This past week or so I have decided to take a break from that norm and go down a different route, so I dug my PS2 out and started to re-play the classic Kingdom Hearts (KH). Ever since my partner in crime Leon did his KH DS review it got me remembering how great the previous PS2 games were. So I dove right in.

The first time I played this game I couldn’t stop, it is that addictive, I had to show my friends and pretty much everyone I knew about it. But what gets me is, some people on my gaming level back at home take one look at Kingdom Hearts and either laugh or run away. Why? well they assume that just because it features Disney character it is automatically dubbed a “kids game”.

Now I can fully understand this sudden ‘WTF’ moment. I mean gamers these days don’t think that a game that consists of characters from both Final Fantasy and Disney would make a good and successful game franchise such as this one. Well it has, This game is pretty damn far from a kids game for a fair few reasons which I will list now.

The Story Line

Lets face it – classic Disney story lines consist of either a man and a woman who find each other, notice they are in love, sing about it a bit then finally get married, or the usual Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse tale which is pretty slapstick and has five-year olds laughing at it for hours on end. The whole Kingdom Hearts series however, has such a deep story line which comprises of its own characters as well as Disney and Final Fantasy, I think kids would get lost just after the part where Hollow Bastion is mentioned; hell if they manage it through KH1, then KH2 would totally confuse them with the whole of Organisation XIII, because quite frankly I was still a bit confused with Roxas’ appearance at the start of KH2, even though I did read Chain of Memories inbetween the two games.

Gameplay

We all know, if you’re going to start any RPG you going to find things quite simple to start off with – I gave this game to a couple of my mates back home and they got totally bored after five seconds through the tutorial. (That, and I think they were totally bamboozled by the 14-year-old kid wielding a huge key around.) Anyway, as the story – and indeed the game – progresses, the controls inevitably get more complex, you have your spells which you have to assign, your equipment items you have to arrange, and your Potions and Ethers you have to give each character to use in battle. Hell, I am only talking about KH1 and 2 here on the PS2. If you happen to play KH: Chain of memories on the Game Boy Advance, then the gameplay takes another confusing turn. You have to attack using a card system which is damn complex in its own right, and takes the best of us gamers a while to grasp. To be frank kids will have more fun sticking Lego up their nose than playing this.

Nostalgia

I was talking with Leon about this whole KH issue, and he made a very valid point. True this game does use Disney characters, but you have to realise that these are Disney characters of our generation (2o’s-30′s). These are the characters we grew up with, Kids nowadays are growing up with CGI characters like Bolt and crazy singing dancing weirdos such as those guys from High School Musical. They are more likely to play this game and ask where the hell is Zack Effron more than say “Awesome, Hades from Hercules is here”.

It’s Not All About Disney

What a lot of people don’t realise when they play or hear about this game is that it’s not all about Disney. As I have mentioned a couple of times in this post, it also has Final Fantasy characters that the RPG fanatics will be raving over; you have all the fan favorites, like Cloud, Tifa and Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII, Squall from VIII and Tidus and Wakka from X amongst a load of others.

But the great thing here is, the game doesn’t just run on characters from Final Fantasy and Disney alone. It has its own characters which are pretty much as awesome as the others, like Sora, Riku and Roxas. They are the driving force of this game, whereas the Disney and FF lot are just there to back them up and put some big smiles on gamers faces.

So to sum up: To begin with, I was very confused that a game with Disney characters could appeal to a lot of gamers out there. But when you actually play it, this game is in a totally different league to kids games. Just because it is about kids, doesn’t mean it’s for them. So for those of you out there who are a little confused and put off by the concept, don’t be. This game is a must play and a joy to behold, I am sure when you do play it, you will get a good sence of nostalgia and a great gaming experience.

Garv!

When it comes down to Disney games, most of them out there are just cheap knock offs of blockbuster movies, that never really do a Disney film justice. Games like Cars, which I played as a free demo that came with my Xbox. Looked nice graphically but really didn’t have the imagination or charm that the film had. There is one exception of a Disney game that spawned straight from a film and that’s Disney’s Aladdin back on the Sega mega-drive. But other than that non of them really cut the mustard.

Every now and then you get a Disney game that doesn’t have a distinct link to one Disney film and is pretty awesome. The classic example here being Kingdom Hearts, which is a really good RPG and has a massive following from all ages, this is because it does have links with another hugely popular game franchise, Final Fantasy. But it also brings its own unique charm and story line that has never been seen on the silver screen.

This weekend I came across another Disney game that has real potential. This game again doesn’t have a distinctive link to one Disney film. This game also bring the certain charm of older Disney cartoons and films which people first fell in love with. So sit back and relax as I tell you the unique story of Disney’s Epic Mickey.

Back in the 1920′s Mickey Mouse was the main star, created from the mind of Walt Disney, his silent films and cartoon brought joy to millions of fans back then, with his comic charm and cheeky nature he really was the center of attention back in the 20′s and beyond. This however was not Mr Disney’s original plan as Mickey actually took the lime light from Walt’s original character Oswald the bunny, this is the basic premise for the story in Disney’s Epic Mickey.

