Poll: So, Will You Be Getting The "Cloud Versions" Of Kingdom Hearts On Switch?

Hahahahahaha

No

I already have them on Playstation. If they were actual ports I may have gotten them but as is I'm not interested. Don't want to think about latency issues during a KH boss fight.

Major hellz no from me...there's no reason for the older games to not be on Switch digitally/phsyically. The system can handle it 100%...

This doesn't really account for the "I-love-the-series-but-already-have-multiple -copies-of-every-game, so-3-feels-like-too-much" crowd, like myself.

Cloud of anything is a no go for me.

@PLATINUM7 Ugh...I remember I needed perfect timing in the first game's optional bosses. Kurt Zisa and Sephiroth were a nightmare. lol

Don't care for KH anyway.

A shame, because I would have INSTANTLY jumped on the older titles were they not cloud.

Not for me... I was waiting on a physical or digital of 1.5 and 2.5 too :/ Portable KH collection would have been so cool..

Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Not a chance in hell.

Nope.

But given that virtually everything that Disney touches turns to poo nowadays, I'm not despairing fewer excuses to throw money in their direction.

so far more than half of people have chosen the correct answer, I'm proud of this community.

I was waiting on KH3 for Switch. Just gonna buy it for $15 for PS4 to own a disc of it rather than a cloud service version… The effort Square Enix went to port Dragon Quest 11 for Switch was incredible. This effort is disappointing and kinda ruins my own excitement for Sora being in Smash.

Would have double-dipped if it was actual releases but as of now, I'm fine already having these games on my PS4. I don't understand Square Enix's obsession with cloud releases as of late.

Sorry but if I had to pay full price for a game that I don't own, perform terribly, and can't be play offline on the go then I'm not getting it. This is a moronic move by Square Enix, giving us a music spinoff but held the actual games hostage in the cloud is not something I support. Release these as actual physical titles and maybe you'll get my money, I don't pay to play, I pay to own. If I can't own it, you won't see a buck from me.

If Square Enix and Nintendo plans to ruin Kingdom Hearts reputation, going this route will definitely kill it. There are still many Switch gamers who had never play a Kingdom Hearts game before, this will be their first time experiencing it. If they play these cloud ports and got a bad experience from it: frame drops, lags, latency, etc., they'll think all KH games are like this and dismiss the series as a whole. Heck Capcom and 505 Games already made my brother not wanting to ever play Resident Evil 7 and Control so these will be next on the to avoid forever list for him.

A cloud version might be justified for Kingdom Hearts 3 but in case of Kingdom Hearts 1.5 and 2.5 not being able to port PS3 games over just seems lazy to me.

I‘m not a fan of cloud versions in general and I will definitely not get Kingdom Hearts on Switch. I‘m not sure yet but maybe I‘ll buy KH 1.5 and 2.5 on PS3…

I have been waiting for these games to come to Switch for so very long and I even expected it to happen alongside a reveal of Sora being in Smash, that them being cloud versions of the games has me very disappointed. After all this waiting this is what we get, Switch owners deserve better.

Already own it on PS3

This is literally no different than paying for a GAAS like Destiny 2 except there is already an offline version of these collections that already exist on weaker hardware, therefore there is simply no excuse for this to exist except Square's lack of self-awareness of what their fans want, plus a lack of laziness to boot.

What's wrong with cloud gaming? Can someone explain

I'll give it a shot. I've never tried cloud gaming.

They weren’t fun in their original forms

Absolutely not.

Fairly simple. I use the Switch most actively where there's no internet. No internet, no cloud. No cloud, no buy.

Also ditto the "Not needing to buy it four times" folks. I wouldn't mind if they were playable offline as I can run through KH1 countless times and KH2 when I feel like speedrunning at least through the Roxas roadblock. But if I need to do it at home with a stable internet connection to begin with, I'd just boot up my PS4 or Xbox versions.

Or PS2 if I really want to glitch out with the form mode changing, heh.

Real shame, too. These are some of the greatest action RPG games out there, bar none.

I'd give the series another chance on Switch if they'd been actual ports, but their treatment of the games on Switch/PC has just sort of left a bad taste in my mouth.

No biggie. I already have way more games than I have time to play as is.

Absolutely not. I have these on PS4 and PC (generous sale earlier this year via Epic). And I don't see any particular reason why prettied up PS2/PSP/3DS games can't be made to run on Switch. I can understand KH3 needing the cloud, or substantial effort porting that they may not want to pay for.

I really don't understand why 1, 2, and Prelude are not digital/physical. I fully understand KH3 being a cloud version, but we have waited so long to get the first two on a Nintendo system.

The only way I would think on paying a cloud game is if the actual console is not powerful enough for it.
Is like paying full price for a Flash web game...

This is laziness. No reason we can’t have the ports.

I would if they weren't cloud, but they are so I wont.

I played the original when I was younger but no longer have any interest in the franchise. Especially now that I'm not even into Disney as an adult. It does shock me that these old games couldn't just be ported.

Give me actual ports and not just something that can be played via cloud service. KH3 I can understand but the Switch should be able to run the previous titles. I'd much prefer to have a physical copy on hand. Heck, I'd take a digital download only but never cloud service. Until then, I'm sticking to my KH collection on my PS4. Damn, this is what I dreaded since I saw the RE7 cloud service some years ago.

I will only on a 90% sale someday, as with all cloud and most digital purchases. I have no issues playing cloud games, and even playing piggybacking off my phone. Cloud gaming is the future, just like Netflix has taken over dvds. Who here still gets dvds in the mail, as who streams them? 10 more years and we won’t have physical games and everything will be through the cloud or purchased and downloaded digitally.

Vote with your wallet people.

@1ofUs The biggest concern is that a smooth cloud gaming experience is dependent on having an internet connection good enough to stream both gameplay and your inputs with the least amount of latency as possible. A bad connection = a bad cloud gaming experience.

