Classics of my Time: Kingdom Hearts

[finalark]

Link to original post: [drupal=2931]Classics of my Time: Kingdom Hearts[/drupal]



If you were a gamer growing up in the 90s, then you had your classics. Street Fighter, Mega Man, Earthworm Jim, these were great, weren't they? Well, they actually quality of the games is enhanced through the nostalgia of those growing up in the 90s, but not for me. I didn't grow up in the 90s, I grew up in the 00s. As a young gamer in his late teens, I thought it might be interesting to see what I think my generation would look back on as their classics when we all become twenty-something-year-olds.
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Who would have thought that mixing Square with Disney would be so successful? Kingdom Hearts, a game released in 2002 for the PlayStation 2 was exactly this. The game followed the adventures of a kid named Sora and the two famous characters Donald and Goofy as they traveled to various works based off of Disney movies. Their whole quest revolved around them fighting off the threat of the Heartless, which are exactly what it says on the tin, with the help off a mighty weapon called the Keyblade, which is also exactly what it says on the tin. For many in my generation, this was the game that introduced them to RPGs and to an extent, Final Fantasy as well. Because of the inclusion of characters from Final Fantasy as well as the heavy Disney elements the game could benefit from mass appeal. Just like any good Disney movie, Kingdom Hearts was a game that younger and older gamers could enjoy. And being really, really fun helps too.

It was a long wait, but four years after the original came out and one spin-off bridging the two games later, the sequel came out. Many of us who had played the original when we were much younger when the first game came out (I was seven, for example), causing our older selves to really appreciate the sequel's darker and more mature story. It really did feel like the game grew up along with us, it also helped that Sora was noticeably more mature in the sequel. The entire second game felt like it was made to be played by a slightly older audience than the first. It was much a much longer game, the Gumiship segments were cranked way up in comparison to the first game, the story took itself much more seriously, hell, they even try to trick you into thinking that they killed off Goofy for a bit.

The series is still going strong today, and the story has gone from a simple and fun adventure to being a huge and epic struggle in the Kingdom Hearts mutliverse. Thanks to plenty of spin-offs, in-game documents and even novels released only in Japan (as usual) the story has even come to develop its own expansive mythos that increases with each new game. As far as actual game releases go, Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days recently came out for the DS and I highly recommend it for all Kingdom Hearts fans. Especially because of how good of a job it does on elaborating on Roxas and the Organization. A prequel to the original game is on the horizon and there's even a spin-off series for the cell phone (again, only in Japan).

Kingdom Hearts sure as come a long way, and for a lot of people in my generation, it played quite a role in their gaming life. I'm not sure which of the two main games will be remember more. While the sequel may have been superior in every way, I'm sure that everyone's nostalgia filter will make the first one sound better somehow. Some people didn't like Kingdom Hearts (because they don't like Disney because it's cool to hate on them), but most in my generation did. I wouldn't be surprised if when my friends and I are all twenty-something-year-olds my generation will have turned Sora into an icon of the RPG world.

 

[Super_Sonic8677]

He kinda is already isn't he? The great classics of my time were games like Sonic 3 and the other genesis titles , Mario 64, Ocarina of Time and the original Pokemon. Good times..good times. I'll post more maybe tomorrow when I don't feel like **** because this is a cool blog.

 

[finalark]

He kinda is already isn't he? The great classics of my time were games like Sonic 3 and the other genesis titles , Mario 64, Ocarina of Time and the original Pokemon. Good times..good times. I'll post more maybe tomorrow when I don't feel like **** because this is a cool blog.

Genesis. My first system, man the original Sonics were great. I actually remember the original Pokemon, I was in kindergardern when they came out. First RPGs I ever played.

 

[jivegamer]

I've barely played Kingdom Hearts II, but I can say that the original is a wonderful classic. It's the best Action RPG I can think of for a variety of reasons. It has difficulty (but not too much), fun fighting, a great story that isn't watered down by Disney's presence and a memorable score. I'd consider it a classic without hesitation.

 

[ook]

I must be missing something, cause when Kingdom Hearts came out I was like "that game looks pretty awesome" and always wanted to buy it, but never got around to it.

