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Kingdom Hearts Final Remix Review

I originally beat Kingdom Hearts, back in 2002, when it originally came out for the Playstation 2. Having fond memories of the game, I picked up the Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX compilation for the PS4. The version of Kingdom Hearts in this compilation is Kingdom Hearts Final Remix. It adds some new content in addition to updating all the game assets to HD.

So how did it hold up the second time around? Overall, it is not as good as I remember, but it is still fun. Some things are still just as horrible (the space shooter sections of the game), while some things remain awesome (character design).

For those that are not aware of Kingdom Hearts, it takes a lot of... Read All I originally beat Kingdom Hearts, back in 2002, when it originally came out for the Playstation 2. Having fond memories of the game, I picked up the Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX compilation for the PS4. The version of Kingdom Hearts in this compilation is Kingdom Hearts Final Remix. It adds some new content in addition to updating all the game assets to HD.

So how did it hold up the second time around? Overall, it is not as good as I remember, but it is still fun. Some things are still just as horrible (the space shooter sections of the game), while some things remain awesome (character design).

For those that are not aware of Kingdom Hearts, it takes a lot of Disney characters, some Final Fantasy characters and some new characters and mashes them all into one action-role playing game. On the surface this sounds like a disaster, but Square pulls it off.

The story follows a boy named Sora, who is out to save not only one princess but seven princesses and multiple worlds from the Heartless (the bad guys). The Heartless' end goal is to destroy all worlds through the power of darkness. During Sora's journey he is joined by Goofy, Donald and a handful of other level specific Disney characters.

Each world you are trying to save is essentially a level. The majority of these worlds are mainly straight out of Disney movies. You have Tarzan, Little Mermaid, Peter Pan, A Nightmare Before Christmas, Hercules, Aladdin, Alice in Wonderland, Pinocchio, Winnie the Pooh, and a handful of other worlds that are newly created for the game. The design of these worlds has not aged well. All the worlds are walled in, which in turn makes them feel very claustrophobic. Each time I made it to a new world, I was ready to leave it as soon as I could and move on with the story.

Going between worlds is bizarre. Square decided to slap on a space shooter as your method of travel. In addition to the space shooter aspect, they added in a whole system to modify and create your own spacecraft. This portion of the game stands out like a sore thumb. It is just so mind-numbing. Luckily you are only forced to travel like this when it is your first visit to a planet. After that you can skip this portion of the game and just warp to where you want to go.

The final complaint I have about this game is the controls. Some of the controls suck. First off, Square decided to update the camera mode for the Final Remix to match Kingdom Hearts 2 (The original camera mode is still available). This new camera mode gets in the way of battles and platforming more often than not. I should have tried the original camera mode to see if it was any better (sadly I don't recall what was used when I originally played it). The other part of the controls that gets in the way is using items and magic. You can assign three magic spells to hot keys within the game, for the rest of the magic and your items, you must navigate menus in realtime. What this means is you literally need to find a place to hide during any battles if you plan to navigate the menus to cast magic and/or use items. If you do not do that, you risk getting severely hurt or even killed.

So what saves the day for Kingdom Hearts? The art direction, voice acting and story save the game from being painful, to somewhat enjoyable.

Kingdom Hearts nails the art direction. Each world is colorful and nails the theme of the movie that Square is going for. All the Heartless are well designed, and the characters look amazing in HD. The Disney characters are so well designed they look like they came straight out of the cartoons.

The voice acting is top notch too. The Disney characters sound like their movie counterparts (and are sometimes the same voice actors) and the new characters are voiced by the likes of Haley Joel Osmet, Hayden Panettierre and Billy Zane.

Finally the fact that Square manages to cram a bunch of Disney movies, some Final Fantasy characters and some new characters together without the story falling apart is amazing. It is pretty much a standard video game story, but overall it works.

