoever you want out of the three.

Interviewer: What is the importance of story?
Nomura: For example, the name Xehanort is bought up in Kingdom Hearts 2. The game will answer several things like, "Why is the elderly person who appears in Birth by Sleep bringing up the same name?" and ,"Why is he wearing the same clothes as Ansem in the original Kingdom Hearts?" Another thing I want to bring up, is, "Ven has the same hairstyle, face, clothes, and voice of Roxas, but just who is he?"

Interviewer: Is the voice actor of Ven the same as Roxas?
Nomura: Yes, it is the same actor. Therefore the player will only look at Ven as Roxas from Kingdom Hearts 2.

However, are Roxas and Ven really the same character?

Moreover, what about the mystery surrounding the existence of Ven and Roxas?

These are keys that will be revealed from playing Birth By Sleep. You will be able to separate Ven from Roxas with ease; I will hint though by connecting the story between Roxas and Sora, you will understand who Ven is.

Interviewer: May I believe that the one you fight in KH2FM+, and Terra are the same person? Because they both use a very similar kind of Keyblade.
Nomura: If they really are the same person or not is uncertain, though it doesn't matter if you think they are the same person.

Interviewer: In Birth by Sleep, after all three are divided, the king appears?
Nomura: It may be deeply related to the story,however I cannot tell whether or not that he is a"King" at that current age. This is because the development of Birth by Sleep will contain a very serious story. [Meaning...Mickey hasn't been officially crowned a king yet??]

Interviewer: In Birth by Sleep, is the gameplay done by choosing action commands lined up in command list?
Nomura: I believe it is necessary to say first, The Command Menu that was shown to the public [A.K.A scans, and video] has now changed. A system close to that of re:COM has been created, feeling like a command deck. However, the present screen shots show it was a bit too close to the idea of re:COM. The battle screens you see in the images now, have already been changed. However the operating sense is similar to that of the Kingdom Hearts series. The gameplay has slight influence from the DS game "It's a Wonderful World".

Interviewer: Are there any features for the Growth System? (Leveling System)
Nomura: A new Growth System has been added into the game, in which you have to match four obligations with the scenario (?). We tried this variously because it was a bit hard with the PSP. However we made the best use of its Analog.

Interviewer: Are there new enemies you can confirm that are not shown in the screens?
Nomura: The new enemy is not a Heartless, or a Nobody, because the story takes place before even they appear. I can only give out more information, little by little, as time passes: an example being like the Shadow enemies that are heartless, and the Dusk enemies that are nobodies.

Interviewer: With the PSP, will it be possible for two people to communicate through a connection method?
Nomura: It's too early to answer that, however, there will be some features that will be taking advantage of the PSP. [Monkey Note: I believe they are discussing the possibilities of things like wifi, however, only 358/2 Days has been confirmed to have multiplayer].


Nomura Interview - 358/2 Days (DS):

Interviewer: Is the beginning of 358/2 Days going to focus on Roxas' birth?
Nomura: Roxas' birth will be covered in the game's prolouge, however the game really begins at the time in which Roxas enters the Organization XIII.

Interviewer: Will this game have an ending that has already occurred, like Crisis Core had?
Nomura: Where do you think the end is? The point is, how did it get to the point where Roxas to left the Organization? The details of that will be discussed game.

Interviewer: Will we be going through Disney worlds in this story, like previous Kingdom Hearts games?
Nomura: The story does not entirely progress going from world to world, but there is a progression in story.

Interviewer: Is the 14th Organization Member [Newly Revealed] a new character in the Kingdom Hearts Series? It appears as though the character is...a woman?
Nomura: I should bring it up now, that the XIV member is not Namine, since some people believed it to be Namine by seeing the trailer. However it will be explained as to why there's no pillar for this character, as well as why she never appeared in Kingdom Hearts 2.

Interviewer: In the trailer, four characters are shown playing simultaneously. Is this possible in game?
Nomura: Multiplayer can be played with up to four people. Not only that, multiplayer gives a sense of freedom, as this mode has no effect on the story. But it is possible to choose less then four, for the multiplayer content.

Interviewer: How does the multiplayer mode progress?
Nomura: The point is to basically complete given missions. For instance, defeating an enemy or whatever the goal of the mission is. There are various goals, both big and small. There is a constant feeling of competition in multiplayer, so sometimes the player may forget just what the goal is!