So a couple months ago I picked it up (along with KH2, because I assumed I would like it enough to want the sequel) and played through it, and... it wasn't as good as I expected. Really, the combat was painfully boring. The only thing that kept me going was getting to see which Disney movie worlds were in it, and that was cool. The story was was kinda cheesy too, but I have no gripes with it.


But literally for nearly all the combat in the game (which takes up a BIG portion of the game; waves of enemies spawn every time you enter a room), you can close your eyes, set the controller down, and mash the X button with one finger and you'll do the exact same as if you were trying. For almost the whole 2nd half of the game I was doing it, and it was working!
The game even jumps for you if an enemy is too high. You don't even have to press the jump button!



I aint trying to troll, cause maybe it would be different if I played it when I was younger... but how can you guys look past this stuff?
You press ONE BUTTON. It's like a really, really simple beat em up game that aims for you, jumps for you, AND gives you CPU allies to help you out.

I'm currently playing through KH2 so hopefully it will get better....

 

[finalark]

^Basically summed up every last problem I had with KH.

While yes, I liked the games, I found the fact that you could go through the entire game and press nothing but X and maybe Circle every now and then kind of dragged down the quality of the game. I think that KH2 was slightly better with this, adding in reaction commands and things like that. The games get pretty fun if you actually use your magic and special skills (you know, like you've got a brain or something).

The story in KH1 was pretty silly, got much more serious (and better) in KH2 though.

Anyway, I liked the games, but note that here I'm saying that I think the series will become a classic for my generation because of one word: nostalgia.

Anyway, try using your magic and stuff, like the develpers put it in there for. Makes the game much more entertaining.

 

[Smoom77]

I agree. I loved KH+KH2 so much. I don't know how to describe it.

But for classics for me (I'm only 13) were original Pokemon games, OoT, and KH series.

 

[orange/xd]

Am I the only one who hate KH?

 

[Yink]

Classics?

My Super Nintendo...with Earthbound, Super Mario World, Earthworm Jim, etc. Then I got an N64 so SM64, MK64, Mischief Makers (lots of people think this game sucks but I seriously found it enjoyable), etc.

I did like Kingdom Hearts okay...the controls were kind of weird for me, at the beginning. Like Sora's jump. Sometimes that made me angry haha.

 

[Sucumbio]

I do feel like I'm missing out by never having played the KH games, but at the same time I can't shake the feeling it'd be too juvenile for me. Disney is so.. Disney, just dripping with Cute. Ugh. I prefer anime cute, to disney cute.

 

[finalark]

I do feel like I'm missing out by never having played the KH games, but at the same time I can't shake the feeling it'd be too juvenile for me. Disney is so.. Disney, just dripping with Cute. Ugh. I prefer anime cute, to disney cute.

Seeing how I grew up with the games, this automatically means "OMG THAR AWZOME!!!!11" because of nostalgia. It's been a while since I last played either one of them, but if you have PS2 (or a PS3 that can play PS2 games) and the games intrest you, then they're worth taking a look at.

Also, it might just be because how western I am but I perfer Disney cute to anime cute. I perosnally think that anine just goes way overboard with the cute sometimes.

 

[Jim Morrison]

I grew up with games in 2002, I played older games. Croc, Spyro, Mario Land, Medabots games, Pokémon, Super Smash Bros., Jazz Jackrabbit and a ****load more nostalgia goldmines.

 

[Sucumbio]

Seeing how I grew up with the games, this automatically means "OMG THAR AWZOME!!!!11" because of nostalgia. It's been a while since I last played either one of them, but if you have PS2 (or a PS3 that can play PS2 games) and the games intrest you, then they're worth taking a look at.

Also, it might just be because how western I am but I perfer Disney cute to anime cute. I perosnally think that anine just goes way overboard with the cute sometimes.

LOL I know what you mean, some anime is just as annoying! I dunno, Disney is cool too... Mickey's Castle of Illusion was actually awesome, and I'd play it even now if I had it *(c'mon Virtual Console put that ***** out!) I guess I just have to get past my fear that I won't like it. I had the same fear of RE4 actually, until I finally gave in and played it, and it became my favorite GC title...

ha I just thought of something... the hottest Disney character vs the hottest Anime character

Now that's a contest.

 

[altairian]

Now that's a contest.