The other issue is that, there's even LESS ownership of cloud games than you'd even get with digital games. Should the cloud servers be shut down for any reason, there goes the games you paid for.

The upside to cloud gaming is accessibility, where all you need is a device capable of streaming games, as opposed to a powerful enough console. It honestly makes sense for KH2.8 and KH3, but there's little excuse why entries that could run on PS2, PSP, and 3DS couldn't get a physical or even digital release on Switch.

I wouldn't be caught dead playing that.

I already own like 3 or 4 copies of some of these through the various releases. I would absolutely get the physical versions for Switch if they came out and I would have accepted a cloud version of KH3, but not the first two.

The first thing I did when I finally got a PS4 Pro a few months ago was to get KH: The Story So Far, which is a two disc bundle that contains both 1.5+2.5 and 2.8. I haven't played this series at all yet, but with them all (or most of them) in one convenient package on PS4, I thought now would be a great time to start.

Let's just say that, if these cloud versions had come out before I finally got the PS4...... these cloud versions would not have changed my method in the slightest.

My advice to anyone here is: Do not play cloud versions. You pay for them, but they do not belong to you.

Yeah... I'm with everyone... Its a no from me.
I was excited for the Kingdom Hearts games on switch, and would buy day one even though own them on ps.... But only cloud!? No thank you. I would understand KH3... But the other ones? That's just laziness.

just wondering. I live in Chile and my conection is 300 MB/s. It's not enough for cloud games. What's the situation in other territories?

@1ofUs It's a game stream from a data center (a.k.a. the cloud) sent to your hardware after you pay access to it. The connection signal and control are yours to interact but everything else including the graphics, performance, and audios are handle through the data center via internet connection. As long as you don't lose connection to the data center, you could play the game for as long as you want.

Performance with cloud gaming this way varied depending on your internet connection and the server connection of the data center so say if someone at the data center accidentally shutdown your server, you lose access to your game. If your internet provider shutdown your connection, you also lose connection to your game. The only good thing about cloud gaming is that you don't had to worry about specs or download as those are handle by the server at the data center but that also means you won't had ownership of the product since it doesn't physically or digitally exist on the platform.

It's like if I sent you a video stream through Twitch but instead of me playing my game, you'll be playing my game instead. If I turn the game off on my system, then you lose access and won't be able to play my game (not yours even though you pay me full price for it) on your device.

Nooooope. Really sad I won't be able to experience the series unless I get a PC or other console.

Square Enix being lazy again, I suppose. And nope, I won't be getting the cloud versions. I'll get them on Steam instead once they're on sale.

No poll question about the price?

On PS4 you can buy KH All-in-One, that's 10 games for about $40 total, or the first 2 sets of games in The Story so Far set for $30.

So, why 3 different games on Switch and what are they going to charge to stream them from the cloud? I'm guessing at least $20 each for the first 2 and $30 for KH3. So that's $70, if not more. For a cloud stream. Of games that were originally on the DS and 3DS. Yeah, that seems fair.🤑

I have literally anything else. I own them three times over.

I thought Square putting them at full price on the Epic store exclusives on PC was bad enough, this is way worse.

Square is so out of touch these days I wonder how they still maintain their fanbase.

Absolutely not. I wouldve bought them at a premium price if they were ports on cartridges.

Sorry…. I’m one of the biggest Nintendo fans but I’m taking my money over to Sony to get the discs on PlayStation.
I’ll just stick with my copy of DDD.

I would if they were actual ports, even though I already own all the games on PlayStation. Too bad Square Enix didn't realize how popular Kingdom Hearts is.

Got em all on PS2, PS3 and PS4 so I don't wanna go overkill or anything

Even if i wanted to i couldn't, since our government still thinks the internet is a fad that will go away soon.
Still, "Cloud Gaming" is a ridiculous concept if you ask me.

You are expected to pay ridiculous sums to play a product you don't own at all and where it's consumption are entirely dependent on outside factors.
Payed 60 bucks for your stream game? Oh look, construction outside knocked the landline out. What's that? Power outage at the distribution node? Oh, peaking traffic in your cluster?

For me, it's a bit like investing money in f2p games.
Why spend money on something you know for sure will eventually vanish for good.

Even purely digital games can be preserved and freed of their DRM (if they had any). My NES cartridges still work 30 years later.
I'm not paying premium prices for hot air.

Glad to see how many people are as opposed to this scam as I am.

The answer is so obvious.

No

I will likely get them if they go on sale.

The thing is, I'm not even sure I can play the cloud versions. Pretty sure I saw somewhere that, much like PS Now, the Switch Cloud service isn't available where I am, so it's not even a question of whether I want to or not, since I don't even have the option (though that said, if I did, I'm not entirely sure I'd be that interested, so it might be a no, regardless).

Still not entirely sure why they aren't at least porting 1.5+2.5 directly though, since there's nothing there that needs the cloud to run (though if Doom and Doom Eternal can run reasonably well, I'm pretty sure the 0.2 demo can get by).

I immediately checked out cloud gaming when this was announced, just to see how it was.
And after the experience I'm gonna say no to KH on switch. Which is a shame cause I was really excited at first.

No. I already own these on PS4, where I don't have to hope latency isn't too terrible.

Benefit of Switch is having portable options. This defeats that purpose, so another reason not to double (sigh...quadruple, as I had on PS2 and PS3, too) dip.

@Joeynator3000 Honestly I know they're saying they're supposedly remasters but honestly plenty of folks would have been fine with ports of the originals.

My reasons why Cloud gaming is a big “no” for the Switch:

1) Constant internet connection: Where I live, the internet service is mostly rubbish (even on a good day). Some of us are not able to play that way, if it requires a constant connection to the internet. Plus if the internet is not working, you would not be able to play the game anyway.

2) Portability: What is the use of having the game on a handheld if you need an internet connection to play? Once you step out of the house, who is to say that you will even have an internet connection?