Interviewer: Is multiplayer mode possible for one player only?
Nomura: Multiplayer mode is rather complicated ; we had to design a growth (leveling) system. For example, when Axel is used in Multiplayer mode, Roxas will gain some extra experience from this as well. Also, you are able to customize your character freely.

SOURCE: Khinsider!!

Yea... I want them reall badly... especially 358/2 Days

Not to be rude or anything, but this info is more than 2 months old? Kinda slow there...

Ouch... i'm really behind then aren't I? T__T

the info did come out a while back, but we will have just this info for a really long time. possibly two years.

Two years...-__-Well, in the meantime we can replay all the other KH games until the cornias in our eyes bleed. ^__^

Oh, and Ven isn't Roxas... but they look the same, wear the same clothes, sound the same... Then doesn't that mean that they ARE related?! But maybe not. BTW, the attachment is mesmorising---Ven got pwnd! o__O

Okay, it got locked so here's more updated info on KH and all the other new games comin out:

October 2, 2007 - Tetsuya Nomura is in the Japanese press yet again, sharing a few new bits of info on Square Enix's big Tokyo Game Show unveiling, the three new Kingdom Hearts games. This time, Nomura spoke to the monthly Gemaga.

Nomura began by noting that the fact that all three titles were announced at the same time doesn't mean players should consider the new Kingdom Hearts games to be similar to the Fabula Nova Crystallis or Compilation of Final Fantasy VII series. Different from those, the three games started development at different times and will be released at different times.

In previous interviews, Nomura revealed that the PSP game, Birth by Sleep, started development first but would likely be released last. Here, he let slip that the DS game, 358/2 Days would likely see release first, followed by the cell phone game, Coded.

Unfamiliar with the Kingdom Hearts series? Feeling a bit overwhelmed at the prospect of having to play the two PS2 titles and the Game Boy Advance game before sampling these new portable titles? Don't be! Nomura feels that little experience with the series won't be a problem for those trying to get into the new games, as their main characters are all different. He does, however, believe that the feeling of control from past titles is retained for the new games, so players who have played the past games will have the easiest time at it.

Moving on to individual titles, the magazine first tackled Birth by Sleep. As mentioned in previous interviews, the game is being developed in Osaka by the same team that developed Musashi Samurai Legend and Re: Chain of Memories. The project was born when, during the development of Kingdom Hearts II, the Osaka team requested to be involved if Nomura decided to make a "gaiden" (side-story) in the Kingdom Hearts series. "The project was for the PSP from the start of planning," Nomura noted.

There's been a bit of confusion as to how the game's multi scenario system will work. Here, Nomura clarified just a bit. "The game will have three scenarios, and you'll be able to play from which ever one you like. You'll even likely be able to stop mid way through and start a new scenario."

While there's no singly important scenario or main character, "the main point of the story is to answer, 'Ven, who are you?'" (Ven, who resembles Roxus, is one of the three main characters -- read all about it in our initial report on the game.)

Also mentioned in previous interviews is that Birth by Sleep will consist entirely of Disney worlds. The game takes place in the past, years prior to the original Kingdom Hearts, and the worlds will be updated to reflect this. Nomura envisions having a young Hercules appear in the Hercules world, for instance. New Disney worlds will also appear, as will favorite characters like Disney and Goofy.

Gemaga also managed to sneak in a few bits on the game's battle system. It will, as previously hinted by Nomura, be an evolved version of the deck system that was used in Chain of Memories, where, prior to battle, you set up a card deck consisting of commands that are fed into your command menu. Also getting some hype from Nomura in past interviews was the game's character growth system; Gemaga wasn't able to get specifics, but they did say that Square Enix could make a full game based off this system alone!

Moving on to 358/2 Days (that's pronounced "Three Five Eight Days Over Two," according to the pronunciation listed in Gemaga), Nomura answered one big question we've all been wondering: where will Disney characters fit into the storyline, which is centered around Roxus and Organization XIII. "They will appear in the game," said Nomura of the Disney family, "but in a slightly different form. KH is generally a story where you set out on a journey with a goal in mind. However, Roxus is a member of Organization XIII, so he always returns to the home base. So, this is not a story about a journey. Also, Roxus's personality is such that he does not actively attempt to come into contact with other characters. So, the relationship to Disney characters will be different from before."

