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[Danjin44]

The combat didn’t really bother me. It was more of having to rely on the jumping mechanics which was awful.

Hopefully 3 feels good and I’ll just give the first game a YouTube viewing and maybe try the 2nd game to see if it feels any better.

2nd game has way less platforming than the first game and the combat is 1000X better than the first game. I highly suggest you to play KH2 in proud difficulty for your first time, KH2 combat absolutely shines in higher difficulty. One thing I'm pretty sure going to bother you is KH2's prologue can drag on little, especially if you didn't play KH Chain of Memories, you wont know whats going on.

 

[888]

2nd game has way less platforming than the first game and the combat is 1000X better than the first game. I highly suggest you to play KH2 in proud difficulty for your first time, KH2 combat absolutely shines in higher difficulty. One thing I'm pretty sure going to bother you is KH2's prologue can drag on little, especially if you didn't play KH Chain of Memories, you wont know whats going on.

So would watching a run down of Chain of Memories be sufficient?

 

[Danjin44]

So would watching a run down of Chain of Memories be sufficient?

Yeah, Chain of Memories has card system combat because it was originally came out for Game Boy Advance so the gameplay might turn some people off. You better off watching the story video of it.

 

[Secret_Lover]

I´ve only ever played the first one and I tanked it for about 6 or 7 hours before getting fed up with it. I´m not sure how the series has evolved since then but I thought the combat system was frankly laughable as it felt like all you ever do is jump, slash, rinse and repeat.

Also, everybody kept saying Leon instead of Squall. Stop that.

 

[Chairman Tickles]

I guess it's one of those series you have to be 12 again to enjoy.

 

[Danjin44]

I guess it's one of those series you have to be 12 again to enjoy.

I'm 30 and I still very much enjoying the series. Growing older doesn't mean I should die inside.

 

[brap]

I guess it's one of those series you have to be 12 again to enjoy.

You have to be 12 to enjoy most games. Just because you add blood, guns and the fuck word doesn't make it anymore mature.

 

[Ogbert]

It's absolute dogshit.

Playing it makes me actively angry.

 

[Inviusx]

I think you either get it or you dont. I dont.

 

[Chairman Tickles]

I'm 30 and I still very much enjoying the series. Growing older doesn't mean I should die inside.

Fully agreed, I'm 30+ and I smile like a toddler when playing Mario Odyssey. The platforming, the whimsical atmosphere, the funny enemy designs...etc. But I meant in the sense that from my perspective I am no longer so easily amused by things unless they exceed expectations set long before. The stories and game mechanics in kingdom hearts were never very good. The novelty of character and world cross overs has finally worn off. Now that's more apparent to me than before.

 

[Danjin44]

Fully agreed, I'm 30+ and I smile like a toddler when playing Mario Odyssey. The platforming, the whimsical atmosphere, the funny enemy designs...etc. But I meant in the sense that from my perspective I am no longer so easily amused by things unless they exceed expectations set long before. The stories and game mechanics in kingdom hearts were never very good. The novelty of character and world cross overs has finally worn off. Now that's more apparent to me than before.

I don't at all agree with that. To this day I still think KH2FM has the best combat in any ARPG and story might be convoluted but really entertaning but I get the Story might not be everyone's cup of tea.

 

[Closer]

I actually like Kingdom Hearts because of the story. Weirdly enough, I connected to Roxas on Kingdom Hearts II without even knowing dogshit about him. Played 358/2 Days and everything became clear. I dunno, I like weird stuff. I mean, I love Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon to death, but whatever. Love it.

 

[Danjin44]

I actually like Kingdom Hearts because of the story. Weirdly enough, I connected to Roxas on Kingdom Hearts II without even knowing dogshit about him. Played 358/2 Days and everything became clear. I dunno, I like weird stuff. I mean, I love Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon to death, but whatever. Love it.

Oh hell yeah, I fucking LOVED fragile dream and hoping one day we get port to Switch.

 

[Montblanc]

I only played Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II since none of the side games interested me, Chain of Memories aside which I found unplayable and quit after an hour or so.

