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Disney and Squaresoft, The Perfect Couple!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 199 / 225
Date: March 26, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I got this game when it first came out, and I was amazed! As a huge Final Fantasy fan, and a person who used to watch disney films, it was a real treat. It starts out with Sora (the main character), Riku, and Kaikri on the fun Destiny Islands. You also meet Selphie (Final Fantasy 8), Wakka, and Tidus (both from FFX) here, although they are all kids. After a series of events, Sora ends up in Traverse Town, where he soon runs into Donald Duck, and Goofy, (who make up your battle team). Traverse Town is a great location for FF fan's, Leon (a.k.a. Squall from FF8) is there, along with FF7's Cid, Yuffie, and best of all Aeris (or Aerith)! You will come to Traverse town many times throughout the game.

After saying goodbye to the FF cast, Sora and the others head off to Wonder Land (Alice in Wonder Land). This is probably my least favorite location, it's still fun, but the music is not the best in this area, and the events isn't that interesting. Characters from the movie include, Queen of Hearts, Cheshire Cat, White Rabbit, Doorknob and of course, Alice!

From here the group heads to Olympus Coliseum (Hercules), which is completely different from any other location in the game. You can't do very much right away, but the coliseum let's you enter tournaments and collect prizes, everytime you win. This helps a LOT with character development (when it comes to battles). Characters featured include, Hercules, Phil, Hades, and Cloud (FF7).

Deep Jungle (Tarzan), is the next location in the game. It is one of the longer levels, and really helps the story move along. There are one or two side quests here, that can be pretty fun. Characters featured include, Tarzan, Clayton, Jane, Sabor, and Terr.

Agrabah (Aladdin), is like two levels in one, it features Agrabah, and than the cave of wonders. This level involes a lot of jumping, but it's not that bad. Characters featured include, Aladdin, Jafar, Jasmine, Abu, Magic Carpet, Iago, and Genie. Genie is one of 6 disney characters that can be used as a summoning tool in battle.

Monstro (Pinocchio), doesn't have a lot going for it. The main point of this level is to move the story along. Some major story developments happen here, but the level it's self is annoying, and dull. Luckily you don't have to play it very long.Characters include, Pinocchio, Geppetto, and of course Monstro the whale.

Atlantica (The Little Mermaid), the underwater battles can be annoying, but this one of the better, levels. This level is another long one, and features the hardest boss in the game (and I am including the end boss). Characters include, Ariel, Sebastian, Flounder, King Triton, Flotsam and Jetsam, and Ursula.

Although short, Halloween Town (The Nightmare Before Christmas), is one of the best levels in the game! The music, bosses, characters, and locations are all great. Characters featured include, Jack, Sally, Dr. Finkelstein, Oogie Boogie, the Mayor, Zero, and Lock, Shock, and Barrel.

Neverland (Peter Pan), is short, but sweet. It's fun, but kind of pointless. The shory line develops a little here, however not as much, as in other loactions, however you do learn to fly in this level. Characters include, Wendy, Peter, Smee, Captain Hook and Tinker Bell.

The Hollow Bastion, is by far, my favorite level. Although it's atmosphere is not based on any disney movie, it has a more Final Fantasy vibe to it, and has a lot of elements from FF games in it. Characters featured here include Beast, and Bell from Beauty and the Beast, Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora (Sleeping Beauty).

Other characters included are Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty), Sephiroth (FF7, some people may never see him in the game), all 101 dalmatians, and Ansem, who may not be a disney character, but is still very memorable. I would tell you more about the plot, but I would be ruining it. Overall Kingdom Hearts is a great game, with lot's of side quests! And even though I mention a ton of characters, there are still more in the game! And don't worry, they are making a Kingdom Hearts 2!

What Will Undoubtably Be THE Release of The Year

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 172 / 195
Date: July 22, 2002
Author: Amazon User

When Kingdom Hearts was first announced, many thought Square had finally lost it. Not only had they partnered with Disney, a company that Square has seemingly little in common with, but Square was also throwing its own creations into the mix. The game was described as Final Fantasy Meets Disney.