Not really, anime characters are hot for their personalities, disney characters are just kinda there

Good post though, I think nostalgia is the biggest reason why every final fantasy that comes out I find more enjoyable than other RPG's (granted square is pretty **** good at making quality RPG's). I actually just bought a ps3 so that I could play ff13 with the best graphics possible >_> There's very few games that I'd spend that much money on, I think smash is the only other exception lol

 

[Ninka_kiwi]

Classics?

My Super Nintendo...with Earthbound, Super Mario World, Earthworm Jim, etc. Then I got an N64 so SM64, MK64, Mischief Makers (lots of people think this game sucks but I seriously found it enjoyable), etc.

I did like Kingdom Hearts okay...the controls were kind of weird for me, at the beginning. Like Sora's jump. Sometimes that made me angry haha.

mischief makers was an amazing game shack shack shack best way to kill enmys ever

 

[Ninka_kiwi]

Not really, anime characters are hot for their personalities, disney characters are just kinda there

Good post though, I think nostalgia is the biggest reason why every final fantasy that comes out I find more enjoyable than other RPG's (granted square is pretty **** good at making quality RPG's). I actually just bought a ps3 so that I could play ff13 with the best graphics possible >_> There's very few games that I'd spend that much money on, I think smash is the only other exception lol

yea probally getting the xbox 360 version of final fantasy 13 seince im cheap and dont want to buy a ps3 "yet"

 

[finalark]

yea probally getting the xbox 360 version of final fantasy 13 seince im cheap and dont want to buy a ps3 "yet"

You should go buy a PS3 before your 360 breaks because you looked at it funny.

Seriously though, I wouldn't be supprised if FF13 looked like dirt on the 360 compaired to the PS3. Then again, the 360 is dirt compaired to the PS3.

Spoiler

/bias

 

[altairian]

Blah I can't find the videos I looked at when the E3 coverage was originally coming out on FF13, but the graphical difference was quite noticeable between the 2 platforms. And I'm a big enough FF fanboy to get a ps3 just so I can play FF13 with better graphics ><

 

[Sleek Media]

Comparing Kingdom Hearts to true classics like Mario 3, Megaman 2, etc is an insult to their legacy.

Classics aren't just games that you played when you were young. They're games that stand the test of time and still have people playing them 10-20 years later. They revolutionize or perfect genres if they don't outright define them. The classics are the first (and often the very best) games that come to mind when you think of a system.

Kingdom Hearts was pretty popular for a while, but neither it nor its sequel will withstand the test of time and have people popping the discs into their Playstation fours or whatever. It's like most Square offerings - memorable, but not able to hold up with the best.

Honestly, growing up in the 00's...you won't have many classics from that generation. The ones most likely to be remembered and actually played that I can think of are Mario Galaxy, Orange Box, Metroid Prime, and Melee. I also have favorites that won't earn that distinction - Golden Sun and Advance Wars come to mind.

 

[finalark]

Comparing Kingdom Hearts to true classics like Mario 3, Megaman 2, etc is an insult to their legacy.

Why how elitist of you!

Guess what? In my generation, most people think of Megaman as that weird blue Metroid Rip-off. And many of them have never even played Mario 3. True classics? Ha! How subjective and elitist.

Classics aren't just games that you played when you were young. They're games that stand the test of time and still have people playing them 10-20 years later. They revolutionize or perfect genres if they don't outright define them. The classics are the first (and often the very best) games that come to mind when you think of a system.

Most of the people who play these so called "classics?" People who played them when they were young. Most classics are just Nostalgia-fueled games that were popular at the time of their release. Megaman 2? What did that do for the industry? While I liked the game, some of the later installments into the franchise were much better. And don't say anything about (insert game here) being the first 3D whatever. Back in the early days of 3D, nearly every franchise that was insanely popular and went into 3D well was automatically considered a classic.

Kingdom Hearts was pretty popular for a while, but neither it nor its sequel will withstand the test of time and have people popping the discs into their Playstation fours or whatever. It's like most Square offerings - memorable, but not able to hold up with the best.

Honestly, growing up in the 00's...you won't have many classics from that generation. The ones most likely to be remembered and actually played that I can think of are Mario Galaxy, Orange Box, Metroid Prime, and Melee. I also have favorites that won't earn that distinction - Golden Sun and Advance Wars come to mind.

