List Price: $39.99
Sale Price: $39.85
Today's Bonus: $0.14 Off
**This is an edited version of my review for the Limited Edition version (which you can check and see is a verified Amazon purchase of mine). Small side note, usually Amazon combines reviews of products with various editions, yet it seems for this particular game, that is not the case. That being said, I figured I'd just put my review of the product on here as well (as it's basically the same thing, just the limited edition comes with an artbook that I won't cover here). My purpose of doing this is not for ratings, I simply just want to help YOU, the customer, make an informed decision and if that means I have to put up my review twice, then so be it. **
The games included in this product have each been out now for several years on other systems. Rather than review the gameplay and ramble on about my thoughts on the stories, I have decided to simply do a brief Q&A on just what you should expect to find with this particular product itself to try and help you, as a customer, be properly informed. That being said, I hope you find these answers helpful in your decision making process.
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.
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
Kingdom Hearts was originally released in 2002, and at the time of its release I don't think anyone thought the series was going to be as huge as it was. Originally a lot of people weren't excited for Kingdom Hearts. With so many various Disney characters thrown into the mix there was many a cry of how "kiddy" the game was going to be. Yet in the end it not only turned out to be a success, but also one of Square-Enix's biggest properties. With so many HD Collections coming out recently it's a wonder why it took so long to get a Kingdom Hearts one out there in the first place. It's not entirely what I had expected, but it's still a solid remaster.There's not much need to go into the story of Kingdom Hearts. Let's just say that of all the games in the series, the first one is by far the simplest as the plot hasn't had too many revelations yet. You'll play as Sora who ends up coming into possession of the keyblade to fight the heartless and uncover the secrets behind them. You'll do this by traveling to various worlds populated by Disney characters. All of these things are remastered in HD and it looks really gorgeous to see some of your favorite characters and worlds. It's also a pretty noticeable and the presentation is really good.
Of all the HD reissues there are few that have the kind of care taken as Kingdom Hearts. The entire presentation has been reworked for a 16:9 aspect ratio and is displayed in wonderful 1080p. Other HD remakes tend to not touch things such as pre-rendered backgrounds, but in Kingdom Hearts even the pre-rendered stuff is displayed in gorgeous HD. You'll hardly spot any blemishes or muddy textures. It all looks brilliant. The fonts are easier to read as well.
It's also nice to know that there have been a couple of changes made to the gameplay to suit some of the features. Originally the camera was a nightmare to deal with in the original game, but now it's relegated to the analog stick and easier to deal with. You may still have a couple of camera issues, but with the camera no longer being set to the shoulder buttons, it's easier to deal with. Likewise, much like Kingdom Hearts II, there are some moments where instead of selecting it in the menu you can just press the Triangle button during a context sensitive moment and perform certain actions. These little tweaks help Kingdom Hearts out a lot. Especially being able to press triangle to do simple things like open doors as opposed to having to select it in the action menu. Likewise, the ability to pause and skip cutscenes is especially nice as this wasn't an option in the original release at all. On subsequent playthroughs you'd have no choice but to watch every cutscene again. Here you can just as easily bypass all that stuff. It's overall not just a good HD upgrade, but also controls better.
Other than that, combat is pretty much the same as you remember. You'll roam around areas, enemies will pop up and you'll have to dispatch them quickly to earn experience points and level up skills. This take on combat is still pretty cool stuff today. Though it lacks some of the refinements of Kingdom Hearts II, it's still fun and simple to play. But most important, the combat doesn't bog things down by constantly having you transition into a battle and then out of a battle so that the story can progress.
There are some things that have not aged quite as well in Kingdom Hearts, however. Chief among them are the gummi ship segments. For the most part many of them are simply long, repetitive and slow paced. Flying to a new world just doesn't really provide a whole lot of fun. It feels counter to the fast paced action of the rest of the game. Some of the platforming segments are also a little off at times. Jumping from one platform to another can sometimes feel like a hassle, especially before you get the abilities that help simplify it. These things aren't really "bad," mind you. At the time of the games original release, it probably didn't matter much but now it stands out a little more. Thankfully, though, Kingdom Hearts is still a blast to play. All the characters, the story and the gameplay is just as fun as it ever was.
