| Reviews-Video Game(s) |
| I'm not going to lie: I love Kingdom Hearts. The story, the gameplay, the graphics, I enjoyed this game a little too much. So if this review seems more like a tribute, that's why. For those who don't know, Kingdom Hearts is the hybrid child of Square(enix)soft and Disney Interactive. The RPG gives us the mix of styles in a nice, clean cut package that's special from anything I've ever seen. Kingdom Hearts was released in 2002, and I've since wanted to play it. 3 years later, I finally got my hands on the game. Here are some of my impressions of the exclusive PS2 title: Story Every RPG needs an awesome story (Just because I don't usually play them doesn't mean I'm 100% clueless). Kingdom Hearts is no different. If you really want to know it, you should actually play the game. I'm just not good at condesing in any field, not even the field of reverse-soup. Basically, the main hero is Sora, a 14 year old boy with a thirst for adventure and more than likely Mountain Dew. He also sports spiky brown hair and large yellow shoes. When I say large, I mean they are about the size of his torso. We cannot tell wheter Sora has big feet (you know what they say about that) or he just enjoys wearing sneakers 17 sizes too large. Teaming up with him is Donald Duck and Goofy, who are seeking their King, Mickey. Sora's one goal in the beginning was to find his lost friends. But as he travels from world to world, he learns valuable lessons and skills such as the ability to throw large keys at blue chimps. There. Now go play it to find out more. |
| Gameplay The gameplay in Kingdom Heats is much like the story; it's unique. It's much like other RPG's, as you explore your area on foot. But there's plenty of platforming and puzzle challenges to keep you honest along the way. The worlds are derived from some classic Disney movies, such as Neverland from "Peter Pan". But to go along with those are the world's from the not-so-classics, such as the Olympus Collesium straight from the sub-par "Hercules". It luckily makes a much better video game level than movie. Running around is fun and there's plenty of hidden goodies to find, but the worlds at time feel a little on the smallish side. Not like cubicles, more like meeting rooms when they could be office buildings. A break in the adventuring is the tremendously fun combat. Unlike most of its genre, Kingdom Hearts plays out in real time. There's actually no break between regular exploration and battle sequences, which makes the game go by fast. Sora, who the player controls, relies on his trusty ol' Keyblade to defeat the Heartless. He can slash and hack with it, but it can also cast a variety of spells. The magic on the game is done well, with enough spells so you can probably run your own casino if you wanted to. But Sora is more of a warrior than a wizard, so prepare to go food processor on baddies and cut them to bits. Special moves, such as throwing the Keyblade at your opponent, are unlocked as you play. |
| Sora is not alone on his quest, as he is joined by default with a wizard named Donald Duck and also by Goofy, a brave knight. Your friends do their fair share of kicking ass. But Sora is also aided with several world-exclusive allies, such as Jack Skellington in Halloweentown (from Tim Burton's Nightmare before Christmas). An odd addition to your squad of Disney heros is Ariel, the Little Mermaid. You may be thinking, "Alright, I get a flippin' princess on my team? Why don't they give me the lobster? At least he could pinch a dude's nipples." But Ariel owns in Atlantica. Atlantica is the underwater world of Kingdom Hearts, and swimming around is somewhat frustrating but Ariel, however, is half-fish. She swims around and throws punches effortlessly and that's why I love her more than chewable candy. Other teammates include (but not limited to) Aladdin and Tarzan (I shouldn't have to explain what they are from). The limitation of only 3 party members at a time adds a pinch of strategy to the game. The trio can cast several spells, too. Sora earns eight spells on the course of the game. Another form of witchcraft is the "Summon" command. Summons aren't rare in RPG's, and Kingdom Hearts upholds the tradition with allowing players to use the help of various Disney cartoon characters. Some kick ass, like Genie (Aladdin). Some don't, like Tinkerbell. But one of the funniest parts of the game is to summon Bambi. An elaporately flash cinematic plays out, like Sora is about to unleash total destruction upon his opponents. And then comes a little baby deer. Yeah, summons aren't entirely necessary. KH will take somewhere between 20 and 45 hours to complete, depending on how much you want to do. Some time must be spent leveling up, but the combat is so fun you won't really mind. Heck, you might even enjoy yourself. A lot in the game is ran by the story, as cutscenes will are both interesting and unable to be skipped. Not that's terribly bad, but some gamers might find themselves trapped in a playable anime cartoon. Screw them though, I liked it. |