Mickey being the curious mouse he is, one day decides to explore the world on the other side of his looking-glass, upon entering this new world he sees the sorcerer Yen Sid (the powerful sorcerer from the sorcerer’s apprentice part of the film Fantasia) who creates a pen and ink world of ‘things that have been forgotten’ which consists of Walt Disney’s rejected and forgotten creations. As Yen Sid leaves his creation, Mickey goes in for a closer inspection, and accidentally spills paint and thinner all over the new world, in a crazed panic, Mickey tries to clean up his mess, but it is too late, so he runs back through the looking-glass, as the Phantom Blot, Mickey’s enemy from the classic 1920′s cartoons  is created. Then one night while Mickey is asleep, he is stolen by the Phantom Blot and dragged into Yen Sid’s now destroyed world, this gives us the setting for Epic Mickey.

This is another 3D platformer, which follows Mickey mouse as he tries to figure out how to escape the world he has been dragged into. The basic game play involves Mickey armed with a paint brush. He can use paint and thinner as he pleases to paint in parts of the world to aid him on his journey, or erase obstacles that stand in his way using the thinner. This gives the player some great interaction with the scenery and indeed the levels as a whole. It also gives the player a great opportunity to experiment and explore the world they way they want to.

Epic Mickey also works on a moral choice system giving another element to the game play, you can choose to be a hero, a scrapper or a neutral character, this in turn changes Mickey’s appearance, and also gives some great replay value to the game, which some big games now-a days are lacking.

One of my favorite things in this game is the revival of Oswald the Bunny. An ally to Mickey who you will meet early on in the game, Oswald is a fantastic character who I didn’t know much about till I was looking up info on Epic Mickey, and it is really nice to see that Disney are reviving the classic character that Mickey stole the lime light from. I am looking forward to more from Oswald as the game progresses. Another nice little touch in this game is that the characters don’t talk, this I really thought was a great touch seeing as Mickey never used to speak and it is also a great revival for the Mouse, who people first fell in love with in the 1920′s.

Disney’s Epic Micky, for me is a great platformer, using a good moral system and some well thought out platforming, it is a Wii game that I will be looking out for. Lets hope its charm shines through till the end.

Garv

Kingdom Hearts is one of my favourite series, comprising so far of two main titles, and three handheld – Birth By Sleep being the latest of the latter. While KH1 and 2 were great games, the handheld titles (Chain of Memories and 358/2 Days) felt as though they lacked as individual games – they were playable, of course, and enjoyable in some aspects, but mainly they worked as components that fleshed out the Kingdom Hearts backstory and more than likely wouldn’t provide much entertainment – or make much sense – to a non-Kingdom Hearts fan. However, it was stated that Birth By Sleep on the PSP was to be the biggest handheld title yet, and a prequel big enough in scale and importance to be regarded as “Kingdom Hearts 0″.

While the previous hand-held titles hadn’t been able to properly capture the gameplay of a real console Kingdom Hearts – 358/2 Days restricting KH-style gameplay to small, mission based zones – Birth By Sleep definitely manages to come the closest. There are various worlds to explore (the majority being Disney based, of course), and the game’s progression structure is very much the same as the console titles. The main difference being – you play as three characters, rather than one. Be warned – while this game is a prequel, there are one or two minor spoilers coming as there are some connections with the previous titles.

Being a prequel to the series, BBS has a brand new cast. Terra, Ventus and Aqua take the lead, pupils training to become Keyblade Masters – living a decade before the original Kingdom Hearts. The elder of the two, Terra and Aqua, are preparing for their tests to decide whether or not they become Masters. However, things get messy after their test when their Master Xehanort goes missing, strange monsters start appearing on various worlds, and their Master Eraqus warns them that the Princesses of Heart are in danger. The three split up and go their own ways – all with their own agendas – finding Xehanort, stopping the evil creatures, and looking after one another along the way. Although the characters are new (although Ventus looks like Roxas from KHII, for reasons that are unclear from the start), I still found myself getting attached to them as with previous characters in the series.

Once you have progressed through the introduction of the game, you can then choose which character you wish to play as. While all three characters share the same introduction, the game then branches off at this point, into three separate storylines. While each storyline is somewhat smaller than KHI/II, their combined length comes to that of that of a full console title.

A lot of the Disney worlds are new to the game – such as the worlds of Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and Lilo & Stitch – but there are a couple of recurring ones, too. They still retain the same quality as ever, and it’s quite nice to see some of the more classic films that haven’t already been covered. As the game is a prequel, some of the recurring characters are actually younger – although obviously characters such as Mickey never age a day! You’ll also be seeing a few of the older Kingdom Hearts specific worlds, although I won’t spoil which ones. Regardless to say, there’s a fair amount of worlds and environments to explore.