I think you for stomping on not only my childhood, but the childhood of hundreds of other gamers in my generation. You know the only reason why so-called "Classics" are remembered? Because of the older gamers that played them when they were young. So let me put it this way, if any game had a formidable fan base for a very long time that consisted mostly of kids, it will probably be remembered as a classic.

 

[highfive]

Kingdom Hearts isn't a classic. Classics are Pong, Pacman, Rockman, Mario, etc.

My childhood consisted of Tom and Jerry, Pokemon, Elmer Fudd and Daffy Duck. Not "Adventures of Flap Jack" and Neopets.

Kingdom Hearts can be considered a classic in ten years if that.

 

[Jimnymebob]

It may just be me but I thought that a classic game was one that you could play, no matter how old or new it was, and it still be fun, and bring something unique, or just downright entertaining.

By that judgement then yes, Kingdom Hearts is a classic game, as it is a shining example of an Action RPG in recent years, it has a mostly universal storyline; mixing Disney with some more serious elements, and has a lot of charm to it.

 

[pitskeyblade]

Ah, yes. Kingdom Hearts. I chalked those games down as part of my nostalgia list. However, I didn't pick up the games until I was like 17 (maybe a year ago). It appealed highly to me. Maybe I'm just a childish person, but Kingdom Hearts is a game that does appeal to both young and older players. A very good post.

 

[altairian]

My childhood consisted of Tom and Jerry, Pokemon, Elmer Fudd and Daffy Duck.

And the argument fails here. You list 70's/80's (whenever they were from) cartoons with a 90's/00's anime as "classics".

His post is clearly titled "classics of MY time". Whether you like it or not, your perception of what's "classic" depends highly upon whether or not you were around when it was popular or new. Whether or not you agree with the specific game he put in his post is irrelevant, the point remains that nostalgia is a big factor in what games we look back on as games that are meaningful to us.

 

[finalark]

Does anyone even read the opening post anymore? I said that when a majority of my generation are a bunch of twenty-something year olds Kingdom Hearts will probably be considered a classic. And I gave my reasons why in the opening post. So please read it before you come in and say "OMG KINGDUM HARTZ IZ NOT KLASICK!!1!!1!"

 

[Sleek Media]

Kingdom Hearts is not a classic.

 

[bobson]

I'm pretty sure being a classic requires the game to be old and good rather than just old.

 

[Sleek Media]

And the argument fails here. You list 70's/80's (whenever they were from) cartoons with a 90's/00's anime as "classics".

Not that I'm all that interested in arguing with you kids, but Tom & Jerry and Looney Tunes are from the 50's-60's for the most part (though they go back to the 30's). I know Cartoon Network feeds you garbage now, but they used to show those cartoons all the time. He's probably about 18-20 now if he grew up watching them and playing Pokemon.

Speaking of classic cartoons - Batman the Animated Series. Nothing else from the 90's comes close. Watch "Heart of Ice", and you'll see why.

While you're at it, go back and play some Megaman 2, and then explain to us exactly how you expect Kingdom Hearts to even approach half its longevity. You liking it isn't enough of a reason - it has to be a game that people go back to again and again for the next two decades. A good example of a "recent" classic is Mario 64, which defined 3D gameplay. If Nintendo isn't your thing, try Metal Gear Solid, which created the stealth genre, and advanced storytelling in games.

 

[finalark]

Does anyone even read the opening post anymore? I said that when a majority of my generation are a bunch of twenty-something year olds Kingdom Hearts will probably be considered a classic. And I gave my reasons why in the opening post. So please read it before you come in and say "OMG KINGDUM HARTZ IZ NOT KLASICK!!1!!1!"

Kingdom Hearts is not a classic.

Read above.

I'm pretty sure being a classic requires the game to be old and good rather than just old.

Read the first quote.

Not that I'm all that interested in arguing with you kids, but Tom & Jerry and Looney Tunes are from the 50's-60's for the most part (though they go back to the 30's). I know Cartoon Network feeds you garbage now, but they used to show those cartoons all the time. He's probably about 18-20 now if he grew up watching them and playing Pokemon.

Speaking of classic cartoons - Batman the Animated Series. Nothing else from the 90's comes close. Watch "Heart of Ice", and you'll see why.

