News: Super Smash Bros. Brawl Japan Release

On January 31st Super Smash Bros. Brawl has officially gone on sale in Japan meaning that players over there will finally get the chance to duke it out with their favorite characters as well as their friends. Of course most of you know that the release of Brawl in the US has been delayed yet again, this time it won't be making an appearance until March 9th which is a huge upset for those eagerly awaiting the release of possibly the most awaited game on the Wii so far. Of course those of us in the US should be feeling lucky as for those living in Europe still don't even have a sold release date announced meaning it could be quite some time before they get their hands on the game.

There are a lot of rumors going around related to the delay most of which seem to focus around Nintendo making an attempt to stockpile the Wii console across the country in an attempt to sell one Wii for every copy of Brawl sold. If this is true it is sure to cause an upset over those who already own the console and have been waiting for the game just to find out that Nintendo decides to pull it right out from in front of them yet again just because they aren't selling enough consoles and that they plan to use Brawl as a way to sell more.

The Smash Bros. Dojo which has been the source of news on the upcoming game for quite some time now has announced that they will be continuing to update and announce some of the hidden content in the game for those already playing the game. They say that these updates will continue on for about two more months as they plan to make the site more of a guide for the players to make it possible for them to get the best out of their experience.

More information on the game should become public now with the game actually out over across seas and even though us here in the United States still have a little over a month wait I am sure that we will soon learn whether the wait is worth it or not or if it's all been a bit over hyped this entire time.

Compare: Banjo-Kazooie & Banjo-Tooie

The Same

Many of the basics between Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie stay the same, including the graphics and much of the music which some of is even recycled between the two games. The sound effects in the game stayed the same as well as the mumbling which gave the characters the same voices as in the previous game, if you consider them voices that is.

Many of the moves from Banjo-Kazooie return in the sequel but that doesn't exactly make it the same as there were a whole set of new moves that were very different from the previous game. The jigsaw pieces return with the very same purpose as well as the same way of acquiring them throughout the different worlds.

There are many returning characters in Banjo-Tooie from the original including the main enemy of the game, Gruntilda, of course she gets a new look in Tooie but she is more or less the same character. Many other characters from the previous game return in Tooie appear in similar worlds from those in Banjo-Kazooie and they even go ahead and explains how they ended up showing up there.

Of course cheat codes return once again and are entered more or less the same way, through a code room in one of the initial levels in both games. Many of these cheat codes are the same except for a few special cheat codes for each game.

The Different

As mentioned before in Tooie there are a whole new set of moves some of which include, allowing Banjo and Kazooie to go separate ways, a first person shooter mode, and the ability to aim your eggs before firing. One of the other changes in the ability system is the fact that Bottles is not longer the one teaching you the abilities but instead his brother Jamjars due to the fact that Bottles is dead.

Unlocking new worlds is done in a new way now as you're forced to work out an actual puzzle before the worlds will open up. Where in Banjo-Kazooie the different puzzles were hidden throughout the over world, in Tooie all the worlds are unlocked from the same place once you have the right amount of jigsaw pieces. The worlds in Tooie are also much more complex and harder to navigate then in the original making the game far more challenging.

Mumbo has been given a new role in the game as he is now a playable character which you can control and use to open the path to reach more jigsaw pieces. Of course the transformations that Mumbo handled in the first game are back in Tooie but with an all new character in charge of them. A new female shaman character named Humba Wumba is now in charge of the transformations.

The Jinjo's return in Tooie with a slightly new role as well. In Kazooie each of the worlds had 5 Jinjo's hidden throughout them and once they were all collected in that world you would receive a jigsaw piece however in Tooie you must collect all the Jinjo of one color which are randomly scattered through all the worlds in order to receive the jigsaw piece for each of those separate colors.

Another concept between games that changes is the music notes which in Kazooie use a record system when if you were to leave the level or die the note count would reset and you would have to collect all the ones you had before and more in order to get your count up. However in Tooie you will be able to leave the level and come back and finish collecting the notes without having to collect them all over again.

Review: Banjo-Tooie

After their first adventure in Banjo-Kazooie, Banjo and Kazooie promised a sequel that would allow you to connect the two games together using a little thing called Stop n' Swop. Alright so we didn't exactly get Stop n' Swop but what we did get was yet another amazing game even bigger then the last in the form of Banjo-Tooie.

