The Japanese version of KINGDOM HEARTS II was released on December 22, 2005 and shipped one million units within the first three days. Three months since its release, it has shipped a total of 1.2 million units. Combining this with the North American release, the title has shipped over 2.5 million units in Japan and North America.
Exclusively for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, KINGDOM HEARTS II is the sequel to KINGDOM HEARTS, one of the top ten best-selling PlayStation 2 titles of all time in North America (Source: The NPD Group, Dec. 2005). Since its release in September 2002, the original KINGDOM HEARTS for the PlayStation 2 has shipped more than 2.6 million units in North America to date. Bridging the gap between the original and the sequel, KINGDOM HEARTS: CHAIN OF MEMORIES™ followed in December 2004 for the Nintendo® Game Boy Advance® system. With the successful releases of KINGDOM HEARTS II in Japan and North America, the series total has reached 8.5 million units worldwide and is expected to hit the 10 million unit-mark with the upcoming European release.
KINGDOM HEARTS II features an all-star ensemble voice cast led by Haley Joel Osment ("The Sixth Sense," "A.I. Artificial Intelligence") as the main character Sora, joined by David Gallagher ("7th Heaven") as Riku, and Hayden Panettiere ("Racing Stripes," "Raising Helen") as Kairi. KINGDOM HEARTS II will also feature the voice talents of Jesse McCartney ("Summerland," Recording artist, "Beautiful Soul" CD) as the mysterious boy Roxas, Brittany Snow ("The Pacifier," "American Dreams") as Naminé, Christopher Lee ("Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring") as DiZ; Steve Burton ("The Last Castle," "Taken") as Cloud, Rachael Leigh Cook ("She's All That," "Josie And The Pussycats") as Tifa and Mena Suvari ("American Beauty," "Rumor Has It") as Aerith, all characters from FINAL FANTASY® VII; and Hedy Buress ("Boston Common," "If These Walls Could Talk"), Tara Strong ("Fairly OddParents: Shadow Showdown," "Teen Titans"), Gwendoline Yeo ("Desperate Housewives," "24") as the popular female-trio Yuna, Rikku, Paine from FINAL FANTASY X-2. In addition, many of the original Disney film voice actors are reprising their role for this project, including Ming-Na ("ER," "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within") as Mulan, James Woods ("Be Cool") as the villain Hades and Zach Braff ("Scrubs") as Chicken Little.
Since its release in September 2002, the original KINGDOM HEARTS for the PlayStation 2 has shipped more than 2.6 million units in North America. Bridging the gap between the original and the sequel, KINGDOM HEARTS: CHAIN OF MEMORIES™ followed in December 2004 for the Nintendo® Game Boy Advance® system. With the release of the Japanese version of KINGDOM HEARTS II in December 2005 (1 million units shipped during the first three days after the release date), the series has shipped in excess of 7.5 million units worldwide.
The world of KINGDOM HEARTS joins classic Disney characters and worlds together with a new story filled with new characters and environments from the expertise of Square Enix. The result is a remarkable, innovative, original property that has captured the attention of both gamers and critics alike. In KINGDOM HEARTS II, players will travel through the worlds of Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Mulan, Pirates of the Caribbean, Steamboat Willie and Tron as well as revisit worlds from the original, including Aladdin, Disney Castle, Hercules, The Little Mermaid, Winnie the Pooh and Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. The game features more than 100 Disney characters, including the new additions of Chicken Little, Stitch from Lilo and Stitch and one of Disney's favorite villains, Pete. The game also also introduces new, original characters such as Roxas, members of Organization XIII and the Nobodies, all designed by Square Enix's Tetsuya Nomura, director and character designer of the KINGDOM HEARTS series. Nomura is best known for his creations in the top selling titles FINAL FANTASY VII, VIII, X and X-2.
KINGDOM HEARTS II follows Sora, Donald, and Goofy on their continuing quest, after the events of KINGDOM HEARTS. Sora is looking for his lost friend Riku, while Donald and Goofy are searching for their missing king. The story begins in Twilight Town, a quiet burg nestled between night and day. Sora and friends are joined by a vibrant new cast of characters, including the king himself. Together, they will encounter countless dangers in worlds both familiar and brand new.
KINGDOM HEARTS II features a new and improved real-time battle system which provides an increased selection of commands, such as performing special attacks and cooperative attacks with members of your party, adding strategy to the gameplay. Players can also perform the "Drive" to transform main character Sora into his various forms, altering his skills and abilities. Examples include the Brave Form, in which Sora absorbs the power of Goofy allowing him to use two Keyblades; the Wisdom Form, in which Sora absorbs the power of Donald allowing him to increase his magic power; and the Master Form, in which Sora absorbs the power of both Donald and Goofy and increases both his attack and magic powers. These new features bring additional challenges and excitement to players and further enhance gameplay.
KINGDOM HEARTS II is available at North American retailers for a suggested retail price of $49.99 (USD). Additional information can be found at http://www.kingdomhearts.com. The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has rated the title "E10+" for ages 10 and up. For more information about the ESRB, visit http://www.esrb.org.
About Square Enix Co., Ltd. and Square Enix, Inc.
With headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, Square Enix Co., Ltd. (Square Enix) develops, publishes and distributes entertainment content including interactive entertainment software and publications in Japan, North America, Europe and Asia. Square Enix brings two of Japan's best-selling franchises—FINAL FANTASY, which has sold over 65 million units worldwide, and DRAGON QUEST™, which has sold over 40 million units worldwide—under one roof. Square Enix is one of the most influential providers of digital entertainment content in the world and continues to push the boundaries of creativity and innovation.
Square Enix, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Square Enix Co., Ltd. with offices in Los Angeles, California and Seattle, Washington. It handles operations in North America, including development, localization, marketing and publishing of Square Enix titles. More information on Square Enix can be found on the internet at http://www.square-enix.com/na.
About Buena Vista Games
Buena Vista Games, Inc. (BVG) is the interactive entertainment arm of The Walt Disney Company. BVG publishes, markets and distributes a broad portfolio of multi-platform video games and interactive entertainment worldwide. The company also licenses properties and works directly with third-party interactive game publishers to bring products for all ages to market. For more information, please log on to http://www.buenavistagames.com.
© Disney. Developed by SQUARE ENIX. Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas © Touchstone Pictures. Characters from FINAL FANTASY game series © 1990, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005 Square Enix Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. DRAGON QUEST, FINAL FANTASY, SQUARE ENIX, and the Square Enix logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Square Enix Co., Ltd. in the United States and/or other countries. Nintendo and Game Boy Advance are registered trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
