My 2015 E3 Wish List

With last night’s successful Bethesda conference on my mind and the many possibilities on the horizon as the rest of E3 approaches, I have managed to motivate my lazy summer self to write about how excited I am this year.

Let me clarify my intentions for this wish list. There are many things I hope to see over the next few days, so I am going to maintain a focus on things that would truly make my day. These can fall anywhere on the realistic spectrum from “that could totally happen” to “that’s never going to happen, but it would indeed be awesome.”

Let’s cut to the chase before conferences actually begin!

1. Some Kingdom Hearts details are revealed

I would love to hear a little more about the franchise that defined my childhood. There are so many things I can imagine for Kingdom Hearts 3, but I’ll stick to some nifty ideas I have had and steer clear of spoilers.

I would like to see the following worlds appear in Kingdom Hearts 3:

• Shibuya (from The World Ends With You)
• Tangled
• Frozen
• Pixar worlds
• Big Hero 6
• Another Final Fantasy world apart from Radiant Garden
• Chrono Trigger world (long shot, but hey… this is a wish list!)
• Marvel Cinematic Universe

It would also make my day to hear about these characters either (A) debuting for the first time or (B) returning after a long absence:

• Noctis from Final Fantasy XV
• Tidus (reappearing and older than he was in KH1)
• Zack Fair (reappearing and older than he was in Birth by Sleep)
• Kefka from FFXI
• Zidane Tribal from FFIX
• The World Ends With You characters
• The Avengers
• Rocket and Groot

Before anyone asks why I didn’t include Star Wars on here, let me just say that I am not opposed to the idea. I just don’t particularly wish for it either.

2. Rise of the Tomb Raider receives a PS4 release date

And let’s say it is released a mere three months after the Xbox One release. I can wait that long.

Side note: I own an Xbox One, but do not want to encourage Crystal Dynamic’s choice to alienate their long term fans in favor of a quick buck. So we will hopefully be purchasing this game for a Sony console. Because business.

3. Theatrhythm: Kingdom Hearts is announced for 3DS

So this could totally happen at the Square Enix conference, and that would be fantastic. I’ve already detailed how this game could work in my very first blog post, and I welcome the surreal feeling of seeing something I wrote about months ago coming to life at E3.

4. An HD remake of Final Fantasy VII bundled with FFVII: Crisis Core released for PS4

So I am convinced this one is not going to happen. My brother pointed out this morning that there are rumors abounding yet again, but I just can’t seem to get over the disappointment of last year’s PlayStation Experience announcement. They made it pretty clear there that they were only porting the PC version onto PS4. No touchups. No enhanced musical scores. It would be a dream come true of this were all some creepy ruse and they really were listening intently to what fans want. I just can’t let myself be vulnerable to this one again after the huge let down last year.

Jokingly, I came up with a wistfully enticing collector’s edition pre-order bundle. It could include the blu-ray for Advent Children, the reimagined soundtrack to both games and the movie, a hard-covered art book, a hand painted knights of the round figurine, and a set of glass materia complete with display case. Oh, and a $20 credit toward Final Fantasy XV. Because why not? This is a wish list after all.

5. Limited Persona 5 details announced

So I don’t want to know too much about Persona 5, since this is a franchise that just needs to be experienced. But I am curious about a couple things that would not ruin the surprises that are surely embedded inside this definite masterpiece.

First of all, I want to know the official release date. It is immensely satisfying knowing that Persona 5 should be released in the East and West simultaneously, but I still need to know when.

Second, I’m curious about the voice cast for Persona 5. I doubt this will be announced anytime soon, but if it was, I would like to hear about participation from the likes of Travis Willingham, Nolan North, Colleen Clinkenbeard, Monica Rial, and (of course) Yuri Lowenthal. It just wouldn’t be right to have a Persona game without Yuri Lowenthal.

6. Mass Effect 4’s main character and other details revealed

We know so little about this one. I mainly want to discover more about the character that will define the next arc of this series. Additionally, it wouldn’t hurt to hear where they plan on taking this universe next, and whether or not it takes any steps forward in terms of a divergent ending based on your actions throughout the series.

7. Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem

Nintendo. Please, please tell me why I want to play this. It looks bizarre. I very much want to like it. I just need to know why. I trust that putting these two great things together will make a brand new game that can’t NOT impress me. But I want some encouragement here, and maybe something spectacular to convince me that I am not crazy for wanting this one.

8. Any fantastic new IP

I am sure there is someone out there that had an as of yet unknown stroke of brilliance that they will announce either today or tomorrow. I look forward to that and hope it is every bit as wonderful as the rest of these things that have made my list.

________________________________________________________________________________

So I’m sure I am leaving something out, but my husband is telling me it is time to publish. No time for proof reading or tweaking my words or phrasing. The Microsoft conference is about to start after all! I will do my best to document the most exciting announcements throughout the next few days. I look forward to all the exciting news and hope this is an E3 akin to 2013’s (not last year’s… that one was kind of a letdown).

The Dangerous Nature of Hype

About three and a half years ago in November of 2011, my husband (boyfriend at the time) heard about a game that sounded right up my alley. It was a cult classic visual novel on DS with fairly intricate puzzles and a complex logic-driven story by the name of 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors (a.k.a. 999).

When I read the basic premise behind the game, I was already hooked. Yet a brief glimpse of what I was getting into did nothing to prepare me for the twists and turns of 999. It was a masterpiece of storytelling that fit perfectly into the visual novel genre of gaming. No other medium—be it film, novel, comic, or television—could do justice to this fantastically haunting tale. I loved every second of it. Gripped by the game’s intensity, I couldn't put it down and ended up pushing through every wonderful, suspenseful moment within a week.

If you've played 999, you'll see it.

The conclusion of 999 was so imaginative that I had to share with someone. My poor future husband claimed he would never play it and therefore let me spoil the entire thing for him as I retold each incredible scene. I spilled my guts for an hour or two while traveling from city to city. He patiently listened while probably thinking I was an overly excited weirdo. I guess that’s not a new development in our lives, but I do count myself lucky he still proposed a couple years later.

So you can imagine my joy at the news that there was a sequel to 999 inbound and scheduled to release on the 3DS a few short months later (February 2012). Out of the blue I was going to receive a second masterpiece! This one was entitled “Virtue’s Last Reward”. Thankfully, the second entry in the now-labeled “Zero Escape” franchise did not disappoint. Ponderings of quantum physics, psychology, mathematics, and moral dilemmas enhanced an already excellent puzzle game. I felt adequately challenged from the experience and enjoyed the story it shared.

The only problem laid in the incomplete nature of the game. Its finale left me with several unanswered questions and a lack of closure. I knew at once this was a setup for an epic trilogy, and I knew I would have to wait impatiently for the next entry.

Except the third game was nowhere in sight. It was revealed on February 13, 2014 that (unfortunately) the games were financially unsuccessful in Japan and that the western market being in the black had little weight in determining Zero Escape 3’s fate. Uchikoshi, the game's creator, connected to his western audience via Twitter and explained that while he wanted nothing more than to create the game we all wanted, it was not in the cards. Heartwarmingly, he explained, “I believe there is still hope. ZE3 will definitely be released somehow, someday!” and added “I will continue to seek a way out,” referencing the catchphrase associated with his own escape puzzles.

Zero Escape 3 is still in the box.

But as time went on, the eventual creation of the game seemed to become less and less possible until fans (myself included) lost hope completely. It was a long and painful process, but I finally decided to let Zero Escape go and accept the cliffhangers that plagued the second title in the series. I turned to other games with similar tones and stories like Danganronpa and adventure games by Telltale. I tried to forget the painful lack of Zero Escape 3.

You might see me cry. Maybe.

Interestingly, Aksys Games Localization, Inc. began a teaser site (http://4infinity.co) in mid-March this year that changed everything. It began with just a counter set to “0303”. Now I understand it is unheard of for a localization team to announce anything. It’s crazy. I get it. But because of the obvious connection to Zero [Escape] 3, the small community of fans suddenly grew restless and started a conversation everyone had put to bed over a year ago when they originally lost hope. I saw hundreds of posts on forums that verbalized how I felt: a very earnest yet reluctant response, almost dissociative in nature. Excitement, yet distrust. Intense loyalty for Uchikoshi, yet a severe disillusionment regarding the profit-driven video game industry.