Although all three characters go to the same worlds, the game actually deals with it rather well. Instead of each character going to the same places and doing the same things, it’s more as if each character gets to either see the beginning, middle, or conclusion of that world’s story – and even go to different areas within those worlds at times. For instance, Ventus takes part in the beginning of Cinderella’s plot, encountering her within her home, and helping Jaq the mouse to fix her dress for the ball, whereas Terra meets her as she goes to the ball itself. It all works together quite well, and gives the feeling that each character has a part to play without feeling too repetitive.

As always, the enemies of the game comprise of a mix of unique opponents, and those based on Disney characters. While KHI and II had Heartless and Nobodies, KH:BBS introduces the Unversed, emotions manifesting themselves as monsters. They look somewhat between the two previous enemies – dark like heartless, but more spiked and rigid like the Nobodies. All in all, they’re equally well designed and fit in well with the game’s design. There are some tricky enemies in the mix, however – such as projectile based opponents, and bomb-like enemies that explode if you don’t attack them from the back – so don’t expect to just mash your way through! The game’s bosses are all quite impressive, living up to the standard of the main titles with a mix of Disney villains (such as Malificent) and giant Unversed, such as an evil Pumpkin Carriage in the Cinderella world. Generally, one of the three characters will fight the main villain of each world, while the other two will fight a lesser boss – but they’re all fairly good anyway.

The battle system itself feels like a classic KH title, but it does have it’s own twists. Each character has a deck, which comprises of slots for Battle Commands, Action Commands, and special ShotLock attacks. Battle Commands comprise of special attacks such as Blitz or Strike Raid, magic spells such as Fire or Cure, and Items such as Potions. Action Commands improve your jumping height, give abilities such as evasive manoeuvres, and blocking skills. ShotLock commands are powerful magic attacks that use a special meter to activate.

For each Battle Command ability you equip, it adds another option to a scrolling menu on the screen, which you can toggle through by pressing the D-pad. You can at first equip three at once, and unlock more slots as you go. By selecting one of your abilities that you have set, you may then use it by pressing triangle. However, once activated, each ability takes a certain amount of time to reload before it can be used again. You can equip multiple of the same ability, though.

As abilities are collected somewhat like items, it’s also possible to use synthesis to combine them – for instance combining a Sliding Dash with a Fire ability may create a Fire Slide move, and so on. There are quite a lot of abilities, so unless you really look hard you might not find them all. Also, the three characters all have their own innate strengths that make them better with certain abilities than others – Aqua is more of a skilled mage, while Terra is more physical-based.

In fact, the game has even more abilities than that. As you progress through the game, you unlock “D-Links” which are sort of transformations you can activate, based on characters you meet throughout the game. For the most part, these D-Links give you custom ability sets, although they mostly have unique finishing moves, such as the D-Link with Stitch which activates the Ukulele finishing move that is unique to that link. On top of regular abilities and D-Links, you can also enter other modes such as “Firestorm” or “Spellweaver” modes by using certain types of attacks in the same combo – which will temporarily improve your basic combo and element. To be honest there are almost too many abilities to see all of them as you go through the game, but it’s better than too few.

Of course, there are plenty of Keyblades to collect through the game. And unlike the fairly generic Keyblades seen in 358/2 Days, BBS is the first handheld title to have it’s own set of world-specific Keyblades, meaning you get a Keyblade based on the theme of each of the worlds you visit, which is a nice touch. Sadly, all three of the characters get the same set of world-keyblades, so they get a little stale on the third time round. However, they do all have a few keyblades that are unique to themselves, so there’s still a few to look forward to.

As a Final Fantasy fan, I was a little disappointed at the lack of FF cast in the game. While 358/2 Days left them out partly for storyline purposes (since Roxas wasn’t meant to meet anyone Sora had/would meet), it was the only element I felt disappointed by in BBS. It’s true that the game is stable with just the KH and Disney characters, but for a lot of fans who loved the (frequent) cameos, it does feel as if something is missing. Aside from moogles, and a single Final Fantasy character, the game has none at all – with no references such as Keyblades, either. As good as the game is, there was something awesome about fighting Cloud, Squall, Yuffie and Sephiroth in KH1, and also getting to fight alongside them in KH2. Sora’s forged a bit of a friendship with some of them, so I do hope KH3 doesn’t omit them in the future.

KH:BBS also incorporates a number of mini-games. To be honest, most of them aren’t that great. There’s a racing game where the characters ride their own “Keyblade Ships” that they use to get between worlds, although it feels a little like a shoddy attempt at a kart racer, as well as a few small rhythm games, and a few other little challenges. Some people may enjoy them, but I found them rather boring.