On the box for the game it read, the bear and bird are back, and wasn't it the truth as this time they would be back in an even bigger and more complex adventure. Banjo and Kazooie are once again facing off against that evil with, Gruntilda who's been trapped under the rock where she was left at the end of Banjo-Kazooie for two years now. Now that is a long time to be trapped and just as you would expect it's taken a toll on her as she is now nothing more then a skeleton of her former self. This time however she's not along as she's accepted the help of her two sisters, Mingella and Blobbelda. Of course Gruntilda's right hand servant Klungo will be making a return appearance through out the game as you'll actually get to face off against him in several boss battles throughout the game.

Moving forward lets talk about the storyline of the game. The majority of the main storyline is Gruntilda and her sisters trying to restore her to her original body. Of course they're not going to take any sort of nice approach to his as they plan to drain the life from those in the new over world, the Isle o' Hags, and transfer them on to none other then Gruntilda. Banjo and Kazooie have problems with not only that but the fact that the trio of witches destroyed their home and killed their mentor from the previous game, Bottles.

Just as I mentioned Bottles is out meaning he can't teach you any new moves so it'll now be up to his slightly more strict brother Sergeant Jamjars. To make things even more exciting you start off with every single move you learned in the previous game meaning that things could only go up from here with all new moves most of which are completely different then anything from the other game. This time around you won't be using music notes to open doors but you will need a certain amount of them in order to learn each new move. Also the music notes work much different from the previous game as the record system is thrown out the window allowing you to collect notes and leave the level and come back and collect the rest whenever you feel like it.

Next up is the worlds in the game and boy are there a lot of them this time around and you know what? They're even better, they may be a little bigger and size and harder to navigate them but they are a hell of a lot more detailed. the over world is also much more detailed this time around as it feels much more unique as in the previous games you at times felt trapped as you were only exploring Gruntilda's lair where no you have an entire continent to explore. The method of unlocking each level in this game is different as well as in Banjo-Tooie you'll need to actually solve the puzzle before you can unlock the world but it also keeps all the puzzles in one place instead of scattering them out. What I mean by having to solve them is that you will have a time limit in which you will have to place all the pieces into their appropriate place in the moving picture in order to open the next world. Of course you will still need a certain amount of jigsaw pieces which are collected very much the same as in the last game.

Of course Banjo and Kazooie won't be able to pull of a huge adventure on their own as their good friend Mumbo makes a return with a completely different role this time as you'll actually get a chance to play as him in order to help the duo reach some of the out of reach jigsaw pieces with his magic. When playing as Mumbo you can use his magic to affect the surrounding whenever he's standing on one of the pads with his face on it. However Mumbo's not alone this time around as yet another shaman, a female shaman named Humba Wumba, joins in as well as she takes up Mumbo's old job of transforming Banjo and Kazooie into all sorts of things, most of which are completely different from the previous game. Of course since Mumbo isn't the only magic user in the game they could no longer go with Mumbo tokens but this time the changed it up adding a magical creature know as the Glowbo into the mix. Another change is that you'll actually only need one Glowbo to activate each of Mumbo and Wumba's magics in each of the worlds and all the Glowbo's seem to be place in stupidly obvious locations right near Mumbo and Wumba's homes.

Another thing within the game that has changed ever so slightly is how the ever so lovable Jinjo's work as now you don't have to collect five in each world but you'll be trying to collect all of one color which the amount of each color in that family differs by color. Other then that they remain mostly the same as they still have their famous catch phase as they'll yell help whenever you get close to them. Once you collect all of one family you will be awarded with, of course, a jigsaw piece. Beware of the evil Jinjo's which will instantly try and kill you whenever you get near.

The stories in each of the separate world remain separated just like in the previous game where they seem to have a storyline of their own. However a few of the worlds are actually connected by tunnel systems which will make it possible for you to travel between one world to the other in certain cases which will allow you to collect a few extra Jigsaw pieces.

The controls in the game really stay more or less the same as in the first game and the same really goes for much of the other features in the game including the graphics and music in the game. Some of the music in Tooie is also heard in the original. Of course the mumbling returned oonce again as it gave all of the returning character their exact same voice making it feel like an extremely similar game from the last.