3) Pricing and ownership: If we are paying full price for these games, who knows how long we will be able to even play them for anyway (before they are no longer available to us). Not paying full price for a game that could be taken away from us at any moment.

I’m in Australia, our internet isn’t strong enough to play cloud games. I think.

Nope, a cloud version completely negates the point of the Switches portability and completely negates the whole reason people wanted them on Switch, to play thrm portability

I think I'll stick to the PS4 versions i already have

and the PS3 versions & XB1 & the original PS2/PSP/GBA/DS/3DS releases

3 I understand but 1 and 2 are PS2 GAMES. They couldn't be bothered to at least try to port it?!?

Beat them all on Gamepass. No interest in doubling down on cloud versions

I don't get cloud gaming. You pay full price for a game that you don't actually own? As soon as the servers go down that game is gone? WTF? Seriously? If you are gonna pay the price there should be a way to play this forever and any where. If it is a cloud game how is it portable? Are you relying on wifi all over your travel route, the Mc Cafe that you hang out in? This makes no sense. The disposable generation of gamers is killing gaming.

I would've actually gotten all of these if they were native ports, even though I already own them all on PS4, just so I could have the novelty of them on the go.

In my mind, these cloud versions are a complete nonstarter. It's like paying for Stadia, only it's one game at a time and there's sometimes a line before you can even play your single player game. Sure, cloud gaming appeals to a certain market, but I bought a Switch to own games, not stream them.

I haven't played the Kingdom Hearts games, but if they're cloud versions I'm not even gonna bother. At least not for the time being.

I didn't buy the Switch to stream games. I bought the Switch to take the games I love with me wherever I go. I absolutely love the Kingdom Hearts series, but I haven't played any of the Sony games because I haven't had a PlayStation since the PS2.
There's no reason that the Switch can't handle the first two remixes. I'd wager if Square weren't lazy, it could handle a version of III as well. It's just lazy, and a little deflating to be honest.

@rjejr from what I understand they already said its all 3 together as one "package"

Lol Square was so lazy, they couldnt even be bothered to atleast port the game that are on PS3.

I would have if I could download it or buy the hard copy.ill just keep my xbox copies

I was really hyped for this collection when I saw Sora as the last fighter, but NO WAY I'll get a cloud version. I'd buy in a blink if it's not a cloud service.

If somehow they found a way to make cloud versions available through the same wireless signals our phones use, and you could play them on the go, now that would be a spicy meatball

I'll get them when they come to Steam and play them on the Steam Deck. I have them all on PS4 (and PS3, and just about all of the original releases as well...), and I've honestly fallen out of love with the series as a whole in recent years, but the first game is still very near and dear to me and the idea of playing it on a handheld system seems like a dream. Too bad I won't be able to do it properly on the Switch. I have no interest in cloud games whatsoever personally.

No cloud for me!!

I just have one question.
Why, in the name of logic, is a 3DS game coming to Switch in cloud version?

Thanks for the poll, I'm actually very curious to know how many people play cloud based games around here and if it's really that profitable to make SE prefer that instead of porting the first games.

I'm confused about the streaming aspect of the cloud. I've never played any cloud games. You telling me I have to pay to be able to stream something and when they take it away it's gone? You've lost your mind

Yes I will get the cloud version (please don’t rage at me). I’ve just always wanted to try the first kingdom hearts, to see where all the hype for sora came from.

I would pay good money for these games in a real Switch port even if it needed significant downgrades, just like I've paid full price for dozens of other downgraded ports on Switch. There's absolutely no chance I'll do that for cloud games.

I can buy a 10-game KH collection on PS4 for $45. TEN games. Full HD, no compromises, own them as long as you live and have access to a Playstation console.

I love my Switch, it's my number one choice for gaming, but in this case I'm really struggling to see what value this "port" offers.

Cloud gaming can go die in a ditch.

No actually game no sale period. I am not buying something just so they can shut it down a few years down the road.

@Specter_of-the_OLED this is all on square not Nintendo.

@Slinkoy1 you could just buy an actual physical copy on PS

1- I didn't buy a Switch to play Cloud *****
2- My third world internet sucks

@Yoshilapin same with digital games actually, once the servers are shut down you can't download again the content you paid for. Cloud based games are even worse tho, if too many people try to access the game at the same time you will have to wait in queue until you are granted access to the servers, and if you lose connection you will have to wait again. Also your framerate and resolution depend on signal strength, internet speed and random electromagnetic frequencies that may disrupt your wifi.

I don't care for the series, and I refuse to play games where I Need to be online. So that's a no from me chief.

@Bl4ckb100d yep I buy digital only for small indie games I cannot buy physical. Even most of them I wait until I know if there will be a physical release so typically a year or little more. I myself care less for buying things right away and as far as paying full price I typically only do that with Nintendo’s ips anyways.

I thought by "cloud version," they meant a remastered version of the game with extra features that they named after the character Cloud. There's no way my internet can handle cloud gaming, and I'd be kinda surprised if the switch could handle it.

If I can get them all for $40 I’ll treat it like a rental. That’s fine. If it’s more, no way.

Watching a youtube longplay in 4k is more appealing than playing this cloud nonsense

@Nicolai already a few games using cloud mechanics on the Switch.

Cloud gaming on a handheld is just absurd. The switch should be first and foremost an offline device. WTF Nintendo.

Already got them on ps5

No chance in heck. I have zero interest in cloud versions of any video game. Kingdom Hearts is absolutely not the game to break that rule.

I say HELL NO to cloud gaming.