While my recent play through has soured me on the game a little bit due to bad camera controls, realtime menu navigation, claustrophobic levels and a crappy space shooter, the story, art direction and voice acting save the day. I look forward to giving Kingdom Hearts 2 a try and hope they solved some of these problems. If they did not fix the problems, hopefully I can at least enjoy the story.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 11/11/2017 at 10:18pm

Cool, thanks for the review. Kingdom Hearts is one of the few reasons I have for even wanting a PS4. I have the original, sequels, and games on other platforms (like the DS). I'm looking forward to the new game. I'd like to see these games on Steam, but I'm glad they're getting the HD treatment.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member Post Author wrote on 11/14/2017 at 06:47pm

You're welcome! What did you think of 2? I have yet to play it.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 11/15/2017 at 01:34am

It's been so long since I've played it, I don't remember it very well. I got it not long after it came out, I think, and played it once through. I missed some things. I would love to have the HD versions of these games (especially on Steam). As I mentioned, I've played games on the DS and PSP as well. I think the story is pretty deep, even "heart-wrenching" at times. I generally like the series. I was happy to hear David Boreanaz voice Squall (my own personal favorite FF character). I also liked Leonard Nimoy voicing a character on the PSP game. That one also had a cool mini game that was much like Monopoly, very fun actually!

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So I Heard You Like Bubsy - Cygnus Destroyer Reviews New Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back!

Continuing the Bubsy thread from before with this Cygnus Destroyer video reviewing the all new Bubsy game. Looks like it's not too long at clocking in at a handful of hours but looks to be the best Bubsy yet according to Cygnus. That said, the Steam reviews are butchering the game for the $30 price tag and very short playthrough. I can understand why development on the game may have been under budgeted and the end result seemed to suffer. Once this hits Steam sales I wonder how that will do to it's rating?

Cygnus Destroyer Reviews The Infamous Bubsy Games

Cygnus opens this video saying that Bubsy is one of the most hated mascots in all of video games. I'm not sure about all that but Bubsy 3D is considered one of the worst games of all time and rightly so. When Bubsy came out on the Super Nintendo I rented it and found it to be a really visually fun game but nothing really hooked me so I didn't buy it. It was obvious to me that Accolade was trying to make it's own Mario or Sonic but way more 90's X-TREME and TOTALLY IN YOUR FACE so it felt a bit forced but my biggest critique is that it's fairly derivative. I look back on Bubsy now as a fun historical point in gaming and something that they are trying to bring back now... Read All

The News From BlizzCon 2017: Kobolds & Catacombs, StarCraft II F2P & More

This year my friend Dan gifted me a BlizzCon virtual ticket and I spent this weekend basking in 24/7 Blizzard live stream goodness! I watched a bunch of the BlizzCon panels and tournaments and if you are into Blizzard and want to experience it live I recommend looking into the virtual ticket. Not only do you get a live stream of the events but also a bunch of digital bonuses and some are really compelling(like the Hearthstone golden Legendary).

New Hearthstone Expansion Kobolds and Catacombs

I think one of the biggest news nuggets our of BlizzCon is the new Kobolds and Catacombs Hearthstone expansion. Not only is K&C an all new expansion but it also comes with... Read All

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 11/06/2017 at 02:02am

Excellent news for Hearthstone, as I want much more of a single player element in the game.

I was also disappointed in lack of news regarding Diablo. I read another article that contains a couple of wish lists, like the next Diablo or DII remastered. I know some of you are expecting another expansion, while I'd love to see one, I'm not quite expecting one, hoping perhaps.

As for StarCraft II, I already own it (it was one of the first games I bought for my new PC years ago) and all the expansions. Letting WoL go free might help bring more people into the SC universe. I really liked that they remastered StarCraft and I wish they'd do the same for the first three WarCraft games.

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/what-was-missing-from-blizzcon-2017/1100-6454674/

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 11/06/2017 at 10:16pm

I decided to check out the single player stuff you mentioned. I, too, had to reinstall the game, since I removed it some time ago. I defeated the three challengers. It was fun. I also got that free gift with the new client update.

