Anyway, I mentioned in my last review that my tendency to overcompensate for the embarrassingly small game library I had in my younger days resulted in my owning a library of games that have gone largely uncompleted, despite the fact that the games have been sitting on my desk for years. Unfortunately, despite how good a game is, something else eventually catches my attention and I move on, revisiting the game at a later date until something else comes along again. It’s a vicious cycle and, unfortunately for me, it has deprived me of the pleasure of complete some pretty awesome games. One of which was Square and Disney’s Kingdom Hearts.

Despite my excitement for the game when it was announced, I didn’t actually purchase it until nearly four years after the game’s release, relying on borrow the game from friends to get my fix. And, even after buying the game in 2006, it would be almost another four years before I would complete the game. And that is not an exaggeration, having barely completed the game, for the first time mind you, just a few days ago.

For those of you that may have missed the game, Kingdom Hearts is an Action RPG that crosses Final Fantasy with Disney. It may sound like an odd mix, but it works surprisingly well, though Final Fantasy fans might find themselves getting annoyed at the fact that their beloved characters like Cloud Strife, Squall Leonhart (who goes by the alias Leon), and Aerith Gainsborough take a back seat to all the Disney stuff, but the game works well, despite that, especially to fans of Square Enix’s penchant for storytelling.

Story

First off, you would think that the kid-friendly nature of Disney franchise would hamper the type of storytelling most players have come to expect from Square’s other RPGs, such as the Final Fantasy series. And, while I’ll be the first to admit that the storyline is indeed kid-friendly, that doesn’t stop it from being deep and engaging. You’re not going to find over-the-top violence here, but the story is well told and enjoyable, even if you’re not a kid. The game starts with our protagonist Sora, a 14 year-old boy living on the Destiny Islands. Along with his friends Riku and Kairi, he has plans of venturing off in search of new worlds.

The game’s story, at its core, is one of light vs. darkness, intermixed with themes of friendship, deceit, and betrayal. However, it’s also a coming of age story in a way, with the main character violently ripped away from everything he’s ever known and thrust into a world of danger to find that which truly matters to him. Sora and Riku are pretty well-rounded, both striving towards similar goals, albeit through different means, and, while Goofy and Donald’s personalities aren’t much different from what we’ve already seen from them, it’s interesting to see their relationship with Sora grow and evolve.

Overall, the story is compelling and you truly start to care for these characters, enough to want to see how it all ends.

Gameplay

Unlike games in the Final Fantasy series, which used a turn-based combat system common to the RPG genre, Kingdom Hearts utilized a real-time combat system, with the player in control of Sora while the AI-controlled party members, usually Donald Duck and Goofy provide support. The combat system is simple, with a four-command menu in the lower left hand corner of the screen to guide the player. Using the d-pad to navigate the menu, the available options are Attack, Magic, and Items, with the final slot on the menu available for special options, such as interacting with the environment and treasure chests or unleashing devastating special attacks during combat.

Enemies appear at random to attack Sora and his party, though it’s possible to figure out where exactly enemies will spawn. Once enemies appear, Goofy and Donald, or whoever might be in your party at the time, will automatically begin attacking. As long as you have the attack command selected, you can pretty much button mash your way through enemies. Thankfully, the game offers a lock-on feature so that you don’t just attack at random. It does get annoying when you want to use one of your more powerful attacks. You need to stop attacking, select the special option command and then select the attack. Same deal when it comes to magic and items, but, to be honest, it’s not enough to be overly frustrating. Also, when it comes to Magic, you can assign shortcuts to three spells of your choosing to avoid having to choose the spell individually, saving you some time when you’re in a pinch.

For those used to the standard items system of Final Fantasy games and pretty much most RPGs in general, Kingdom Hearts does something different. Rather than give you access to all your items during a battle, each character has a set amount of item slots with which to equip items for a battle, meaning the amount of potions and other items that can be used in battle are fixed and limited, regardless of how many potions you’ve stocked up on. That only applies to items like potions and ethers, with equipment like bangles and rings that raise your stats having their own slots. Still, once you learn how to cast Cure, it’s not really much of an issue anyway.

The game also has a pretty standard leveling system. You know, kill enemy, gain experience points, and level up. Along with the standard increase in stats, you also gain Ability Points. In order to equip a non-magic ability, such as blocking, dodging, or a combo increase, you need to have enough AP to use it. AP can be increased through special equipment, leveling, or the use of AP Up items. The higher AP you have, the more abilities you can equip, including power special attacks. In addition to AP Up items, there are also Strength and Defense Up items that are pretty self-explanatory. Party members also have their own AP and you can customize their fighting style so that they fight the way you wish, whether it be defense or offensive and includes spellcasting and item use. Certain worlds also allow you to swap out one of your current party members with one of the characters from that world. For example, in Agrabah, you can switch out somebody in order to let Aladdin get in on the combat. Also, summons play a role in Kingdom Hearts. However, rather than the standard Final Fantasy cast of summons, you get Disney characters like Dumbo, Simba, and Genie to name a few. The summon replaces your party members temporarily and allows Sora to perform a special move while the summon is in use.

