Should I pick up Kingdom Hearts?

[farley2k]

Now that it is a Greatest Hit (only $19.99) I am thinking about playing KH but I can't decide.

I generally don't like action/rpgs, but I did really like Zelda: Wind Waker.  However I hated Prince of Persia's combat  I do love Square games generally and I am sure the production values will be high.

I am a bit concerned though about how long the game is and how hard it is.  I am planning on picking up Star Ocean at the end of August so I only need a game for a month - which for me translates into maybe 20-30 gaming hours.  How long is KH?

And then the difficulty.  I have read several reviews which say the game is at times fustratingly hard.  I hate that!  If reviewers say a game is hard for them I can pretty much bet that I will be driven nuts.  I don't want to play a game for fustration, I don't find a sense of accomplishment from restarting 10 times - I just feel pissed.  I admit it - I like easier games.


So based on that, should I bother with KH?

[AgtFox]

I think there was one boss battle that was a bit hard, but I never found Kingdom Hearts to be overly difficult.  There are camera problems in the game and the whole Gummi Ship dynamic is tedious (luckily you only have to use it for a small amount of time).

I think it took me about 30 hours to beat Kingdom Hearts.  I'd have to look at my save game.  I still say it was the best Action/RPG of 2002.  The music is top notch, the graphics are excellent, the fusion of Square and Disney is magnificent to behold and the gameplay is relatively simple.  Personally I can't wait for Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts II.

I say it's well worth $20.

[Fellow]

Hmmh, that's a toughie.

I've had Kingdom Hearts for a while, and haven't yet completed it (which isn't that surprising). I'm pretty much like you; if the game is too difficult, it'll cause me a lot of annoyance, and a degree of frustration.

Kingdom Hearts has had a few moments like that, so far. And they were all in/during big foozle battles. None were anything I'd start ripping my hair off, but nevertheless, there you are. Still, I overcame.

Now, the biggest problem I personally had with the game, was that all the fighting began to feel very monotonous. True, in action RPGs, it's all about slashing, slashing, and slashing. But, you're always rewarded with a lot of "bling bling" (ie. Dark Alliance), or unique new locations to explore (Beyond Good & Evil). And, although you do get your rewards (miniscule as they may be), I never felt they were enough to keep me wanting to fight these critters.

What's more, said critters rarely changed much. You'll always face those same types of buggers, to a greater or lesser extent. Or at least that's how it felt to me. This resulted into an overwhelming desire to just run right past everything, and not even bother with the fighting. And while it's something you certainly can do, and even should at some points, you'll still need the experience, or the big bad bosses will be a lot more annoying than you'd like.

On the other hand, the locals that the game offers, really are something else, and as you said, the production values are quite up there (as seen in graphics, music, sound effects, and good voice acting). The whole thing'll feel a bit strange in the beginning (teaming up with Pluto and Donald, of all things), but soon you'll get used to its rather unique take on... er... Final Fantasy meets Disney.

And most importantly, you'll find a lot more of a story in this Action RPG, than you would at most others, even if it is a tiny bit hokey.

So, should you spend $20 on it? Sure, give it a go. You may end up loving the game, and be glad to know there's a sequel in the near future waiting.

[TheMissingLink]

I posted in the gg thread, but man, this game is a treat.  I played for about 11 hours and put it away.  I got interested in it again and fired it up.  I got HOOKED.  The fighting didn't get monotonous to me...you get more moves later in the game.  I take my time in games, so leveling isn't a problem for me.  I had trouble with one boss, but the game was never hard for me.  Just make sure you're buddies have healing potions equipped and have them cover for you if need be.  I loved the game.  One of my favorites of all-time.

[Destructor]

Tales of Destiny, my friend. Pick that one up instead and stay away from the Disney world.

On a more serious note though, I found that Kingdom Hearts was a pretty good game. The voice acting was great, but the game as a whole did get boring about halfway through. The constant fighting just didn't grab on to me.

Tales of Destiny though has battles that tends to last around 15 seconds, tops (short of boss fights). And it's extremely fast-paced and filled with energy.

That, and it's the best RPG on the Gamecube, hands down. Sure, there's only like 4 RPGs on the console, but that's not my point.

[aledromo]

Tales of Destiny?  That was on the PS1.  Are you talking about Symphonia?

[farley2k]

I plan to pick up Tales as soon as it is $19.99

[Dreamshadow]

I think he meant Tales of Symphonia...Tales of Destiny was an earlier PS1 title in the Namco RPG line.

[Destructor]

I think he meant Tales of Symphonia...Tales of Destiny was an earlier PS1 title in the Namco RPG line.

Brain...hurt...

I'm going away now to get some sleep.

[EddieA]

Don't forget Tales of Destiny 2, which was called Tales of Eternia in Japan or the Japanese Tales of Destiny 2 for the PS2, which is a sequel Tales of Destiny for the PSOne