Review No. 1 Kingdom Hearts 1 - PS2 (12+)

Strong Points:

Amazing Storyline
Brilliant Disney Characters and Worlds
Lots of minigames
Battles are brilliant

Weak Points:
No co-op mode
Some worlds are boring

In-depth Review:

Release Dates:
Japan: March 28, 2002
North America: September 17, 2002
Europe: November 15, 2002
Australia: November 22, 2002

Controls:

D-Pad: move menu cursor
Left Analogue Stick: move character
Right Analogue Stick: move camera
Circle: jump
Square: use certain abilities
X: confirm/talk
L1: open magic shortcut menu
L1+X/L1+Square/L1+Triangle: cast assigned magic
R1: engage target lock
L2: switch between targets while locked on
R2: change camera angle
Select: switch to first person view
Start: open main menu/pause
L1+L2+R1+R2+Select+Start: soft reset

This game introduces the world (or worlds if you want to be specific) of Sora. It would be a universe that would stay with us for the next ten years and seven games (and longer). In Kingdom Hearts 1 you follow the story of Sora as he travels around the worlds of: Destiny Islands, Traverse Town, Wonderland (Alice In Wonderland), Coliseum (Hercules), Deep Jungle (Tarzan), Agrabah (Aladdin),  Monstro (Pinocchio),  Atlantica (The Little Mermaid),  Halloween Town (The Night Before Christmas), Neverland (Peter Pan), Hollow Bastion, End of the World. There is also a minigame world of the 100 Acre Wood.

Your weapon of choice is the Keyblade, a mythical weapon capable of unlocking people's hearts, and Goofy and Donald accompany you later on. Donald is a magician and Goofy is a knight (they are both searching for King Mickey). Along the way many other people will join you in their world (As there is only three party spaces you will have to drop either Donald or Goofy if you want to use the character of that world). At the beginning of the game you get to choose what you should specialise in strength (sword), magic (wand) or defence (shield).

You can also use magic which will take up some of your MP (magic points) every time you use a spell. This replenishes over time or you can pick up items from Heartless (the enemies) when you destroy them or you can use an item. This is the same for HP (health points) although they don't replenish over time.
You can also collect Munny (the games currency) from fallen Heartless. This Munny can be used to buy items ranging from potions to equipment and Gummi pieces.

You get from world to world in your Gummi ship which you control and upgrade while dodging obstacles and destroying enemy ships. While going through a level later on in the game you may be eaten by Monstro which allows you to play that world.

Conclusion: the unique blend of Disney and Square Enix makes this game an unforgettable experience. The way everybody is searching for something (Sora for Riku and Kari; Donald and Goofy for King Mickey; Riku for Kari) is a really nice touch as well. I can't wait for it to be released again this autumn.

Rating: 96%

Thanks for reading, Satamer.