Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Heartsby Disney Interactive
Platform: PlayStation2
ESRB Rating: Everyone
ASIN: B000066TS5
Check price @ amazon.com , amazon.ca , amazon.co.uk
Features:
• Final Fantasy-style role-playing in Disney environments
• Over a hundred Disney characters
• Guest appearances by characters from the Final Fantasy series
• Gorgeous, animation-style graphics
• Real-time combat
Amazon.co.uk Review: Ever wondered what would happen if the worlds of Final Fantasy and Disney collided? It’s an odd concept to be sure, but from the most schizophrenic of acorns the mighty gaming oak of Kingdom Hearts has grown. Legendary role-playing game makers Square have been given unprecedented liberties with the entire Disney universe and have created a game featuring everything from The Nightmare Before Christmas to The Little Mermaid. This is odd enough in itself when you have characters as disparate as Tarzan and Donald Duck teaming up, but becomes majorly freaky when Square thrown in a variety of their own characters such as Cloud, Squall, and Aeris from the various Final Fantasy games. But this incongruity has one side benefit in that the storyline behind the game is by necessity rather vague, which seems to have stopped Square from filling three CDs full of their usual New Age whining about Mother Earth. Instead they’ve spent even more time on the graphics, and the end result is a quite stunning 3-D cartoon.
As for the gameplay, it may come as a surprise to learn that it doesn’t actually feature, as all the Final Fantasy games do, turn-based combat. Instead it's essentially a scrolling beat-'em-up-cum-platformer with exactly the kind of complicated Square-style knobs you’d expect. The game may be a little shallow, but it’s an impressive artistic achievement and to be quite frank any title that allows you to magically summon Bambi out of thin air to attack evil demons of the underworld has got to be worth some sort of recommendation. --David Jenkins
Amazon.com E3 Preview: A game combining Final Fantasy-style role-playing with virtually every Disney franchise that's ever existed? It might sound like a corporate property leveraging exercise from hell, and an idea sure to alienate Final Fantasy purists, but Kingdom Hearts turns out to be a smooth and hypnotically weird merging of brands. Even if the original impetus was to make mucho bucks by capturing both Disney and FF fans, this game is a product of loving attention to detail. Developers Disney Interactive and SquareSoft haven't merely stuffed a bunch of Disney characters into Final Fantasy, but have created an innovative and accessible RPG experience with real-time (instead of the usual turn-based) combat and dazzlingly beautiful environments. A customer on Amazon.com's sister site in Japan (where the game is already a smash hit) writes, "I pity anyone who doesn't play this game."
Customer Reviews:
Sadly disappointed, December 3, 2002
Reviewer: lmleslie from California, United States
I thought Disney's involvement would pretty much guarantee a solid gaming experience, but no. Sure, the cut-scene animations are great, and it's cool to see all the Disney characters--but otherwise, it's hard to figure out who's supposed to like this game! The gameplay is way too simplistic and repetitive for serious gamers, but it's too slow-paced, too map-based, and ultimately just not imaginative enough to hold the interest of most kids--or even us boring grownups for that matter :).
Underneath it all, Kingdom Hearts is a very second-rate RPG with little to recommend it aside from its cool animation and its Disney cameos. Is it worth 50 bucks? No. If you're excited about seeing Disney characters onscreen, your money would be better spent on your Disney DVD collection.
you will be the one who will open the door..., December 3, 2002
Reviewer: erikld from Barberton, Ohio United States
Sora, Riku and Kairi all live on Destiny Islands. While in the secret place, Sora meets an unknown hooded figure who wanted to see the door of Sora's world. Soon after that, Sora's world is swallowed up by a race of evil beings known as the Heartless! Sora ends up in Treverse Town, where he is awaken by...Pluto?!
Yeah, that's right. Disney and Final Fantasy characters roam about in this game. You team up with Donald Duck and Goofy to fight the evil Heartless. Donald and Goofy are looking for a "key" and Sora has the keyblade. Donald and Goofy are also controlled by the computer. The two will fight enemies on thier own and heal each other if they need it. The battle system is inspired, allowing you to move around the fight in full 3D, as opposed to the stationary battle systems in Final Fanasty VII.
