PS2 Chain of Memories Coming to North America
Get Ready to Play CoM the Way It Should Have Been Played
Kingdom Hearts fans rejoice! If you are one of the handful of superfans who actually completed Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories on the GameBoy Advance, give yourself a well deserved pat on the back and then step aside. Square Enix will release Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories for the PlayStation 2 in North America on December 2, 2008.
Square Enix Finally Brings the 3D Remake to North America
The two disc set of Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix and Re: Chain of Memories was originally released in Japan on March 29, 2007. At the time, there was no announcement if the set would be released in North America or Europe. Final Mixes are traditionally not released outside of Japan, but Kingdom Hearts fans were hopeful since it included a 3D remake of Chain of Memories.
By fall 2007, Square Enix said they were not planning for any further releases of the Final Mix. Diehard fans would have to either modify their PS2 consoles or import a Japanese PS2 to play the game. (This author actually did the latter.)
But alas, there is a reward for patience. Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories will come to North America right in time for the holiday season at a retail price of $29.99.
What to Expect in this Chain of Memories Release
Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories contains the following additions to the original CoM game:
- A complete 3D remake of the original GBA Chain of Memories
- The return of voice actors (no more reading as much scrolling script) including David Gallagher and Haley Joel Osment
- Four brand new mini-games accompanying the main storyline(1)
However, please be aware that the Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix will not be included with this game as it was in the Japan release. This isn't all that surprising as the Final Mix did not add much more to the game than what was already released in North America.
The Final Mix included a dub of the American voice actors, as well as a few all new bosses (including Roxas in The World that Never Was, which was originally a non-interactive cut-scene). "Additional scenes and areas are included, including several new plot developments involving Roxas in Organization XIII and the chance to explore Hollow Bastion and other areas to a fuller extent." (2)
This is a game that every Kingdom Hearts fan will want to add to their libraries. For those interested, Amazon.com has it ready to preorder.
References
(1) Square Enix original press release
Re: Chain of Memories box art
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