Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
New Kingdom Hearts Release Date, Exclusive U.S. Content, And PSP Pack Revealed [UPDATE]
Square Enix dropped a huge Kingdom Hearts-shaped bomb today concerning the upcoming PSP title Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. The game has been confirmed for a September release, Arkham Asylukm's Joker, Mark Hamill, will be voicing a character, and there's going to be a fancy Kingdom Hearts-themed PSP hardware bundle.
First things first. After a January release in Japan, Birth by Sleep will finally hit North American shores on September 7. Square Enix confirms that new content exclusive to the U.S. include "an extra boss, additional multiplayer options, and Crown Stickers: a reward system where players earn prizes by collecting and placing stickers into an album."
A handful of voice actors for the game were also revealed, however, their roles were not specified. We've checked in with Square Enix for the details and will update accordingly, but for now here's who's been announced.
[UPDATE] A Square Enix rep has replied to the casting question stating the company will "be revealing that info at a later time." Oh well.
- Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker in Star Wars, The Joker in Arkham Asylum/Batman Animated Series) as Master Eraqus (best guess)
- Leonard Nimoy (Spock in Star Trek) as Master Xehanort (best guess)
- Jesse McCartney (Roxas in previous KH games) as Ventus (best guess)
- Willa Holland (Gossip Girl, The O.C.) as Aqua (best guess)
- James Woods (Hades in previous KH games, a ton of movies) - Hades (best guess)
The Birth by Sleep PSP bundle will hit the same day the game releases, and will include a “Mystic Silver” PSP-3000 system, the game, some random movie unrelated to Kingdom Hearts, and a 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo. This pack will be a GameStop exclusive.
[GameStop is the parent company of Game Informer]
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
