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When SquareSoft first announced that its latest RPG would feature Disney characters, it received mixed reactions from both die-hard and casual SquareSoft/Final Fantasy fans. Some thought that the move was brilliant and the amalgam of both Final Fantasy and Disney characters would be a groundbreaking partnership, a sure-shot blockbuster video game that would sell millions! Others on the other hand were less enthusiastic. Hardcore Final Fantasy fans thought that their beloved Final Fantasy characters Squall (aka Leon), Aeris (aka Aerith), Cid, Cloud, Yuffie, Wakka, Yuna, Tidus, Selphie, Sephiroth, and more would become tainted with Disney¡¯s ¡°kiddie¡± persona and be tarnished forever. But finally, the question to every American gamer of whether Final Fantasy and Disney could make the partnership work was answered when ¡°Kingdom Hearts¡± was released to the public September 16th, 2002. Did SquareSoft and Disney Interactive pull it off? Find out with our review of Kingdom Hearts¡¦

Kingdom Hearts is a story of a 14-year old boy named Sora whose world has been shattered by the ¡°Heartless¡±. He embarks on a quest to save his best friends Riku and Kaira (while making a few new ones on the way) and return the world, which he once took for granted, back to the way it was and destroy who¡¯s responsible for taking it in the first place.

Visually, Kingdom Hearts, like a Michaelangelo¡¯s Mona Lisa, is a masterpiece. The authenticity of the environments of Disney classics ¡°The Hunchback of Notre Dame¡±, ¡°Alice in Wonderland¡±, ¡°Tarzan¡±, ¡°Hercules¡±, ¡°Aladdin¡±, ¡°Winnie the Pooh¡±, ¡°The Little Mermaid¡±, ¡°Peter Pan¡± and ¡°The Nightmare Before Christmas¡± are perfectly captured. For example, in the world of ¡°Peter Pan¡± you can fly above the night sky of the city of London or in ¡°The Little Mermaid¡± you hang around Ariel¡¯s private little grotto with her collection of human objects. You will get to see your favorite Final Fantasy characters like Cloud, Selphie, Aeris, Yuffie, Cid, Squall (known as Leon in Kingdom Hearts), and Sephiroth rendered amazingly thanks to Playstation 2¡¯s power. SquareSoft also did an incredible and amazing job with the Disney characters. At times you literally forget that you are playing a video game and not a Disney movie. All of the over 100 Disney character cameos and appearances will no doubt be enjoyed by not only Disney fans but all gamers alike, thanks to the incredible authenticity.

The game also has great special visual effects. It¡¯s incredible to see foes burst into green globs of health and coins as you expose of them during a heated battle. At times, especially at the later levels, there is so much action going on its hard to believe that the game doesn¡¯t slow down one bit. Other worthy special effects worth mentioning are the summons. We all know that the summons of Final Fantasy X are nothing to be messed with but Kingdom Hearts¡¯ summon sequences can definitely hold its own. Seeing Genie pop out of his lamp and stretch or Mushu turn from a huge fierce dragon to¡¦well¡¦just Mushu is something you have got to see to believe. Can you imagine all those special effects and at the end its just little ¡®ol Mushu?

Kingdom Hearts has some of the best voice acting I¡¯ve heard in a video game. Haley Joel Osmont, of the Sixth Sense and Artificial Intelligence, voices the main character Sora and simply does a superb job. Other celebrity voices who did an exceptionally incredible job include Billy Zane (Titanic) who did the voice of the villainous ¡°Ansem¡±, Mandy Moore who did the beautiful ¡°Aerith¡±, and¡¦(prepares for the tomatoes) Lance Bass (yes, of ¡®N Sync) did an incredible job with Sephiroth. Every single one of the Disney characters sound authentic; they even have an Eddie Murphy (voicing Mushu) and Robin Williams (voicing Genie) sound-a-like! The soundtrack is a classic and each Disney world has its own authentic feel. For example, in the Atlantica level (from ¡°The Little Mermaid¡±), you¡¯ll hear an instrumental version of ¡°Under the Sea¡± in the background.

