Q. What games are included that I can actually play through?
A. There are two games included with your purchase that you can play in full. The first is the original Kingdom Hearts (however this is the Final Mix edition (which, long story short, is a tweaked and slightly renovated version of the original classic that was originally exclusively released only in Japan). The second game included is Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. Both of these have been beautifully remastered in High Definition for this release and truly look stunning and also feature enhanced gameplay mechanics. In addition, both games come with their own set of trophies (and yes, two platinums).
Q. Wait...Kingdom Hearts Final Mix and Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories? What about Kingdom Hearts II?
A. Kingdom Hearts II (released in 2006) is NOT included in this product.
Q. What about Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days?
A. You cannot play Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days with this purchase. HOWEVER, there is a "Theater Mode" which will allow you to view roughly 2 hours and 50 minutes of remastered HD footage (in the form of cinematics) from the game (as well as some new additional scenes). Believe it or not, there is trophy support available for this.
Q. How many discs are included inside the box?
A. Both games (included the cinematics for "358/2 Days") are all bundled up into one solitary disc.
Q. Tell me more. What kind of trophy support can I expect from this release.
A. As stated earlier, both Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories will have their own set of trophies that each have their own platinum. To be more specific, Kingdom Hearts will have 56 trophies, and Chain of Memories will have 48 trophies that can be earned. In addition, the cinematics for Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days will also have a total of 6 trophies that can be earned (none of which are platinum).
Q. Is this a good value? Should I purchase this? Can it be purchased on PSN digitally?
A. As far as I know, for the time being of this review (9/10/13), neither as a whole or individually can this game and its contents be purchased digitally through PSN. To my knowledge, and upon further research, there are no plans for now to release these titles digitally (though that could easily change). Is the price of $39.99 a good value for what is involved? Absolutely! Whether or not you should purchase this is purely up to you. If by some chance you haven't played any of these titles, don't worry, I'm not going to sit here and type up a bunch of spoilers for you; I'll let you figure that out yourself. If that's the case, all the information I'll provide you with is that if you like Disney, and if you like RPGs, and if you're familiar with the Final Fantasy franchise, then you'll definitely find this to be highly entertaining. Personally I only played the first game before I headed out to college. For me, this is a great opportunity to not only relive the original classic, but also to experience something new in the sequel. Regardless of my own personal experiences, you'll be treated to both games (and the cinematics for a "358/2 Days") being presented in spectacular and eye-popping HD. Plus, and as mentioned countless times before, if you're a trophy-buff like me, you'll find plenty of those to be unlocked here.
So for now, these are just a few simple questions answered that you may have wondered or were curious to know prior to purchasing. By all means, please feel free to leave any further questions in the comments. I'll gladly answer them (if they are to my knowledge) as soon as I get the chance.
I hope that you find this review helpful in your decision making and whether I am asked questions or not, I will certainly update this review as I have more time to play the game itself.
*If you pre-ordered through Amazon, you should be e-mailed a code to download a free Dynamic PS3 theme. I was just emailed my code.
**UPDATE** So now that I'm home from work, as promised, here is my segment on the art book that comes with the Limited Edition copy.
Q. What is the art book like that comes with the Limited Edition?
A. The art book is actually a part of the case which holds the game together. As stated before, all of this is packed onto one disc (which you will find at the very back of this wonderfully illustrated hardcover book. Yes, that's right, it's hardcover. Personally, I thought that the book was going to be a separate piece, however the way the bundled it all up into one unit is very convenient. As for the artwork itself? All I can say is that there isn't quite much, but for what we do get the images are a beautiful and true behind the scenes look at the characters and items from the game that we've all grown to love throughout the years. In fact, there is even an intro in both English and Japanese (neat)! Is this a worthy addition? Well if you pre-ordered this through Amazon and got a free upgrade to the Limited Edition, then absolutely! If you end up reading this review and making a purchase later, I'd still say as long as its nothing more than just a few bucks pricier, go for it! Yet if it does end up being around five extra bucks, then I'd suggest simply sticking with the Standard Edition. One minor complaint worth noting is that the by packaging the game into the book itself, it is larger in size than a standard PS3 case would be. So if you are worried about the item fitting on your gaming shelf, then I'd recommend sticking with the Standard Edition to prevent any complications.
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So let's get through the cons first, because there really is only a few of them:1. The CameraWhile they have fixed the camera to the right joystick, there is still sometimes some camera issues. Is it better than the original PS2 release: absolutely! But there are still times when I want to throw my controller through the TV because the camera won't adjust the way I need/want it to. So be prepared for that. While it has been improved from the original release.
2. Not as "HD" as you would make it out to beWhat I mean by this is that it's suppose to be a remaster. While I don't expect everything to be perfect, there are some points where the game looks extremely pixelated or looks a little funny. I'm not sure if it's because they didn't remaster all pieces of the worlds or items in the game, or if it is something else. But it's definitely noticeable. It's a small con though. But it is not remastered like the way FFX has been displayed. Things are smoother and cleaner, but not everything is so smooth or "HD" looking. Once again doesn't change the fact that the game itself is phenomenal. Just a little strange.
Pros-
1. Finally you can play your KH1 & Chain of Memories on your PS3 (except for those with backwards compatible PS3's, you lucky jerks!)! So you get a trophy system this time around, and also a wireless controller that works well. (Once again, minus the lucky Back Compatible PS3 people.)
2. Final Mix in USAWe finally get all of the additonal bonus content that was in the Final Mix. It has never been released in the US, so unless you imported it, there is lots of new items, abilities, etc to try out!
3. Updated controlsThe controls overall are more similar to KHII, which I find to be a welcome change. Triangle is back to do a lot of things that couldn't be done quickly in KHI originally.