Nomura and crew are, surprisingly, making minimal use of the stylus for this game. "Wonderful World is a game where we fully used the DS's functionality," explained Nomura. "However, this time, we're not really using the DS functionality. In order to not break the Kingdom Hearts control feel, we're not using the stylus. Also, we're planning on using the bottom screen for something."

So what is that "something"? We're not sure about single player, but during multiplayer mode, the bottom screen will be used for a unique chat system, Nomura revealed. Players will be able to draw on this screen in order to communicate messages to one-another. Different from Pictochat, everyone draws on the same screen. Nomura and crew are also considering adding a few action buttons to the chat screen; these will be for actions that don't specifically affect gameplay.

It should be noted that Nomura's mention of chat features isn't confirmation of Wi-Fi play being included in the game. For all we know, the game may just be local-area play for four players, with chat thrown in for fun (we imagine being able to draw on the same screen as being quite fun regardless of distance).

Local area or 'net based, multiplayer looks like it's going to bring plenty of replay value to the 358/2 Days. Players will be able to select from the thirteen members of the Organization XIII, although each player will have to choose a unique character. The game will offer up a variety of missions, some asking that you defeat enemies, some asking that you fight one another, and others requiring that you recover items. Single and multiplayer modes are connected in that your character's growth is shared between the two.

Finally, on Coded, Nomura made one comment of particular interest. As a reaction to the tough mobile games market, where plenty of free games are on offer, Coded is going to be released under a new business model, something that the industry hasn't seen before. "It will be very easy to enter," he hinted. We're going to speculate that this means the game will be made available for cheap, or even free.

Unlike the DS and PSP games, Coded shares its main character in common with KH1 and KH2. It's also the only game that takes place after Kingdom Hearts II.

But this game isn't Kingdom Hearts III. The Sora in Coded is actually a "data version" of the Kingdom Hearts hero. The game takes place on the pages of Jiminy Cricket's notebook. The story involves data versions of Sora and King Mickey searching for a secret message left behind by Jiminy by investigating the events of the original Kingdom Hearts.

Gameplay is a bit of a mystery at this point. The game does have the same basic interface as past Kingdom Hearts titles, with a command window featuring "fight," "magic" and "item." Screenshots show Sora with Goofy and Donald, although it's unknown if they'll fight together.

Taking a primarily role in the game is the "Debugging Mode." As Sora journeys through the digital world of Jiminy's notebook, he encounters bugs (the computer type of bugs) that appear in the form of blocks scattered about the play fields. These have to be cleared if you want to approach your enemies. You can also use the blocks to solve puzzles and climb up to higher ground.

Like Final Fantasy Agito XIII, Coded is being designed around cell phone models that don't exist yet. However, the developers are holding back a bit with Coded, particularly to account for overseas markets where mobile power is lacking.

Screenshots released of the game suggest a wide-screen title. The game is actually being designed with the idea that it will be the norm for cell phone owners to be able to swivel their monitors around for wide-screen play (this is something that's available in only a few sets in Japan at the moment).

While these three new Kingdom Hearts games were announced at the same time, similar to Coded, none of them qualify as Kingdom Hearts III. They do have some connections to the future third entry in the series, though. "I can't say specifically," explained Nomura, "but there was a message along those lines in the trailers. Something about these three titles being connected to a story that is to come. I believe you'll be able to foresee things through these three games."

ya i guess i have to get both now when they come out but psp more cuz prolouge(well they both kinda are)and better graphics

i heard it was really good

They're AMAZING games!! Especially if your a big fan of the KH series. The graphics are going to be absolutely stunning for being just on the DS and PSP

i head it was good

If fan based data is correct, The KH DS game should come out this winter...

im not sure about this but my sources say that the man with brown hair in the trailer is terra/soras father im not saying this is completely true but there are rumors and he does look like sora so...... mabey mabey not


link to the trailer kindom hearts three trailer WACTH WATCH WATCH

I don't think it's his father....(that would just be a little weird ;p) But I think it has something to do with more alternate personalities (like how Roxas is Sora's Nobody). Plus, I think Ven and Sora are connected..not Terra and Sora.

358/2 Days comes out in English in June!! Possibly towards the middle...

358/2 days comes out in september 29 2009!!!!

I was watching t.v last night, and i seen the commercial for the new [/color]Kingdom Hearts[color="#000000"]. It looks pretty good, except i had a question...is it only for Nintendo Ds?