However, there is one shining gem amongst these – the Command Board. This game, for the easiest example, is a lot like Monopoly. There are several boards you unlock throughout the game based on various worlds, and your opponents also depend on which board you are playing. The game involves rolling a dice to move around the board, laying “Ability Cards” from your hand as tiles on the board, the cards depending on which abilities you own in-game. Doing so allows you to capture tiles for yourself, and your opponents must pay you money if they land on them. There are four coloured squares dotted around the map, and passing all four and returning to the start gets you a lot of money. The first player to reach a certain value (money on hand, and total tile value) wins the game. Some squares allow you to “Level up” your tiles to improve their value, while other squares activate special abilities depending on the map – for instance, the Keyblade Glider tile on the first map allows you to travel to any square you wish on the board. There’s a lot of other rules to the game, but I can’t explain them all as it’s practically a game in itself! Still, it’s very good fun, and you can also pick up a few new abilities and improve your own along the way.

Overall, Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep is an excellent addition to the series. It has a solid plot, uncovering even more important plot points to the series, gives us a bit of extra backstory, and does of course have it’s own links to the overall KH timeline. While it does feel as though you essentially play three smaller stories than one large one, the overall experience feels complete enough to match up to it’s console peers. While I’d mainly recommend Chain of Memories for the plot aspects, and would only recommend 358/2 Days to big fans of the series, Birth By Sleep is a great game in itself, and works as more than just filler. It’s a solid Kingdom Hearts game all by itself.

-Leon

After the initial release and success of Kingdom Hearts, it has been a rapidly growing franchise – initially followed by the fairly quiet GBA title Chain of Memories, it wasn’t quite so apparent how successful the series was until it was followed up by the equally amazing sequel, Kingdom Hearts II. A master at annoyingly tantalising cliffhangers, Tetsuya Nomura and his band of miscreants have never failed to want me aching for more – each game feeling so complete before ending with some enigmatic video that opens up a whole set of new questions. As such, KHII ended with a special ending that opened up a ton of possibilities, and four years later I still don’t know the meaning of some of the events that unfolded. We have since had 358/2 Days, which helped to develop things further and fill in some blank spots between games, but yet there are still unanswered questions just waiting to be resolved. Although we still have no official news of Kingdom Hearts 3 (the production team mainly focusing on Final Fantasy Versus XIII), there are not one, not two, but three new hand held titles on the horizon to keep us hooked until then.

Birth by Sleep

Although the Japanese have annoyingly had this game for five months already (…sigh…), the next title to be released is the first PSP title to date, Birth by Sleep. A prequel referred to as “Episode 0″ by Nomura, it is supposedly as important to the overall plot as the two main titles of the series so far released. Starring Terra, Aqua and Ventus, (mystery characters introduced in the secret ending of KHII) the game focuses on the search for “Master Xehanort”, an evil ‘Keyblade Master’ whom they wish to defeat in their struggle to become Masters themselves. Featuring a totally rehauled battle system, more Disney worlds and characters, and even a cameo appearance by FFVII: Crisis Core’s Zack Fair, the game is split into three scenarios, with the player controlling each of the characters individually for their own side of the plot. Ventus bears an uncanny resemblence to Roxas – so it will be interesting to see what unfolds. Birth by Sleep will be released this September – and I cannot wait.

Re:coded

As far as I can tell, no official word has been given on exactly what Re:coded is, but general consensus is that it will be a DS version of Japanese-only mobile phone release Kingdom Hearts: Coded. Coded was set after the events of KHII, following Sora as he enters a virtual world based on Jiminy’s journal in order to understand a mysterious message discovered within it – “We must return to free them from their torment.” It seems to be a less important aspect to the main story than BBS, but it’s nice to see that the international market is being considered – mobile phones aren’t as technologically advanced as in the East, but that doesn’t mean we really wanted to miss out on games such as Final Fantasy: Before Crisis, and God of War: Betrayal. No real information or idea of a release on this one, but hopefully it’ll show itself sooner or later.

Kingdom Hearts 3D

Nintendo had a pretty impressive line-up at E3 this year, but the thing that (suprisingly) caught my attention most of all is the newly announced Nintendo 3DS. It wasn’t actually the console itself that interested me, more the line up of exclusive game titles that have been announced. It’s a pretty strong line up – with the likes of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and Metal Gear Solid 3, but nothing sounds quite as exciting as the currently dubbed ‘Kingdom Hearts 3D’. Not a lot is known about the plot – and it’s hard to see where it’s going to fit in – it seems Sora and Riku are in their younger KHI forms, and Traverse Town is back – yet introductions have shown the likes of Nobodies in the game. I’m not sure there’s really a place that these scenes make sense – but I’m sure we’ll find out in time. My guess is some kind of “virtual” version of worlds in the style of Chain of Memories, but there’s no way to know for now. Anyway – what we do know is that it’s Kingdom Hearts, it’s a completely new story, it’s looking fantastic – and it seems both Sora and Riku will be playable. The game is looking up to the same standard as the original PS2 in graphics, so as long as they keep up the gameplay and plot I think we’re in for something good.

Kingdom Hearts 3…?

