Being a Kingdom Hearts fan hasn't been easy. Over the twelve years since the original game's PlayStation 2 release in 2002, the series has spread itself across multiple platforms, including the Game Boy Advance, the Nintendo DS and 3DS, the PSP and even mobile phones, keeping it hard for many who can't easily throw down the dough for new devices to keep up with story developments. With so many pieces to the Kingdom Hearts puzzle scattered, along with the existence of Japanese-exclusive Final Mix versions of several of the games that feature even more content, those who had bought a PlayStation 3 with the expectation of playing Kingdom Hearts III -- or any new Kingdom Hearts game, for that matter -- were left out in the cold to watch the series continue on seemingly everything but the PS3. Though Kingdom Hearts III has finally been announced for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, PS3 users were treated to a consolation prize of sorts last year with the arrival of Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD ReMIX, which brought together the Final Mix version of the original game, the bridge game Re:Chain of Memories and a cutscene-only presentation of the DS-centric Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. As an attempt to begin unifying the disparate series onto one platform, the ReMIX was a success, and now, over a year later, fans are getting the 2.5 ReMIX, including the Final Mix versions of Kingdom Hearts II and Birth by Sleep, as well as a cinematic version of Re:coded. Already released in Japan this month, the 2.5 ReMIX is still a few weeks away from release for the rest of the world. While some may see its existence as a way for Square Enix to buy itself another year of holding off Kingdom Hearts III, there's a lot to be eager for about it thanks to how strong the first ReMIX turned out, the overwhelming amount of additional content being included and the fact that it's the final hurdle standing between us and the arrival of the long-awaited trilogy-ender. So as we patiently continue the waiting game we've grown accustomed to, let's take a look at 8 reasons to be excited for its release.
Writer, film enthusiast, part-time gamer and watcher of (mostly) good television located on the fringe of Los Angeles, who now has his own website at www.highdefgeoff.com!