Overall, the gameplay is definitely fun. It isn’t perfect, and sometimes, the camera can get a bit on the annoying side, but the flaws aren’t enough to detract from the game. Sometimes, many battles wind up resorting to just using the standard attack and not much else, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Aside from the standard exploration and battles, the gameplay is broken up by Gummi Ship segments, in which you travel to different worlds. There’s nothing particularly special about these segments, just a fun little mini-game to take a break from the standard stuff. It does get repetitive after a while, but eventually, you’re able to warp to worlds you’ve already visited.

Final Fantasy VII's Cid Highwind makes an appearance in Traverse Town.

Visuals

For it’s time, Kingdom Hearts was graphically stunning. It wasn’t the most photorealistic thing out there, but it didn’t need to be. Trading in realism for a cartoony look, the game looks incredible, with Disney characters and locations looking faithful to their cartoon counterparts. There are some minor gripes with the visuals. Things like the lack of a crowd at the Olympus Colosseum or the fact that some of the speaking animations are inconsistent at times. Certain scenes feature a good amount of lipsync, appearing as though the characters are actually speaking, though there are several moments where it looks like they’re just flapping their mouths. It can look a bit on the silly side. Still the game looks great, with my favorite world being the dark and creepy Halloween Town from The Nightmare Before Christmas. The game really manages to capture the look of the different films the worlds are based on and Halloween Town is simply one of the best. In addition, the pre-rendered cinematics look absolutely stunning, which isn’t surprising coming from Square.

Sound

The musical score composed by Yoko Shimomura is absolutely wonderful to listen to, especially the battle themes. Some of my favorite pieces, however, have to be the different versions of Kairi’s theme, especially Kairi III. The Hollow Bastion is also a great little piece of music to listen to as well. Aside from music, the actual voice acting for the game is well done. Every now and then, there might be a cheesy sounding piece of dialogue, but most of the acting is pretty good. Haley Joel Osment in particular does a great job voicing Sora.

Overall

Despite the slightly more kid-friendly nature of the game, due to it being a Disney game as well as a Square game, it is still quite an enjoyable experience. I know Final Fantasy fans who consider the Kingdom Hearts series to be a bastardization of some of Final Fantasy’s staple characters, but, to be honest, the game is just down right fun. It has a well thought out story, fun gameplay mechanics, and an incredible soundtrack. Yes it has flaws, but this is an action RPG that I highly recommend…unless you’re allergic to Disney. If that’s the case, better skip this one. Final Fantasy characters do have cameos but this is a Disney heavy game. If I had to name one major flaw, it’d definitely have to be too much Disney, not enough Final Fantasy.

The gaming world can be a daunting one to jump into, especially when one considers just how long many gamers have been gaming. Speaking to a friend of mine, a geek in her own right and a major bibliophile, she expressed her interest in gaming in an odd way. While she is not a gamer herself, she would spend hours watching her brothers play games, interested in what was going on in the game itself and in the story. Immediately, I figured that if she was spending so much time watching people play, there was a major reason why she herself didn’t jump into gaming: she sucked at video games.

More gaming after the break.

It’s a common complaint and one I hear often from non-gamers. Video games, especially these days, are much more than just picking up the controller and pressing buttons, unless we’re talking about casual games. For one who has rarely, if ever, picked up a controller and simply played a game, getting used to gaming can take a bit of time, patience, and practice. And some people just aren’t willing to spend that time. In the case of my friend, I decided that if she was spending time simply watching people play, getting her into gaming wouldn’t be a difficult thing. Obviously, something about gaming was enticing to her and, after very little convincing, she was ready to try. The game we chose to start with? Kingdom Hearts.

She was pretty bad at first, as it took her 40 tries to beat Riku on the Destiny Islands during a duel. But then again, you have to learn to walk before you can run. Eventually, I attempted to motivate her by offering to buy her dinner should she be able to beat the first boss, not necessarily one who is all that difficult to begin with, in her first attempt. Needless to say, I ended up buying her sushi. And with that, she was well on her way.