Overall Banjo-Tooie sticks to a close to identical system from Banjo-Kazooie except for a few game play mechanics that changed in the production. As for the things that stayed the same, as they say if it ain't broke don't fix it and both Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie were never broken and are two of the greats on the N64 system.

Review: Banjo-Kazooie

,Back in the days of the N64 it was said that Super Mario 64 had changed the way platforming games worked and had been the first true 3D platformer but that wasn't the only good platformer to come out of the N64 one of which being the game I'll actually be talking about today. Banjo-Kazooie probably wasn't as well known as Mario but I wouldn't exactly say that it wasn't noticed as it actually had quite a large fan base as it was quite a memorable game.

Banjo-Kazooie was a game created by Rareware which starred and unlikely duo of a Bear, Banjo, and bird, Kazooie, who would take shelter in a large backpack which Banjo would carry around on his back. These two heroes would soon set out into the lair of the wicked witch, Gruntilda, in order to rescue Banjo's younger sister, Tooty.

Throughout the witch's lair Banjo and Kazooie would come upon the gateways to all sorts of unique worlds where you're main goal would be collecting the ten jigsaw pieces also called a jiggy for short. Of course there was more to them then that including music notes which each world contained a hundred of these and the more you had the deeper into the over world lair you would be able to go. The method of collecting these notes was possibly the most complicated thing in the game as it worked on a record system where whenever you leave the world the notes go back the way they were and the only way to actually accumulate more from that world would be to collect all the ones which you had the previous time as well as any new ones you might find with the new ones being the ones added to your grand total. This meant that in order to collect all one hundred notes in each world you would have to collect all of them at once without leaving the world or dying as this would only reset their locations throughout the world forcing you to start all over again. Each world would also contain small multicolored creatures called Jinjos which when all five of these creatures in each world are collected they would present you with one of the ten jigsaw pieces for that world.

In order to unlock all of the various worlds throughout the game you will have to place the appropriate amount of jigsaw pieces into the appropriate picture for each world in order to complete the picture. Of course as mentioned above there will also be doors which can only be opened by having the appropriate about of music notes and the numbers required will really get up there by the time you reach the end of the game meaning that right from the start you should try and collect as many notes as possible, if not all of them in each world.

All of the many moves in the game are easy to use and all of them are taught to you by a friend of Banjo and Kazooie named Bottles. Throughout the whole game you'll actually be looking through the levels for him in order to learn new abilities and moves that will allow you to reach the jigsaw pieces that you were unable to reach without that ability. There are also a few temporary upgrades through the game as well in the form of shows which Kazooie will put on her feet allowing her to either walk through piranha infested waters as well as quick sand or give her the ability to run at much higher speeds then she is normally able to. Of course before you can use these shoes you will have to talk to Bottles and learn to.

There is actually a set of cheat codes built right into the game but of course you'll have to find and talk to Gruntilda's spell book in order to receive the codes of course there are plenty of sites around the net that actually have all the cheat codes making it so that you won't have to actually go through the trouble of learning them. Be careful however if you use too many cheat codes it will mean game over, and I mean it, your game file will actually be deleted and I've actually tested this and it is true so just keep that in mind.

Along with the text, used as the main method of getting the storyline acrossed, each of the character were given a unique way of speaking with what has been named, mumbling, it's more or less the closest thing to speaking with out actually speaking making it seem as though the characters are talking using a language of their own.

The main storyline of the game really isn't too deep as through most of the game you will only be going through the individual and disconnected worlds storyline wise as none of the smaller stories having absolutely nothing to do with the main storyline of the game. The graphics in the game were average for the N64 as they were very similar to graphics used for many other games on the console back in those days. The music of the game is actually one of the best features in the game featuring quite catchy tunes while you play through the already overly addicting game.

Banjo-Kazooie was also the holder of possible the most well known mystery in the gaming world in the form of Stop n' Swop which would have connected game play in Banjo-Kazooie with it's sequel game Banjo-Tooie. I won't get into too much detail on this at the moment however as I will talk about this in a future article.