So where does that leave us? With a prequel, a sequel and something unknown – but it looks like we’ll be seeing a lot of expansion on the KH world over the next couple of years. However, Nomura has stated that Kingdom Hearts III is in the conceptual stages – and it seems it’s more or less confirmed to be in the pipeline. He has confirmed a couple of things that are good to know – Sora will always be the lead protagonist, and III won’t necessarily be the end of the series – only the “Xehanort saga”.

So – we’ve got at least four more KH games to come, and possibly more. And that’s a whole lot of Kingdom Hearts…

-Leon

However, then came a saviour from the past – Square Enix, owners of Final Fantasy, a newer franchise I had come to love, announced a joint project – Kingdom Hearts. Older now that I was, I couldn’t imagine it. Gunblades and Alice and Wonderland? Cloud Strife and Donald Duck? It could never work!

But it did. As soon as I actually played the game, my eyes were open and I fell in love with a new idea, the colourful worlds of Disney symbiotically merging with the concepts of Final Fantasy, and becoming something even more. Aside from taking me back to the old memories, it actually did something new – it somehow managed to bring a new maturity to Disney, while retaining it’s childlike innocence. And it made Mickey kick ass. I never thought I’d see the day that Mickey Mouse would be imbued with fighting spirit, or that I could even be fooled into believing that Goofy were killed in battle. But it happened, and it was good. I wanted more – and I still do, even after the sequels and spin-off titles. And while I still wait for Birth By Sleep, and hope for news of a Kingdom Hearts III, I’ve found something that has peaked my interest for a similar type of enjoyment.

You see - when Kingdom Hearts did the impossible, and brought a new maturity to Disney’s characters, some people at Disney slated it as an ‘abomination’, an idea that shouldn’t have existed. But the people loved it, and pleaded for more. It seems that Disney have realised that people enjoy seeing their favourite cartoon characters in a new light – and that there’s more potential to create something spectacular. So soon, we’ll be seeing just that – in the form of Disney’s Epic Mickey.

The story of Epic Mickey lies in a similar vein to that of Fantasia - the mischevious mouse causes trouble in the study of his master – the sorcerer from Fantasia itself – Yen Sid. Hidden through a mirror, Mickey finds a miniature theme park called the Cartoon Wasteland, a living world populated by all of Yen Sid’s forgotten and rejected creations. Panicked as he hears his master approaching, he accidentally spills paint and paint thinner over the model world, and flees after hastily cleaning up.

However, his actions are not without consequence, the fluids creating an evil creature within the world known as the “Phantom Blot”, who attempts to take over the Cartoon Wasteland, which is ruled by Mickey’s long lost brother, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Years later, his deed forgotten, Mickey finds himself sucked through a mirror, into a twisted version of the Cartoon Wasteland - a disgraced Oswald seeking revenge on the brother who destroyed his world.

It all sounds quite sinister, and the world seems to be very surreal and bizarre – looking something like a dark mix of Alice and Wonderland’s randomness, and the surreal magic of Fantasia. Originally planned for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, Disney instead opted for creating it solely for the Nintendo Wii. It could perhaps mean the game won’t look quite as crisp as it could have done – but hopefully Disney knew what they were doing here.

The gameplay itself is said to focus largely on platforming with RPG elements, and looks to be a third-person title in a similar style to that of Kingdom Hearts. There will be combat of some description – since there are said to be bosses and enemies, but little is known of the actual system. However, in Okami-like style, it seems Mickey will be equipped with a paintbrush that gives him the ability to create things – such as bridges – by using Paint, and the ability to destroy things by using Paint Thinner, including both obstacles and enemies. Also, it will be possible to draw certain sketches in order to activate special powers, such as a clock to slow time, or a television to distract enemies.

It seems the game will not be entirely linear – offering possible side quests, and a sort of morality level not unlike that of Imfamous or Fable, swaying between statuses of “Hero” and “Scrapper”, depending on your actions. Your status will in turn affect Mickey’s appearance, abilities, and even how other characters react and communicate with you – so it looks as though playing through as a “Hero” may offer a fairly different experience to playing through as “Scrapper Mickey”.

There will apparently be multiple ways to solve certain levels, and although the exploration of the game has not been explained fully yet, there will be 2D platforming sections that are used to travel between areas, based on classic cartoon shorts, such as Clock Cleaners.

The game really is looking quite dark, with some of the most twisted creations Disney has ever seen – artwork depicts barren wastelands and some sort of Mickey-inspired robot that looks like something from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Mickey’s enemies will include spawn of the Phantom Blot, known as ‘Blotlings’, robotic creations called “Beetleworx” sent the Blot’s henchman ‘The Mad Doctor’ (seen before in the classic Mickey Mania), and also the children of Oswald, cute creatures that seemingly impede Mickey’s progress in more non-violent ways such as grabbing hold of him and refusing to let go.

It seems Epic Mickey will be focusing on more vintage work than that of Kingdom Hearts, with many of the characters and villains from older concepts and such. However, with a steampunk-like style and some elements of post-apocalyptic influences, we’ll be seeing many of them in a new light. But it’s not only characters we’ll be seeing – it’s been said we’ll be seeing some areas inspired by real-world Disney locations, such as Disney’s “Spaceship Earth” from the Epcot park, and Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion, It’s a Small World and Cinderella’s Castle attractions.