The game has two modes: Normal and Expert. I suggest you play on Normal. Just 5 stars? I give this game a 10!
WHAT IS THIS JUNK?!!?!?, December 3, 2002
Reviewer: A gamer from Tampa,Fl
What is this!?!?This is a stupid game!! They gameplay is dumb,ewverything is bad about it! It is only good for ages under 10! If u want good games Buy Grand Theft Auto Vice City,James Bond Nightfire,GTA3,TTT,ect. BYE
Someone go get a bucket, cause I'm gonna PUKE!!, December 3, 2002
Reviewer: RepoMan from Alton,Illinois
First of all,I didn't even want to rent this game cause I thought it looked stupid and insulted everything that was great about final fantasy.I SHOULD have listened to my first instincts,but instead I gave into to so many whining squaresoft "fans" who said that this really is a great game,you just have to get past the fact that there's disney.HA! I'd like to know how that is possible when everywhere you turn,disney is screamed in your face;the shield has a mickey mouse emblem on it,the sword has a mickey mouse emblem on it,everything has a mickey mouse emblem on it!
What really bothered me the most about this game was all the subliminal messages in it.For example one of the final fantasy characters in the final fantasy world says"Our world is just one tiny peice that is part of something much greater!"OH!I see,so final fantasy is just something insignificant and what's sooo much greater is disney!
This also leads me to ask that if each individual disney story/movie had it's own world,then why couldn't they have done the same for each individual installment of final fantasy?Every final fantasy fan knows that the diffrent stories in the series where always on an epic level,so why does disney treat the final fantasy anthology so unimportantly?By just mixing all the final fantasy characters from diffrent games into one world to call it's own was a slap in squaresoft's face.And just look how they depicted poor cid from ff7!They gave him blonde hair(he's older and has grey hair)plus they got rid of his cigarette and put a twig in his mouth....grrrr!
Of course I suppose disney was the right partner to choose for this project since squaresoft seems only to want to make interactive movies instead of games.By this,I mean the same problem with kingdom hearts was what I saw in final fantasy X; play a little bit then watch a cinema(which you can't skip over either),play a little bit more then watch another cinema!This replays itself over and over and gets extremely annoying.Graphics seem to be more important than gameplay.
Lastly kingdom hearts is not a true rpg to which it passes itself over as on the box.It isn't a true rpg in the sense that there is no turn based battle system;it's an action rpg with free moving enemies and heroes.This tied in with the locking system makes it much more like zelda:ocarina of time than any of the final fantasy series.Why squaresoft chose to do this is a mystery to me since the game is supposed to tie in with final fantasy.My only guess is that it was probabaly disney's idea,since they see fit to march right in and change every aspect about anything with THIS world!The saying for kingdom hearts is "You'll never know who you'll run into next."I think the saying for disney should be "You never know what we'll take over next!"
I'd rather eat a bucket full of broken glass than play this disney comercial!!
Kingdom Hearts- Great Game!, December 3, 2002
Reviewer: GAD from Miami, FL USA
This the best game I have ever played! The only problem is Mystery Goo. Don't beat Hollow Bastion until you get at least 5 or 10 Mystery Goo. Anyway, if you havn't played it yet, PLAY IT!!... On a scale from 1 to 10, I'll have to give this game a 16! If you don't like it, don't blame me! Good luck!
Kingdom Hearts is supurb, December 3, 2002
Reviewer: Richard Veysey from Lamoine, ME
Kingdom Hearts is quite possibly the best game I have ever played. I say this not as a casual, 15 minutes in a weekend gamer. I say this as a gamer who, if absorbed and entertained enough, will spend a few hours of my weekend trying to get farther.
I have been a fan of Squaresoft since I first rented Final Fantasy 3 when it was first released on SNES. I then proceeded to enjoy Secret of Mana and Secret of Evermore. A few years later, I bought a Playstation and quickly acquired Final Fantasies 7 and 8 and Legend of Mana. I also currently own Final Fantasies 9 and 10, and Final Fantasy Tactics. These are simply a few of the great games I have bought, received as gifts, borrowed, and rented over my 16 years of life.
