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9:41 p.m. - Saturday, May. 09, 2009
Kingdom Hearts!!! \"older now\" special! 10/10 (20/10 really)

For my "day older now" special I'm giving you a review on my favorite video game (anything really, I'm a number one fan!!!) of all time: KINGDOM HEARTS!!!!! This was the first video game (thing) that got me out of an anime mode (dbz) and into role-playing games. When I first saw this, it was on tv. I was like "it seems cool to fight Disney villains." But I never got it. I saw so many commercials, I memorized the theme song by Utada Hikaru "Simple and Clean", it would come on so much. I wasn't familiar with Final Fantasy other than it being on Toonami, and I had the earlier versions, which were scratched up. So I was used to Crash and Spyro games at the time. I thought this would be like that. All I saw was some Disney characters and a boy with a key, and that catchy theme song. One day, my uncle came by, I was 12, and my mother was really ill. We were feeling drabby. So my uncle asked if we ever wanted a video game, what would it be? Boy, was I glad I said Kingdom Hearts. It was the only one i could think of At first he teased us and said he wasn't going to get it, but then he bought it and dropped it in front of our faces. So we decided, why not, lets pop it in. And it changed our lives forever......

We are going to review the excellence of this game and why it deserves a perfect score, beyond the perfect score it received. Story, cast/characters, worlds, music, battle&weapons, writers, producers, directors, appeal/reception, merchandise/adaptations, content/messages, graphics.

Story
The story is very involved. Its starts off about a boy, age 14 named Sora who lives and plays in a small island with his two best friends Riku (his rival) and Kairi (his crush). Typical, right? Right? Wrong. This isn't Disney channel. Riku was ready to travel worlds beyond his home, Sora had been getting strang dreams, and Kairi knew nothing of the home she had before she came to the islands. One day, ugly monstrous beings called heartless attacked the islands. While, trying to save his friends, Kairi disappears before his eyes, and Riku bravely faces the darkness swallowing the island whole. Sora tries, but his heart is strong, and he creates a keyblade from his heart, which can defeat the heartless. He defeates a large one, but is still swallowed up. He lands in Traverse Town, where he meets Leon who tell him the story. Then he meets donald and Goofy who are searching for the key bearer. From then, the story begins....The story is so long and involved, I can't tell you all of it. Plus, that would spoil everything ;). But it is never boring. It is interesting to the very end, twisted in a lot of ways, satire content, and just enjoyable. It is known for it's storyline, and the best I've ever seen on a video game. You have two powerful story machines working here. More importantly, it is so long, that by the end, you will feel you have traveled the adventure the long, hard, but fun adventure with Sora, and you'll find yourself crying like a wuss that it's all over. You'll keep wanting to know what happens next. In fact that is a part of the slogan for the first one: "You Never Know What Happens Next..."

Characters/Cast-Anyone who don't even know KH knows Sora, Donald, and Goofy. They don't even see Mickey anymore. Mickey is partners with Riku and he has a "gangsta upgrade." And almost the whole world knows the unknowns. People who haven't even played the game make AMVs about them because their awesome. The character development is amazing, and surprising considering how many characters they're working with. Of course, it helps to know how the Disney characters act in their movies. The characters are lovable, cool, and just well planned for each storyline of the whole storyline. You will find yourself battling alongside your favorite Disney or Final Fantasy characters. I've found myself really admiring characters, and falling in love with others. Kingdom Hearts is REALLY known for it's Voice-over cast, which is rare with anything, especially english adap from Japan. The cast is awesome, I have to hand it to them. Many people doubted Jesse McCartney, but he made a dynamite Roxas, ask anyone. We didn't even know it was the pretty boy. He got cool points for that role. The cast is full of recognizable cast members like Hailey Joel Osment as Sora, Christy Carlson Romano, Hayden Penetierre, David Borenaz, Mandy Moore, David Galleghar, and so many more cast members that are superb and did a fantastic job. It really was great.

worlds
You might see worlds from disney and final fantasy and each has something to offer the player (s). Not to mention, worlds expand over three games, soon to be more, the worlds in one game are vast. Many people can't see how that many worlds can fit into a game without it being crappy, but it did, and it's not. The worlds are well-developed and it is just fun. You fight in your favorite world, with your favorite Disney or FF characters, battling villains. Ever wanted to kill Japhar? I have. And I did. The worlds are like stories within one large story because they have their own games, characters, antagonists, and involvement. Once you live a world, it feels like you just changed games all of a sudden. And worlds are large and can be confusing and puzzling, which is kind of the point. The worlds are unique, and took a lot of effort. worlds such as Alice in Wonderland, Hercules, Tarzan, Aladdin, Pinocchio, The Little Mermaid (don't be fooled, its a hard world), Nightmare Before Christmas, Peter Pan, Hollow Bastion/Radiant Garden (FF), End of the World, Twilight Town with fairies from Sleeping Beauty, Traverse Town with 101 Dalmatians and Merlin from Sword and the Stone and fairy godmother (lady and the tramp statue), Mulan, Beauty and the Beast, Tron (seventies), Disney Castle (yep, Disney World remake), Steamboat Willie (black and white world!), Winnie the Pooh, Pirates of the Caribbean (Jack Sparrow), Lion King, and The World that Never was, and more to come.