I look forward to seeing more about this game – but I definitely think it’s looking to be something quite unique. Whether or not the game will be any good is yet to be seen – but Disney have definitely got a powerful concept here.

-Leon

The levels are very loosely based on the popular Disney movies, revolving mainly around having to find a legendary ship which can defeat the Kraken, the most feared beastie of the seas. You travel through areas such as Port Royal and the cannibal islands, with plenty of swimming and jumping around on boats and skulls. I’m a fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies - and although there are odd references dotted around, it felt a little generic at times, aside from the odd key area such as the waterwheel-ride seen in Dead Man’s Chest. The levels themselves weren’t bad, but I must admit I wasn’t as impressed with the attention to detail as I had been with the Metal Gear pack. However, I did enjoy a couple of the scenes with the Kraken, with one particular scene in mind toward the end of the levels.

Like the other level packs so far, it’s largely a matter of showcasing the new tool, which allows for swimming and water physics within LBP. There are also a couple of tutorial stages just showing how water tools can be used; explaining buoyancy, global controls and water-related switches.

Sackboy can now swim in open water, and in a Sonic-like fashion has a limited amount of oxygen, which can be refreshed by breathing in underwater bubbles that serve as an air supply. Although not used in the levels themselves, the DLC also adds a Scuba Gear power-up item which works much like an underwater Jetpack, albeit slower and granting you infinite air supply. Water also has the added detail of being able to extinguish fire, which is a nice touch. However, it is a global setting, limited to creating an overall water level within the stage that can be lowered or raised to create pools or affect buoyant materials, rather than an object to be manipulated. So although it has a lot of potential, don’t expect to be able to do anything too crazy like creating fountains or water slides; yet people always seem to be able to creatively replicate these ideas so it’s not a total loss.

For a small £4.79, its well worth picking up the pack if you enjoy creation, as the water is a good solid tool – perhaps the largest core tool that LBP really was missing – no longer will people need to create their own water effects using foggy glass and an obscured jet-pack. Included is also a Cannibal costume to obtain along the way, which is a nice little touch, albeit a bit freaky compared to the rest of LBP’s denizens.

Also available is a separate pack of six POTC costumes, for the same price as the level pack – £4.79. Although this is the same price as most costume packs, it contains six whole outfits that are nicely detailed representations of the major characters of the series; Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, Elizabeth Swan, Captain Barbossa, Davy Jones and Tia Dalma (the crazy sea witch). The characters look great, and there’s a lot of good parts to play around with, even though the Jack Sparrow and Davy Jones head pieces are perhaps a little specific if you want to create your own concoctions. Sadly Jones’ face and hat are a joined item, so making crazy alien octopus creatures sadly won’t be as easy as it could have been. That said, the mask is organic-looking and changes with Sackboy’s facial expressions, so it’s cool nonetheless.

If you are into creation, or maybe enjoy getting a few extra Trophies then it’s worth a go; the levels aren’t bad but are nothing spectacular (compared to some of the other creations I have seen in the last year). For the Water tools, the price is fair and theres plenty of other creation parts such as music, textures and stickers. However, if you’re not into creation and aren’t fussed with the official levels, you’ll be able to play other peoples’ water levels online without paying for the POTC pack yourself.

Overall the stages are fine, but I found the Metal Gear Solid pack to be more… erm, Solid, as a level pack in itself. However, the included Water tool is a worthwhile creation element and is a steal at £4.79 for it’s real potential in a Creator’s hands.

-Leon

This past week or so I have decided to take a break from that norm and go down a different route, so I dug my PS2 out and started to re-play the classic Kingdom Hearts (KH). Ever since my partner in crime Leon did his KH DS review it got me remembering how great the previous PS2 games were. So I dove right in.

The first time I played this game I couldn’t stop, it is that addictive, I had to show my friends and pretty much everyone I knew about it. But what gets me is, some people on my gaming level back at home take one look at Kingdom Hearts and either laugh or run away. Why? well they assume that just because it features Disney character it is automatically dubbed a “kids game”.

Now I can fully understand this sudden ‘WTF’ moment. I mean gamers these days don’t think that a game that consists of characters from both Final Fantasy and Disney would make a good and successful game franchise such as this one. Well it has, This game is pretty damn far from a kids game for a fair few reasons which I will list now.

The Story Line

Lets face it - classic Disney story lines consist of either a man and a woman who find each other, notice they are in love, sing about it a bit then finally get married, or the usual Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse tale which is pretty slapstick and has five-year olds laughing at it for hours on end. The whole Kingdom Hearts series however, has such a deep story line which comprises of its own characters as well as Disney and Final Fantasy, I think kids would get lost just after the part where Hollow Bastion is mentioned; hell if they manage it through KH1, then KH2 would totally confuse them with the whole of Organisation XIII, because quite frankly I was still a bit confused with Roxas’ appearance at the start of KH2, even though I did read Chain of Memories inbetween the two games.

