Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX (#) /PS3

First off I would like to say that if this game was not on sale when I bought it (15.99) it would not be worth the cost. however, I cannot say this game is a waste of money entirly. If you never played the original kingdom hearts it is a great game that deserves to be played. you also get chain of memories which is a port of the game boy advanced card based action game which is fun but definitely only worth playing if you want to get the whole story between KH1 and KH2. (Because KH2 can be very confusing if you don't know the back story). This collection also contains the CINIMATICS-only version of 365/2 days which also fills you in on the backstory of some of the characters in kh2. More on this game later. I suggest getting this collection if it stays less than 20 dollars however if you are one of those people who played the original version you might not find the new version that much of an upgrade to make it worth it. It is also worth noting that KH2 is not part of this collection and will be part of its own collection to be released at the end of 2014.Now to the actual gameplay of kingdom hearts 1.5 collection: I was very split with how I felt when I played this game. I played the original kingdom hearts and hingdom hearts 2 on the ps2 and loved them, completing both 100%. I never bought chain of memories or 365/2 because I didn't have a handheld so I was exited to play them on ps3. The first thing I did was open up 365/2 days thinking it was the full game. Instead what I got was all of the cut scenes with these poorly constructed text scenes to fill in what is supposed to happen during actual gameplay. I got through 4 cutscenes before I realized that no game was coming and was severally dissapointed. I don't know how hard it would have been to port the game to ps3 but if they could do it for chain of memories why couldn't they do it for 365/2? It's nice to get the story, however I found that it was annoying to get a cool scene with voice acting and then 3 minuites later have to read a 4 paragraph text box explaining what happened between scenes. And this game was long, the title says 365 days, and there is litterally a text box every 2-3 "days". It continues to play without you needing to push any buttons after a text box but that is both a good and bad thing. I feel like they don't give you enough time to read everything before removing the text so I missed out on a lot of information because I would look away from the screen during cutscenes to find a text box had popped up without me noticing. The one other complaint I had was that it seemed towards the end of the story they got really lazy with editing and didn't put some text box information that was direly needed between a few cutscenes. The whole thing takes about 4 hours to play through from beginning to end and once you have seen a chapter a chapter selection on the main screen lets you go to any chapter you have already seen. Once you finish the whole thing it opens up a charactor page which let's you look at information about the different characters that appear in the story, and there are achievements... For getting through the whole blasted thing. That is pretty much all there is to this part of the game. It was a real letdown because I had wanted to play the game for a long time and it just seems like they were either lazy or ran out of time so I will probibly never watch this again. I will say that the one redeeming thing for this game is the amazing story. Even though I was distracted by the bad editing the story caught my heart and I really felt for the characters as they discovered who they were and what must be done to make things right.The next part of the collection I opened was the remastered kingdom hearts 1 game. I must say that the graphics, although not mindboggalingly better than the original are crisper both in the cutscenes and while playing the game. I like that because the graininess during play on the ps2 version used to make my eyes hurt. I didn't get far in the game because I like to level grind however it seemed like all the cutscenes up until the Alice in wonderland level are exactly the same. As of right now the only difference I can see is that there are a few changes to when you get certain abilities when leveling up. It might be more different later on.If you have never played kingdom hearts 1 before this is pretty much how it goes: in the beginning you choose between 3 classes in an unconventional way. You choose between sword, shield, or staff (strength, defense, or magic) then get rid of one of the ones you didn't choose. ( for example I chose magic, and got rid of defense. This effects what powers and stats you get as you level up. Your only weapon is the key blade (and whatever magic you want to use), and you recieve two companions Donald and goofy to fight along side you in a hack and slash style fighting. You travel between disney themed worlds each of which has it's own mini story you need to complete in order to progress in the overarching story. In the worlds you battle heartless, talk to disney characters and solve simple puzzles while collecting items and new spells. Traveling between worlds is a minigame where you are in a space ship shooting down opposing space ships to get to the end of the mini level without dying. The story of kh1 is innocent and well written with some cute disney humor and themes of friendship and belief in oneself. It gets a little darker as you near the end of the game but it is never anything a child would have trouble understanding. I played this game for the story, but I also think the gameplay is good too. The battle system is pretty easy to use and will fit any playing style because you can apply different moves and magic to fit your style. The one issue I have is the bad camera, which can get stuck on the environment if you are in a close quarter and need to do some platform ing. One new thing that they added that was cool is that now you can skip through cutscenes which in the original was not possible. This helps a lot with battling some of the harder bosses that you often have to battle multiple times to beat. It would get really annoying having to watch a 3 min cut scene every time. Like I said in the begenning this version doesn't have that much of an upgrade but it is nice to have it on a new platform with some graphic clean up. There are achievements added and most of them have to do with beating certain bosses or completing worlds, it's a nice touch but I don't really need achievements so this additive didn't matter to me.The third and final part of this game is the chain of memories port. I must confess at this time I only played the first couple of levels and for the most part it looks pretty much the same as the game boy advanced version. The cutscenes graphics have gotten a facelift but pretty much everything is left the same. I thought the shift to a card based game is kinda strange. When you go into a battle you are transported to a battle stage where there are a few enemies moving around in a pappermario-esque partial 3d environment. You move around your charactor and have to aim at enemies individually like a hack and slash but what power you use is based on a deck of cards you work through as the battle continues. You collect cards by defeating enemies and can rearrange your deck to get combos. It's a cool idea but I found this style of gameplay very difficult to use because you have to move your charactor and position yourself while scrolling through your deck to find he cards you want to use. The story takes place right after kingdom hearts 1 and before kindgom hearts 365/2 and introduces a new type of enemy as well as a bunch of new characters who are sited in 365/2 kh2 and most likely the upcoming kindgom hearts 3 title. There aren't many cutscenes and most of the story is revealed through speech bubbles the in game characters communicate with. This means a lot of reading.So in conclusion, kingdom hearts 1.5 remix has 2 games and 1 cenimayic. The remastered kh1 is good with added cutscenes and a graphic facelift, as well as the new skipping cutscenes and achievements. Chain of memories is ok, not much changed and is kinda a mediocre game to begin with, with a good story but too much text reading. Finally the 365/2 Cinimatic which I consider bad. With lazy editing, the lack of the playable game, and text that moves too quickly the only redeaming feature of this one is it's amazing story.I suggest only buying this if you have never played any of them and you are interested in playing kingdom hearts 2 (which is wonderful) and only then if it continues to cost less than $20.00.