4. Relive the magicAs corny as this sounds, you can now share this experience the way it was meant to be shared with friends, family, children, etc. I have been having an amazing time going through the series again. And the additional Chain of Memories, and Cinema 358/2 Days is great! This is a great way for Square Enix to get people back in the saddle and caught up with the whole story before KHIII will be released, (Hopefully 2015!).
Here's to hoping that a KH2.5 with KHII, Birth By Sleep, and Re: Coded is coming! I don't think it will come with 3DS due to how it was recently released!
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I fondly remember the general sentiment of, "Wait, they're doing what?" When Kingdom Hearts was first announced. "The people who make Final Fantasy are going to make a game with Disney characters? That seems insane."Truth is, it's still kind of insane. Looking at the series now, a decade later and with several games available, it's all pretty darn weird. Still, I was immediately hooked once I got my hands on that first game on the PS2, and I've been invested in these characters ever since. Because Kingdom Hearts didn't just let us wander around Agrabah with Aladdin or explore under the sea with Ariel. It wasn't just an action RPG with a lot of Final Fantasy cameos. It also introduced us to Sora, Riku, Kairi and a host of other people that I've come to care about — most of them brought to life by a star-studded voice cast that was pretty ambitious for its time.
Yes, the story can be… complex. There have been a lot of "Wait, what is happening? I'm so lost" moments since Kingdom Hearts II, and trying to keep everything straight across multiple games that span multiple game systems is not the easiest of tasks. Still, I have legitimate love for this universe and this gameplay. I'm sure it doesn't hurt that I was young when it was introduced, but I still like it now.
Now, Square Enix and Disney have remastered and re-released the oldest titles in a PS3 compilation, because that's the hip thing to do these days. The original Kingdom Hearts (technically, the Final Mix version of the game that was never released in the US), the oddball, card-based sequel Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories (which was originally a Game Boy Advance game, but which was later remade for the PS2 as a necessary narrative link between Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II), and the weirdest entry: Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days.
While I haven't played through those first two games to completion in this HD ReMix, I played enough of both to know that if I had a week or two of free time at the moment, I would be absolutely willing to go back and play those games again after all this time. They're not perfect, but they hold up well.
Going back was weird in some ways. Having grown accustomed to the newer games in the series (Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance on the 3DS being the most recent example), the original game felt a little slow by comparison. There were gameplay elements I've become accustomed to that don't exist here. But all that said, it holds up surprisingly well for a game that's more than 10 years old. The fresh coat of graphical paint helps, of course, but it's still a fun adventure regardless.
Chain of Memories is the game I particularly want to spend more time revisiting. I only ever played the GBA original, so seeing it in full 3D here, with voice acting and new cutscenes, is all new to me. While I'm sure the card-based gameplay has never been for everybody, I personally thought it was a nice change of pace from almost every Kingdom Hearts game before or since. It, too, seems to hold up well from what I've been able to see so far.
358/2 Days is the weirdest entry in this collection not because it's name makes no sense at all (and it sounds so ridiculous when you try to say it out loud), but because it isn't actually a game in this collection. Instead, it's a series of cutscenes from the original Nintendo DS game strung together to make a sort-of-movie with all the game's plot points. I didn't time it as I watched, but it was probably three hours of content at most — and if you care, all of the game's trophies are obtained simply by watching it all and scrolling through all the unlocked journal entries. Easy peasy.
It was probably a smart move to turn the DS game into a series of movies rather than convert it into a PS3-quality game (which would have taken a lot of work and redesigning), but that doesn't mean it's the most fulfilling way to experience that story, either. The way the narrative is organized, with CG cutscenes interspersed with a few paragraphs of text here and there, can be really confusing — and I'm saying that about a story that was pretty hard to follow in the first place. The story jumps around quite a bit and it doesn't always make sense. After watching it all play out for a couple hours or so, you may still have to pull up Wikipedia just so you can have someone explain to you exactly what just happened.
Still, that's better than nothing. If you're someone who only owns Sony systems, there was previously no other way for you to see this story at all (outside of YouTube playthroughs, I guess, but that seems less than ideal).
Now that we have this great collection, I hope rumors of a Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD ReMix prove true. Specifically, I hope it really does contain at least KH2 and the PSP game Birth By Sleep, which seems like it would translate to the big screen nicely (and was already a great game, to boot). Not to mention how excited I got at the tiny teaser Square-Enix gave us of Kingdom Hearts III, which should be finally coming to the PS4 and Xbox One at some point (sadly, it's probably still a long while off).
Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD ReMix is a good way to either get excited for the series for the first time, or to remind yourself why you cared in the first place.
Honest reviews on Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix - Limited Edition - Playstation 3
If you feel the need to have every entry in the KH collection, then I suppose it's worth the money spent on this mediocre update to the series. It's literally no different from the PS2 version other than the graphical/visual update to HD, which, while impressive, is not worth the money spent. Also worth mentioning is that the game only includes the first game and updated CUTSCENES from the other two games that were released on the handheld systems. Anyway. Up to you obviously but if you value your money, at least wait until it goes down in price.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix - Limited Edition - Playstation 3
I bought this back in June and i waited a good long while. However, in the end it was worth it. Yes, the case for the limited edition is different, but that still doesn't stop for loving the artwork inside. The game itself felt exactly how i remembered it. It was fresh and exciting as if i was playing it for the first time again. The final mix to me was worth it, chain of memories was a challenge at first but all in all fun. I wish 356/2 days could have been playable but hey easy trophies. In the end this game is really a 5 at of 5. People this isn't a waste of money its worth the experience!
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