I noticed you can pre-order the card packs for $50. After looking at it again, I think it's just the card packs and the new game mechanic will be free. Or, at least, that is my hope. https://us.shop.battle.net/en-us/product/hearthstone-kobolds-and-catacombs

I started playing CCGs with Magic and Star Trek back in about '94. I don't collect cards anymore, but I still have some around. I liked a Magic game I bought for the PS3, but there seems to be a lot more of them on Steam. I enjoyed my recent play of ES Legends. I also reinstalled Faeria to check it out again. My only problem with these games is playing against other people, I really don't like it. So, I greatly appreciate single player modes and knowing that Hearthstone is getting more of it makes me feel better about it.

Travis Admin wrote on 11/07/2017 at 03:35am

There was some Diablo 2and Warcraft 3 news but the news was kinda just that... there is no news.

https://www.vg247.com/2017/11/06/warcraft-3-and-diablo-2-remasters-arent-in-the-works-because-the-base-games-still-need-work/

It's interesting to hear that they're working on how they could do it though. So while it's not likely we'll see them next year or anything, it's likely we *will* eventually see them.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 11/07/2017 at 04:06am

> I think it's just the card packs and the new game mechanic will be free.

Yep. Just new packs, the single player adventure content AND the new Dungeon Run mode are both free.

I am really looking forward to the WarCraft III updates too. They updated it to run on modern Operating Systems and that worked really well but I'm wondering what they might do next there? They might be making StarCraft stable as i've seen MANY updates on that since launch and then maybe look into doing the same for D2 or War3 and if so they didn't really hint which one they might do first. I think they'd maybe rather just surprise us that say anything ahead of time and fail to meet fan timeline expectations.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 11/30/2017 at 05:05am

Hearthstone Kobolds & Catacombs releases 12/7 https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-hearthstone-expansion-kobolds-and-catacombs-re/1100-6455248/

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 12/01/2017 at 03:08am

Yep, I saw that. You gonna play the new dungeon run mode it when it comes out?

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 12/02/2017 at 04:28am

I don't know. If I remember I may check it out.

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The Elder Scrolls: Legends Review

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Azurephile gives this a solid "Rad" on the Ghost Scale

This is fun, with very few issues, and is well worth your time.

Azurephile gives this a "Rad" on the Ghost Scale

This is fun, with very few issues, and is well worth your time.

Review

Recommended

Single player mode

I played Legends via the Bethesda Launcher, when it was first released (before it was on Steam). I'm not sure why I stopped, but I later decided to get it on Steam. I recently thought about playing it again, so I spent some time with it last night. I really enjoyed it, even more than Hearthstone, because it has a deeper single player mode to it. In fact, there's single player story mode and the solo arena.

I was surprised, when I opened it up with Steam, that I was continuing from the progress I made from first playing it via the Bethesda Launcher. So, I didn't have to restart at the beginning. I learned a bit more about the game.... Read All

Watch The BlizzCon 2017 Opening Ceremony Now!

BlizzCon opening ceremony drops @ 11am PST and will cover all the upcoming Blizzard stuff for the upcoming year. If you have some time to watch it and love all things Blizzard you should click play. Posting this a couple minutes before the festivities hit and I imagine there will be plenty of things to discuss afterward!

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 11/04/2017 at 02:48am

So, I read that Hearthstone is getting a new single player mode, which definitely intrigues me. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/blizzcon-2017-news-and-announcements-overwatch-cha/1100-6454639/

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 11/05/2017 at 02:25pm

Yeah, it really is interesting. I’ll write more about it soon!

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 11/05/2017 at 08:13pm

I'm excited about it, but then I realized that it might actually cost something. I'm not sure how big that single player mode is going to be either.

I read something about how Diablo was missing from this event, which is kind of disappointing. I'm hoping for more Diablo and I'd love if they'd remaster the firs three Warcraft games.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 11/05/2017 at 11:59pm

Just wrote about all of that in my latest post. Funny, I just read your comment after I posted this so it's nice the post could address it.

