Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix Launch Party

In 1999, video game developer Square Enix's producer Shinji Hasimoto stepped onto an elevator where a Disney executive happened to be waiting. Some creative ideas were bounced around and thus was the birth of Kingdom Hearts, an epic video game crossover between the world of Final Fantasy, and the universe of Disney. The player follows a young protagonist named Sora, as he battles his way through a dark fantasy world where Disney characters ranging from Mickey Mouse to Jack Sparrow live together.

This Tuesday, the world of Kingdom Hearts will come alive once more, and to celebrate the re-release of these fantastic games, Square Enix held a launch party at the Anaheim Convention Center today, a short walk from Disneyland.

Having played these games in my childhood, I decided to swing by and pick up an early copy of the game, and perhaps some more giveaways. The event began at 12, and people were handing out t-shirts, posters, and exclusive Disneyland pins. Included with the video game was a limited edition art book of concept drawings from the game.

This event turned out to be one of the most poorly organized catastrophes I have ever attended. Prospective attendees were able to RSVP through Facebook, seemingly so that the organizers could get an idea of how many people would show up. Over 3,000 RSVP'd and an additional 1,500 put down "maybe". How many copies of the game did they hand out? A thousand. Not to mention that t-shirts and pins were gone within the hour. By the time most people were inside, only posters were left.

I really wish I could have anything at all pleasant to say about this experience, but it was mostly torture. I was lucky enough to acquire a copy of the game and some artwork, but it wasn't worth waiting in line and I wish I had stayed home instead. All-in-all, I learned my lesson and will not be attending one of these again. However, I urge you to check out this game if you enjoy RPG's or Disney characters, because it is a true classic.

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix for PS3 hits the shelves on Tuesday, September 10th.