While you're at it, go back and play some Megaman 2, and then explain to us exactly how you expect Kingdom Hearts to even approach half its longevity. You liking it isn't enough of a reason - it has to be a game that people go back to again and again for the next two decades. A good example of a "recent" classic is Mario 64, which defined 3D gameplay. If Nintendo isn't your thing, try Metal Gear Solid, which created the stealth genre, and advanced storytelling in games.

I'm going to sum up everything that you're saying here: "I didn't grow up with it, thus it is not a classic."

And I'm sure everyone who isn't a twenty-something year old in this thread is way past the age of watching cartoons, man.

Also, look at my avatar. I like Mega Man, I enjoyed Mega Man 2. But I don't see it as OMG AWESOME because I don't have nostalgia behind it. Yes, Nintendo is my thing. That's why I'm on a Nintendo forum.

And why does everyone seem to think that just because a game did something new this automatically makes it amazingly awesome? MGS? The story was way to wordy, Kajima seriously needs an editor. Mario 64? Really good, but the levels near the end get on my nerves.

And me liking Kingdom Hearts has nothing to do with it, if you actually read the opening post you'd see my reasons I think that when my generation is your age we will possible turn it into a classic.

 

[Sleek Media]

Good luck with that, kid. And, *ahem*

Kingdom Hearts is not a classic.

 

[finalark]

Kingdom Hearts is not a classic.

Why?

No, seriously. Give me a good reason and I'll listen to you rather than just reguard you as a retro elitist.

And try to avoid they "it didn't do/perfect anything" argument. Many older gamers that I know consider Earthworm Jim a classic, and remember it for the zany style (yes, I've played and I like Earthworm Jim before you ask). So who says that Kindom Hearts wouldn't be remembered for taking a seemingly impossible set up and making it work?

 

[Sleek Media]

I already gave you THE reason - it's popular, but not immensely popular, and has contributed nothing significant to its platform or genre.

Earthworm Jim is a cult classic. As an example, a cult class from your generation would be Shadow of the Colossus. Again, both games had some remarkable aspect to them - Earthworm Jim had a cartoony style with crude humor, and Shadow of the Colossus had a HUGE sense of scale in its world. These games either didn't achieve/maintain enough sales or popularity to be commonly remembered as classics, but they are still worthy of the title.

I don't see how taking two of the most popular franchises in their respective industries and putting them together could be considered "impossible". Sure, the Disney haters whined about it when it was announced, but nobody expected it to completely tank.

A game that overcame "impossible" design is Metroid Prime. It came out 8 years after the previous Metroid game, Super Metroid (another big classic), had a HUGE standard to live up to, had a generation of players and two generations of hardware to jump across, and was CHANGING GENRES. During that 8-year period, the man who designed Metroid, Gunpey Yokoi, passed away. It is also worth noting that the franchise was being given to a US-based studio for the first time. Despite all of this, it became one of the most successful games ever. THAT is overcoming all odds, preconception, and hype. Metroid Prime is still one of the highest-rated games of all time.

Kingdom Hearts was a good action RPG. The combat was exciting, but not revolutionary (God of War will be the classic from your generation for that). Storytelling was average for Square; Final Fantasy will surely claim that distinction. What's left? The crossover element? I don't expect Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games to become a classic just because it united two huge franchises. There wasn't anything else about it that really stood out. Compare with Marvel vs Capcom 2, which took fighting games to a new level.

If you ever can't decide whether or not a game is a true classic or not, just ask this question:
"Would the game have been equally successful with a different cast of characters?"

Would Mario's gameplay be just as enjoyable with someone else jumping around? God of War be just as brutal without Kratos? Could Samus and Master Chief conceivably switch places? These games would have still been amazing - their franchises were defined by their gameplay, not the other way around (*cough*Sonic*cough*).

So what is Kingdom Hearts without Mickey and Sora? A less crappy Secret of Mana 4.

Kingdom Hearts is not a classic, not even a cult classic. That doesn't mean it isn't a good game, but you have to be reasonable in accepting its position. We all have games we think should be classics but aren't.

 

[finalark]

^Okay, I can buy that.

Thank you for the insight. In about seven years, we'll see who is right.

I agree that God of War will probably be considered a classic, even though I persoanlly didn't like the games.

EDIT: You should take note that explaining yourself makes debates much easier, rather than just coming in and being a jerk about how everyone is wrong that your classics are the real thing.