**Before I start my review, I'd like to note that I have not played Re:Chain of Memories yet. This review is primarily about the Final Mix and the few videos I've seen of 358/2 Days.**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 ars 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. There are new bosses as well. Each of them appear after you've accomplished sealing a keyhole at a specific world.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.)I'm not really sure what to think about the 358/2 Days cinematic. I never actually played the real game since I was more interested in a true followup to KH2. It's nice to see the cutscenes for it, though. It saved me the time of actually playing the game. I enjoyed the story to it, but it mostly foreshadows the events in KH2. If you already own the game, it won't do much for you, but if you don't already have the game, you might want to go for KH 1.5, watch 358/2 Days, and find out if you like the story enough to buy it. Of course, you could be more frugal and watch the walk-through on Youtube.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.

I had a wonderful feeling of nostalgia when I first heard rumors of this remix and leapt for joy when it became official. Years ago when the idea of mixing Final Fantasy with elements from Disney and then tossing them into the various animations I grew up watching, I must admit that it seemed like a bad idea. Somehow it worked and I'm glad it did.Like so many other fans, I had a lot of unanswered questions surrounding this remix. Having played this game for a couple of days now, those questions have been answered. I feel that the best way for me to approach this review is to create two separate sections: one those completely new to Kingdom Hearts and another for those looking to relive an epic adventure.For Those New to Kingdom Hearts:Let's start by addressing some of the more common questions that new players would have.Is Kingdom Hearts a Good Game?While Kingdom Hearts utilizes characters from Final Fantasy, the gameplay does not match that of Final Fantasy. It's more of an action based RPG in that you fight battles in real time. With that said, it's not the typical button-mashing action game either (assuming you play it on PROUD mode - i.e. highest difficulty). Kingdom Hearts requires a different strategy for each mob. So if you like RPG and action games, then Kingdom Hearts is a perfect match.Is Kingdom Hearts 1.5 Remix worth the cost?You are getting a total of 2 playable games and 1 game worth of scenes. In essence, three games worth of story in all. So yes, you will get your money's worth.What Order Should I play these Games In?The play order of Kingdom Hearts can be very confusing for beginners to the franchise. The reason for the order is due to handheld releases. With that said, the order is actually listed correctly within the game. It is as follows:1. Kingdom Hearts Remix2. Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories (sounds like spam email)3. Kingdom Hearts 358/2You will need to play all three of these games in order to understand the events of Kingdom Hearts 2.For Fans of the Franchise:Now let's move onto some questions that I, as a long-time fan of this series, needed answered.What exactly is included in Kingdom Hearts 1.5?The Japan based version of Kingdom Hearts 1 has not only been fully remastered, but some of the content has been tweaked also. For example, some of the treasure contents have been swapped, scenes changed just a little bit, and so forth. The camera has been changed to the right analog stick (fans will remember the horrible L1/R1 camera movement). The Japan version has more content so NA fans can expect to experience both nostalgia and fresh content.Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories is about the same as the PS2 version - with the exception of the remastered scenes.Kingdom Hearts 358/2 is not playable. The remastered content is available via a theatre option. For trophy lovers, you will be pleased to know that you get trophies simply for watching these scenes.Furthermore, this is all included on 1 disc and before you ask, no - there is no huge download required like with the Assassin's Creed trilogy release a year ago. Everything has been fit onto a single disc.Where is Kingdom Hearts 2?I would venture a guess and say that if KH 1.5 is successful, then we can expect a 2.5 release in the near future (before KH3). Trust me, you will not be disappointed with KH 1.5 is you are a fan of the franchise.

