Square EnixKingdom Hearts

I'll admit that I didn't think that this game was the greatest idea to start with. I like turn based combat, I don't like the saccharine side of Disney, and I wasn't expecting a whole lot out of this strange union. That said, I was pleasantly surprised in a lot of ways by this game. It deserves its status as one of the best selling RPGs of the past few years, and at the current price ($20 as a greatest hit title) every PS2 owner should buy it.Now, don't get me wrong--there's a lot that's not right with this game. We'll start, as most people do, with the camera. These developers should be ashamed. I've met people who've failed out of community colleges that could have done a better job. It's simply awful. There's no other word for it. The camera gets stuck on things. The camera forces its way into awkward positions for no apparent reason. At several points I felt as though the level designers had specifically tried to use the horrible control on the camera to make things more difficult. Even .dot//Hack, which is not comparable to this game in a lot of ways, managed to build a camera that was responsive and let you keep your eyes on what you were doing. The levels are poorly designed for as terrible a device as they're using, and there's simply no excuse for this kind of shoddy workmanship.Another annoying problem for me was the dialogue. It's not that it was badly done (though there are some points at which the players don't deliver their lines in quite the fashion they were intended to)--it's that whoever scripted this thing didn't put enough in it. There were several points in this game where the dialogue simply cut off and you were abruptly switched back to floating text boxes. Very disconcerting and it did a lot to dull the experience for me. And just as an aside--I know that it's the theme of the plot, but did the designers really have to try and set the record for most uses of the word "heart" in a ten minute span? There are plenty of synonyms available, people--use them.All of that aside, though, this game still succeeds admirably despite its flaws. The combat system, while not perfect (I didn't much like the ability system, and I particularly didn't like having to stick items on your characters before a fight) is remarkable. The menu system is quite effective and the AI for your party companions is....well, it's terrible, but it's better than most of the ones I've seen in similar games. The plot is involving and scripted better than normal for Square. Rather than spiraling out of control near the end (as their stories so often do) everything remains tight and compact. The characters feel real and you actually care about what happens to them. Graphically, this game looks better than an awful lot of what I've seen on other platforms, and never mind how inferior the PS2 is supposed to be to the other two major consoles. Square, as usual, has assembled a great looking product. The music is also tolerably good, though perhaps not up to the standards fans of the Final Fantasy series might hold. The mini-games are there for you to play, though once again you're forced to jump off of the plot in the middle of the climax and go slog through all the worlds you've already been to if you want to accomplish everything. The game clocks in a little shorter than most Square RPGs (I finished up in a little over thirty hours with about half of the mini-games completed, and I spent a fair amount of time jumping into walls I wouldn't have had to if I'd gone to a walkthrough), but frankly I think most of their games run a little on the long end anyway, so that worked out well for me.On the whole, I'd recommend that any PS2 owner who's entertained the notion of purchasing this game go ahead and do it. For twenty dollars, this is probably one of the best values that you can get.

When I'd first played Kingdom Hearts almost seven to eight years ago, I was skeptical on its possibilities as a RPG. I wasn't too fond of Disney's creations at the time, and I also knew Square Soft was a bit down in their capability. However, I gave the game a shot.When I began playing, I became enticed by the simplistic yet complex play style. The graphics were nice at the time as well, but I was drawn more towards the storyline, music, and battle system. Let's break them down, shall we?- StorylineA door to the heart of all worlds. The key to the heart.Kingdom Hearts 1 seems to revolve around the battle between light and darkness. It is an age-old battle, but it's always interesting to see one's interpretation of it. For this game, it's the interpretation that the battle occurs mostly within oneself. To fight that which is wrong and to follow the light within one's heart. I won't go too far into detail, for spoilers' sake.However, the story does move along the lines that one should do what they feel is right even if it means going against all odds in order to make things better for everyone, and that one should never give up on their true friends.- Game play systemThe play style of this game is both simple and complex. No standing in one spot and hitting an enemy. Rather, due to the 3D nature of this RPG, it is a real time battle system - requiring the player to always be on their toes and aware of their surroundings. Yes, if you aren't fully prepared, you will see the 'Game Over' screen. But don't despair! Just adjust your strategy and be more careful.The simple nature comes from that you technically can overcome any enemy by overpowering it simply with jumps, moving, and physical attacks. The complexity comes from that you have many other techniques as well as magic at your disposal in order to come up with a strategy against an overwhelming opponent force.Knowing the balance of what to use and when is the key to your success.- MusicYoko Shimomura did a wonderful job at this. Her compositions for Disney worlds and even some original areas were stunning and quite fitting for the areas. The inclusion of battle themes specific to each world is also pleasing to the ear, as it means one does not constantly hear the same battle music over and over through the course of the game (unless one tends to 'grind' like I do).- GraphicsFor the PS2 at the time of Kingdom Hearts' release, the graphics were actually better than even I anticipated. Yes, they are seemingly 'kid-like', but they are fitting for this game. However, as you play, you realize that even with such graphic design, some enemies can still be quite surprising and to not base your strategy merely on how the enemy may look.A good amount of detail was put into the game in all aspects. Environments actually are done well and have quite a bit to just look at in some areas. Characters are rendered wonderfully, especially several of the cameo characters. It was nice to see some of the older Final Fantasy characters redone in a new way and some even still looking almost exactly the same - with the exception of greater detail on their character model.- Final SayI must say that even if you aren't sure about the game, it is worth a shot to play. I didn't think it'd be too good, and I ended up loving it. If you aren't sure still, find a place to rent it from or someone to borrow it from.Personally, I believe it'd be worth the time to delve into the heart for the first time.