It's the cloud thing. I'd literally rather play these than the new breath of the wild. But the cloud thing just feels wrong on too many levels! (And don't forget, unnecessary. Especially for the first 2 collections! )

Nah, mostly because I wasn’t much of a fan of this series to begin with. Lol

Literally the only reason I’ve wanted a Switch port of these games is portability. A cloud version defeats that purpose. In fact, I’m really disappointed because this pretty much guarantees that none of the KH games will get actually Switch ports obvious KH3 was never gonna happen, but 1.5 + 2.5 HD were possible…

Guys do not buy anything that is cloud based on the Switch, if you support it more of these practice will keep happening. Vote with your wallet and don't support cloud gaming on Switch. Remember when Square Enix trolled the PS4 fans who wanted a Final Fantasy VII remake, almost nobody bought the PS4 port of FFVII which cause Square Enix to shake in their boots and force to finally remake FFVII. We could do the same, don't buy the cloud versions of these games, if we work together soon Square Enix will be force to release a true physical and/or digital collection of these KH games for Switch in due time.

Ugh, I detest cloud gaming categorically and will never support it. Keep it away from our hobby.

"Cloud version" is a scam like "games as a service". I refuse to partake in it. I would rather break down and start using Epic store than purchase a cloud version of a game.

Nah…. I’m good. Not down with cloud.

Cloud gaming would not even work in any practical way with my internet connection, so I'm clearly not part of their intended audience.

Of course not!

I understand Part 3 being difficult...but the others?! They are Playstation 3 games…no wait, PLAYSTATION 2 GAMES! EVEN A 3DS GAME!!!

These cloud versions are insulting to Nintendo owners. It’s pretty much companies saying “you don’t deserve our time and devotion to make proper working games on your console so here are some cloud-based crap versions that you will never own.”

I'll wait for my Steam Deck for portable versions. I've already stopped buying almost all games for the Switch in anticipation of the Steam Deck replacing it as my portable system. All the KH games are on PC now

I actually think cloud gaming is kinda cool. At least, it could be if used correctly. For example, as PS5 and Series X/S get more and more games made for that hardware, it’d be cool to see Switch get them through the cloud. I’d much rather buy like 10 cloud games than have to spend that money on a console just to be able to buy those games. Even better, what if they could have actual ports of games that are a bit watered down (think Doom, for example) but give us the option to pay a premium (maybe an extra $10) to have access to a cloud version when we are at home and connected to the internet. Great graphics and performance (if you have good internet) at home, and a slightly worse version on the go. I don’t know, I see potential, and I’d support it under the right circumstances.

But I don’t think I can support cloud games that are the result of laziness/a total lack of effort. I see no reason why KH 1 and 2 couldn’t have been ported. This is the scary side of cloud gaming.

Nope. Not getting Disney garbage.

I would have dropped $60 on a physical of 1 and 2 (never played the games before), but zero chance I’m spending money on the cloud versions.

Nope. They should rethink and make an actual port of the games.

Maybe ask Panic Button to help.

But in the cloud form? Not in a million years.

"Cloud Version" is an automatic NO from me, dawg.

@Gundam_Warrior Disney doesn’t make them, obviously.

@faint They get money out of it regardless. So your point is invalid.

@1ofUs For me it's the fact that the Switch is a portable system, so requiring a constant internet connection means I can't play during the times I most often play, which is when I'm out with friends or commuting for work. I could just use my mobile data, but I know exactly which points on my commute have no internet access and it's way too many for me to even play using 4G (and slight 5G towards the end of the journey). The next thing is that my home internet connection is something my family knows to be only slightly more reliable than the bus I require to get to the train station for work. I tried to play a 30 minute demo of a game on Stadia last December and it was near impossible to play. Having that for 7 games and 3 movies just doesn't bare thinking about.

@Donutman I know a lot of people who still regularly get DVDs and CDs through the post from companies like Amazon and Big Finish. Physical media is dying, but it's not that close to death yet.

I myself don't like this decision although it's completely understandable from a bussiness point of view. SE saw the the big profit that can come from the Switch's huge user base and decided to port games that otherwise wouldn't be possible, like GOTG and KH3(maybe?) and went with cloud version and didn't bother wasting resourses on actually developing a port. Minimum effort for the maximum profit. The only way that this can be mitigated is by people voting with their wallets aka not bying. But we all know that it won't happen

P.S. If this and GOTG sell well don't be surprised if you see announcements similar to this one for games like Tomb Raider or FFXV in the future

Most likely not. This being a series I'm actually itching to play (unlike, say, Hitman), I've even tentatively discussed a vague possibility of adjustable resolution options (slim as they are) to put me in the market, but looking back now, I realize that the other western cloud games haven't even appeared on Russian eShop at all (probably acknowledging the quality of mobile internet east of EU borders?😏). No trace of KH announcements (oddly, even the offline stuff) here either. And streaming from the US servers would likely be as effective as that time I attempted Phantasy Star Online 2 on its native one. Even lower resolutions might not help.

Like I said elsewhere, it's not even a "hard pass", it's shaping up to be a "hard miss" for me.😅

@rjejr Apparently it's one title containg the collections and 3, rather than 3 different titles.

#NoToCloudGaming

Not for me. I would have bought them again if I could buy physical copies of them but I'm not buying to play on the cloud. Already have them for my PS4 so if I wanted to stream those games, I'd just remote play them to my phone/laptop instead and that's free. Will never buy a cloud game no matter what it is

@Specter_of-the_OLED The remake was confirmed before the PC port of the original camt to the PS4. Putting the PC port on was just so it was at least playable in the years leading up to when the remake was finally ready to start being released.

Nintendo's future is CLOUD, like it or not.

Chip shortages? Doesn't matter, Switch can use the same chip for 10 years - Nintendo already set a road map for cloud gaming. Low resolution gaming stream can be upscaled to 4K - that's what Nintendo is betting on.

No and I'll back that up with none of my money.

It’s a noo from me pet

I already have KH2.5 Remix on PS4 so... no.

@YusseiWarrior3000
Which Nintendo console is that? The Switch is a hybrid. It's also a handheld which is one of peoples' main gripes with this situation. Your experience with these versions of this series will be awful.

@1ofUs You pay full price for a game you are renting for an unknown time. On the other hand, if you payed a smaller rental fee per year, it would have been a really good idea in my opinion.