I love Kingdom Hearts II. I replayed it recently and fell in love with it all over again. The first game is okay too though not as good.

 

[Danjin44]

I only played Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II since none of the side games interested me, Chain of Memories aside which I found unplayable and quit after an hour or so.

I love Kingdom Hearts II. I replayed it recently and fell in love with it all over again. The first game is okay too though not as good.

If you planning to play KH3, at very least watch story video of those games you didn’t play.

 

[Montblanc]

If you planning to play KH3, at very least watch story video of those games you didn’t play.

I'm planning to, of course. Console Kingdom Hearts games never disappoint. At one point at least since I don't have a PS4. I bought a Switch instead. lol

And yeah, I've been meaning to watch story videos of various side games for a long time now, but I kept telling myself "don't do it, maybe you'll play them yourself one day!"

 

[DonF]

I remember disliking KH I when it was released. It just felt clunky and the camera was bad. Then KH II was better, yet not that good. The whole thing with the series was the Disney characters, not the gameplay, to me.

 

[DreamsiclesPlz]

Kingdom Hearts 1 was fun. I got bored with two in the first hour of the game. I'll watch others play the third one. I can't be fucking bothered with all of the ridiculously titled spinoffs.

 

[Shifty]

I used to be all-in on the series as a teen. The melodrama, super convoluted plot and all that. I've since grown out of most of it, but...

Also in my opinion KH2 final mix has the best combat in ARPG especially if you play it in critical difficulty.

Totally agree with this. The full rebalance they gave KH2 with Critical mode in Final Mix is a masterpiece of gameplay design- it has a ton of depth and is straight up fun enough to stay interesting even if you don't care for the story.

And that's coming from someone who is by-and-large super tired of stats and levels in their action games. I'd rather take fixed balance most of the time, but Critical is well paced to the point where it never felt like I was either rolling through it or being one-shot dunked by trash enemies. It forces you to learn your entire toolset and come to grasp the mechanics rather than mindlessly flailing your way through as is the case with the lower difficulties.

I'd say Birth by Sleep is a poor place to jump back into the series OP- storywise it's among the more convoluted "hearts shadow darkness light etc!" entries, but more importantly the gameplay just doesn't hold up compared to 2. It's made by a different team, so the combat has more of a focus on flashy gimmicks (ex. command deck supers) than on solid core gameplay.

Strongly recommend that you at least try the HD rerelease of 2FM on Critical before you shelve the series. It's well worth anyone's time.

 

[Wimbledon]

I like the opening music video to each game, more than the actual games. lol

 

[Geki-D]

I'm playing them all in preparation for KH3 and this is my first time with the series. I beat 1 and honestly thought it was pretty good, it hasn't aged well (I mean it feels it's age) but little has from back then. I'm on the last level of Chain of Memories (3D one via 1.5 -2.5) and my God, this one however I fucking hate. Repetitive, slow, stupidly hard... I like the plot, the whole memory thing is a cool concept but damn, I can't stand this lazy, asset reusing excuse for a game.

Can anyone tell me if it's actually needed to play as Riku in Chain of Memory after i beat it with Sora? Is it just a bonus or is there actually a plot to it worth knowing?

 

[BANGS]

I played through about half of the first one. It going boring real quick and I was slogging through the whole time. Combat was awful, freindly AI was stupid, and the most fun I had was in the hundred acre wood...

 

[Z..]

Using the "Full Spectrum", then no. I would still consider you absolutely incorrect.

KH 1 - 8/10
KH 2 - 9.5/10
KH: CoM (GBA) - 7/10
KH: CoM (PS2) - 7.5/10
KH: BBS - 8.5/10
KH: DDD - 8/10
KH: ReCoded - 4/10
KH: 358/2 Days - 6/10

The games are genuinely great. It would not have gotten such widespread acclaim and a huge fanbase otherwise.