However, as it has many times over, Square has proven the critics wrong. Kingdom Hearts has gorgeous graphics that pushes the PS2 to its limits. Many of the Disney characters look and move as if they were ripped right from their respective cartoons. Disney has also spared no expense on voice acting, in many cases brining back a character's original actor when it came time to give the incredibly large ensemble cast voices

The game also features returning characters from Square's reknowned Final Fantasy series. Specifically, the game will feature Cloud, Aeris, Cid and Yuffie from FF7; Squall from FF8; and Tidus and Wakka from FF10. One of the most interesting scenes from Kingdom Hearts is a scene where Donald Duck and Aeris have a conversation.

Fans of the Secret of Mana will be excited to learn that the battle system is more like it than Final Fantasy. Fighting is done in real time and with little menus. Even spells can be fired off with menu-less ease by linking them to buttons on the control pad. This gives a very interesting feel since many of the spells come from the Final Fantasy series. Summoned Monsters are also used in Kingdom Hearts, but this time around they're Disney characters. Simba, Bambi, Dumbo, and Tinkerbell all come to your aid in battle.

In short, buy this game. Younger fans will enjoy the nearly limitless cast of Disney characters. Older fans and Square veterans will enjoy seeing familiar characters and the type of story that has made Square games the standard for RPGs. The story, while light-hearted at times, can also become incredibly dark. The packaged is rounded out with incredible music, not the least of which is "Light", an English version of Utada Hikaru's song "Hikari". For more info, visit Square's game site...

RPG at it's finest...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 34 / 35
Date: December 01, 2002
Author: Amazon User

If your just now purchasing a PS2 this is the game to turn you on! I would personally buy a PS2 "just" to play this game.
The incretible graphics in this game are mind-boggling, this game is the first of it's kind and is the most fun I've ever had playing a video game.

You play the lead character "Sora" who is living on Destiny Islands, longing to see far off worlds he and his friends Karai and Riku build a raft to see travle to new worlds on. But you get [pulled] into a new world on your own one stormy night. There you meet up with Goofy and Donald who will be your companions for the rest of the entire game. There are ten different worlds and within most of these worlds you have the advantage to select new characters to your party- such as Aladin, Peter Pan, Ariel- ect. There are 10 worlds and over 100 disney characters to meet, I finished the game in 5 days. That's called "dedication", but it's impossible to put down the controller once you've started playing. You are able to obtain new items, abilities, weapons, as you battle through it- you are able to design and build your own "Gummi Ships" which are what you use to get from one world to another. The more "Munny" you collect in each world/battle the more you can buy! You can even buy news weapons for Donald and Goofy along with posions to heal yourself and much more.

I gave the game 5 stars because there is NOTHING wrong with this game, aside from not being able to open treasure chests during battle, you'll come to think like me the minute you start playing.
Better quality than "ANY" Final Fantasy game I have ever played, and I recommend that you DONT buy the Strategy Guide- I played through the entire game without. All you really need to do is look up a "Walkthrough" to the game on the net whenever you need help.
After the game you'll be begging for more- and if your able able to obtain the "Special Secret" at the end of the game.. well my friend the suspence will eat you alive!

Kingdom Hearts.. the ultimate Disney Game.

Square/Disney collaboration has a lot of heart

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 31 / 33
Date: September 30, 2002
Author: Amazon User

"Adaptation" and "reimagining" are words that frighten the heart of any purist, but occasionally, such projects move forward and are handled with care, respect, and a firm understanding and application of the source material. In "Kingdom Hearts", a wildly ambitious collaboration between Disney Interactive and Squaresoft, iconic characters from Disney's vast array of animated features and Square's penultimate series "Final Fantasy" are paired together in an action-rpg. Square has gone a somewhat similar route before, tackling "Super Mario RPG" for Nintendo, but that was a stand-alone game world only incorporating Mario characters, who do not exactly have much depth of personality or back story to begin with. "Kingdom Hearts", on the other hand, takes childhood favorites from just about every generation alive today and dares to incorporate them in a story beyond the individual movies that gave life to them. As ambitious as the game is, "Kingdom Hearts" has equal potential to go very, very wrong in so many ways.