Unfortunately, the original Kingdom Hearts is all that's really worthwhile in the collection. While Chain of Memories has a good story (actually a rather great one) the fact that it still has a pretty toned down card based battle system is urksome. The combat simply isn't that much fun. The fact that it also must transition into a battle as opposed to being right there in the action like it is in the first game is also a drag. Granted this is a game that was remade from a GBA title, which certainly plays a part in that, but just the same it's a shame that while some enhancements were made to the original game to make the experience better, this particular game doesn't really have any that do. Chain of Memories is also well known for just not letting you explore a ton or anything of the sort. The story, however, is essential to understanding the overall plot of the Kingdom Hearts series. It links to the second game and actually enhances the experience of that game. It's worth playing through Chain of Memories just for the story alone, but the gameplay isn't all that exciting.
The last bit is Kingdom Hearts 358/2. The game was originally released on the DS. You are NOT actually getting that game, though. All you really get is the cutscenes from that game--enhanced and reworked. They look gorgeous but it's not really all that exciting. Granted, it probably would've been a bit much to remake the entire game in the same manner as Chain of Memories, but what you realize is that much of the cutscenes in 358/2 are quite dull. It's worth watching for the sake of the story at least once. And they're fully voiced and acted, but it's nothing too exciting. For the most part much of it is rather dull.
Even though the Kingdom Hearts HD Remix isn't as good as other collections out there, the price for just the original Kingdom Hearts alone is pretty worthwhile, as the game itself is amazing. Even though there are some aspects that haven't aged that well, the game still looks and plays incredibly well even by todays standards. If you haven't experienced the original Kingdom Hearts or you want to experience it again, this collection is for you.
Best Deals for Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix
At last it is here, the Kingdom Hearts has finally arrived on the PS3 and it brought with it all the enjoyment from the past. It comes with Kingdom Hearts Final mix (was only in Japan), Chain of Memories, and the cinematics for 365/2 from the DS which tells the story between chain of memories and KH2. All three have been redone for HD with Kingdom Hearts being completely redone as they originally lost the source code for the game, so they had to do the whole game from scratch with the original soundtrack, voicetrack, and script. This has an extra boss fight and other Keyblades that was not in the original US edition. I have only played the first hour of the first game, and i already have enjoyed it. Controls are the same so no new learning, just have to remember how things work since it has been so long since I played this. So get this classic set and start playing and remember why you enjoyed this series while we wait for 2.5 remix and of course KINGDOM HEARTS 3!!!!!Honest reviews on Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix
**Before I start my review, I'd like to note that I have not played Re:Chain of Memories yet or watched the 358/2 Days cutscenes. My review so far is based on what I've experienced in Kingdom Hearts Final Mix.**It's been a few years since I played the original Kingdom Hearts on my now broken PS2, so I was over the moon when I heard the original Kingdom Hearts was going to be re-released for PS3. I'll admit, though, I was afraid the game was going to be a flop. I had heard a lot of people saying the remastering was superficial at best and that Square Enix was simply throwing this together to keep its base of fans from totally losing hope in one of Square Enix's best-selling franchises. However, I am happy to say that I have not been disappointed yet.
The graphics are really good. The characters and game design are sharp and crisp, yet do not stray far from the look and feel of the original version. The addition of the Final Mix cut-scenes also work seamlessly with the game and show crucial scenes foreshadowing KH2.
The switch from L2/R2 camera control to right analog control makes exploring the map much more intuitive, and the special command feature (triangle button) really helps predicting the right moment to use moves like arcanum and strike.
The gummi ship has also been updated into a more prominent feature. The gummi menu and ship designing are more or less the same, but traveling between worlds on normal drive now involves missions. It's essentially KH meets KH2. You get points for shooting heartless gummi ships and for collecting items like blueprints and gummi blocks. There are three missions for each world. To complete all of them, you have to earn a certain amount of points or attach certain blocks to your ship and run the gauntlet without taking damage. New gummi blocks are also available for greater customization.