There is no widespread acclaim. The series only has 2 85+ titles on metacritic out of 8 games. What are you talking about?
Why are you Kingdom Hearts diehards are always so unreasonably defensive?

 

[Wings 嫩翼翻せ]

Using the "Full Spectrum", then no. I would still consider you absolutely incorrect.

KH 1 - 8/10
KH 2 - 9.5/10
KH: CoM (GBA) - 7/10
KH: CoM (PS2) - 7.5/10
KH: BBS - 8.5/10
KH: DDD - 8/10
KH: ReCoded - 4/10
KH: 358/2 Days - 6/10

The games are genuinely great. It would not have gotten such widespread acclaim and a huge fanbase otherwise.

Yeah for what it's worth, certainly liked KHII over KHI, but it was by a margin accurately demonstrated here.

 

[Afro Republican]

Kingdom Hearts 2 was basically mash X and win. Almost every fight. Sometimes you'd get cool camera angles, of course that got old by the time you got to Mulan.

 

[V2Tommy]

I wish I could enjoy Kingdom Hearts, because the idea is pretty grand. Floaty, sword-sponge fighting and variety for the sake of variety ain't for me. If it were turn-based and let you carry/choose your party of characters across worlds... that would be the right idea.

 

[Closer]

Oh hell yeah, I fucking LOVED fragile dream and hoping one day we get port to Switch.
<giant ass perfection>

Man, don't tease my heart. I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

 

[Dr. Claus]

There is no widespread acclaim. The series only has 2 85+ titles on metacritic out of 8 games. What are you talking about?
Why are you Kingdom Hearts diehards are always so unreasonably defensive?

Not being unreasonably defensive. The games are well known for quality and have widespread acclaim through gamers, you know - the people who actually buy the games.

 

[The Elite]

I picked up that uber digital edition that had all the content you could possibly want on the PS4. I couldn't make it through the first game.

Biggest regret.

 

[Z..]

Not being unreasonably defensive. The games are well known for quality and have widespread acclaim through gamers, you know - the people who actually buy the games.

That's a non-argument. Of course fans are going to acclaim it, that's a cherry picking fallacy! I acclaim Shenmue despite all it's faults. Still my favorite series ever even if it's riddled with flaws and shortcomings. If you come over to the Shenmue Dojo forums you might come out thinking it's the best thing ever made judging by how us fans splurge praise on it. That doesn't make it so, obviously.

Reviews have never been that hot for any Kingdom Hearts game and judging by this topic the average gamer doesn't much care for it either. I'm actually on your side in this, by the way... I don't think these are bad games. At all.

To this day I still think KH2FM has the best combat in any ARPG

In a world where you have stuff like the Souls games, Nioh, Monster Hunter series, Bloodborne and even Destiny (not a great series but the combat is absolutely stellar), this just doesn't ring true, at all. Still fantastic, though! Yes, I chose to ignore the PC side of things, otherwise the list would go on too long, there's a ton of great combat systems to be found in Diablo games and it's clones.

 

[Geki-D]

So the last boss in Chain of Memories is impossible. Seriously, fuck this game, I'll just watch the end on TY and move on. Please tell me this card bullshit never returns throughout the series....

 

[Ryker]

I've been playing the spin-off titles, trying to catch up before KH3's official release date, and I'm bored to tears. My boredom is so bad in fact that I feel like I'm gonna have a panic attack if I force myself to play any of these games for too long. I already managed to beat the Chain of Memories remake, and I'm playing 358/2 Days and Re:Coded right now. So repetitive. I still have Birth by Sleep, Dream Drop Distance, and the 2.8 prologue to go after these two. It might break me.

 

[Akuza89]

I love the series.

However, going back and playing KH1 it does feel a little clunky at times similar to KH2 in some parts too.. however I power through for the story.

if the story isn't enough to power you through, then maybe the series isn't for you?

personally though I'm not a fan of BBS as it is... don't know why it just seems to be lacking in someway even though its quite important to the overarching story...

not all JRPG's are for every JRPG fan... look at persona and me... while I understand the appeal, I just don't get on with them.. so I never bother buying them...