Overall Banjo-Kazooie may have been overshadowed by some of the other platforming games with more well known characters but Banjo-Kazooie still ended up becoming, in my own person opinion, one of the best games on the N64 which still holds a place in my childhood. When I had originally played this game I was only a kid but even when I play it now I still have just as much fun with it as I did back then. The graphics weren't anything overly impressive but they were among some of the best in the N64 age which was enough to say they were pretty damn good. The music was amazing and the unique style of voice acting made the game seem like something completely different from many games at that time. The storyline wasn't too involved in the actually game play of the game but you know what? It didn't have to be because all of the individual worlds could stand on their own without involving the actual storyline in them. The game would be worth a play, that is if you've never played it in the past and if you have played it then you could always play through again as it does have enough replay value to actually play through the game again.

Review: Super Mario Galaxy

So you take one of the most famous video game character and stick him in space, sure that sounds cool but what if that character is a red overall wearing Plumber? Well you know what? It's still pretty damn cool in fact it makes for probably the best game on the Wii and probably one of the best games of all time at that. Of course I'm talking about Super Mario Galaxy which was the well known plumbers first adventure on the Nintendo Wii and it showed us what the Wii was truly capable of.

At a first glance at the game play of this game would give you the indication that the odd camera angles and 360 degrees of running across sphere like planets would be a bit disorienting and sure it may be at first but you quickly get used to this aspect of the game since it is one of the main aspects of the level design in the game. Of course gravity also plays a huge role in the game as at times many different objects are given separate gravitational pulls then other surfaces allowing you to jump from one sphere to another just by jumping into that objects gravitational pull.

The storyline in the game is very linear as the game works much like many of the previous Mario games for the N64 and Gamecube as you'll be collecting stars which are in fact almost identical to those from Super Mario 64. The main story of the game is that Bowser once again attacks the peaceful Mushroom Kingdom raining fire down upon the kingdom as he rips Princess Peach's castle right out of the ground taking it into space with him where he plans on creating a galaxy of his own. Of course Mario is right there trying to stop him but Mario only ends up getting blasted out of the castle and into space. He soon wakes on a small planet where he meets a group of creatures called Lumas which oddly enough look like stars themselves. You will eventually get a Luma partner of your own as well that will allow Mario to perform all new moves that he's never been able to do before including the basic attack in the game, the spin attack which I'll talk a little more about a little later on. You will be traveling to distant galaxies using the observatories located in the main over world, the Comet Observatory. These galaxies go from being different themed worlds to being nothing more then small planets and debris floating in space.

The controls in the game are really quite simple and not much different from those in previous games. The control stick on the Nunchuk will allow you to control Mario's movements while the A button on the remote will allow you to jump. Of course they utilize the motion controls of the Wii giving Mario the ability to preform a spin attack just by shaking the remote or nunchuk slightly, this will be the primary attack through the game but you will quickly realize that there is a second or two delay between each spin attack which will leave you vulnerable during those instances. Another new mechanic to the game is the ability to both pick up and shoot what are called star bits simply by pointing the remote at the screen and directing the star like curser over them, to shoot you simply need to point the cursor at the target and press the B button on the remote. Other then that the controls are more or less the same as in previous games as the Z button on the nunchuk allowing you to crouch as well as perform the long jump with a combination of running, crouching, and jumping in short succession. With the Z button you will also be able to do the butt stomp when you press the Z button in mid air, this move proves to be quite useful throughout the game. The camera angles at most time cannot be changed but at times you'll be able to change them using the control pad on the remote although these instances are quite rare.

Of course a Mario game wouldn't fell right without the unique forms that Mario is known for acquiring and Galaxy takes this aspect to a completely different level giving Mario all sorts of new forms including Bee Mario, Boo Mario, Spring Mario, and Ice Mario. Of course there will also be returning forms like Fire Mario and of course Rainbow Mario which is the new form of Mario with the invincibility star. Each of these forms present new abilities to Mario which will enable him to collect the stars which were unreachable without them.

After each group of galaxies Mario will of course have to fight through a boss stage which will more times then not be against Bowser and Bowser Jr. who are the main villians in the game. Of course there is a boss in almost everyone of the levels which most of them turn out to be all new enemies which had never been seen before as well as a few that are returning from previous games.

The graphics this time around look better then ever as I mentioned before that this may be the best looking game on the Wii so far. The sound effects really haven't changed from previous games but then again would we really want them to? The music throughout the game is amazing and probably the best music we've seen in a Mario game since we first heard that catchy Mario Bros. theme back on the NES.