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Super Nintendo Buying Guide With Metal Jesus & John Hancock

Metal Jesus has a new video with John Hancock where they cover the Super Nintendo, it's hardware and the games for the system they consider must buys. Nearly all of the games the include in their must buys are included in the SNES Classic but a few weren't such as Actraiser, Chrono Trigger, Biker Mice From Mars, NBA Jam & Mario All Stars. I agree with them on nearly every point but i'd personally put in Sim City, Mario Paint, Romance of the Three Kingdoms II & King Arthurs World.

And in thinking more about it i'd also put in Genghis Khan Clan of the Grey Wolf but like I think i'm the only one of the only people in the US that played that one.

Travis Admin wrote on 11/02/2017 at 01:22pm

I understood Actraiser not being included, as I don't think it was super popular at the time, and the cult following isn't as large as some. But I was a little shocked that Chrono Trigger wasn't in the Classic. Mario All Stars makes a little sense anyway, since those games were included on the NES Classic. NBA Jam was crazy fun, I'd honestly forgotten about it.

I've never even heard of that Genghis Khan game. It looks kinda like a Civ game but you get more hands on with the individual battles? Looks fun!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 11/02/2017 at 04:09pm

> I've never even heard of that Genghis Khan game. It looks kinda like a Civ game but you get more hands on with the individual battles? Looks fun!

Yeah I was really into KOEI games back then. The only negative was that they were WAY more expensive than normal games back then due to how niche they were. KOEI was the best option for strategy war sim games on the NES/SNES back then and I couldn't get enough. I think I rented Romance II 5+ times because of how much I love that one. Now I have it in box, which was a treat to find and it was WAY less expensive that when it was new.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 11/02/2017 at 04:10pm

> I understood Actraiser not being included, as I don't think it was super popular at the time, and the cult following isn't as large as some.

I've heard so much about it I really need to play it and to date I haven't.

... adds to list of shame.

Travis Admin wrote on 11/02/2017 at 08:12pm

You know how I feel about it! It's definitely worth a run through.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 11/03/2017 at 02:10am

Yeah, i'm going to pick it up for sure.

Timogorgon Member wrote on 11/06/2017 at 04:03am

I've never played Act Raiser either, but heard a lot of good things about it.
I'm pretty surprised Chrono Trigger wasn't included with the SNES classic, but I guess there were already two other Square games included (Mana and FF3).

Mario paint is kind of a weird game. I had plenty of fun with it at the time, but I don't really see much reason to pick it up these days.

Genghis Khan: Clan of the Grey Wolf is definitely a hidden gem on the SNES. So few people know about it, but it was a really fun strategy game!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 11/07/2017 at 04:07am

> Mario paint is kind of a weird game. I had plenty of fun with it at the time, but I don't really see much reason to pick it up these days.

If you want to make SNES music, it's an interesting option but I agree, it really is an odd game. I am not planning on playing it a ton but I like collecting the strange stuff and that swatter game was better than it should have been.

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The SNES Classic Book Is Reviewing Well

16bitbrit reviews the all new Super Nintendo Classic Playing With Super Power book and it looks to be better than I was anticipating. Not only does 16bitbrit give it two big thumbs up but the Amazon reviews for the book seem to be really solid as well sitting at a 4/5 stars. Looks to be a massive upgrade from the NES Classic Playing with Power but only focusing on the Nintendo games on the SNES Classic.

Let me know if you plan on picking this up and while you are waiting for your shipment check out my review of the NES Classic Playing With Power below.

https://cheerfulghost.com/jdodson/posts/3246/it-s-dangerous-to-go-alone-take-this-playing-with-power-book-review

The Angry Video Game Nerd Discovers And Reviews Polybius!

According to legend, Polybius is arcade game that is so addictive that it can control your thoughts. Polybius was rumored to have been created by a rogue branch of the US Government and in 1981 was tested in an actual arcade. The Angry Video Game Nerd found a Polybius arcade cabinet and in his latest video reviews the game.

Watch it.... if you can.

Happy Halloween!

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Wanted to wish everyone a very happy Halloween and safe night out for tricks or treats!