 

[Closer]

I've been playing the spin-off titles, trying to catch up before KH3's official release date, and I'm bored to tears. My boredom is so bad in fact that I feel like I'm gonna have a panic attack if I force myself to play any of these games for too long. I already managed to beat the Chain of Memories remake, and I'm playing 358/2 Days and Re:Coded right now. So repetitive. I still have Birth by Sleep, Dream Drop Distance, and the 2.8 prologue to go after these two. It might break me.

Trying to catch up is such a bad idea. You play first the one that picked your interest, and if you don't like that one, you don't have to bear those before it.

 

[Ryker]

Believe me, I've thought about just watching a recap/story summary video instead, but I love KH1+2 to death and want to experience the entire compilation for myself, for better or worse. It might negatively impact my overall opinion, but at least it'd be an accurate assessment, versus me just selectively choosing what's great about the series. I wouldn't be bothered to play catch up if I didn't love the numbered installments so much. Honestly, there have been some endearing and interesting cutscenes along the way. I don't wanna miss out on any potential positives that the games might present even if I have to trudge through mostly mediocre experiences primarily. I'm hoping the later games get better, since they were developed on more capable hardware. I go some days where I can only play for like 30 minutes at a time, but once in awhile I clock a good 6+ hours in a session. It's not all bad, I suppose.

 

[OldGamer]

I'm playing them all in preparation for KH3 and this is my first time with the series. I beat 1 and honestly thought it was pretty good, it hasn't aged well (I mean it feels it's age) but little has from back then. I'm on the last level of Chain of Memories (3D one via 1.5 -2.5) and my God, this one however I fucking hate. Repetitive, slow, stupidly hard... I like the plot, the whole memory thing is a cool concept but damn, I can't stand this lazy, asset reusing excuse for a game.

Can anyone tell me if it's actually needed to play as Riku in Chain of Memory after i beat it with Sora? Is it just a bonus or is there actually a plot to it worth knowing?

I'm in the same boat as you right now. I bought the "Story So Far" collection because it was dirt cheap, and to make matters worse, I'm a trophy hunter and Re:Com has some downright sadistic requirements (Like getting to both Sora and Riku to Lvl 99...still working on it)

To answer your question, Yes, Riku is sadly manditory since it deals with unique organization members that weren't even shown in the Sora storyline and it kickstarts his own character progression and introduces another important character.

I have learned to get used to the card based gameplay because in Re:com, it can be easily cheesed, even in Proud Mode. Blizzaga and Firaga in particular are just stupid powerful, and Riku's dueling + his Dark Mode makes his easy too so long as you level accordingly.

So the last boss in Chain of Memories is impossible. Seriously, fuck this game, I'll just watch the end on TY and move on. Please tell me this card bullshit never returns throughout the series....

The last boss can be cheesed using Firaga. No kidding, even in Proud mode. Just stock up on Fire Sleights and use Jafar and Marluxia enemy cards. Otherwise, you can also use Lethal Frame.

His difficulty depends on whether or not he whips out Doom during the brief moments when he is not stun-locked. Ragnarok can also be used for the first phase, since it is powerful and you can even use the Kingdom Key low cards for it.

 

[Geki-D]

he last boss can be cheesed using Firaga. No kidding, even in Proud mode. Just stock up on Fire Sleights and use Jafar and Marluxia enemy cards. Otherwise, you can also use Lethal Frame.

I've been doing it with Firaga but no luck. I've gotten so close but that attack he does where you drop your cards keeps fucking me over. I guess I'll give it a last wurl after a nights sleep, I can see how it's doable by spamming fire sleights but it seems to depend massively on luck and what he casts. I guess it would help if I grinded for more moogle points and got more high level ones but I just can't stomach this game, it's depleted my will to live.

 

[cr0w]

I tried the first one when it came out, and the god-awful camera ruined it for me. There was a boss fight with a giant black thing and the camera couldn't show anything but his feet and I felt like a monkey trying to solve a math problem. Just couldn't do it.