Overall Super Mario Galaxy is the closest thing to Super Mario 64 that we've seen so far as it takes many aspects from previous games as well as all new Wii specific additions. The story may be lacking but hell when has a Mario game ever had an innovative story so we really couldn't expect anything special this time around either. of course sticking to the basics of Bowser kidnapping Peach could never be a bad since that has been the basic story since the beginning and it never gets old. The graphics and music in the game are top par and maybe some of the best music to appear in a Mario game to date. The story in the game seems a little short but that's only because you only need half of the stars to reach the final level which leave sixty more stars to collect in order to unlock something let's say, special. Mario's return to the 3d platforming scene is in no way a disappointment as Nintendo obviously still knows how to crank out a good Mario title, when they want to that is.

Review: Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII

Final Fantasy VII has become one of the most well known games out there and after a few years Square realized this as they had decided to actually release a sequel to the game that sequel was known as Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII. Fan of the original Final Fantasy VII may have been a bit disappointed with Dirge of Cerberus due to the fact that it didn't exactly feel like a Final Fantasy game due to the one simple difference between this and every other Final Fantasy game out. That difference is the fact that Dirge of Cerberus was a third person shooter with traces of role playing elements throughout the game.

The main playable character this time around isn't Cloud but instead another returning character from the previous game, Vincent Valentine. Three years have passed since the events at the end of Final Fantasy VII and another dark scheme to destroy the entire planet had risen once again this time from a group known as Deepground and a bunch of super powered humans known as the Tsviets. The Tsviets seem to be looking for Vincent and they're taking out anyone else who gets in the way as thousands of people begin to disappear as mysterious screams echo from the city of Midgar. Of course Vincent won't be the only farmiliar face to appear as many other familiar characters will arrive to lend a hand to Vincent and an army force known as the W.R.O.

For a third person shooter the game plays very well with a few of the characteristics from Final Fantasy added into the mix including the ability to level up your guns as well as the use of potions and other items from the Final Fantasy universe. The guns in the game can also be customized by a number of different upgrades which can give them magic abilities and such but there really aren't too many of these upgrades leaving much to be desired from this feature.

Updated graphics along with the added voice acting almost identical from those that were featured in Advent Children makes for a great addition to the Final Fantasy VII experience. One thing that all the Final Fantasy titles up until X lacked was voice acting and that changes in this addition to the series with an amazing set of voice actors added for a group of characters that were considered some of the most memorable even when they had no voice.

One downside to the game is that it could be considered a bit on the easy side especially considering that anytime you get stuck on a boss or difficult situation you have the ability to use what is know as a Limit Breaker. Limit Breakers are items that will allow Vincent to turn into a beast like form by utilizing the beast, Chaos, that lies within him. This form gives Vincent upgraded attack power when it comes to close range attacks as well as a long ranged attack making it possible to make it past most obstacles with ease. There were also a few other things making the game a little easier including the item, phoenix down, which should sound familiar as in previous Final Fantasy games would allow you to revive fallen party members but this time around you'll be able come back after dying once for every phoenix down you use on yourself before dying. Some boss fights even go ahead and put shops right on the screen where you'll be fighting the boss giving you the ability to continue to buy potions as long as you have enough for them.

Overall the storyline adds on to the memorable storyline of Final Fantasy VII with many returning characters as well as a group of all new unique enemies. The style of the game doesn't exactly fit a Final Fantasy game but it is an average shooter and although it is a little on the easy side it is worth a try especially if Final Fantasy VII left you wanting more as this is the more that you've been waiting for although Crisis Core may fill that void a little better only time will tell.

Review: Silent Hill Origins

Silent Hill Origins promised to reveal the events that led up to the small town of Silent Hill becoming what we know it to be but the only problem was that very little that we didn't already know was revealed.

The main playable character in the game, Travis Grady, a trucker who seems to have a bit of a troubled past causing him all sorts of nightmares but the real nightmare is just about to begin for him when he sees a figure run in front of his truck. He decides to investigate when he finds a house that's on fire when he realizes someone is inside and instantly rushes in to save them. He finds a half dead girl inside which he brings to safety before collapsing himself and when he wakes he's right in the middle of the fog covered town of Silent Hill.