Gameplay

We all know, if you’re going to start any RPG you going to find things quite simple to start off with - I gave this game to a couple of my mates back home and they got totally bored after five seconds through the tutorial. (That, and I think they were totally bamboozled by the 14-year-old kid wielding a huge key around.) Anyway, as the story – and indeed the game - progresses, the controls inevitably get more complex, you have your spells which you have to assign, your equipment items you have to arrange, and your Potions and Ethers you have to give each character to use in battle. Hell, I am only talking about KH1 and 2 here on the PS2. If you happen to play KH: Chain of memories on the Game Boy Advance, then the gameplay takes another confusing turn. You have to attack using a card system which is damn complex in its own right, and takes the best of us gamers a while to grasp. To be frank kids will have more fun sticking Lego up their nose than playing this.

Nostalgia

I was talking with Leon about this whole KH issue, and he made a very valid point. True this game does use Disney characters, but you have to realise that these are Disney characters of our generation (2o’s-30′s). These are the characters we grew up with, Kids nowadays are growing up with CGI characters like Bolt and crazy singing dancing weirdos such as those guys from High School Musical. They are more likely to play this game and ask where the hell is Zack Effron more than say “Awesome, Hades from Hercules is here”.

It’s Not All About Disney

What a lot of people don’t realise when they play or hear about this game is that it’s not all about Disney. As I have mentioned a couple of times in this post, it also has Final Fantasy characters that the RPG fanatics will be raving over; you have all the fan favorites, like Cloud, Tifa and Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII,  Squall from VIII and Tidus and Wakka from X amongst a load of others.

But the great thing here is, the game doesn’t just run on characters from Final Fantasy and Disney alone. It has its own characters which are pretty much as awesome as the others, like Sora, Riku and Roxas. They are the driving force of this game, whereas the Disney and FF lot are just there to back them up and put some big smiles on gamers faces.

So to sum up:  To begin with, I was very confused that a game with Disney characters could appeal to a lot of  gamers out there. But when you actually play it, this game is in a totally different league to kids games. Just because it is about kids, doesn’t mean it’s for them. So for those of you out there who are a little confused and put off by the concept, don’t be. This game is a must play and a joy to behold, I am sure when you do play it, you will get a good sence of nostalgia and a great gaming experience.

Garv!

Kingdom Hearts was a game that initially sounded incredibly strange – a fusion of Square-Enix characters and Disney. Although like many I didn’t take a huge interest at the concept originally, playing it opened my eyes to the true potential, and I fell in love with its worlds and characters, it soon becoming one of my favourite games. With such a famous cast including characters such as Cloud, Squall, The Beast and Hades – you’d think that it would be difficult for Square-Enix to add some original characters to the mix who could possibly live up to their reputations, yet somehow they managed it with Sora, Riku and Kairi becoming a lovable trio taken from their quiet lives, caught in the middle of a grand adventure.

Since then, there have been three titles – two main titles Kingdom Hearts I & II, and a handheld title set between the two, Chain of Memories. I enjoyed KHII just as much as the first, although Chain of Memories’ enjoyable story was somewhat spoiled for me due to its confusing battle system. Regardless, together they forged a terrific story, each one adding yet more depth and twists than the last – and always leaving us a few little clues to the series’ future to keep us intrigued.

This month saw the release of Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days – the first of two announced handheld titles since KHII, and the first to star a new protagonist, Roxas. Fans of the series will know who I’m talking about – the blonde-haired keyblade-wielder who was used at the start of KHII, and played a part in it’s overall plot. Now, if you haven’t played Kingdom Hearts II, be prepared – this review would be impossible without revealing one or two of KHII’s twists.

Although much of Roxas’ past is covered during the plot of KHII, 358/2 Days covers his own story, which starts midway through the plot of KHI, through Chain of Memories, and up until the beginning of KHII – allowing the player to see and understand more of Roxas’ past and character as an individual. Although this means we have a good idea of the game’s outcome it doesn’t spoil the game, with plenty of plot to enjoy and a lot of character development. I wouldn’t recommend this game to people new to the series, as the plot makes little sense without some prior knowledge – although playing it before KHII would make sense chronologically if you don’t mind the odd spoiler.

A large portion of the game’s story focuses on Roxas’ missions working for the organisation, dispatching various heartless and collecting hearts for them. The title has a more linear style to it, with a ‘mission’ system where the player is often confined to certain regions of the game’s various worlds, giving it a more level-based feel – in order to complete a mission, you must fulfil the mission objective, before returning to the entrance point to return to HQ.