Day one purchase. Never played the series so looking forward to trying it out.

No. Kingdom Hearts 1 is the only one in the series I like and I've got the PS2 and PS3 versions for that if I do want to play it.

I also don't want to support any of this BS, I can undestand it with the new game but there is no reason why the PS2 game collections should not have received proper ports.

Absolutely not! That being said Sora in Smash and those cloud-versions on Switch bring a "Mario/Nintendo games kingdom hearts" just a little bit closer. Just a little bit...

I tried to play the cloud version of Re VII with my computer, but it lagged so badly it was unplayable. Left a bad taste in my mouth. I'm pretty sure all of us would rather have a physical copy of the collection- or even a digital one. Let's just not support this cloud crap by not buying it.

I just don't get it as if it was just kh3 I could understand, but. The other two games aren't as demanding in terms of performance as the third game

May be six months after release when it's in the 'up to 75% of Nintendo sale'.

@NoTinderLife
No, cloud gaming is NOT the future.

How about no, have them on Gamepass

Already own all the original versions + got the platinums in the PS4 collections

so nah

Never played or owned them but had they been physical releases I might have bought.

Even though I'm lucky to have good internet still wouldn't touch cloud gaming for anything.

Video game consoles may not be what people typically understand as personal computers, but cloud based gaming is still the death of personal computing. And I'm not about to condone that.

It's a no for me, but only because I have zero interest in anything related to Disney.

Never heard of a 'cloud' version, what's the catch here?

I can understand for the KH3 but for 1 and 2 it's really just a scam. They had atleast 2 years of fans begging for Sora in Smash which could give them enough time to port 1 and 2 over.

I won't be buying Sora in Smash either because of this.

NO NO NO NO NO

I am not paying to rent a game at full price which they can turn off at anytime they want

Also the internet where i live is so poor there would be no point.

Tried 2.5 on the PS3. The Disney stuff isn't for me, so no matter how good the games run on any system, they won't be gracing my TV.

Give me 1.5 and 2.5 on a cartridge or digital and you'll get a purchase from me.

Until then no. This is a literal slap in the face by Square and I won't support this crap

If I was a fan of the series this would have been a kick in the balls. I mean digital only releases are bad enough but cloud is even worse. Physical forever.

super upset that these are all cloud versions since i wanted an easy way to play them with the switches portability, hell i think they could've even gotten three running fine if things like doom and even doom eternal can run on switch albeit powered down, they can sure as hell find a way to make kingdom hearts 3 and especially 1.5 and 2.5 run on the console

i rather buy ps5

@Joriss Sora is replaced by Cloud Strife in these games

(joking)

No, these versions will only stream to your Switch instead of running on your hardware. Which means you will always need a fast internet connection in order to play them.

Nothing against cloud gaming. Everything against buying games that can be played only on cloud. It should be something like Game Pass with them.

@sanderev thanks
Yeah ok I don't want any of that. That's just renting a game not owning it.

Square Enix games as of late:

• Turns FF 16 into a Witcher/Skyrim ripoff
• Butchers FFVII with a FFVII-CU treatment ala Marvel disguised as games
• Chocobo racing and KH rhythm game on the Switch! Yay!
• Mobile gatcha games based on FFVII
• Lazy, overpriced PC ports of 8-16bit FF games
• Butchers a potentially good 3D platformer in Balan Wonderworld
• Revolutionary PS2 games on the cloud! Does it have ray tracing?

Sorry but I am staying away from their products until further notice!

As a solely Nintendo gamer I have read with interest about these games many times over the years and for a slight moment thought I may be able to try them, but not in this way.

Hell no, for pretty much all the reasons everyone's mentioned.

I'm gonna take this a step further and say I hope the KH 1+5 release flops on the Switch, just so Square-Enix aren't rewarded for sloppily delivering PS2 games through cloud gaming. There's really no excuse for taking this approach for that title.

There is no "owning" when it comes to a cloud version. You're paying for an extended rental.

Good god no. Why would you? I did come out of that announcement hyped to play Kingdom Hearts again, but I just found a PS4 copy online.

I don't want cloud anything.

I don't hate kingdom hearts but i do hate sora and am pissed that he got into smash. ***** sora

Would’ve bought the whole collection in an instant to play them all together on the switch if the were actually playable on the system instead of through the cloud. There is no reason why a couple of ps2 and handheld games could not run on the switch, and I’m sure with a little bit of effort they could’ve gotten 3 running decently enough

Man I don't know! I want to play them, and because my only console is the Switch, going this way is my only option. But I am super skeptical about cloud gaming. I'd love to try a demo to see if my internet connection can handle it.

I'm not opposed to cloud gaming if it's something like Gamepass since those games are rented anyway. I would never pay full price for a cloud game though.

I would play a cloud game... If it was free. I would still wonder what was in it for me though.

I will just play them through game pass on xbox series s.

I have zero interest in the Kingdom Hearts series, but I am happy for the people that actually are interested in the series. I have never played a Kingdom Hearts game, and I never will. I have never been a fan of Disney, nor their characters.

If one has outstanding internet, plays mostly or solely in docked mode and doesn't want to own anything; just pay out the nose to rent, perfect.

I'm a solid 'Hell naw' and this push for cloud gaming on a hybrid system whose major hook is portability is really ridiculous.

This is such a scam- Square just used Smash for marketing than really wanting to sell KH games on Switch-because who would ever buy a cloud game on a portable device?! Sora was such a bad choice-just a blade user and no effort into porting the series, then we have games like Doom, where people put real effort into bringing the top FPS ever to Switch and older games too, and such character didn’t get the spot. It’s like-Nintendo are you gonna do the right thing or the easiest thing? Like when kids ask parents to give them desert before dinner-is it better to listen to kids or raise them into proper adults! Nintendo failed as a parent in this case. It’s time to stop listening to the stupid internet and do the right educates choices Nintendo!