The town of Silent Hill should be familiar to those who've played any of the previous games, other then Silent Hill 4 that is. One problem I see with this game is the fact that it's meant to show us how the town got the way it is but wait a second the town is already pretty fucked up by the time you get there and other then Travis there are very few people in the town other then the usual monsters. There are four other characters of interest that you meet in the town which among them is a nurse, a mysterious doctor, of course the familiar little girl Alessa, and Alessa's mother who should also be familiar to those who've played the original. Other then these four characters a few cult members appear near the end of the game however other then them it would seem that the entire town is completely deserted.

Moving right along the graphics are on par with the Playstation and Playstation 2 games which is impressive especially for this game being on a portable system. The voice acting could be better although it is once again on par with the previous games of the series. The music on the other hand is on a completely different level from the previous games. The music is especially good if you do as the game suggests and play through with a set of headphones on. The same goes for the sound effects throughout the game and although they're not much different from previous games, listening to them through a pair of headphones makes them even more realistic adding to the feeling of the game.

The controls in the game stay very similar to the previous games except for the game becoming much more of a button masher then the last. There are slightly different weapons from just random objects like toasters, portable televisions, and all sorts of other objects that you would never have thought could be weapons. The other two groups of weapons are the ones you've seen before including melee weapons like pipes and wooden planks and the other of course being a wide array of guns which seem to be the most useful this time around even though through the other series the guns were usually only a last resort as ammo was quite rare. The final method of combat is something else that is a bit new as well giving you the ability to fight with nothing but your bare hands which seems to prove that Travis is even more of a bad ass then any of the other main characters in the previous games. One problem with the combat system that makes the game a bit more difficult is the fact that after a series of attacks there will be about a two second period before you can attack again giving any monsters you're fighting the opportunity to get their own series of attacks in on you. Another new feature are the series of button combination sequences whenever certain types of monsters use a specialty attack on Travis during this point you will have to press a series of buttons in order to escape, sound familiar, yeah that's right Resident Evil 4 was based around this exact same basis, the only difference was that Resident Evil actually did it right and from the looks of things these challenges really had no point in Silent Hill Origins and if anything they were only an attempt to make the game similar to Resident Evil 4.

So I've had some good things to say about the game and a few low points which seem to balance it out but here comes the real problem in the game, that problem is that the game is so damn short. Now on my first time through the game I finished in three hours and I didn't know what I was doing yet so I started to wonder what the fastest possible time in the game was so I started to browser around for some speed runs for the game and what I found was that the game could actually be finished in a little over thirty minutes and yes I know Silent Hill games are known for being a bit on the short side but never quite as short as this.

So overall the game is not too bad but it could have been a lot better. The game was quite a bit more difficult from the previous games mainly due to the period of being almost completely defenseless after each series of attacks forcing you to rely more on firearms which are usually rare in a Silent Hill game however this one seems to be an exception as they seem to appear quite a bit more then usual. The storyline was a little disappointing due to the fact that not a whole lot of new material was revealed and the fact that the game was so short made the game seem as thought it wasn't worth the thirty dollars that I had payed for it.

Review: Kingdom Hearts 2

After Square and Disney's last best selling Kingdom Hearts game on the Playstation 2 a sequel was next to come in the form of Kingdom Hearts 2. Sure there were a lot of delays in the release but it eventually came out and it turned out to be even better then they're first two game of the series. Of course there are even more Disney and Square crossover appearances as well as an even deeper storyline that will only leave you with even more questions by the end of the game.

Now as soon as you get into the game you will realize that you're playing as an all new character instead of Sora. You will soon realize that this new character, Roxas, is connected to Sora as he begins recall memories from Sora' past and the previous Kingdom Hearts game. After close to two hours of play you will eventually finish up this introduction level as Roxas and finally reach the title screen, that's right the title screen after two hours. Now things will get a bit more familiar as you will finally get to play as Sora once again.

Not far into playing as Sora you will soon learn of an all new group of enemies known as Nobodies which are the empty shells left behind when a person loses their heart to the Heartless. These lower ranking Nobodies are controlled by a group of even more powerful Nobodies known as Organization XIII. Of course the Heartless aren't out of the picture just yet as Pete, one of Malificent's old henchmen is still busy trying to build a Heartless army, the only problem is that he still doesn't know that Malificent was destroyed by Sora.