| No game is without flaws, and Kingdom Hearts falls into the "game" category. The only part about KH I really didn't like was the Gummi Ship. To travel between worlds, Sora and friends use a ship made of made of a material called "gummi", but it is not fruit flavored or sweet. Half of your gummi ship affairs are spent in a 3D, foward-scrolling shooter. Sounds interesting, but it is in no way. It's terribly easy and time-wasting. Even in the final levels, I was bored while I flying through space. The Gummi Ship made me say this for the first time, "Am I there yet?" The other half is like an odd block building game. I never touched it. Didn't need/want to. Both parts of the game should've been left out. Come to think of it, if they would've cut it and used the extra space for large worlds, Kingdom Hearts would be a lot closer to perfect. The other fault is the camera during combat. With the L2/R2 buttons being used to control it, you have a little trouble seeing what needs to be seen. The target-lock system can make up for this, but that doesn't stop the game from having the ability to give players queezy stomachs. Graphics Kingdom Hearts, for a 2002 title, is gorgeous. The backgrounds are excellenty done and the character models aren't shabby at all. Enviroments feel straight from the Disney animated movies they represent. Olympus Collesium looks like "Hercules", Agrobah looks like "Alladin" and so on. Animation is smooth, although when fighting a large group of baddies you can get a little slow down. Nothing too bad. I really don't think you could make a kid with a giant key along with Donald and Goofy smashing little black-bug-things while in Disney films any better. The cutscenes are sharp and add a lot to the story. The opening/ending movies are breath-takingly beautiful. The ones in between aren't bad either. An oddity about the movies are the characters mouths. Sometimes they move fully, like a person would actually talk. Other times they are a stand-still model with a moving mouth. Rather hillarious when they go back and forth. |
| Soundincs Combat in the game has destinct sounds as you partake in battle. From the slashes and hacks to the grunts and 'Take that'...s, I really don't think it could've sounded any different/better. The cutscenes in the game have absolutely terrific voice acting, but there's a big reason why. You see, Square and Disney actually hired good, real actors to portray some characters in the game. For instance, Haley Joel Osment is the voice of Sora. That's right, a keyblade master and a robot kid from a terrible movie share the same vocal cords. Other note worthy apperences are David Boreanaz (Angel from Buffy) as Squall/Leon and Lance Bass as Sephiroth. Although I am not sure wheter the main boss from FF7 is indeed a member of N*Sync or a guy with a coincidental name. Oh yeah, music. Tunes on the game are also fantastic. An amount of Disney songs are used, but there's a fair share of new tracks mixed in as well. Music differs from world to world. My only complaint is that the songs seemed a little repetitive, and they could have been longer. Misplaced Opening Paragraph that Closes Kingdom Hearts is a bold game, and in this case the boldness pays off. Everyone with any interest in video games should play it. It's a great game for players new to RPG's, as well as video games in general. I would suggest getting your hands on some type of guide/walkthrough, as it will help a lot. KH looks and sounds beautiful, and it plays with a style so different that only the story and concept rival it. And the tale it tells is a good one, an enjoyable time for Disney-enthusiests and Anime fans alike. Pick up a copy and play it. More thoughts are coming later. -Warx |
| Score: 9.5 Tinkerbells out of 10 |
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| The intriquing plot is told with some effective cut-scenes. I think Kairi (the girl on the left) is a Lakers fan. |
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| There's plenty of amuck to be ran as you explore any of tweleve worlds. Neverland Ranch is luckily not one of them. |
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| Sora shows why he's not a cat person in one of many enthralling battle sequences |
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| Seriously, why was this even thought of? The gummi ship adds a scratch to KH's otherwise shiny paint job. |