So, for all you non-gamers out there who want to squeeze your way into the gaming world, but for some reason you can’t, here is some advice to get you started:

1. You will fail…a lot. More often than not, you’re not gonna get things on the first, second, or even tenth try. You can’t expect to be the best right from the start. It’s okay to be frustrated, but all you really have to do is have patience and ride it out. If at first you don’t succeed, don’t smash the controller in a fit of rage. Simply try again until you get it right.
2. Play something that interests you. There are many games out there, a lot of which are crap. As for the example with my friend, we chose Kingdom Hearts because it was a game that she instantly express interest in. If you’re going to fail horribly at something, it might as well be something that you’re gonna enjoy and get something out of.
3. If you are friends with gamers, ask them for help and training. Contrary to popular belief, not all gamers are screaming, foul-mouthed assholes. Just the prepubescent loud mouths on Xbox Live who feel the need to troll everybody and never shut up. If you know gamers, especially friends, approaching them to help you learn is a lot simpler than one might think. Hell, many of them would probably be happy about it. Which brings me to my next point.
4. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you are new at something, sometimes a push in the right direction is all you may need. Don’t be embarrassed about not being able to do something. If you try and try but just can’t seem to get it, ask a friend for a hint or a tip.
5. Contrary to what many think, a gamer is not defined by their skill level. No matter who you are, more often than not, you will find someone who is better than you. Rather than spending hour after hour perfecting one game in hopes of being the best, you’re a gamer if you enjoy playing video games. Don’t just confine yourself to one game just because it’s the only one you’re good at. Explore.
6. Broaden your gaming horizons. If something is interesting but you’re worried you’re going to be horrible at it, don’t worry about it. Like say you usually prefer Role-Playing Games, but a certain First Person Shooter looks appealing, go for it. Everyone sucks when they start off. If a game interests you, even if it isn’t in the usual genre of stuff you enjoy, give it a look anyway. You might be pleasantly surprised.
7. Lastly, if you’re gonna go as far as to get a yourself a system, make sure you know what you want before shelling out the cash for it. Every console offers something different so make sure you find out which one is best for you.

So there you have it. A few easy tips to get you non-gamers started. It’ll be somewhat discouraging at first, but if gaming is something that really interests you, see it through. Don’t let morons on Xbox Live get you down by telling you that you suck. And definitely don’t let the Game Over screen deter you either. Believe me, as someone who has been gaming for 17 years, I’ve seen those words displayed many times over. So good luck and good gaming.

Oh Yeah...We're Going!

This is it…the weekend before E3. All of us over here a Pixelated Geek are excited to be able to cover what is quite arguably one of the biggest gaming expo’s of the year. There’s so much we still don’t know about what’s coming this year or what to expect, but here’s some more about what we know and can expect.

Sony Unveiling New, Slim PS3?

On the Sony front, talks about a hardware redesign have started surfacing, and speculation is point towards a new PS3. Similar to Sony’s route with the PS2 and PSP, rumor has it that the company is planning to release the PS3 Slim, a significantly smaller version of the black monolith. Of course, the redesign wouldn’t bring that much new stuff to the table, except maybe table space, but the inclusion of Bluetooth 3.0 might be coming with the new system.

However, since no console was specified, the hardware redesign could be for a multitude of things, like the PS2, which is still going strong, or the PSP, though the new PSP Go! has been all but confirmed. Then again, there’s still the rumor of that PS3 Motion controller, which I wouldn’t doubt is coming.

However, there’s news that while a Slim PS3 is in fact on the way, we won’t be seeing it at E3.

Why, you ask? There’s still many standard PS3 systems still available and Sony wants to let those sell before unveiling the updated model. Maybe Sony should go forward with a price drop if they want to unload the rest of those systems. But who knows whether or not that will happen anytime soon.

[Source, Source]

256 Player MAG Demo for Journalists

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe’s highly anticipated MMOFPS (that’s Massively Multiplayer Online First-Person Shooter for those of you that aren’t up on the latest acronyms) MAG, formerly Massive Action Game, will be playable at this year’s E3, with Journalists being part of eight-man teams to be led by the game’s developers, taking part in 256-player games. Sounds exciting.

[Source]

Microsoft Reveal Plan for Zune Integration with the Xbox 360

Microsoft will be showing off the Zune HD at E3 and, likewise, will be showcase just exactly how it will be integrated with the Xbox 360. Not just satisfied with Zune connectivity, the Zune brand will become part of the Xbox 360’s Video Marketplace, similar to Netflix Instant Streaming, and will offer a library of TV Shows and Movies to 360 owners.

[Source]

Does Miyamoto’s Absence from Nintendo’s Press Conference Mean More Gamer Oriented Presentation?