A screenshot of the original counter on Aksys's 4infinity.co website

I personally felt so torn seeing the teaser site that I couldn’t contain it. Like a teenage girl that had been hurt too many times, I wasn’t sure I was ready to be vulnerable again. But if this was real... if this was what I desperately hoped it was… If, if, if. For a long time, I adopted the “I’ll believe it when I see it” shield and crouched behind it, terrified of getting my hopes up only to have them come crashing back down yet again. But as time has gone on and clues have been exposed, I have slowly opened up to the hype.

So here I am, a good three-ish months from the teaser countdown being finished (if our calculations are correct), and I have allowed myself to get excited. I hate that I have, because I will be crushed if this isn’t real. It is the game I most want to see right now, even above Kingdom Hearts 3, Uncharted 4, Fire Emblem: If, Persona 5… I even want this more than a prequel to The Last of Us set between the first and second chapters!

Sidebar to Naughty Dog (because I’m sure they totally read this blog): Just contact me. I’ll fill you in on all my great ideas for your fungal apocalypse universe.

So that’s that. There is hype. I am letting myself succumb to it. I am vulnerable and hopeful, and it's scary.

Theatrhythm: Kingdom Hearts is a Perfect Fit

I've been playing a lot of Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy Curtain Call as of late, primarily due to the recent release of Chrono Trigger and The World Ends with You DLC. I have just passed the 40,000 Rhythmia mark in addition to the 70,000+ I collected from the first game, yet I feel just as entertained by Theatrhythm as I was when I first played it (if not more so).

I admit almost bashfully that part of the satisfaction I experience is due to the immensely satisfying reward system within the game. I know it seems silly to enjoy unlocking crystal shards, earning gold stars in my record book, and gathering up CollectaCards, but I just can’t help it. The creators did a fantastic job giving me a reason to keep coming back for more tapping, holding, and sliding. But that isn't the only rationale for why I love Theatrhythm, nor is it my primary reason.

Theatrhythm takes music that is both expertly composed and emotionally resonant and creates something new with it.

The music is well-written. They have passionate back stories. And they have the player’s memories to tie it all together. Theatrhythm takes all those elements and reveals them at their maximum potential by allowing players the opportunity to vividly and retroactively experience feelings they had at the climax of a game. Plus it’s fun to tap along.

It’s something I wish I could do with every epic video game moment because quality music is such an instrumental (pun intended) part of that climax. Chrono Cross’s “People Imprisoned by Destiny” and Persona 3’s “Battle for Everyone’s Souls” are perfect examples of songs that I vividly recall experiencing for the first time and would love to relive. And while songs from Chrono Cross are a distinct possibility, it disappoints me to think that I will most likely never play a game like Theatrhythm that utilizes the dynamic, catchy soundtracks of franchises like Persona. But I digress.

Knowing that so much of Theatrhythm’s strength comes from this trifecta of story intricacies, skillfully constructed music, and emotional appeal, I have to make a case for the perfection that could be Theatrhythm: Kingdom Hearts.

First off, Kingdom Hearts is epic, endearing, and filled with layered narrative. It has a loyal following, beautiful scores by Yoko Shimomura, and—thanks to its prolonged gaps between releases—plenty of nostalgia and emotional appeal. However, this in itself is not enough to make a good argument for its success were it to be made. Fortunately, I have included here several additional reasons why I think Kingdom Hearts could work.

1. A plethora of characters to choose from

Surprisingly, one of the most common criticisms I’ve seen on the web happens to be what I consider one of its greatest strengths. I have seen many forum posts and comments beneath articles stating that Kingdom Hearts simply doesn’t have enough characters to substantially fill the game. I beg to differ.