Sora soon gets an all new costume that gives him new powers know as Drive Forms which with the help of Donald and Goofy will allow him to take on multiple different forms that will give him separate abilities. There abilities will vary from being able to wield two Keyblades to being able to attack from long range when you're able to shoot a series of energy shots from the tip of your blade. Of course these forms can be powered up by leveling each specific form up as this will grant you some special abilities form normal combat as well as abilities just for each specific form. There is also a special form within the game that could put you at either an advantage or a disadvantage. This form is known as the Anti-Form and looks very much like the dark Sora from the original Kingdom Hearts title. In this form you will move much faster then usual and be able to deal much more damage but the only disadvantage is that you'll take more then double the amount of damage then you would if you were in any other form. This form comes on randomly when you're trying to transform into one of the other many forms unlocked throughout the game.

Donald and Goofy as back once again as your primary party members and of course other familiar and new Disney characters will at one point join you're party. Limit commands are a new attack very similar to the trinity's in the previous game. The Limit commands will allow you to use special attack moves with the help of one of your partners and almost every character who teams up with you throughout the game eventually and some are a bit more useful then others. Of course these commands will use up all of your mana in order to limit how often you can use them but mana restores much faster then in the previous game as it will slowly refill even if you're standing still. I wouldn't exactly say that this has made much of an improved since now all cure abilities will use up all of your mana meaning that you'll either need to stock up on potions as well or run stand around waiting for it to refill which could get to be a bit boring to say the least. With this there are of course new magic abilities and of course we still have the basic fire, ice and thunder abilities and as mentioned above the cure abilities but with those there are quite a few all new spells but once again just like in the previous game it is more then possible to finish the game without using any of these spells other then a few cures here and there.

One of the major problems in the previous game was the controls and a good amount of improvements were made for Kingdom Hearts 2. The menu still remained the biggest problem in the game which remained more or less the same making you scroll through it to access your magic and items as well as your drives this time around and they just went and made it a little worse by adding a second half to the menu giving you a few more options including summons and limits but in order to access it you would have to hit left on the control pad and then right in order to switch back to your normal menu again. Using combos became much either however with reaction commands that will allow you to simply press the triangle button when a certain combo is available as well as to perform simple tasks such as opening treasure chests without scrolling through the menu. One problem that wasn't touched on was the fact that the game is still a button masher and if anything this time the game is even more of a button masher then the last as you're given even more opportunities for chains of combos which will have you pushing the X button over and over once again.

You will once again be traveling through many different Disney worlds as well as all new worlds some of which will be familiar to you as well as some all new worlds that have yet to appear. This time around there are quite a bit more mini games which will add a little more fun to the game but none of these mini games are really all too challenging and most are just plain easy. That is for most of the game though as the difficult of Kingdom Hearts 2 is much lower then that of the previous game so if you're looking for a real challenge then you'll want to play the game on a harder difficulty for more of a challenge.

One of the low points of the previous games were the Gummi Ship levels and sadly that is yet another bad element that still remains although they have been improved a bit yet they still remain one of the lowest points in the game. You will only have to play through each Gummi Ship level once this time around unless you want to go through all of the separate missions on each of the tracks which isn't necessary for finishing the game.

As you may know the last game had a lot of extras for you to complete at your own pace and this time around there aren't quite as many but there are still a few there including a few optional boss battles as well as a secret ending just like in the last game. Another optional extra is to try and complete the journal 100% which will require you to do every possible thing in each of the worlds as well as complete all of the Gummi Ship missions on each of the tracks.

Overall Kingdom Hearts 2 has made quite a bit of improvements to the system from the previous game but it could still use quite a bit of improvement especially with the controls which are better yet still not perfect. The storyline of the game is even more in depth compared to the last game as many of the questions left unanswered at the end of the previous game will finally be answered only to create all new questions. Not much has changed about the character design and music as they still stick to the same style and use very similar Disney music and to follow the adicting theme of the previous game they've made yet another just as addicting theme from the same artist of the last giving it the same feel. With this in mind this is a game that is worth a play especially if you enjoyed the original.