Bought all of these on the Xbox one - download only except for three which has a disc, was super expensive vs the PlayStation route, don’t own a ps4 or ps5. Glad I got the switch music version when it went on sale. No way I am double dipping for cloud versions of the first group, be out of my mind… glade at least I own downloads of the first two on Xbox…

I may not have the physical for the first

Not only am I not a Kingdom Hearts fan, I refuse to play anything via cloud streaming.

If I have to have an internet connection to play it, I'm out.

I'm assuming it's a full price version, And I won't pay full price on a Switch cloud version. But if it was pretty discounted, then I would be willing to try it

@Gwynbleidd It is a one time payment, but you still lose the money when they turn the server off.

Disclaimer, i would be fine with a cloud version for three. But for the older games, No way.

No way. Real games that I can play any where, any way, any time - even in 10 years - or it didn't happen.

These games are perfect in portable play, but they decided to throw them away in the cloud. This is sad.

I might get one when discounted. But not all.

@PLATINUM7 you are exactly where I am =]

Probably not. I'm not against NSO because the games are being downloaded to your system to be played locally with zero lag (outside of how authentic the emulator wants to be with the original release). I probably won't be playing the KH Collection on Switch because I just don't enjoy cloud gaming. It is the same reason I don't use PSNow because lag, where I live, is bound to happen and it just makes the experience just unplayable for me.

I have nothing against cloud gaming; Stadia has been something of a revelation. However, Xcloud was a bit too laggy for me. No way I’m taking a chance at those prices with Nintendo - at least Stadia can be played on a monthly sub. Control was added this month.

@MajinSoul Gamepass is less true cloud gaming though. You basically are paying a licence fee to have access to these games through a subscription service to be downloaded to your Xbox system or PC. It is similar to Office 365 and Adobe Creative Cloud and how they work. However, Xcloud is cloud gaming and I think it is part of Gamepass, but Gamepass is not Xcloud (if that makes sense).

This, however, has no ability to locally download the games so it will be bound to someone's internet connection for a stable and enjoyable experience. This is fine in East Asian countries like South Korea and Japan, but for places in North America like Rural US and Canada... good luck.

@Octane_st1m While I will proudly put Square Enix on blast for a lot of things... FFXVI is being worked on by the FFXIV Team and looks fantastic! Not enough details yet to call it a Witcher 3 clone. And the FF Pixel Remasters (while not what I wanted personally) are completely re-worked sprites and a complete remastering of the original 8-16bit games... not really lazy... though the lack of them on Switch and PS4 is very, very, very odd considering I'd consider that the core for Final Fantasy and JRPG market.

Though everything else you have that hammered on rather on the nose.

@twadebarcelona @snarls200 Interesting that you both said that. It makes the most sense as it's already sold that way on PS4 but then why tweet out "All three titles will be playable as cloud versions". Why not say "all 10 games" or "the complete KH collection"?

Anyway it's good news, means it can't be more than $60 for the bunch, which isn't awful to "rent" 10 games.

Thanks. Going to go see if I can Google a price now.

Edit: Didn't find a price yet but I did Google the NL article about Integrum (Squenix and their names) but I'm still not 100%sure it's only the 10 game bundle or a choice of the 3 bundles, maybe $20, $20 & $30, or 1 for $60.

Going to go check if PS5 is getting Integrum. If it is, that would explain 1 bundle cloud version, PS5 on Switch.

Edit 2. Duh, straight from the source, either 3 games or 1 bundle, all cloud.

https://amp.square-enix-games.com/en_US/news/kingdom-hearts-switch?__twitter_impression=true

I understand the situation — these are all PS4/XBO games.
So I will probably just get the XBO versions (since my son has that console) — or buy a PS4.

Remember the Switch commercials, where they showed gamers playing their Switch at the park, at the airport, on a plane, on a bus, in a taxi, at the pool, at the beach, etc. You can't even play a cloud game using a hotel's Wi-Fi, it is never strong enough. The original docks don't even include an ethernet jack if you wanted to strengthen the connection.

Cloud Gaming is certainly a welcome solution for games we know are too demanding to play natively on the console. In another universe, The Witcher 3 could have easily been released as cloud-only, and it would have been understandable because the current Switch port is a technical miracle.

This is a tone-deaf misstep.

Not until the price reflects that this is basically like "renting" a game. There's no way I'm paying full price for a cloud based game. Maybe a cloud based subscription. Maybe if I could download or buy the physical game.

Vote with your wallets people, so they know they can't be lazy with releases.

This is the first time where i see nintendo fans agree on something that actually makes sense.

This should have been like this way earlier but still. I game on pc and whenever a game is exclusive to epic, i don't buy it. I only invest in steam or GOG. It's important to vote with your wallet

@Astral-Grain I'm inclined to agree. Even if KHIII and Prologue were the only Cloud versions I think a lot of people would be okay with this. However, KH1+2 should be at minimum a digital download... it's so odd to have those games on the cloud considering they are remasters of PS2 games and the Switch has shown to easily handle those types of games (FFX and FFXII being perfect examples. FFXII is still a demanding game on PS2 emulators so it being on Switch should be proof of concept that most PS2 games can be ported). That and we know for a fact KH1 and KH2 were rebuilt from scratch to run on modern hardware so they don't even have the excuse of unoptimized source code or incomplete source code.

All three being cloud is just an odd, odd decision. And with Witcher 3 being on the Switch natively it really does erase a lot of excuses publishers have regarding the Switch. And we know UE4 and UE5 have really good optimization settings for Switch so KH3 being ported to Switch is not impossible.

@Casual_Gamer95 backhanded comment aside, the decision to buy games as a consumer should always be based on your genuine interest in those gaming experiences, and not based on if a game is exclusive or not, or some other such silly political reason to not enjoy a game that is otherwise enjoyable.

In the case of KH, however, the gaming experience is severely compromised by being tethered to constant internet source, and it is difficult not to view this release as thoughtless and low-effort from SE. That's the difference.

