Welcome to the
In early 2000, a chance meeting between Square-Enix and Disney began what would be the greatest
collaboration in the gaming world. During its creation, speculation of the "kiddie" game was circulating fast. No one thought
that a game made by Disney would be any good. This seemed to be a trait with the Disney company. When Snow White was in production,
everyone scoffed it, calling it Disney's folly. In the late 80's, no one beleived Disney could create the magical movies they
did when Walt was alive. We all know that the public was proven wrong on both accounts. This time would be no different.
In 2002 Kingdom Hearts was released, and immediately became a smash hit. The mixture of Beloved Disney and Final Fantasy characters,
the stunning worlds you play in, and the completely engrossing story was far beyond anyones imagination. The reviews for the
game were very positive, and it won many awards from various sites. IGN© Gave it "best art/style direction", runner up for
"best cg graphics", and an honorable mention for "best animation". The gameplay as far as interaction, and fighting were both
in the top notches. The only drawbacks were the camera angles, and the Gummi Ship. The sections with the Gummi ships flying
was cited as being a copy off of the Star Fox© series. Regardless of these little glitches, Kingdom Hearts has gone on to
be called one of the highest selling PS2 games of all time. Famitsu Top 100 games of all time, Kingdom Hearts was voted #19. As of 2006, Kingdom Hearts has sold over 3 million copies in North America,
and 5.6 million worldwide. It is a great feat to accomplish in a few short years.
In 2004, Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories was released on the Game Boy Advance. it served as the bridge between Kingdom Hearts,
and Kingdom Hearts II. It was also met with astonishing reception from the public, and is considered a great title for the
GBA. I have not had the pleasure of playing it at this time, but the responses from my friends have all been positive. A good
story, beginning right where the first one left off, and ending right where the second one begins. The characters and worlds
are basically the same, with a few new additions. Overall, it was a fun game they told me.
In 2006, Kingdom Hearts II was released to the same critical and popular response as the other two. The story takes place
right after the events of Chain of Memories. The glitches in the camera were fixed, and the fighting style was given a complete
overhaul. There were several new worlds to explore, as well as some old ones from before. The story was a little slow at first,
but quickly became as engrossing as the first title. The critics favored this game, and it was the second highest selling
game of 2006, selling over a million copies in the first month of North American release. (The highest selling being none
other than Final Fantasy XII.)
Kingdom Hearts is definitely one of the best gaming franchises of the new generations, and shows no sign of letting up, or letting fans down.
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