E3 2014: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX Preview: A beautiful refresher to prep you for Kingdom Hearts 3

It's time to revisit old pals Sora, Donald, and Goofy in a high-definition remastered collection for the PS3. Need a refresher on all the button-mashing gameplay and symbolic cutscenes that made the series great before Square drops the third installment on us? The 2.5 ReMIX boasts cinematics from the previous HD collection, Kingdom Hearts 1.5 ReMIX, and Kingdom Hearts Re:coded. It also includes upgraded scenarios and gameplay from franchise entries Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix and Birth by Sleep Final Mix, both of which were previously available only in Japan.

Kingdom Hearts II and Birth by Sleep have never looked or played better than this. The transition to the PS3 is especially impressive for the previously PSP-only spinoff Birth by Sleep. The power of the console smooths out all of the jagged edges and pixelation that plagued the portable version. Square Enix does a pretty great job at summarizing the story thus far for players looking to remind themselves of how the series builds up to what will inevitably be concluded in Kingdom Hearts III. There's even extra content thrown in that hints at what's to come in Sora's saga.

The E3 demo showed off two levels of gameplay – Beast's Castle and Halloween Town. Boss battles, abilities, and weapons were all pleasantly familiar and engaging. However, like many other HD collections, some objects and textures in-game have not been upgraded. The difference is a little jarring. Despite that, ReMIX will most likely be well worth the price.

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX will be released for the PlayStation 3 in North America on Tuesday, December 2nd. It will be priced at $39.99 and is not yet rated.