@1ofUs It basically streams the game to your console. It’s unplayable for me since I have sub par internet. Even when people have excellent internet though, it still tends to lag very badly.

@Casual_Gamer95 I never buy from GOG anymore after the cyberpunk fiasco. Don’t trust them 😓

@Wexter Gamepass is what every “game streaming” service should have been. A subscription that lets you download the actual games.

No proper release, no buy.

Such a poor cash grabby decision. Not gonna get it dispite loving the series. I geuss there is no way back for ninty now

Ok so hear me out. I own a PS5, if I wanted to play all of the KH games, what games should I buy and in what order should I play them?

At that point just get a different console and play the games that way.

Hell no! I'll give that money to a company that provides me with a physical version, or even digital before I contribute one cent to cloud gaming.

@kducky11 good thing i never was interested in cyberpunk. I only buy falcom games on gog. As of late their pc ports are excellent

unlike most people
my answer is a yes
i don't care if it is cloud
i am just happy i can play them on a console i have

• i am pretty sure my internet is stable
  Splatoon 2 works great & only Overwatch has some hiccups now and then

Cloud gaming on a handheld console that doesn't haven't some kind of data plan just seems like madness.

I wonder who at SE thought this was a good idea.

The cheapest route sure but all they've really managed to do was sour about 90% of the people who would have actually bought it physically or digitally.

Some would have purchased to actually play and others just for the sake of collecting...but as it is now all you've done is turn off those potential buyers.

This just reeks of laziness and greed and hopefully won't be rewarded. Do better SE.

Probably not. One of my favorite series. Like many others, I about had a heart attack when I first learned of the announcement (no pun intended) and was extremely let down to quickly learn it's cloud-based. Having KH 1+2 on Switch would be a dream. I'm less turned off by the internet piece than I am by the fact that it's but a lease. I'd only bite if it were like $15 or less, and that's probably not going to happen.

Here's hoping Squenix actually ports any version 1 and/or 2 to Switch at some point with all the uproar online. They could make a killing, but I'm not optimistic.

I woulda bought them for switch if physical but I already own all the games complete collection and the ones on DS, 3DS, and PlayStation. But I have not beat them all they are still good maybe in the future the could bring them physically to switch but for now I don’t think I will get them on switch

@Devlind play them in order from which they released in kingdom hearts, KH chain of memories, Kh 2, KH birth by sleep, KHDream drop distance, 0.2 birth by sleep, and then kingdom hearts 3 I might be missing some.

They wont release in Australia, and if they do, they wont work as we dont have capable enough infrastructure.

I get the cloud version for 3 being the way to get it on Switch. But the others...its weird. Its not like SE dont have the resources to port (or outsource) a port.

@Casual_Gamer95 I’ll keep that in mind

A Tifa version would have been better.

@DragotheKomodo Streamed games are running entirely on a server miles away.
If overwatch struggles a bit on your internet, a full single player game will likely have many issues as well. It is entirely your money and your choice, but I don’t want you to have a bad experience.

@MajinSoul and gamepass at least lets you download the games

Could have added, i can play it on another console as part of the last answer.

F*** NO! I will NEVER buy/play/support this "cloud" bs on the Switch like this. Give me a proper port and on physical cartridge or get lost!

@Wexter Yeah greatly exaggerating on FFXVI. I've lost interest in the new FF games for some reason with XII being the last game I actually played despite having XIII on Steam and playing the XV demo there. Also I admit that I'm slightly interested in the FFVI remaster but I will probably wait for some footage.

I don't even know why I'm commenting on this KH debacle as I'm not even that interested in the series. KH3 was one of the first games I bought on my brand new PS4 back then but only played the first couple levels with my kid before losing interest!

I guess what I'm trying to say is that SE, with so much money and resources, have been quite incompetent lately when compared to much smaller AAA game companies such as Koei Tecmo and NIS which in my opinion have actually been putting in the effort or at least trying their best to make good games and develop their properties.

Really depends on the price. Cloud based isn't an issue, I'm lucky enough to have decent internet. I can also no longer access my not downloaded wii shop games so the arguement it's gone when the server shuts down is strawman, but at the same time can they justify £70+ for this?

It’s a no for me. I love the Kingdom Hearts series - I started with the original game on PS2 when I was like 11-12, and the series has always held a special place in my heart - but I have no interest in a cloud version of the games that I would essentially be renting rather than owning. The funny thing is, I own all three games on PS4 already, but since I do 99% of my gaming handheld on the Switch (my fiancé and his Xbox tend to hog the TV), I would most likely have double-dipped and bought all three had they been standard ports, in spite of the graphical downgrade that would have surely been necessary for the third game to run on the hardware. Like this, though? Nah.

Why split the "no" answer? I will never play any "cloud version" of a game on Switch and OF COURSE everyone would like to have Kingdom Hearts in a physical retail box...

Only on deep discount. I won't spend much money on something I don't have ownership over and which could be made unavailable at any time

Help an old man out, does cloud version mean you have to be online to play it??
Also is 1.5 and 2.5 just better versions of the original 1 and 2?

Hell f-ing no!

Text blah

@NickDaddyCool You will require an internet connection to play all three collections. You will also need a very good connection, but Nintendo has been good at releasing demo or sample versions to test your connection first before a purchase so you will know if your internet is good enough before buying. However, about 1.5 and 2.5 they are collections... 1.5 contains Kingdom Hearts 1 Final Mix and Chain of Memories remake, and 2.5 contains Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix and Birth By Sleep Remaster (the Final Mix versions are basically complete editions of the games that contain extra content that came with the re-release of the games on PS2 that were Japan-exclusive... it's weird I know, but Kingdom Hearts)... They also contain "movie" editions of the DS games which are basically the cut-scenes redone in-engine and made like a movie to watch rather than play (I know asking someone to watch 2-3 hours of cutscenes sounds tedious... it is... but they are important to the overall story). And Final Prologue contains Dream Drop Distance Remastered and Kingdom Hearts 2.8 (which is a sequel to Birth by Sleep and is a lead-in into Kingdom Hearts 3)...