Unlike the Final Fantasy series, Kingdom Hearts features a real-time battle system that integrates Final Fantasy elements. So Final Fantasy fans will at home with spells like Firaga, Thudaga, Curaga, etc. The gameplay is similar to Dark Cloud but with a much more fast-paced action. In fact, the action can get so heated at times that Square has added a very useful lock-on system via R1 trigger so you don¡¯t lose track of your enemies who are constantly on the move; you can also switch locks from enemy to enemy via L2 or R2 triggers. You can also perform elemental and cure spells on-the-fly via L1 trigger and corresponding button. The only real problem I have with the gameplay is the constant backtracking and the camera angle which you constantly have to manipulate via L2 and R2 triggers. But with that aside, Kingdom Hearts a joy to play!

You will only be able to play Sora in the game but you will constantly have Donald (who is a magic specialist) and Goofy (who is a defensive specialist) to give you a helping hand. These guys are a big help. For example, when your HP is dangerously low, either Donald or Goofy will take a potion from their own inventory to help you out; it also works with Ethers and MP. As you progress through the game, you will encounter opportunities to swap either Donald or Goofy for Disney characters like Tarzan, Aladdin, Ariel, Jack Skellington, and the Beast. Unfortunately, you won¡¯t be able to team-up with Final Fantasy characters but you will encounter battles with Tidus, Leon (Squall), Cloud, Yuffie, and Sephiroth. The boss battles in Kingdom Hearts are also great; you¡¯ll encounter villains like Jafar, Ursula, Maleficent, Oogie Boogie, and a few suprises that I won¡¯t spoil. As for summons, you¡¯ll get Simba and his powerful roar, Genie and his powerful magic attacks, Dumbo and his powerful water spray, Tinker Bell and her fairy dust, and Mushu and his fire-breathing. There are also rumors of a few secret Summons so keep your eyes peeled.

As you level up in Kingdom Hearts, you also learn new abilities like new combinations or other things like ¡°treasure magnet¡± that helps you pick up more ¡°munny¡± (no Gil's in this game, sorry FF fans) for you to buy potions and weapons. You can also ¡°Synthesis¡± items in Kingdom Hearts, which means that you can create items from various things you pick up from defeated enemies and treasure chests that are scattered throughout the game. It¡¯s a great way to make new and unusual items; the rarer the items you use, the better you synthesis will be!

Another new innovation by SquareSoft is the transportation from each world via Gummi-ship. At first, I found this aspect of the game a little boring but as I progressed through the game, the difficulty made it more challenging and those people who know me know that I love a challenge. Basically, the whole Gummi-ship gimmick is kind of an arcade shooter mini-game similar to classics like Centipede but in 3D and a ¡°racing¡± view. You can also buy extra upgrades like missiles and extra armor. If the default Gummi-ship isn¡¯t cutting it, you can build your own Gummi-ship by following an acquired blueprint or create one from scratch. You build them by blocks so pretty much like building a ship out of Legos. The Gummi-ship can get boring in the beginning but you¡¯ll soon learn to love it! If you don¡¯t, there¡¯s always the ¡°Warp¡± option.

Kingdom Hearts is also a pretty long game; just when you think you just beat the final boss¡¦here comes another one. It isn¡¯t quite as long as your typical 60-plus hour Final Fantasy game but Kingdom Hearts will easily take 40 hours out of your life. Like Final Fantasy, there are also a ton of side-quests to find rare items. Basically, any game that can give you 40-plus hours of joy, great visuals, excellent voices and soundtracks, awesome storytelling, and seeing your favorite past, present, and future characters all into one package is definitely a must buy! SquareSoft has done it again and has pulled off one of the, if not the, greatest crossovers in video game entertainment history. I would to see this title become a series; it could really give Final Fantasy a run for its money. Kingdom Hearts has truly captured the magic of both Final Fantasy and Walt Disney and it will surely capture your heart.

VISUALS: 9.5
AUDIO: 10
PLAYABILITY: 8.5
VALUE: 9
TILT: 9.5