Thankfully, it does not. Every aspect of the game bears the mark of A-grade production value. The storyline is imaginative and clever, and the incorporation of characters and familiar Disney locations is executed with such reverence, that even the most hard-bitten cynic would be won over. From the streets of Agrabah ("Aladdin") to the deck of Captain Hook's ship ("Peter Pan"), each Disney location is recreated in a way that captures the spirit of the original films. Completing the effect is the fact that, for the most part, Disney and Square hired the original voice actors of all Disney characters or at least the people who currently voice certain characters for recent releases. It is hard not to be won over when hearing Jodi Benson reprise her role as Ariel or John Fiedler doing Piglet. Speaking of Piglet, the appearance of Winnie the Pooh and the 100-acre Wood sequences are some of the finest moments in any game ever, and capture just how Square and Disney shot for the moon and hit it.

The gameplay itself is simple, having much in common with the later "Zelda" games and comparable Playstation 2 releases such as "Jak and Daxter". While the fighting can sometimes get repetitive, there are so many bonus features included in this game that revolve around items found in combat and reaching high character advancement levels, that the more you seek to get out of the game, the less obtrustive all the combat seems.

Though the game itself is nothing revolutionary, it is a perfectly executed effort. Considering the outrageousness of its concept and its success in achieving it, "Kingdom Hearts" gets superlative marks in every regard. Though the game can be enjoyed by anyone with only a cursory interest or knowledge of Disney or Square lore, anyone with a child's familiarity with Disney's films or a gamer's passion for Square's series will find themselves in a game experience unlike any other. A true victory for audacious daring.

Not quite what I expected

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 26 / 27
Date: February 10, 2004
Author: Amazon User

With the combo of Squaresoft and Disney putting together an action RPG I sort of expected a whimsical gaming romp through a cotton-candy, brightly hued world full of laughs and amusements galore. Was I ever surprised to discover that the finished product was mostly set in a dark, evil environment with difficult/challenging gameplay and a steep learning curve. I'm guessing that a lot of 1st time RPG'ers probablly took a stab at this game with the belief that if it's a Disneyesque game how hard can it be? - only to quit the game midway through in frustration.

In a nutshell this game is no leisurely stroll through the Magic Kingdom. While Disney afficionados will no doubt be thrilled to explore worlds ranging from 'Aladdin,' to 'Nightmare Before Christmas,' they will just as well be shocked at the level of difficulty that players will be required to overcome. Because of this, I would certainly not recommend this title to small children along with inexperienced gamers - which is quite ironic considering that this is the very demographic you would think the game would've been targeted towards.

For the more hardcore gamer I would recommend the experience - 40 hour commitment notwithstanding. Aside from the degrees of frustration you will face - there are also nuggets of memorable gameplay scattered throughout. The summon spells utilizing Disney characters is one of them, and the gameplay set in the 'Winnie the Pooh' world offers a nice respite from the more frenzied settings in most of the game. My chief complaint though is the awful game camera. Much to my dismay, I found myself on the brink of motion-sickness on more then several occassions. While the game falls short of the mark, i do have to give kudos to Squaresoft for attempting to take the risk of subverting the norms of the 'Disney' genre somewhat. With that in mind I certainly look forward to seeing the sequel.

Surprisingly Adequate

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 37 / 45
Date: November 14, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Yeah, I know "adequate" isn't exactly an attention grabber for a review but I couldn't think of another way to describe this game. However, I will elaborate.

The game's plot revolves around multiple dimension-like worlds in the Disney and Final Fantasy universe. Kind of like a Mickey Mouse version of the show "Sliders". Anyway, you have to travel to all of these worlds looking for your standard bad guys the Heartless. Your main character, Sora, holds the key to defeating the Heartless and setting things right again. I'm not kidding, he actually uses a weapon called a "keyblade". And you thought the gunblade was original. In your travels you'll go to Agrabah (home of Aladdin), Wonderland, Neverland, Olympus, Tarzan's jungle, and others. All the while encountering critters from Disney cartoons and Final Fantasy games.

