Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories Announced

[Gorvi]

As if this Fall wasn't already crowded enough, we now have another game to look forward to. Square Enix has officially announced Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories for December 2nd in the US. From IGN (http://ps2.ign.com/articles/911/911692p1.html):
In case you're somewhat unfamiliar with the Kingdom Hearts scene, Re: Chain of Memories is a 3D remake of the original GBA title that was released several years ago in 2004. Japanese audiences were privileged to get the PS2 remake when it was included in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix +, with the remake being packaged with the game on a second disc. U.S. audiences will be able to purchase Re: Chain of Memories as a standalone product for $29.99.

Re: Chain of Memories bridges the gap between the first and second proper Kingdom Hearts titles, documenting Sora, Donald and Goofy's journey through Castle Oblivion as they fight members of the Organization (Organization XIII) and work through Sora's lost memories. The PS2 remake features a fully 3D world, new mini-games and the cast of the original two games reprising their roles.
Damn it. Another game I'm going to need to buy.

[Variable Gear]

Kinda weird that it took this long for them to localize this mode from Final Mix+, but, hey, now all those Kingdom Hearts fans are extra hungry to get their hands on a new game can pick this up.

[drakkarim]

that is one series that i could never get into. every time i look at the back of any of the boxes in a store i just cringe, it just always struck me as a hodgepodge of crap that doesn't belong together.

[Karmakin]

It IS a hodgepodge of crap which really doesn't belong together.

Which is what makes the series so good IMO.

[drakkarim]

It IS a hodgepodge of crap which really doesn't belong together.

Which is what makes the series so good IMO.

hmm, well, i'm glad i didn't misunderstand it then :) still can't bring myself to play anything with donald/goofy/etc in it.

[Disgustipated]

Kingdom Hearts II was awesome, but why the fuck did they take 2 years to bring this piece of crap over here? It should be $20, too.

[Xerxes]

They should have put it on PSP.

[agentgray]

Damn it. Another game I'm going to need to buy.
This is not meant against Gorvi in particular, but us gamers in general, me included. I'm getting tired of seeing these types of quotes for the fall release.

We need to get these games? Geesh. Developers and publishers have us eating out of their hands.

[Talon-]

that is one series that i could never get into. every time i look at the back of any of the boxes in a store i just cringe, it just always struck me as a hodgepodge of crap that doesn't belong together.

It's the natural progression of the beat 'em up combined with some RPG elements. Frankly, it's one of the best new IPs out of Japan this decade, and the gameplay is great.

Now, the story should be ignored. All you need to know is that Mickey Mouse is a badass and shadowy things are evil.

Also, screw the hater that said he couldn't play anything with Disney characters in it. ;)

[Kelegacy]

I have the original on GBA, never played it.

[Variable Gear]

Frankly, it's one of the best new IPs out of Japan this decade, and the gameplay is great.
This is the praise you give to Press X: The Game? Excuse me while I worry.

[Valkyrist]

that is one series that i could never get into. every time i look at the back of any of the boxes in a store i just cringe, it just always struck me as a hodgepodge of crap that doesn't belong together.

I was the exact same when I still worked at Gamestop. I thought it was an affront to every decent RPG. That the disney characters were a cheap gimic, and that this was proof that Square had finally "fallen off".

I finally picked it up, just out of curiosity from all the hype. God was I wrong. This is one of my fav game series of all time.

While I'm mad it took so long to localize, I'm thrilled this is finally coming stateside for me to play.

[Talon-]

This is the praise you give to Press X: The Game? Excuse me while I worry.

I admitted it was a glorified beat 'em up. Isn't that enough? :p

The combat's a bit more interesting than just pressing X. No, it's not as visceral as God of War (I won't mention Ninja Gaiden 'cause that's just not even fair), but I actually enjoy the combat in KH. The boss fights are pretty fun as I recall, although they do fall into the QTE pit trap.

It's the combination of the presentation, the cute blend of nostalgia and fan service, and the fun gameplay that makes me look forward to the next KH game. Now, the story is a bunch of nonsense (Nobodies? Heartless? Why?), but KH is a pretty refreshing franchise in terms of core gameplay. Look, when's the last time combat in a Square game didn't become a chore?

