Not that there was ever much doubt, but Kingdom Hearts fans may have just gotten their first hint that Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix is currently being localized for a North American (and likely European as well) release.
Voice actor Jesse McCartney, who plays the characters Roxas and Ventus in various installments of the Kingdom Hearts saga, recently tweeted a photo of himself from inside a recording booth. A screen displaying a cutscene from Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days -- the story content of which is included in 1.5 HD Remix -- can clearly be seen within the photo, leading credence to the notion that McCartney was indeed recording lines for the forthcoming HD collection. Besides that, McCarney plainly stated in a related tweet addressed to Kingdom Hearts fans that he was "recording the next chapter" of the series. While this isn't technically correct -- 1.5 HD Remix collects the first two games in the series and the third game's cutscenes and gives them a high-definition makeover -- it's very likely that this was just poor word choice on McCartney's part, as there's no other game in the series he could possibly be working on, least of all the still-nonexistent Kingdom Hearts III.
Back when Square Enix first announced Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix, the company specified that the announcement was for the Japanese market only, leaving Western fans wondering when they'd hear word of a release in their territories. That makes McCartney's tweets the first hint at such a release. Even more telling is the fact that McCartney's tweets were taken down almost as quickly as they were posted, making it quite obvious that this was information Square Enix did not want the actor sharing.
So does that mean the announcement of a stateside release for 1.5 HD Remix is imminent? Square Enix continues to remain silent on the subject, but all signs point to it being a very likely possibility. But don't take my word for it; check out the photos of McCartney's tweets within this article and decide for yourself!
For those unaware, Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix includes the series' first two chronological titles story-wise, Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, and refreshes them with high-definition visuals, an improved camera, and tighter controls that are closer to Kingdom Hearts II's in style. 1.5 HD Remix also includes the cutscenes (remade in HD) and other story content (Roxas' diary entries, etc.) from the third chronological title in the series, Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days, and even throws in some all-new cutscenes that help fill in story gaps that were present in the game's original release on the Nintendo DS.
Kingdom Hearts: 1.5 HD Remix is a PS3 exclusive for now and will be released in Japan on March 14th.
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