Startling news from Nintendo has revealed that the father of many great franchises, such as Mario and Zelda, Shigeru Miyamoto will not be speaking at Nintendo’s E3 Press Conference. With previous E3 Press Conferences being geared towards the more family friendly games, his absence from this year’s conference may signal a break from the current family-friendly strategy and a return to some of Nintendo’s core franchises. Who knows, we may see a new Super Mario or Zelda game announced this year. One can only hope, right?

[Source]

Wii Fit Plus to be Revealed at E3

However, even without Miyamoto at the Press Conference, speculation of a Wii Fit Plus being unveiled at E3 are still going strong. Apparently, Nintendo has already trademarked the name and E3 would be the perfect time to make a dramatic. But even with the popular title in the works, the chance of some of Nintendo’s core titles making a showing at E3 is still anticipated.

[Source]

Activision Blizzard Confirms E3 Line-Up

Activision Blizzard has released their E3 line up, though with only the Activision half of the company showing up, it’s no surprised that they’re all Activision titles.

Along with the highly anticipated Modern Warfare 2, here’s a list of what to expect:

• Blur
• DJ Hero
• Guitar Hero 5
• Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2
• Prototype
• Singularity
• Tony Hawk: RIDE
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
• Wolfenstein

[Source]

EA Unveils E3 Line-Up

EA has also released their E3 and it’s a doozy. Along with some of the more anticipated titles, such as The Sims 3 and Mass Effect 2. We’re definitely gonna have a lot on our hands when we get to the EA booth next week.

With just a little over two dozen titles, EA promises to have much to show. Here’s a list of what they’ve got in store:

• Army of Two: The 40th Day
• Battlefield 1943
• Battlefield: Bad Company 2
• Brutal Legend
• Dante’s Inferno
• Dead Space Extraction
• Dragon Age: Origins
• EA Sports Active
• EA Sports Grand Slam Tennis
• FIFA 10
• Fight Night Round 4
• G.I. JOE: The Rise of Cobra
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Madden NFL 10
• Mass Effect 2
• MySims Agents
• NCAA Football 10
• NHL 10
• Need for Speed NITRO
• Need for Speed SHIFT
• Spore Hero
• Spore Hero Arena
• The Saboteur
• The Sims 3
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10

[Source]

More cryptic images from Kojima regarding new Metal Gear. Plus new project: MASK

Kojima Productions has been driving gamers insane with their needless countdowns, mysterious symbols and images. And now, clicking on the Kojima Productions logo on the countdown site reveals a new site. Labeled “MASK,” my suspicions that the team at KP are working on more than just the next MGS game may have been right all along. The site shows a mask (obviously), slowly revealing a creepy woman underneath as a creepy tune plays in the background.

And back on the MGS front, as the countdown gets lower, more symbols have begun to appear, with a picture of what appears to be the Cyborg Ninja, Raiden. However, a closer look reveals the character has brown eyes, whereas Raiden has blue eyes. Maybe this some new character altogether.

That's not Raiden

With MASK seeming as though it is a completely separate project, will we see it at E3. And while we’re on the topic, could we possibly see any other non-MGS projects? Maybe Zone of the Enders 3?

[Source]

No Dead Rising 2 at E3 due to Swine Flu concerns

Bad news on the Capcom front. Dead Rising 2 will apparently not be shown at E3 due to Swine Flu concerns. I didn’t know Zombies had to worry about the flu, but travel precautions and government restrictions have made it necessary for the Japanese developers that back out of the trip. However, it seems that Dead Rising 2 is the only game that Capcom won’t be showcasing. Given the early stage of the game’s development, the team isn’t comfortable with someone else handling what they have. Bummer.

[Source]

Kingdom Hearts Team not making the trip either

More bad news, this time for Kingdom Hearts fans. Again, due to Swine Flu concerns, Square-Enix has cancelled plans for its Kingdom Hearts team to attend E3. It’s unfortunate, especially for those expecting a KH3 announcement this year, though whether an unveiling of Kingdom Hearts-related games will still surface, given that staff from both European and American divisions of Square-Enix, as well as some Japanese representatives will still be making the trip.

[Source]

Atari cancels plans for E3

Atari has seemingly backed out of E3 this year. With less than a month before kick-off, the company had apparently decided to cancel their plans for E3, supposedly focusing more on other marketing plans for their upcoming titles, including Ghostbusters. I have to say, I feel like this is more Atari’s loss than E3’s. However, only time will tell if this was a smart move.

[Source]

Well, that’s about it. Stay tuned, because next week, Pixelated Geek hits the big time, live (sort of) from LA and the Electronic Entertainment Expo.