[Talon-]

"Refreshing" in terms of the largely stagnant JRPG market.

Now, to be fair, Yakuza probably does more in that respect, and, hopefully, we'll see the next-gen versions of that series.

I shall now prepared to be bombarded by Tales fans. :D

[Majster Wichajster]

BULLSHIT!

I will not buy a KHII game unless they decide to release Final Mix+. Otherwise they're just fucking with us. They could've done this earlier, most of the stuff that was added was already translated, but nooo!

I'm getting Yakuza.

[Gorvi]

This is not meant against Gorvi in particular, but us gamers in general, me included. I'm getting tired of seeing these types of quotes for the fall release.

We need to get these games? Geesh. Developers and publishers have us eating out of their hands.
Well, yeah, we say "have to", but we all know that's not what we actually mean. It's just another game that I'm going to feel strongly compelled to purchase as soon as possible because I really enjoyed the first two games. Better? ;)

[Reanimated]

Eh. I certainly don't have another game to look forward to.

[Kamalot]

I'm a Disney fan, having grown up on the classics, but every time I try to play Kingdom Hearts, I have this experience...

2s4OZcV-5fE

Guess it just ain't for me.

[Gorvi]

I'm a Disney fan, having grown up on the classics, but every time I try to play Kingdom Hearts, I have this experience...

2s4OZcV-5fE

Guess it just ain't for me.
That has to be one of the most idiotic things I've ever watched. :eek:

[Talon-]

That was pretty idiotic, but I laughed out loud at "JUMP, GYPSY!" for some reason.

Yeah the first 2-3 hours of KH2 were largely pointless; actually, yeah, it was worse than the pre-game of FFIX.

[Variable Gear]

Yeah the first 2-3 hours of KH2 were largely pointless; actually, yeah, it was worse than the pre-game of FFIX.
Make that four hours. The first four hours of KHII are absolutely horrible.

[Kamalot]

Make that four hours. The first four hours of KHII are absolutely horrible.

I picked up Star Ocean for the PS2 recently, as well as Infinite Undiscovery and think most Japanese RPG developers TRY and DISCOURAGE people from actually playing the game. Seriously, there are so many poor design decisions that are complete turnoffs.

What developer sets players behind 4 HOURS of bullshit?

Fuck that. I want to play a game, not torture myself with bullshit.

[Spigot]

Well, yeah, we say "have to", but we all know that's not what we actually mean. It's just another game that I'm going to feel strongly compelled to purchase as soon as possible because I really enjoyed the first two games. Better? ;)They did away with the god-awful card system from the GBA version, right? Ye gods, that was nasty.

I got pretty far in the game too. The story is interesting and they basically recap any of the truly salient parts in KH2, but I'm not sure how good this would be from a game perspective.

[Variable Gear]

I picked up Star Ocean for the PS2 recently, as well as Infinite Undiscovery and think most Japanese RPG developers TRY and DISCOURAGE people from actually playing the game. Seriously, there are so many poor design decisions that are complete turnoffs.

What developer sets players behind 4 HOURS of bullshit?

Fuck that. I want to play a game, not torture myself with bullshit.
I completely agree. The introductory/tutorial section of a JRPG is one of the least fun things to play in our gaming landscape. I don't understand why they feel the need to actively discourage paying consumers from playing their games, but they sure seem to do it a lot.

[Majster Wichajster]

They did away with the god-awful card system from the GBA version, right? Ye gods, that was nasty.

I got pretty far in the game too. The story is interesting and they basically recap any of the truly salient parts in KH2, but I'm not sure how good this would be from a game perspective.

Haha, no. This is basically the GBA game in 3D. It was an extra in the Final Mix+, as part of the revised KHII experience, with KHII getting many new hard boss battles and other tasty stuff that we will never see ever.

The card system is quite nice though, if you know how to work it. What I hated was the ol' Disney plot rehash, which maybe made sense, I still hated it. However, Riku's part makes it worth it for the steamrolling aspect.

So yeah, if you had any nags towards the original version, they're here to stay. They animated and voiced the cutscenes, so there's always eye-candy.

[Gorvi]

I've always enjoyed the slower intro sequences many JRPGs have, it lets you get to know the characters. Granted, KHII's was a bit excessive, but it didn't really bother me that much.

