Kingdom Hearts (2002) (VG)

Director:

Tetsuya Nomura

Writers:

Jun Akiyama (scenario writer: scenario)
Keiko Nobumoto (scenario supervisor: scenario)

Release Date:

17 September 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Family | Fantasy | Mystery

Tagline:

You never know who you will run into next.

Plot:

Beloved Disney characters such as Goofy, Donald, and Mickey interact with many characters from the Final Fantasy RPG series and characters from the Disney animated films.

Plot Keywords:

Disney | King | Final Fantasy | Mickey Mouse | Kingdom

Cast

Haley Joel Osment	...	Sora (voice: English version)
David Gallagher	...	Riku (voice: English version)
Hayden Panettiere	...	Kairi (voice: English version)
Billy Zane	...	Ansem (voice: English version)
David Boreanaz	...	Squall Leonhart (Leon) (voice: English version)
Mandy Moore	...	Aerith Gainsborough (voice: English version)
Steve Burton	...	Cloud Strife (voice: English version)
Christy Carlson Romano	...	Yuffie Kisaragi (voice: English version)
Shaun Fleming	...	Tidus (voice: English version)
Dee Bradley Baker	...	Wakka (voice: English version)
Molly Marlette	...	Selphie Tilmitt (voice: English version) (as Molly Keck)
Lance Bass	...	Sephiroth (voice: English version)
Seth Adkins	...	Pinocchio (voice: English version)
Wayne Allwine	...	King Mickey Mouse (voice: English version)
Tony Anselmo	...	Donald Duck (voice: English version)

Also Known As:

Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix (Japan) (reissue title)
Kingudamu hâtsu (Japan)

Country:

Japan | USA

Language:

English | Japanese

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

USA:E | Australia:G | Germany:6

Filming Locations:

Japan

Company:

Disney Interactive Japan

Trivia:

The idea for this game came about when producer Shinji Hashimoto met with a Disney executive in an elevator; Square and Disney had previously worked in the same building in Japan.

Goofs:

Continuity: Whenever any characters come back from being completely underwater, they are never wet.

Quotes:

Doorknob: Must you be so loud? You woke me up.
Goofy: Good morning.
Doorknob: Good night! I need a bit more sleep.

Movie Connections:

References The Wise Little Hen (1934)

Soundtrack:

Hikari -PLANITb remix-

The most anticipated game for me since Final Fantasy 7! And it doesn't disappoint.

Years in the making and hyped like crazy, Kingdom Hearts for the PlayStation 2 had me eagerly awaiting for months. Although not a big Disney fan, I salivated at the dream of seeing all the great Disney and SquareSoft characters together in one DVD game. When September 17, 2002 came, I ran out to get my copy and have been enthralled by this game's beauty, charm, and playability.

Kingdom Hearts features two stories, one, about a boy named Sora who is looking for his friends who have vanished. and two, Donald Duck and Goofy, who are looking for the missing King Mickey. The three have to work together when they find out that they hold the key from keeping the Disney worlds from being destroyed by The Heartless.

You'll travel through a number of classic Disney films such as Aladdin, Pinocchio, Tarzan, and The Little Mermaid. You'll meet all sorts of cameo appearances from Disney films and SquareSoft's Final Fantasy games. The games play like the Legend Of Zelda series, with real-time battling, you control Sora while the other two characters support you. You'll face classic bosses from the movies, such as Captain Hook and Jafar as the Evil Genie.

The graphics of this game are gorgeous, looking like an animated Disney film itself. The power of DVD games makes all the difference. The gameplay is good, too, although niggles with the camera get in the way. The sound is great, too, although I would have liked to hear the songs from the movies that are used as levels. Of course, the voice acting is first-rate, with one of the deepest casts ever put together. The premier child actor Haley Joel Osment voices Sora. You've got actors reprising their voice roles from the films such as James Woods(Hades), Gilbert Gottfried(Iago), and Dan Castelenatta(The Genie from the Aladdin T.V. series). You've got it all: pop stars like Mandy Moore (Aerith) and Lance Bass (Sephiroth), fading talents like Robby Benson and Chris Sarandon, the cool voice of Billy Zane, rising stars, even Tiny Toons voice for Babs Bunny (Tress MacNeille) is here. The voices for Donald and Goofy are spot-on accurate, too.

Put it all together and you've got a game that's a must own if you have the PS2. A truly landmark game, this proves that cross-marketing, mass-marketing, and celebrity firepower can work. Buy it! ***** out of *****!