Being a Final Fantasy fan, the major draw for me in this game was seeing Final Fantasy characters from Final Fantasy 7, 8, and 10. Unfortunately, this is one aspect of the game that disappoints. Cameos are limited. I haven't played through the entire game but it seems that the only characters playing significant roles are Leon (aka Squall from FF8), Cid (from FF7), and a little bit from Yuffie (FF7) and Aerith (Aeris/FF7). Sure old favorites Cloud and Sephiroth make appearances, but they don't play major roles in the game. And in the end, you could easily replace them with normal, original NPCs. Square's number one reason for including them is to pander to the Final Fantasy crowd. Mission accomplished, I bought it.

You'll mostly be encountering Disney characters. Disney NPCs, Disney party members, even Disney summon monsters. For me, all that Disney stuff would make me vomit, but it isn't as childish as you would think. Donald and Goofy provide you with battle support and they're good for a laugh in cutscenes. On the downside, all of the worlds I've seen so far are Disney worlds, nothing from Final Fantasy, or at least anything original - except for the first island you start on, and that reminds me of Besaid from FFX.

The voice acting in the game is short. Most of what you see are dialogue boxes or speech bubbles instead of actual voices. But the voices that are in the game are excellent. Square and Disney actually hired some professional talent for a few of the non-Disney characters. And even the Disney characters are voiced by either the original voice actor from their respective movies, or the actor from the TV series spinoff (in a few cases). The dialogue is a little choppy in some areas, but it's not as ridiculous as some of the translated dialogue in other games.

Play control. Jeez. Controlling your character is relatively easy. Battles are a little tougher because of the battle menu, but they do provide a few shortcut buttons for magic, etc. The absolute worst thing is the platform jumping. Between the camera angles and your nitwit sidekicks, it's difficult to land some jumps. Donald and Goofy are constantly in the way, they follow you around like the characters in Final Fantasy 8 do, unfortunately you can't walk through them. I had to push Goofy off a ledge a few times just to see where I was going. They do add a remedy for the problems - a first person "look around" view. It helps to see around and to line yourself up with a jump, but it doesn't help if you turn the camera around to look for a platform only to see that annoying duck standing in your way. And in battle they were basically useless for me. After playing Devil May Cry, I'm good enough with melee sword combat that I don't need the backup of a giant dog with a shield and a duck who can't hit a monster the size of a building with a fire spell.

The minor problems aside, the game has its strengths. The story and the cutscenes make you feel like you're actually controlling a Disney movie - not necessarily a bad thing. And the freedom of movement in battles was a nice change from turn-based Final Fantasy combat. It's no Final Fantasy X, but Kingdom Hearts ranks as one of the best RPGs I've ever played.

Pros:
-Great battle system
-Top notch voice acting
-Music is good and it sets the mood in certain areas
-Original and engaging story

Cons:
-Donald and Goofy get in the way
-Other members of your party aren't very helpful in battle
-Final Fantasy angle not as prominant as many would like

Overall I gave it four stars taking into consideration the flaws. If you're looking for an original RPG, I would recommend this game. But if you're looking for a Final Fantasy clone, this isn't it. Otherwise I think everyone should give this game a shot. Rent it first, and if you like it then buy it.