[LongStepMantis]

Make that four hours. The first four hours of KHII are absolutely horrible.

True. Deliver mail! Run errands! Pine for an actual keyblade instead of a nerf bat! I stopped halfway into the intro section for about 5 months after I bought it. Then, I came back and said "I'll tough it out, I bet the real game is much better..."

Last time I played I was right before the final boss, and everyone in my party is lvl 99. For me, it went from "This is boring...screw it" to "This is too damn fun! I hit the lvl cap? Guess I should beat it now. Awww." ;)

KH games may not be the most technical games ever, but they're fun as hell. Like the canyon fight against the umpteen million heartless, even the fight against Sephiroth was epic...when he wasn't killing me with his bullshit teleport combos.

[Talon-]

Make that four hours. The first four hours of KHII are absolutely horrible.

Was it 4? At any rate, the Roxas part was completely unnecessary, although it was cool to see the mansion deteriorating. Hell, that was the only redeeming part of the pregame.

KH games may not be the most technical games ever, but they're fun as hell. Like the canyon fight against the umpteen million heartless, even the fight against Sephiroth was epic...when he wasn't killing me with his bullshit teleport combos.

Damn straight. When I walked into that canyon, I was thinking "Hell, yeah, I'm a badass...with Disney characters flanking me." Ha. At any rate, that part and the last 2 hours of gameplay were the best parts of the game.

[Froggy]

So I was looking at the screenshots for this and it looks kind of PS1. I can't even remember, did KH1 look good? If I went back to play it, would I be too spoiled on this gen to enjoy it?

[Inspector Fowler]

Did I read that right? Is the the third remake/re-release of a game released only 4 years ago?

That's....that's nuts....

[Spigot]

The card system sucked.

Oh, it was ok for a bit, but the fight against Malificent is when I drew a line in the sand and said, "NO MORE!"

Granted, I'm not a huge fan of card-based battle systems at the best of times, but the one in Chain Of Memories was unwieldy to a fault, at least by the time you go to the endgame portion.

[bean19]

This is cool, though a bit of a disappointment. When reading the headline, I had hoped a new Kingdom Hearts was announced. So this is sort of like getting free ice cream, but not my favorite flavor. Still very good.

[bean19]

The card system sucked.

Oh, it was ok for a bit, but the fight against Malificent is when I drew a line in the sand and said, "NO MORE!"
I never even got that far. This prompted one of my 3 DS purchases (that have all been resold or given to family). I absolutely hated the card system.

A good card game is great. I absolutely loved the card game in Xenosaga, but an action-card game. . . You got your shit in my peanut butter! (a combination that did NOT change the world).

[Spigot]

A good card game is great. I absolutely loved the card game in Xenosaga, but an action-card game. . . You got your shit in my peanut butter! (a combination that did NOT change the world).Exactly. I've only recently started playing more card-based battle systems that haven't made me hate them. I think a lot of it IS the action aspect.

By the spots near the end of the game, it was just too chaotic to try to pull off the attacks, dodge things AND hope you stacked your deck just right.

It's a shame too, because the story wasn't half bad.

[Kamalot]

I've always enjoyed the slower intro sequences many JRPGs have, it lets you get to know the characters. Granted, KHII's was a bit excessive, but it didn't really bother me that much.

Getting to know the characters would be fine if they were characters people CARE about. Instead, 9/10 times you are stuck playing a whiny douchebag. The people who do the writing and character development in these games are awful with insipid, pants-on-head-retarded dialog.

I'm waiting for someone who produces real drama to have a go at creating a really compelling RPG. Get the folks who write and direct decent drama series on TV to do the story, since the game mechanics for most JRPGs change very little.

Also, work to REMOVE roadblocks between the user and their game.

[Gorvi]

Getting to know the characters would be fine if they were characters people CARE about. Instead, 9/10 times you are stuck playing a whiny douchebag. The people who do the writing and character development in these games are awful with insipid, pants-on-head-retarded dialog.

I'm waiting for someone who produces real drama to have a go at creating a really compelling RPG. Get the folks who write and direct decent drama series on TV to do the story, since the game mechanics for most JRPGs change very little.

