Post by Bob Ness on Jan 27, 2010 13:53:33 GMT -5
Visuals- 8.9/10
I know most people who aren't a big fan of the visuals to this game. I must admit, there are times when I'll look at it and say, "Really, now?". For instance, the visuals when Sora is talking to Yuffie and Leon for the first time; not that good. I mean, Sora's expression never changed at that part; he seemed to be smiling the entire time. But, at other times, I'm quite amazed at the graphics. They can add so much stuff to the background. Like, during fight scenes; it's packed with Heartless. You wonder how they can stuff so many little black things into one scene like that. They also did a good job with the Disney and Final Fantasy characters. Sora still looked like he came from the same place as Donald, Goofy, Leon, Cloud, etc. And, I must say, I love the clothing. Especially in Halloween Town; it's a real treat to see the character designs differ in that way.
One of the things that does get on my nerves, though, is the visuals you'll see in space, while flying the Gummi Ship. You'll see something, then try and figure out what it is. It's like; what are these rings doing in outer space? or How come there are floating bush-hedges? Yeah, stuff like that. The Gummi Ship itself is also pretty sad looking when you first get it, but you can always upgrade it to look awesome.
Sound- 9/10
The voice acting in this game is wonderful. Even for those characters whose voice actors are probably long dead, they did a great job of replicating the voice. Everyone sounds like they're supposed to, without acting too dramatic. Donald's yelling is especially wonderful; sounds just perfect for him. Each and every voice just fits who they come with. One of the few problems I had was Sebastian's voice; whoever did it tried their best, but he sounded different as he did in the original movie, The Little Mermaid. Same with Flounder, except Flounder's voice totally changed to the point if I heard it, I wouldn't know who it was.
The music in this game are very nice, too. Each place has different music, and each music fits the setting and mood of that place. The Deep Jungle has jungle music, Halloween Town has spooky (sorta) music, and Atlantica has water-style music. Away from the music and now on to sound effects, which are equally entertaining. When the Keyblade crashes into the ground, it sounds like something crashing into the ground, as it's supposed to. Running and walking also have different sounds; running seems more loud, and walking sounds more like it's supposed to. When magic hits, you'll be able to hear a slight difference in each spell, though not enough to notice when you're in a difficult situation (when you are in a difficult situation, I doubt you'll care about music or sound, anyway). sometimes, though, the sounds get a bit too repetitive. Not much, but...sometimes.
Gameplay- 8.7/10
So, like most games, it's pretty easy to pick up. I mean, some of my friends who never even held a PS2 controller beat the first levels in no time. This is because of the handy-dandy tutorial at the very beginning of the game. It explains how to do everything you'll need to do. For most people that have played the PS2 before, though, like myself, find it annoying. We only got a few things out of it, like how to lock on, how to look around, etc. Once the tutorial is over, though, it gets so much more enjoyable to play.
This is and action RPG game, something I really love. I'm not good with those complete action games, and I'm not good with RPG's, either. Combine the two together, though, and I'll love it. You can switch party members with popular Disney characters, such as Tarzan and Ariel. You can gain new magic skills when you raise your experience levels. And, probably my favorite part, the lock on. I did learn it when the tutorial came, but I never thought it would be helpful. But, I soon realized it helps me from attacking something else, since I also have an auto lock on. Another handy thing is the magic shortcuts. You can place your favorite magic skills onto a shortcut button. This way, when I'm running around, almost out of health, I can just press two buttons and be instantly cured, or instantly throw fire at my enemy.
Like in the graphics section, one of the few things I hated about this game was the Gummi Ship ride. It's completely pointless, and takes so long to get to one planet to the next. Luckily, though, later on in the game, you CAN just warp to places you've been to before. But, it's the Gummi Ship ride that brings the grade down.
Story- 9.3/10
Sora is this young boy who lives on an island with his two best friends, Riku and Kairi. Riku gets the idea to make a raft and go explore other worlds, since Kairi came from another world. They finish building the raft, but a storm comes. Sora, afraid the raft will get ruined, goes out to check on it. But, he gets attacked by Heartless, creatures that have been haunting his dreams. Riku is out there as well, and tells Sora that Kariri is safe. He gets taken by the darkness, and disappears. Sora is also taken and appears in Traverse Town, where people who've lost their worlds go to. There, he meets Donald and Goofy, who are trying to find their king. The king told them that they had to find the Keyblade Mastor, and Sora has the Keyblade, which becomes his weapon. You have to go to each world and seal it from the darkness while trying to find your friends and the king.
Great story line, I say. It flows smoothly, and doesn't leave you wondering what it's all about. I didn't really have any problem with this, other then the fact that half the story is explained in the very first part, pretty quickly.
Overall- 8.9/10
Great, GREAT game. It may be a little difficult to play at some times, and there are little things that annoy me, but no game is perfect. I really love this game, and as I haven't fully beaten it yet, I can't wait to beat it and get some of the other games. If all of them are as good as this one (maybe a tad easier, if possible), I'll be playing them over and over again.