The diversity of heartless is also really impressive. You'll run into all of the original foes like "shadow", "soldier" and "large body", but you'll also encounter some new ones that originally appeared in the Japanese KH Final Mix. (SPOILER ALERT) One of the new ones is simply an enlarged version of "shadow", but it's a lot creepier having one of them bearing down on you. (ANOTHER SPOILER ALERT) There is another heartless that is a spin-off of the "bouncywild" called the sniperwild. It's name is pretty self-explanatory, but it's one of the more interesting new heartless that I've seen so far.
The list of items you can find is longer now. Stones are now available to us in item synthesizing. They can only be collected by defeating the new enemy types. The only other new synthesis item is dark matter, which is only found by opening chests, winning mini-games and, ironically, item synthesizing. There are two new keyblades you can obtain in KHFM. You must defeat certain Coliseum enemies to unlock them. (I have not unlocked them yet.)
The number of cool new features is pretty long, and I have not listed all of them, but I feel like Kingdom Hearts Final Mix has lived up to the original game's standards. The graphics are clean, the controls and in-game menu are easy to follow, and the amount of new features and items is enough to satisfy the desires of people who grew up on the original game. If you have not played any of the Kingdom Hearts games before or if you wish to relive the experience, I recommend you buy this game. Kingdom Hearts 2.5 will also be hitting the store shelves sometime in future, so keep an eye out for it. Check up on my review from time to time. I will continue to make updates as I make my way through the game.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix
It's either a near-perfect game or a big headache...Kingdom Hearts Final Mix HD:
Pluses:
+ Unknown Boss and 11 new enemies.
+ HD Models and Gameplay.
+ Skipable Cinematics and new cutscenes!
+ No Missing Red Trinity Marks this time around!
+ More synthesis items to forge.
+ New moves to learn with all characters.
+ Two games to play!
+ Gummy Ship Missions and new Gummies.
Cons:
More synthesis grind...
Not-so-HD cutscenes...
Not a trilogy disc, though it was never advertised as such to begin with...
Party Support Command (Triangle) gets in the way of defeating Pink Agaricus with 100 hits.
Still suffers from bad camera angles in some rooms using either Auto or Manual. (Doesn't matter.)
Various Glitches. None of which are game-breaking, well, except for one...
Cannot change voices to Japanese. Only comes in English.
Subtitles are grainy/tacky and have pixel damage that contrasts terribly against the HD look and feel of these remastered games.
Difficulty trophies do not stack. Who cares about trophies though. Really. Three playthroughs.
*
Sometimes one of the three mushrooms required to summon Pink Agaricus is missing. (Glitch no.1)
To top it off, the new triangle mapping for teammate support triggers your party to attack the Pink Agaricus, resulting in a lower hit score than 100. For completionists, this is annoyingand really bad. Honestly, teammates aren't needed anyways for other than summoning. You literally have to glitch Donald and Goofy out with the Bambi summon near the ladder to get the 100 hits on Agaricus, that's something you never had to do in Final Mix and the glitch doesn't always work, which means gathering Serenity Power is a tad more annoying than it ever was before.
---
Re: Chain of Memories: HD
Pluses:
+ Theater mode after you beat the game lets you view all the 'HD' cutscenes, in their full blurry glory.
+ You can play as Riku after you beat the game. His story is one of its own, and also has its own cutscenes.
+ There are pretty awesome sleights in the game, it's unfortunate that most bosses can interrupt or break most of them.
+ A few challenging boss fights, if only because they break most of your sleights no matter the total value.
+ Larxene was my favorite boss fight. She looks and acts like Angelica from the Rugrats, and has fewer weaknesses than the other bosses you'll fight. She's a tough cookie on Proud mode, still easy to kill with a cheesefighting Firaga-heavy deck fitted with Red Nocturne Enemy cards.
Negtrain Incoming:
Probably the biggest gripe is the breakable Item Cards.
Halfway-HD character models. (Messy eye, mouth textures, blurry HD cutscenes.)
Annoying battle system with counter-intuitive controls.
Weak and Useless: Most Enemy Cards are rare to find. Useless by the time you begin collecting Org. XIII cards.
Same story with tiny differences, same worlds-Until you get to Floor 11.
Only a few new regular heartless.