Also, work to REMOVE roadblocks between the user and their game.
If it bothers you so much, you should avoid the games. I don't recall seeing this complained about from many other RPG players, myself included. It's probably just a difference in tastes with regards to the style of the games.

Hell, if you think the dialog is bad now, try RPGs 15 years ago. Maybe it's that perspective that makes me not mind the writing/pacing/dialog in RPGs these days.

[Kamalot]

If it bothers you so much, you should avoid the games. I don't recall seeing this complained about from many other RPG players, myself included. It's probably just a difference in tastes with regards to the style of the games.

Hell, if you think the dialog is bad now, try RPGs 15 years ago. Maybe it's that perspective that makes me not mind the writing/pacing/dialog in RPGs these days.

Hey, I'm not asking for high art... just something bearable, especially at the start of the game when you want to hook your players, not make them want to vomit.

Here's how Star Ocean starts off:

Fayt: Phew…

Sophia appeared at the scene with some drinks.

Fayt: Whoa!

Sophia: Here you go!

Sophia gave Fayt a drink.

Fayt: Ah, hi, Sophia… You startled me. I thought you were swimming down at the
beach.

Sophia: I was waiting for you, but you never came! You said you’d play a few
games and then head right over…

Fayt: Uh… I’m sorry! I didn’t plan on staying so long, but I got kinda sucked
in…

Sophia: All right, well, that’s what I thought happened. Didn’t you say you had
‘tons of homework to do’ before we came to Hyda, anyway?

Fayt: (gets up) But I was fighting so well today! And I leveled up a lot too,
you know.

Sophia: Yeah, yeah. How nice of you.

Fayt: Hmm, someone’s in a bad mood today.

Sophia: What do you expect? You’d rather play games than hang out at the beach
with me!

Fayt: Sophia?

Sophia: Hmph!

Fayt: You aren’t…mad are you?

Sophia: I’m not mad!

Fayt: Do you…wanna go to the beach?

Sophia: I swam enough. While somebody I know was having the time of his life,
playing games all by himself!

Fayt: So… Do you want to take a walk through the hotel? I bet it’ll be fun.
What do you say? C’mon! Please! Pretty please!?

Sophia: Hmm, well, if you want to hang out with me that badly, I guess it’s all
right…

Fayt: Great, let’s go. Time’s a wastin’!

Sophia: Okay!

Later, Fayt waits patiently outside of Sophia’s room.

Fayt: (Boy, she sure is taking forever! I bet she’s making me wait on purpose!)<---That's what I'm thinking about the game!:(

All delivered in inane slow in-game cutscenes that can't be skipped. Writers know that the first line of a novel is the most important. Directors know the opening scenes of a movie or show need to be engaging. Why don't game developers understand the same thing? This isn't rocket science, it is fundamental to good entertainment.

How many other forms of entertainment sit you down and tell you that the experience will start to get good IN FOUR HOURS?

[Gorvi]

Hey, I'm not asking for high art... just something bearable, especially at the start of the game when you want to hook your players, not make them want to vomit.

Here's how Star Ocean starts off:



All delivered in inane slow in-game cutscenes that can't be skipped. Writers know that the first line of a novel is the most important. Directors know the opening scenes of a movie or show need to be engaging. Why don't game developers understand the same thing? This isn't rocket science, it is fundamental to good entertainment.

How many other forms of entertainment sit you down and tell you that the experience will start to get good IN FOUR HOURS?
See, you picked an example I agree with, I hated the PS2 Star Ocean. Of course, that was mostly because it's battle system felt broken, but it did feel a bit awkward. Especially since I liked the overall concept of the universe (no pun intended). Generally speaking, though, I tend to enjoy the "slow" beginnings many RPGs have, so long as I actually like the characters.

Don't even get me started on that annoying circus troupe in SO3. Now, I'm going to give the game another shot next year sometime before SO4 hits, just because I really want to like it.

[Kamalot]

Generally speaking, though, I tend to enjoy the "slow" beginnings many RPGs have, so long as I actually like the characters.

Well, I'm not fond of apathetic whiners... or reluctant emo heroes... and I tire of the 'androgynous male leads' almost as much as I do of the whole 'hulking, bald, shiny, space marine' theme in shooters these days. That's okay, cause the exceptional JRPGs truly sparkle above the overwhelming sea of shitty ones.