bit-tech Shopping: Square Enix Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories (GBA)

Rating: 6

Time with product: 1 Year

Strengths: a good story and good graphics and a new charicter to be

Weaknesses: hard and annoying!

Summary: the game starts off where KH1 left off. sadly a card game isn't what people think is a kingdom hearts game the system of battle is a hard thing because in the other game you didn't have to buy attacks and in this game you must customize everything from your deck to you style . In the other game you find a weakness and you use it but in this game you have to make a whole new deck for each boss! but you need it to understand KH2

Rating: 8

Time with product: 3

Strengths: Good action RPG. Innovative mechanics.

Weaknesses: The game mechanics are more theoretically interesting than playing with them. Weak save system.

Summary: Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories continues the Kingdom Hearts goodness and story. Like the original PS2 game, it is an action RPG.There are two innovative things about this game. The first is the map system. You 'create' the landscapes you enter using cards. This means that the game is different every time you play, and you can customize what kind of areas you want to play.The downside to that is that everything looks pretty much the same. Areas are identical, except for small cosmetic changes. The structure of the game, too, is more limited than you might think. The story is laid out in a very linear fashion, handing out the keys you need to get to the next chunk in predictable order. That's good, in the sense that you can't ever create a map that you can't solve. But it's bad in that it feels like you've got this cool, customizable mechanic that is really just sort of half used.The other innovative thing is the card battle system. Rather than just being a button masher, you get cards and use your cards to attack. The game is still essentially a button masher, because many fights are too complicated to actually allow you to strategically think about the cards. But, you do get the strategic elements of deciding what to put in your deck and how you want to go about fighting. It's actually a neat idea in theory and I wish it worked a little better than it does, but they get points for trying something different that doesn't completely change the game in a bad way.The more emotionally attached to Kingdom Hearts you are, the more the story will mean to you. But much of the dialogue and situations are essentially gibberish. As an exploration of what memories are, it's not bad. But it's not exactly a compelling story or plot.The save system is functional, but poor for a portable game. The regular save spots are far too infrequent. You can save anytime (that's good) but if you do, the game stops (that's bad) and when you continue, that 'save' is erased.It's not the hardest game, or the longest, but it is a good portable RPG. Best to seek out PS2 Kingdom Hearts first to maximize the experience, but it's still a good game even if you don't.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 2 Weeks

Strengths: Classic and recognizable characters in new surroundings

Weaknesses: Control is a little clunky, but few complaints

Summary: This is my introduction to the Kingdom Hearts series, where the world of Disney meets the worlds of Square/Square-Enix - mostly Final Fantasy in its many forms. In general this is a fun game, with a mix of card-based and normal combat. The cards should scare off anyone opposed to that sort of system as you essentially have an unlimited supply of them. I found the controls to be a little sluggish in some ways, probably by design, but not a design I usually enjoy in games. The environment and other gameplay elements more than make up for this, however.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 30

Strengths: Recognizable characters, very good graphics (especially for a GBA game), unique battle system, interesting story, two different play modes (each with their own story).

Weaknesses: Linear gameplay, repetitive levels, gameplay is tedious at times.

Summary: The story picks up right after the first Kingdom Hearts game and acts as a bridge to the second game. You travel the worlds visited in the first game trying to collect Sora's lost memories. The graphics are some of the best that I have seen on the GBA and the music is also pretty good. The combat system is different than that of Kingdom Hearts with the addition of cards which can be combined during combat to deal enhanced damage. Although use of the cards takes some getting used to, I liked the addition. The design of the levels, however, is a bit of a letdown. All the worlds look the same--the only difference between the rooms is the wall and floor tiles. Overall, the game is fun and I enjoyed it very much. I would purchase it again.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 1 Months

Strengths: The highly anticipated Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories reigns victorious in that it has a diverse combination of characters from our childhood Disney favorites to our great friends in Final Fantasy.

Weaknesses: Its downfall lies in it's execution as a real time card-based battle game which can be quite cumbersome at times and this is further emphasized by the lack of new environments.

Summary: As a game that is considered to be the sequel to the 2002 bestseller, Kingdom Hearts and the prequel to the highly anticipated 2006 Kingdom Hearts II this title need to live up to a long list of expectations. Well does it? I can affirm you that it has made itself a name in the videogame hall of fame list. This is a simple title that strives where all other card games fail. It has an arsenal of characters that lunge at you in order to fuel the somewhat slow paced plot. As a card game that this title automatically lends itself to an intricate system of card battle which are pretty much the same throughout the game. The interesting part lies in the fact that it has a diverse cast of foes and the ability to customize any kind of deck to defeat them. A great plus is that this game is played in real time which means that you aren?t refrain from movement. You can actually run around during battle and when the battle ends you earn different cards. These cards allow you to determine what kind of room you will enter into. As a result there are endless possibilities and increased replay value. So pick up a copy today?with a MSRP of $19.99.