Including only characters original to the series gives us Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aqua, Ventus, Terra, Roxas, Naminé, Xion, Axel/Lea, Ansem the Wise, Ansem Seeker of Darkness, Xemnas, Xehanort, The rest of Organization XIII, Data Sora, Data Riku, Vanitas, and Eraqus. The cast could easily be broadened with some of the Disney cast (particularly Mickey, Donald, and Goofy). Some of the more prominent Final Fantasy characters could also add to the mix (including “Leon”, Cloud, Sephiroth, Aerith, etc.). Finally (albeit unlikely), I would include the main five characters from The World Ends with You due to both their involvement in Dream Drop Distance and their Square Enix roots. This would lend itself to a cast of 40+ without even depending on a bunch of Disney characters getting added into the mix.

2. Fantastic music from seven (soon eight) games

Yes, some of the main themes repeat. But there is still an appropriate amount of music to be considered here. Consider the following tracks pulled from the first game alone. Note that (to my knowledge) I didn’t even have to pull any Disney tracks to compile this list. I also believe that the later games actually show a greater diversity in their soundtracks, which would help.

• Hikari
• Destiny Islands
• Kairi’s Theme
• Night of Fate
• Destiny’s Force
• Traverse Town
• Shrouding Dark Cloud
• Blast Away III
• Hollow Bastion
• Scherzo Di Notte
• Destati
• Forze Del Male
• Always on My Mind
• Simple and Clean

So from the first game alone, I pulled 14 tracks that stand out quite well. If the same quantity can be pulled from the other six games that are currently released, that would include nearly 100 songs to play. While Curtain Call boasts an impressive 200+ songs, I think it is important to keep in mind that 100 songs from less than half the number of titles is equally remarkable. And keep in mind, Disney tracks could always be included to further satisfy the already excellent selection of music.

Again, since these were only pulled from the first game, there are many impressive pieces that we are missing out on here, many of which are my favorites (looking at you, “Unbreakable Chains”). But I think my point stands that there is in fact more than enough quality music to make a Theatrhythm: Kingdom Hearts.

3. Easily adapted feature zones

Feature zones are included in each music stage of Theatrhythm as a means to break apart each type of music stage into memorable parts. This also serves to provide players with a particular goal mid-song as they strive to summon powerful allies, ride fast chocobos, or see the extended version of a video mash-up.

The feature zones from each Battle Music Stage (BMS) could be seamlessly implemented into a Kingdom Hearts adaptation through the inclusion of Disney summons as seen in Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2. Instead of Ifrit, Shiva, and Bahamut (among others), the game would include the familiar likes of Simba, Genie, and Mushu. Another option—if Disney summons seem a bit too small compared to the grand Final Fantasy affairs—would be to implement Sora’s Drive Forms at this point in the stage, allowing him to use Valor, Wisdom, Limit, Master, Final, or Anti Form.

Similarly, Field Music Stages (FMS) could substitute the use of a gummi ship in the feature zone instead of riding a chocobo. The player’s successful input of touch, slide, and hold commands could be the primary factor in determining how grand a gummi ship they receive for the short time they have it. This would easily parallel the various chocobos and their different speeds.

Finally, the Event Music Stages (EMS) could be increased in number due to the sheer quantity of Kingdom Hearts cut scenes, something the Final Fantasy series can’t even compare to. Traditionally, each Final Fantasy title only has one EMS to play through, most likely due to the lack of usable clips from some of the earlier games in the series. However, I roughly calculated the time it would take to watch every cut scene so far that takes place in Sora’s universe, and I came up with a number just over twenty-one hours. Twenty-one hours! Even if my calculations are slightly erroneous, that is an insane amount of footage to pull from. It is easy to conclude from that ridiculously high number that pulling enough iconic clips from across each game would be simple enough; in fact, the creators of a Theatrhythm: Kingdom Hearts could even include 2 or 3 EMS pieces with ease and still have plenty of extra footage for each feature zone.

4. The possibilities are endless

It is exciting to think of all the possible directions the Theatrhythm franchise could take. I honestly believe Kingdom Hearts would not only be an incredibly enjoyable installment but also a logical one. Whether it be changing the CollectaCards to match the cards found in Chain of Memories, or adapting the Record Book to reflect the feel of Jiminy’s Journal, I can already see how great Theatrhythm would be if it were to accommodate the Kingdom Hearts realm.

What would you expect from a Theatrhythm: Kingdom Hearts? Leave your ideas and comments below! Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some tapping to do.