So the recommended play order of the games are:
Kingdom Hearts
Chain of Memories (you can skip if the gameplay does not click with you. Just watch a cutscene compilation on YouTube)
Kingdom Hearts 2
Birth By Sleep
Watch the movie versions of 365/2 Days and Re:Coded (They are important to the series for some reason... it's Kingdom Hearts it's weird)
Dream Drop Distance
2.8 Final Prolouge
Kingdom Hearts 3

And if that is just too much for you... it's too much for most people. Luckily there are a ton of YouTube channels out there to help you out in figuring out if you REALLY WANT TO DO THIS TO YOURSELF. Clemps is a solid choice to see IF YOU REALLY WANT TO DO THIS TO YOURSELF - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfGObE_cXjU&ab_channel=Clemps

The reason I'm really pushing this is despite the numbering Kingdom Hearts is a meaty franchise and REALLY not for the faint of heart. I've been playing these games since the first one came out on PS2 in 2002. Trust me this story is long, convoluted and really not easy to get into series at all despite basically being a crossover of sorts between Final Fantasy and 90s Disney.

@Octane_st1m I actually agree with a lot... I'm hyped for FFXVI just knowing it's the team that basically turned the disaster FFXIV around and was mostly responsible for FFXII. Square Enix is a weird, weird studio. I wish they put more effort into releasing their back catalogue (especially their PSOne catalogue), but when they pull stunts like these cloud collections and making FFVII Remake Ingrade PS5 exclusive really makes me want to bash my head into a wall.

No. Not interested in any Disney games, I'm an adult and even as a kid was never a fan of their cartoons or IPs. Disney and Final Fantasy always took themselves way too seriously for me. I always preferred Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, Beavis and Butthead, and Ren & Stimpy type shows instead. But either way I guess that cloud thing would be a deal breaker, I can't imagine paying full price for a game I don't really own that only plays as good as my internet provider allows.

@Silly_G Everything, seriously?! Their animated movies (both Disney Animated Studios and Pixar) are still top class, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is still going strong, as well as a number of their other ventures.

It seems like you're taking your disgust at the "Star Wars" sequel trilogy out on the whole company, and even then the Star Wars spinoff movies and the various Star Wars TV shows made since Disney took over are all good to great.

Gee, settle down @BulbasaurusRex from Disney marketing. To date, I have never even watched a Star Wars film apart from whatever snippets I have been exposed to incidentally over the years, so you've clearly jumped the gun to defend them without considering where I am coming from. And I did specifically say "nowadays" as I am not commenting on many of their past works, which I tend to speak of rather favourably despite my views on how the company conducts itself at present.

My criticisms of Disney stem from their hard-leaning ideological/political stances in more recent years, which in turn is reflected in their contemporary works and acquisitions (such as Twentieth Century Fox). Just yesterday I had the misfortune of viewing a trailer for their upcoming "documentary" on a certain figure who shall remain nameless. Of course, this website is hardly an appropriate place to discuss these sorts of matters, let alone with any great detail, hence why I kept my initial comment brief and oblique enough so as to not arouse heated debate.

@Cia maybe instead of playing RE7 on Switch via cloud, maybe it performs better on Stadia????

@Specter_of-the_OLED seriously doubt that would happen for Switch. Also I am perfectly fine with KH3 being in cloud considering it is a bit too demanding than the other KH titles.

Even if it were to happen, a digital release would make sense.

@Slinkoy1 instead, spend money and buy Melody of Memory instead which is natively on Switch itself. Way better than this cloud gaming trash.

But its up to you

@Silly_G Well, if you're not talking about the Star Wars sequel trilogy, then your comment makes even less sense. I don't know what that documentary is, but that's still just one example when most of Disney's current works are excellent, and you can't blame them for just making a bunch of perfectly legal acquisitions. There was that one issue with the filming of the live action "Mulan" film, but overall Disney has been just fine.

Seriously, exactly how do any of their great contemporary films have ideological or political issues?

No, I’ll just be getting the EpicGames version. No point of getting it in the Switch, as it won’t play while I’m on the Go.

no. absolutely not. not ever. I will only ever get a cloud version of a game if it's the ONLY way to play it. I'd rather get a PlayStation or PC version, I'd rather get a less than average inferior Switch port than a cloud version. I repeat, I will never get a cloud version of any game unless I have no choice! and even then I won't be happy with it.

Well there you have it, Square Enix has chosen to use KH3 as an excuse to not port any of the games in the series. At this point I wouldn't be surprised if we end up getting GTA trilogy as a cloud port. Nintendo has to crack the whip on these cloud versions. The developers need to get the guys that ported Doom 2016. If they don't have enough skill.

Definitely not unfortunately. I have waited for these games to come to Nintendo Switch for such a long time, and my heart skipped a beat when they were first announced for Nintendo Switch. A darn shame that they are just cloud versions. I get it about Kingdom Hearts 3. That one made more sense. But the older games absolutely should have been true ports that run smooth. I wouldn't have complained if it was like that. As it is, I am pretty disappointed. I guess I will just buy the collection when I eventually get a Playstation 5. I have waited this long for the collection after all.

@Wexter thanks for all that. I’m not unfamiliar to the game- I played thru the original, but never finished part 2 and that’s where I stopped. Would totally get these if it weren’t internet needed- I like to play on my work breaks

It's a shame because i was genuinely interested in this series as I enjoy the final fantasy series and i like disney, switch is my only console and idk, I might buy them if the cloud versions end up being good but cmon, the first 2 ones are ps2 games, i would understand KH3 being a cloud game but the first 2 ones were on the ps2 and the remakes were only on the ps3

You think a switch would be powerful enough to play a ps2 game.. why cloud for all 3??