Allison Shows Off Her Collection

Jackie: I’d like to ask how you got into Kingdom Hearts. Did it capture your interest right then and there from your first exposure? Or did it take some time to grow on you?

Allison: I got into Kingdom Hearts almost immediately after the first game came out. I was 10 years old and had been watching TV when a trailer for Kingdom Hearts 1 came on. As soon as I laid eyes on that commercial I knew I had to have the game. It was number one on my Christmas wish list immediately after I saw the trailer and when I got it, I couldn’t stop playing. It became my favourite series in no time at all.

Jackie: Did you play the games in order and understand everything? Maybe you played them in a different order or had to consult people or books at times?

Allison: Ever since I got the first game for Christmas in 2002, I have kept up with the release dates of the other games and bought them ASAP after they came out. I have played them in the order of their release dates and gone through multiple save files on every Kingdom Hearts title to date, including both versions of Chain of Memories (GBA and PS2). Out of all my friends, I am the biggest expert on the Kingdom Hearts series.

Jackie: What’s the story behind the Axel plushie and the crown necklace?

Allison: The Axel plushie was a souvenir that a friend of mine brought back for me from an anime convention in another province. My parents wouldn’t let me go to the convention, so my friend promised to bring me something back. When she came home, she gave me the plushie as a present. As for the necklace, I was shopping with the same friend who got me the plushie in a small game store in our area. It has lots of collectible gaming merchandise, and on that particular day, I spotted the Kingdom Crown necklace. Just like with the first Kingdom Hearts game when I was 10 years old, I knew I had to have that necklace. It’s a nice way of meeting other Kingdom Hearts fans, since when they see it and recognize what it is, I make a new friend. It’s my favorite piece of jewelry.

Jackie: How do you keep up with releases on new systems? Is it all worth it for you so far?

Allison: I am a truly dedicated Kingdom Hearts fan in that whenever a new Kingdom Hearts game is released on a system that I do not currently own, I will go out to purchase that system just to play the new Kingdom Hearts game. I admit that I bought my Nintendo DS just so that I could play 358/2 Days, and I bought my PSP simply so that I could play Birth by Sleep. And, to answer the question you’re most likely thinking of, I also intend to purchase a Nintendo 3DS in time for the North American release of Kingdom Hearts 3D. While a lot of people I know believe I’m being a bit extreme, I have yet to regret my purchases. In addition to the Kingdom Hearts games on these systems, there were other games that I wanted to play anyway, so I have gotten my money’s worth out of the DS and PSP several times over. It’s been totally worth it so far.

Jackie: Check out pictures of Allison’s collection below!