I have played through Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II on my PS2. Having never had the handheld systems, I never had the chance to play some of the other games. I am a big fan of the Kingdom Hearts games and the franchise as a whole. When I heard Kingdom Hearts would be on my PS3, I did not hesitate to get this. However, it just didn't live up to what I was hoping for. Let me clarify, I love the actual game -- the original that is. This remixed version is just as good as the original and actually a lot better -- graphics have been touched up a bit, new content, new items and such. If you enjoyed the original, you will love this game. So that being said, you're probably looking at my rating and saying, "Okay -- then why just three stars?" The reason I didn't rate this game higher (despite my love for the first one) is simply because this collection falls flat after that.The first game (aside from some terrible camera controls) is epic and a thoroughly good time. Exploring different worlds, meeting characters, weaving the unique storyline, searching for unlockables, great combat and boss battles, etc etc. Then you play the next game, Re: Chain of Memories. The story doesn't progress much, in my opinion. It reveals some of the backstory and introduces us to characters who are prominent in later games, but I was left wanting more. Rehashing basically the same worlds and bosses is essentially what kept the story flat. My biggest peeve with this game is the card system. To use the keyblade, cast magic, use items, etc, you need to collect cards. Sure, they're easy to get -- you can find them in smashing objects, purchasing them from Moogles and of course, from combat, but the system is just obnoxious. You have to sort and organize a deck to use in combat. In combat, you need to play a card higher than your opponent (starting to sound like Euchre) otherwise your attack is blocked and often countered. It gets very tedious in battle trying to scroll through your cards to find what you want, all the while dodging attacks. This isn't so bad during battles with lower level enemies, but once you hit some of the boss battles it becomes a real big pain. If you're like me, you just want to swing your keyblade, fight, dodge, cast magic as you please, use items you have in stock, etc. It shouldn't be gauged on whether or not I just happen to have the right cards. If I wanted this sort of experience, I would play a collectible card game. I wanted to like this game, as it's Kingdom Hearts, but I just could not get into it. By the end, I felt like I was completing it out of formality, not pleasure.Unfortunately, the third part of this collection isn't even a game. WHAT!? Yeah, you read that right. It's about 3 hours worth of cinematics which walk you through the story of the game 358/2. I was actually stoked to play this game, as I knew it was a return to the previous game play of the original (ie; no stupid cards). Shame on me for not reading prior to purchase, but at a glance, I did think it was three games. I mean, in my opinion, why not include it? I'm sure they have their reasons, but that doesn't make this any less of a disappointment.I would say if you're looking for a great collection of games, you won't find it here. If you loved the original Kingdom Hearts or are looking to play it for the first time, then you're good with this set. It's fairly inexpensive and, quite frankly, the value for the first game alone is there. However, rating this as a collection of games, I have to give an overall lower rating. The original Kingdom Hearts is a 10/10 -- I can dismiss the annoying camera, as you eventually grow accustomed to its erratic behavior at times. However, Chain of Memories and the lack of an actual game for 358/2 knock its star rating down a couple pegs. While I am happy to have the original Kingdom Hearts in my game library once again, I am left wanting a little more out of this collection as a whole.

Nostalgic feels when playing the game. The final mix makes the game harder. Specifically, the synthesizing is more tedious. It’s nearly impossible to get the Ultimate Weapon in this version which is a big disappointment. Also, the audio is bugging out half the time because the PS3 can’t handle the audio configuration I’m assuming.