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 - Hard to get the hang of...I love the Kingdom Hearts games. Wonderful animation with characters from Final Fantasy games and Disney movies, two great things for me to enjoy. When I heard about this "inbetweener" game on Nintendo's Game Boy Advance I became questionable on how this would affect my opinion of the series in a 2-D format. I haven't finished playing this game since my archnemisis "I'm stuck!" decided to drop in but do not let that stop you from buying this game if you would really like to gain some background on the stuff that is revealed in Kingdom Hearts 2 for Sony's Playstation 2. The main things that bothered me about the game were getting adjusted to the characters reduction into 2-D (except for a few quick cut scenes which are in 3-D) and learning to use the new battle system with cards that you must collect, win, and buy to advance (the exact reason I am stuck now). Rating: - Not as good as KH and KH2, but still excellent.This is my very first review on Amazon, but it's a good game to start out with. I've played both Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts 2, and know how well Square Enix can perform. They came through on this one. Chain of Memories can't hold a candle to Kingdom Hearts 2 (but hey, what can?) but it is most definitely the most enjoyable Gameboy Advance game I've ever experienced. If you've ever played Kingdom Hearts or Kingdom Hearts 2, the battle system in Chain of Memories will be completely new to you. Instead of the usually hack-and-slash, Memories incorporates a battle card system. Now don't go shouting 'Yu-gi-oh! Yu-gi-oh!', because Memories combines live-action with the cards. Each attack you perform will cause you to lose a card, which you can later reload. Though this may not be as convienient as just being able to smack away endlessly, the cards do something to spice up Memories, otherwise it would be sadly monotonous. You can also combine attack cards to create combos. Also, you can still summon, just like the last game. Magic is still there. Now, at first glance, the story is a bit of a put-off, but as soon as you start to play, you become immersed in the impressive storyline and addictive characters. Of course, playing the first game is essential to understanding the plot. Graphics, you say? I've never seen a game with such stunning graphics in a Game Boy Advance game. If you played the first or second game, you'll be seeing the same graphics for cutscenes every once in a while. And even when in normal gameplay, the graphics are impossibly advanced for the GameBoy Advance. The gameplay is the only problem. Though you'll find no problem with the average battle, the boss fights can be incredibly difficult, especially for the younger people. See, everytime you use up your attack cards and have to reload, your cards lose power. Then, they become scarce as the battle progresses. But then there's the lovable boss' card power to think about. You have to come up with a card number higher than your opponents to do any damage. Otherwise, your attack will be cancelled out, or you may even receive damage from your opponent. It becomes harder and harder to match the enemy's card power, as after several reloads, your cards' attack power is so weak that it's virtually impossible to counter it. But, keep in mind, that will only happen if you let the battle drag on. Also, never reload unless you are out of good cards. Don't waste 'em! Now that I'm finished showing the main flaws in this gem, i'll round it out by telling you: This game rocks! Not too good if you're an inexperienced gamer, though, or haven't played the first game (SHAME ON YOU!) If you are a hardcore lover of Kingdom Hearts, Disney, or Final Fantasy, MUST BUY! Otherwise, test 'er out first, then decide. So, with that, adios! Rating: - Storyline...loved it! Music...enjoyed it! Graphics...sweet! Battle system...not so muchOk, so this takes off right after the epilogue of Kingdom Hearts...with great graphics almost fit for the PS2. Sora follows a hooded man to a foreboding castle and enters it. The hooded man says, "Ahead lies something you need...but to claim it, you must lose something dear." Sora, Donald, and Goofy find that they have forgotten their abilities as soon as they entered the castle. Every floor they up they lose memories of their adventures...but Sora remembers someone dear to him, someone he'd forgotten about. The story is awesome and has an interesting array of new characters. Sora, Donald, and Goofy are brash, hot-headed, and funny as usual. Riku (the other part of the game) goes through a significant character change, something that I liked about his story. Mickey is as great as ever. The new characters were something to think about. You loved them, hated them, loved to hate them, or couldn't decide. (Those were my choices.) Fiery Axel, sadist Larxene, observatory Vexen, fearless Lexaeus, craven Zexion, hazardous Marluxia, and the enigmatic DiZ. All working for their own goals and butting heads with each other. And, of course, the "all-knowing" Ansem is back with his usual rant of "darkness is the heart's true essence." The music was almost perfectly transferred from the first KH to the GBA, added with a few new scores that just made the game great to play. I even paused the game a few times during the Organization Members' battles and just listened to the music, especially the first Marluxia battle. Now for the bad things... The battle system was, I admit, unique and clever. But if you're gonna have a hack-and-slash with a battle menu in the first one, you might as well have it in its sequel. Also, it was tedious to find certain map cards in order for you to move on. The way of leveling up was also stupid. First-off, you had to collect the experience points dropped by enemies in order to level up while avoiding the other enemies that could make sure you missed those valuable points. And then, you had to choose what you wanted to level up, and the choices are: health, capacity for the deck of cards, and the card combos. How lame. Despite these flaws, the game is still great and KH fans will at least enjoy it to a certain extent. I did. Rating:  - just to let you know the theme song of kingdom hearts..When you walk away you don't hear me say please-- oh baby! don't go! simple and clean is the way you are making me feel tonight. it's hard to let it go.. ( and YES i am a girl ) The Phantom Brat .:':. Rating: - Loved this game!!!I couldn't put it down!!! Rarely do I see a game through to the end but I did this one. It has such high replay value. I finished it and picked up the first Kingdome Hearts game for PS2. The graphics are good and the gameplay is downright fantastic. I loved being able to fight and use cards in the battle as well. It sounds confusing but it really is not hard to pick up. I high recommend this game!!! I am still looking for another game that is just as good.
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