There's also the fact that I don't give a shit about Disney or Square characters, so the deck was stacked in the first place.

 

[Hinedorf]

Perhaps somebody can shed some light as I'm really confused with the BBS acronyms. I've only ever played the original Kingdom Hearts and loved it. Since then I've never played any sequels because my perception was that they went more non-Disney themed.

How many KH games are there? My assumption was 3 and by that meaning I've missed KH2 and the last in the saga was the upcoming KH3.

 

[Danjin44]

How many KH games are there? My assumption was 3 and by that meaning I've missed KH2 and the last in the saga was the upcoming KH3.

 

[ph33rknot]

I’ve never understood the following it has. I expect people to like things I don’t like, but this series is so big somehow. I’ve never liked the combat and the story isn’t good and everyone just looks dumb in it.

I can understand the “my favorite Disney character is here so I clap” mentality but how does that push a person all the way through a long rpg that has really bad aspects?

Disney + squenix = fan boy wet dream

 

[Ten_Fold]

Playing KH2 on proud or critical, is really fun. I recently played it an still really enjoy it, now kh1 isn’t as enjoyable for nowadays but Traverse town music gets my inner child.

 

[PrCat88]

Third game came out too late to care about the story, and there's far too many spin offs where the gameplay felt repetitive. I'd be more interested if they had worlds dedicated to Star Wars or The Avengers, but Pirates of the Caribbean with Davey Jones? Tangled? This game's delayed release is the equivalent to Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.

 

[Danjin44]

Third game came out too late to care about the story, and there's far too many spin offs where the gameplay felt repetitive. I'd be more interested if they had worlds dedicated to Star Wars or The Avengers, but Pirates of the Caribbean with Davey Jones? Tangled? This game's delayed release is the equivalent to Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.

you can insist on they are "spin offs" but they are not. Kingdom Hearts 3 is sequel to Dream Drop Distance rather than KH2. Also Star war and Marvel can stay fuck away from KH series, I hate those two series as much as Minions.

 

[Rest]

Kingdom Hearts is probably one of the only series that I've ever hated the level design. I remember playing the first one, getting near the end of the game and wanting to go back and grind some side stuff out, getting on the level select and going through all the levels. Hate walking around that one. Hate walking around that one. Hate walking around that one, until I'd skipped every level except the Hercules arena. The only level that it didn't feel like a chore to traverse was the one that had only three square rooms.

 

[Hinedorf]

Ok so apparently I live in a cave of sadness, in preparing for the upcoming KH3, at bare minimum what would I want to play through to prepare or are they all individual stories separate of each other within the same universe?

 

[Danjin44]

Ok so apparently I live in a cave of sadness, in preparing for the upcoming KH3, at bare minimum what would I want to play through to prepare or are they all individual stories separate of each other within the same universe?

Play: KH1, KH2, BBS, Dream Drop Distance and 0.2 Birth By Sleep -A fragmentary passage

Watch story videos for : Chain of Memories, 358/2 Days, Coded and KH X back cover.

Do in order of the games that got released and you will be fine. KH series are continuous story, there is no separate universe, they are not at all like FF, Persona and Tales series.

 

[sublimit]

I'm a huge fan of Japanese games in general but this series does nothing for me. I always thought that it was weird and tacky to mix Disney and SE. I played and finished the first game on PS2 and i thought it was mediocre at best,especially the combat.

 

[blackjon24]

I just hope kingdom hearts 3 ends up being a great game most people will enjoy not just the kingdom hearts fanatics. I like kingdom hearts but I still think there has yet to be an "amazing" game in the entire series so far.

 

[Danjin44]

I just hope kingdom hearts 3 ends up being a great game most people will enjoy not just the kingdom hearts fanatics. I like kingdom hearts but I still think there has yet to be an "amazing" game in the entire series so far.

Well for me and for many people Kingdom Hearts 2 final Mix was that "amazing" game. For me the combat was absolutely amazing and crazy fun, especially in higher difficulty .