When I first heard about Kingdom Hearts, my reaction was the same as many Squaresoft fans, "Squaresoft and Disney! What are they thinking?!" When I went to Amazon.com, however, to see what other gamers said about Kingdom Hearts, I found many people who shared my reaction, but had bought the game anyway, and all of them had given it five stars. So I bought it.
There are so many things that make this game what it is. For one thing it has a fantastic storyline. Although it took stories from about 10 Disney movies, the story line in Kingdom Hearts is quite original. Most of the movie plots were changed to allow for disc space and for the story of the game as a whole.
The voice acting is quite superb, especially the voices of Sora and the villain. The game is made so that it can be enjoyed by all ages. It has no "mature themes," but is full of emotion. The fighting is restricted to cartoon characters, and is not as violent as most other games of the genre now can be. The action is enjoyable because it is always moving, action constantly continues unless there is a movie scene.
I just recently completed the game on normal mode. As soon as "The End" came on the screen, I went and started again on expert mode, which, when I complete it, will give me access to hidden extras. I rarely play games again; usually I will start on another even before completing the one I was playing before.
Family Fun Game, December 2, 2002
Reviewer: elygirl from Ely, Minnesota
I am a 42-year-old mother of 5 with children ages 17, 12, 7, 5, and newborn. All of us played the game together. The younger ones found it "cool" that they could see their favorite Disney characters within the game, and the older ones found it challenging enough to be entertained. The only negative for us was that we found ourselves "accidentally" finishing the game before we'd found everything: once we were in the final battle, there was no turning back.
Nevertheless, I hope to be playing Kingdom Heart X in the future!
BEST RPG EVER MADE ! TRULY THE GREATEST OVERALL, December 2, 2002
Reviewer: A 12-year old gamer
Do you like FF series or other SQARESOFT games? Well This game has got to be the best out of all the FF series combined. And this is not a little kids game! I'm 14 years old but don't be confused with the age that says on top but i really am 14,i love everything about it this game! if i could rate this game from 1-10 I would give it a platinum 20!! ILOVE THIS GGGGAAAAAAMMMMMMMEEEEEEE!!!!!!!
Ok This is simply amazing, December 2, 2002
Reviewer: A gamer
Ok i like RPGs but this is simply amazing.
The game is about aa 14 year old boy named Sora who lives on an island with a 15 year old boy Riku,a 14 year old Girl Kiari, another 15 year old boy Wakka(FFX), a 13 year old girl Selphie(FFVIII),and a 13 year old boy Tidus. Well they decided to build a raft to go to other worlds, but right before they go Sora notices a storm and runs to save the raft but he finds Riku and the door is open to other planets well then the heartless started to take over and Riku, Sora and Kiari went to other worlds. Then your transported to a world called Traverse Town and there u meet Goofy and Donald Duck who are looking for King Mickey. Then u start the adventure u meet people like Leon(FFVIII),Alice from Alice in Wonder land,Cloud(VII), Tarzan,Cid(FFVII),Aladdin. And also fight people like Ceberus, Sephiroth,Maleficent,Jafar,Guard Armor, Darkside,Trickmaster and many more.It was so fun i got to Agrabah in 2 days.
This should graded 50 out of 50.
Good Things-
Good music
Good Graphics
Good Characters
Good story
Good Challenages
Bad Things-
Confusing camera angles
Donald an Goffy get in the way and often dont give potions to themselves and make them unconsious
Gummi graphics are old 90s type
This game is the best i ever played but those bad things donteven touch touch the score. Get this game now or your nuts.
why buy Kingdom hearts?, December 2, 2002
Reviewer: Ally from Idaho CDA USA
Kingdom hearts is a good game,for evryone.It's about a boy named Sora and his best friends Kairi and riku.Them with other people live on a small island,sora is the main character.He is 14.Sora has been haveing weird dreams he dose'nt know if they are real or not.kairi is 14 to she moved to the island a few years ago.Riku is 15 he is very quiet and begins to question the unknown.they are makeing a raft to get of there island and go to other worlds.do they make it or not? do they even get off? the island? or dose Soras weird dreams have to do with anything?
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