The most eagerly anticipated action rpg in history

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 24 / 26
Date: September 15, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Hey everyone, I pre-ordered directly from Squaresoft, and was lucky to receive the game a full week before its street release! Kingdom Hearts is definitely worth the wait and anticipation. It brilliantly mixes the dark sensibilities of Square's work with Disney's well-known brand of layered humor. There are over 100 Disney cameos in the game, and only around a dozen from Final Fantasy. While the various Disney characters fill their roles to perfection, this is NOT a kids game! Beloved Disney characters die, both onscreen and off. Through the brilliant writing and impeccable voice acting, there are several scenes that WILL bring a tear to your eye, the most poignant for me being Sora's first meeting with a very lonely and confused Winnie the Pooh. The story centers around Sora (voiced wonderfully by Haley Joel Osment), an ordinary boy thrust into an extraordinary adventure. He is joined by Goofy and Donald Duck, which are pure perfection, like the rest of the cast. In each world (save for three), you have the option of recruiting famous Disney heroes/heroines into your party. Notable party guests include Ariel, Jack Skellington and Beast, who packs a punch with powerful melee-based moves. The villains fulfill their roles with unabashed glee, with notable performances going to Maleficent (whose voice actress sounds remarkably like the original actress from Sleeping Beauty) and Hades (who is once again voiced by James Woods). Only the camera (which can get downright evil in certain areas) and the length of the game itself otherwise marr this breathtaking title. Please, enjoy this game, because I know I am!

Best RPG Since Final Fantasy

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 26 / 31
Date: November 18, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game is the best. Every Part of it is great. Sora the main character gets zapped away from his home along with with his friends Rikku and Kari. Also on the island are Tidus and Wakka from FFX along with Selphine from FFVIII. Sora then meets Goofy and Donald and gets his key blade. A sword that can defeat the heartless. Donald and Goofy are on their own quest. You use a ship called the Gummi to travel to different Disney worlds. Other disney characters like Tarzan and The Little Mermade can get on your team.

*Downsides- Well I really don't want to say anything bad about this game but the camra angles sometimes go near a wall and you can't see Sora. It can be fixed. Also you can't open chests while you are fighting so if you find a rare chest and then a heartless knocks you down and you die. Well no game is perfect.

Just because its Disney....

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 28 / 35
Date: August 15, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Just because its disney doesnt mean its going to be bad. To be honest, i ignored this game for many months because i thought square was just trying to make money in japan. NOT THE CASE! This is a fantastic game. Why do you think it got an editors choice? they give those to good games, not games they want to sell, look into it, all editors choice games were 4 stars+, i think the trend will continue. Anyways, i really did ignore the game, then one day i decided to give it a chance, th first video i saw was my hero, CLOUD STRIFE FROM FF7! he was as lifelike as the FMV's in FF7! and he had a voice! then i saw another video, wakka and tidus! then i saw aeris yuffie and squall! All with fantastic voices! Let me tell ya something, about 90% of the disney characers are fillers, like shopowners and people who populate towns. This adds to the game because everyone in the game has thier original voice from the movies, so you know if someone spends THAT much time on the filler characters' voices, think of how much time they are spending on the rest of the game. Think of these two franchises, DISNEY, quite possibly the universal household name, and Squaresoft, the very best in RPGs, this team is sure to have a HUGE budget and developing team. This is not a scheme to make more money for either behemoths, this is a sheme to make the best team in history to work on a videogame. If you think this will be terrible because it will have disney characters, it wont, and its not baby-ish either, in one video i've seen, cloud is told he must kill the main character by Hades, and they talk about it like its some casual thing, not some horrible situation where they warn all the little kids to never hurt anything. So please please please! give this game a chance, i never did, and when i finally did, well lets jsut say i've been looking for new movies and screens everyday for the last 2 weeks, I can't wait for this game to come out on Septemeber 17th, I know i will be playing nonstop for the following month. Do yourself a favor, take a look at this game at the home page for this game or take a look at any preview, JUST GIVE IT A CHANCE, you wont regret it!

THIS GAME IS ONE OF SQUARE'S BEST

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 27 / 35
Date: June 01, 2002
Author: Amazon User

... This game contains some of the best graphics and gameplay of any game on the market. It was completely developed by Squaresoft, by the creators of Final Fantasy. There are only a few camera issues. This game is not kiddy, it flows very nicely, and a good relief from the typical RPG. Characters from Final Fantasy games return, as well as all the famous Disney Characters. This title is a very imaginative and fun game, and i would recommend it to anyone with a brain.

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