At the castle, talking to Saïx allows you to see the available missions for the day you are on, the story progressing once you have completed all of the mandatory missions for that day. Cutscenes between missions and days move the story along as you complete these tasks. As a member of Organisation XIII, the game focuses on Roxas’ time working alongside them, and his friendship with Axel, and a new character – Xion. Unlike Chain of Memories, 358/2 Days plays in much the same style as the console versions of Kingdom Hearts; a 3D game set in environments which are largely ported areas from a mixture of the KHI & KHII. Missions are often done in pairs, with the various Organisation members partnered up to you for each task.

The gameplay feels fluid, the PS2 engine translated well to the lower power handheld counterpart. However, the game feels a lot simpler than its predecessors, with many of the details that add variety missing. since the game has a less ‘free-roam’ feel, the RPG elements such as interacting with NPC’s and visiting various shops are removed, all confined to a single room of HQ whereas the majority of mission areas are pure combat. Although this is done well, many of the extra skills are missing; such as Summons, Reaction commands, special moves like Ars Arcanum and Drive Forms. The game does introduce Limit Breaks, which allow Roxas to perform stronger combos for a short period of time when he’s low on HP, but the overall range of combat abilities feels quite lacking in comparison with the game’s PS2 counterparts.

Although a weaker system, the title’s graphics look good for a DS title, and apart from a some odd pixellation when some objects are seen up close, it looks good and impressive for a handheld title. The game’s characters look well animated with good emotion, and the game also has cutscene’s which appear to be graphically identical to the PS2, with some scenes directly taken from scenes in KHII which were related to Roxas’ plot. The game uses text for most of the dialogue, although some of the cutscenes have voice acting and are well done, with all of the original actors reprising their parts. The game’s music is comprised of various tracks from KHI and II, reusing the same music for the respective areas, still sounding as high quality as the originals.

Although the gameplay feels like 3D Kingdom Hearts titles, the actual character growth is more reminiscent of Chain of Memories, utilizing a ‘panel’ system. After missions, you are rewarded with EXP, which grant you Level Up panels, Heart points which are used to buy panels, and finally munny and materials which are used to synthesize panels. Without utilizing these panels, Roxas will not grow whatsoever – instead you must balance him by arranging various shaped panels into his panel grid to grant him Level Ups, Magic, Keyblades, Abilities and Items. To successfully use the grid, you need to arrange them in a way that allows you to fit as many on as possible – and your grid grows in size as you progress and unlock new slots. You can also obtain ‘Link Panels’ which allow you to upgrade other panels by linking to them – such as combining a Power panel to a keyblade panel to grant it new abilities, or placing a Level panel within a Level Doubler to increase the level boost gained from that panel. Magic is not operated via MP, rather the amount of magic panels on your grid determine how many casts of each you are allowed per mission. The customisation works well with the game, and is easy to pick up and work with.

Aside from the main story, there’s plenty of extra missions to do, and mostly they will allow for obtaining more materials and rarer ones in order to synthesise new panels to improve Roxas’ abilities. Aside from the game’s optional missions in the regular mission selection, the game also offers Holo-Missions, which allow you to repeat any missions you have completed, and you can also unlock missions for Challenges and Mission Mode as well. Challenge mode allows you to attempt harder versions of missions in order to unlock Challenge Sigils, which can be used to unlock extra panels at the shop.

Mission mode offers a few nice additions, however – accessed by the main menu, you may select from any of the Organisation members to play as – as well as a few secret characters who can be unlocked – and repeat missions either solo, or using the DS’s wi-fi to play 2-4 player. The concept is interesting, and it’s fun to try out the other characters, but I think the mode would still get rather dull after a while since you are essentially repeating the regular missions again.

The game does offer a long game time, although sadly it feels as though it has been purposely stretched to make up for it’s shortcomings – many of the missions are very similar or repetitive, and involve going through areas you have already explored. Although the game offers some extra mission types, such as doing recon by examining areas, or collecting emblems as quick as you can, it feels a little forced at times, as if there’s not quite enough content to make a full title. Also, since Roxas has to operate without influencing the characters outside of Organisation XIII much, there’s little interaction with any of the Disney characters – seeing as the character’s largely portray the worlds’ personalities, most of the different lands seem to merely offer different backdrops to fight in than give much in the area of plot.

Perhaps my biggest gripe with the game is the lack of any Final Fantasy characters – although the Organisation and Disney characters offer a fair range of cast, I feel that Final Fantasy is a big part of the Kingdom Hearts series and I really did miss this aspect, being a big fan of the FF series. It doesnt seem unfair to expect a few cameos, especially since it would be possible to add previously unseen FF characters in order to avoid complication, but the story does still work without them, anyway.

In conclusion, I’d say that Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days is a bit of a mixed bag – it has some real quality with it’s fluid engine, good storyline and quality emotional content, but feels somewhat mired by a lack of variation and generic missions . Really, if you’re not a KH fan, it would probably offer little sense in plot, and rather repetitive gameplay – so I’d really only recommend the game to fans of the series, since the character and plot development was the main aspect that made me feel satisfied once I’d completed the game – don’t get me wrong, there were parts I thoroughly enjoyed, yet some bits did leave me feeling a little bored.

- Leon