music
This is the third thing KH is popular for. The music is addictive. I memorized Simple and Clean from the commercials, and that was the first time I got into J-music. The music is attractive, and drawing, and it mesmerizes you. It can also get you into the game. it has won many awards for best orchestrated and its just...how can I put it...Fantasia-like? Symphony? Just amazing!!!! Utada is known as the Kingdom Hearts theme song vocalist more than anything in the world. Thats her largest fanbase. made by KHinsider.com!!!!

battles&weapons-The gameplay is button mashing, puzzles in some, battles with things larger than the character (s), and sometimes you get to fight as someone besides Sora. Sora's weapon includes the keyblade, and he has many in the style of the world he got it from, some with stronger abilities, like either a keyblade will deal with attacks better, or magic. Sora is able to perform magic spells that include basic elements, gravity, stop, cure, and many others, like many FF elements. To heal, you'll need potions. Bosses can be hard. You need a battle strategy because the bosses do random things each time. They lay out what they feel, but eventually you understand the pattern, and can plan an effective attack. In later games, he can change forms where he is able to handle to keyblades at once, and fight off many opponents without interruption. You have a party of three, but off-party members will sometimes help. They also have weapons that you have to upgrade. Donald is the mage, Goofy is the shield. They have reaction commands in other games. Some games, you fight alone, so be extra prepared for anything. There are extra special attacks as well, and chains and rings to make you stronger and more beatable. The more experience you have, and the longer your hp bar is, the longer you'll live in a battle. But don't expect not to die at least once. There will be at least on battle that will be hard for you to defeat, even if you are the most serious of gamers. Some have even given up. Only the strong survive.

writers, producers, directors
When people first saw this, they couldn't believe that Final Fantasy actually combined with Disney. Most of the FF fans were teens or adults and were used to the intense and mature themes, so they didn't think this would be a success. Well, they were wrong. This was the most twisted success I've ever seen. This was both of their most popular video games. They each brought something to the table, two big storyline and character machines. They are already good at what they do, and already have a large fanbase, and combined, they do wonders. You would think this would lose the fans. No. It gained them fans, because it isn't garbage, Disney Channel garbage, and definitely classical fun. It isn't weak and for babies. The person behind this was Tetsyua Yomura, that dirty genius, who made a surprising profit off of the Kingdom Hearts enterprise. This was a good step for both of them, and Disney is able to effectively promote Kingdom Hearts. Very good.

appeal/reception
The rating is at first E, the E10+. It gets a little more intense, but it is for a wide variety of people of all ages, races, genders, and just many people. Parent won't freak and might enjoy it. And teens and adults won't feel lame playing it. It can be challenging for younger children though. The first game is really for serious gamers. If you've never played anything like it, like me at first, you'll struggle. The next game, I was expert, but they have beginners mode. The first only has Normal and Expert. The second had beginners, normal, and difficulty. And follows the series. Many people wonder about the inspiration of the story. It is the greatest mystery. I feel it is a satire to our life. Nobodys are people who feel no love, they only plan and think like us, but they don't feel. Heartless just feed on the hearts of others. There's some satire there.

merchandise/adaptations/series
Kingdom Hearts has 4 games out so far and coming with three others, one being released this August so keep a look-out! Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories for the GBA, Kingdom Hearts 2, and Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories. All fans want Final Mix, but it is only released in Japan (darn them! They get everything!). They are three other ones coming out that are much anticipated: 358/2 Days, Birth by Sleep, and Coded for the mobile phone, nintendo ds, and psp. All others were ps2. Kingdom Hearts also has action figures, a manga http://mangafox.com, and t-shirts at hot topic. They even have paupu fruit recipes online (don't know how real they are). They have a soundtrack as well, and then the many Disney movies you can watch. So its pretty big.

graphics-Amazing! Phenomenal! They were the first to put 3-d graphics on the gba. It was so cool at the time! Kingdom Hearts is also known for it's graphics. The cutscenes look real or like a 3-d movie. It looks cool. it's like a movie anyway. And the worlds look excellent. Graphics are excellent, but look at Final Fantasy. Isn't that wonderful?

Well, that is my review on my favorite thing of all time! That is my favorite entertainment sphere in the world. It's never boring. It was up to 50 dollars, but worth every moment. One was 30 dollars, so I felt it was worth the time and effort. Only the strong survive this game, but it is always fun and good to play when you're bored, because it's never boring. It's good to play when you're not bored and even when you're at a party. Its like a wii though its an actual game. It's awesome!!

~Over and Out~ ask anyone who's played it, they all say the same thing. ASK ANYONE!!! Birth by sleep is the future of KH: Along with many others....

 

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