You can 'Cheesesleight' (Cloud decks, Firaga decks) through the game even on Proud mode.
* BUT if you attempt to make a real deck that makes the game more of a game, then prepare to lose.
Severe lack of cutscenes/voice cameos in the majority of the World Cards.
Never premium your whole deck! You will regret it. Only premium the first card of a sleight.
You can't premium Item Cards. How lame.
Difficulty trophies don't stack. Two characters = six playthroughs.
Probably the worst Kingdom Hearts game, still not that bad if you cheesesleight your way through it.
All in all, I've platinum'd the game. Now I can give a real review of it. First off, I don't use guides for games too often. If I keep getting stomped, I'll look online, but this doesn't happen too often... until this game, of course! Why? I was making decks that resembled the playing style of Kingdom Hearts 1. I wasn't using sleights as much as I should had been, and honestly, I was turning all my 9 cards into premium cards because I didn't know any better. I no sooner get to Larxene and she murders me over and over again.
The solution? Make a deck full of fire cards and one attack card and a bunch of Ether cards and two Cure cards with a value of 6 or higher, one in the middle of the deck and one at the end right before the Ethers. It works! If you've got a Red Nocturne enemy card that helps too! You can beat every single boss with this strategy with the exception of Axel, which you would use Ice for instead. Yes, you can even beat Marluxia with this strategy, even his final form. You can even beat most normal fights with this strategy.
It's ten times quicker than actually playing the game, you can shred through the game this way. It seems that they developed this game to cater towards Cloud Strife fans and cheesefighting players alike. You can gather a bunch of high level Cloud cards and just spam Omnislash. Let's get to the really bad part of the game, which is most of it-You will spend most your time playing through worlds that were in Kingdom Hearts 1, that this time around have no cutscenes, this time around they also have nearly the same context as well with slight differences. Until Floor 11, you will not be playing Chain of Memories. In my opinion, from Floor 11 and onward into Riku's story, the game actually starts at the end!
It's more fun to play as Riku, so it may be worth it to you to beat the game as Sora at least once--
358/2 Days HD Cutscene Footage:
Pluses:
+ Makes you want to play 358/2 Days...
+ More HD than the cutscenes of Re: Chain of Memories.
+ Tells the story of Organization XIII.
+ A better story than Chain of Memories.
Negatives:
Makes you wish you'd played this instead of Chain of Memories.
Only cutscenes, no game to play here.
You can fit more than a PS2 game, a GBA game, and a NDS game's cutscenes on a Blu-ray disc.
Honestly, 'Take my money plz' is getting old. There's no excuse for why we couldn't had played all three on this Blu-ray disc.
* Need proof? Take a look at Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection or God of War Origins Collection.
There's no reason a big rockstar like SquareEnix can't pull it off. They better not cut corners like this on the PS4 with Kingdom Hearts III.
Conclusive, you could say that 358/2 days was 215 MB. Chain of Memories was 16 MB. Kingdom Hearts was roughly 3 GB.
Let's fabricate and make some numbers up now, since I haven't dissected my game disc yet.
Assuming that the HD remakes are way bigger:
Kingdom Hearts 6 GB..or 12..
Chain of Memories 6 GB... or 12...
358/2 days Cinematics 3 GB.. or 6..
That's still only 15 GB! Or 30 GB if you double that.
A single layer Blu-ray disc can hold over 25 GBs of data on it.
A dual layer Blu-ray disc can hold over 50 GBs of data on it.
*~ Regardless of that, I recommend that you play the games on the disc in this order:
Kingdom Hearts 1 -> 358/2 Days -> Chain of Memories
(Or skip Chain of Memories unless you want to know how the first 3 members of Organization XIII are eliminated.)
Take from this review what you will, but know that I listed the best things and the worst things to give the possible buyer some insight of what to expect, and there are more things to like about the game than there are things to dislike about it, even if the camera controls suck. People here have reported Audio glitches, but you will be delighted to know that I encountered none so far.
Upcoming Kingdom Hearts games:
Next year for PS3: Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD Remix.
Next year for PS4 and XBOX One: Kingdom Hearts III.
No comments:
Post a Comment