Review: Kingdom Hearts Part 2

Now the controls are possibly the worst point in the Kingdom Hearts game and I'm not only talking about the slightly annoying navigation of the menu what I am talking about is the fact that the entire game is more or less your average button masher. Sure you're given a wide variety of magic and other attacks but when it comes down to it there are only a few cases where you will actually be required to use these abilities and through most of the game you will find yourself just slamming the X button trying to complete combo after combo. Due to this fact the game play will often get very repetitive to the point where you're fighting enemy after enemy only continuously hitting the X button the entire time. There are still other problems with the controls including blocking which is more useless then helpful due to the fact that it is close to impossible to time perfectly and it is often easier to just dodge. Now as I mentioned another bad point of the controls is the menu which you will often need to scroll through quickly in order to pull off certain combo attacks and even for much of your magic. Sure there is the L1 shortcuts but you're only able to put four abilities in the shortcuts when you get far more then four.

The graphics throughout the game fit the Disney theme nicely as they give the game a cartoon feeling and that along with the large amount of comedy relief throughout the game makes the feel a perfect Disney crossover feel. All Disney characters in the game share the original voice actors from the Disney moves that they stared in and this along with a few new voice actors for the original characters and many of the Final Fantasy characters which were never voice acted before giving the game an authentic yet all new feel from anything ever done before.

You can expect a challenge from this game but you can also expect to die at least a few times especially later in the game but one thing you will learn throughout the game as if you've played other game with role playing elements, if you can't win at first then leveling up it the best option. The game contains quite a few extras for the experienced players, including an secret ending and a variety of optional bosses which will prove to be the most challenging bosses in the game.

Overall Kingdom Hearts is a good game even though the controls and game play can get repetitive yet the mixture of colorful characters works nicely with the innovative storyline and catchy tunes both new and old. You'll enjoy exploring the many world all with familiar faces as well as all new ones.

Review: Kingdom Hearts Part 1

I'm sure back in 2001 when Kingdom Hearts was first announced as being a combined effort between Square and Disney a lot of people were probably thinking, what the hell, in fact I bet most people were but then it actually came out and it turned out to be a perfect combination. There was much more to this game then just Disney and Square characters however including all new characters unique to the game which tied all the loose ends together.

The game starts off dropping you right into a training level where you meet the main character, a 14 year old boy named Sora who has recently been having mysterious dreams relating to other worlds other then his small island home. During this introduction level you will have the option of choosing from series of weapons which will affect your stats when starting the game. Soon be introduced to the main enemies of the game know as the Heartless which are created when any one person's heart is consumed by darkness to the point where they lose it.

Before getting into the main story of the game lets talk about the music in the game. Now right from the opening cinematic you'll quickly notice how amazing the music in this game is and I'm not only talking about the addicting song, Simple and Clean, played during the opening. Much of the music throughout the game includes music from many Disney movies most of which representing the theme of the world. Of course there is all new music in the game but of course it's not quite as memorable as all those Disney classics that will have you going, I remember that song, through much of the game.

Early on in the story you will be introduced to the three main characters in the game, Sora, of course the main playable character in the game, Kairi a girl who had mysteriously appeared on the island one day, and Riku, Sora's best friend. The three of them are building a raft in order to sail away from their small island home, Destiny Island, in hopes of discovering new worlds. Also on Destiny Island you will get to experience the first set of character appearances in the form of quite a few familiar characters from the Final Fantasy universe. After a few simple quests a terrible storm hits the island and threatens to wash the raft they've been working on away and into the sea but what they didn't know was that this wasn't an ordinary storm as the monsters from Sora's dreams began to show up on the island. Sora will soon get a weapon know as the Keyblade to fight against the Heartless but it's not enough as the entire world ends up being destroyed.

Sora soon ends up in a completely different world made up of a town known as Traverse Town with neither of his friends anywhere around. In this town Sora soon meets many familiar faces including his two main partners throughout the game, Donald and Goofy. Sora quickly learns that the Keyblade is the only weapon that can stop the Heartless and that Sora is actually the only one who can use it.

After this you will be traveling from one Disney world to another riding in what is known as a Gummi Ship which might be the most annoying part of the game. These levels between each world put you in control of the Gummi ship as you steer clear of obstacles and enemy ships until you reach your destination. Now that doesn't sound so bad at first but when you realize that whenever you have to revisit a world you have to play through the exact same area again and again until later in the game you actually get the ability to travel back and forth between worlds you've been to without playing through these levels...