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[Pangya]

Amazon has Mark of Mastery back in stock again (probably will run out soon) for those who still haven't preordered and want it!

 

[friskykillface]

just placed an order earlier


was happy to see it re-stocked , wanted one


but 0_o at those ebay prices, wonder if it will keep going up

 

[HammerOfThor]

Amazon has Mark of Mastery back in stock again (probably will run out soon) for those who still haven't preordered and want it!

!!!! YES!!!!

 

[Aaron Strife]

www.nintendopower.com released their preview of the August Issue. Has the first part of the review for KH3D

"Given the movie on which it's based, it's not too surprising that La Cite Des Cloches proves less than inspiring"

 

[Cheska]

Is anyone's Gamestop having a midnight release?

 

[Zwei]

Amazon has Mark of Mastery back in stock again (probably will run out soon) for those who still haven't preordered and want it!

307 left at Amazon

 

[Perfo]

So, given the secret message at the end of the game and Nomura's interviews we can pretty much assume that KH1&2 HD are coming soon, right? It'll be fun to replay through them.

 

[Thoraxes]

Friend at Target stashed my copy under the counter, gonna pick it up in a few hours!

 

[MaverickHunterAsh]

Does anyone know if Spirits' ability boards differ by rank? So, for example, does a Rank E Meow Wow have the same ability board as a Rank A Meow Wow? I sure hope so...

 

[hamchan]

So, given the secret message at the end of the game and Nomura's interviews we can pretty much assume that KH1&2 HD are coming soon, right? It'll be fun to replay through them.

Sure hope so. Very good chance for the final mix versions to come over in English.

 

[dc89]

So finally got round to playing this yesterday despite having it since Thursday (EU).

It's nice, I like the controls and the graphics are really good. It seems pretty well polished too from the first half an hour I played. The music is awesome

Do you guys in the US get the reversible cover?

That's my pic from the pickup thread.

 

[Dereck]

I thought I would post this here for anyone who might be interested:

Kingdom Hearts DDD

I haven't gotten a chance to print this out yet, but if anyone does print this, let me know what you did.

Print

 

[kayos90]

So, given the secret message at the end of the game and Nomura's interviews we can pretty much assume that KH1&2 HD are coming soon, right? It'll be fun to replay through them.

Lol. I want them to finish Versus XIII. Finish FFXHD. Then work on KH HD.

 

[MaverickHunterAsh]

So finally got round to playing this yesterday despite having it since Thursday (EU).

It's nice, I like the controls and the graphics are really good. It seems pretty well polished too from the first half an hour I played. The music is awesome

Do you guys in the US get the reversible cover?



That's my pic from the pickup thread.

Yeah, we got the reversible cover too. Very nice.

 

[hamchan]

Can I just say that going into a world and not actually knowing what series it's from is kinda awesome. I finished the first set of three worlds and have now started the second set and I have no idea which Disney series these are from. I really appreciate Square Enix not just rehashing their old worlds this time!

 

[Nohar]

Thank you! I felt the same when I read that statement from Nintendo Power.

 

[MAtgS]

To be fair, the lack of Hellfire or a

Spoiler

Frollo

bossfight is pretty disappointing.

 

[MaverickHunterAsh]

For some reason, I've been finding that I enjoy playing as Sora much more than I do Riku, and it's not just because I like him more as a character. I don't know, something about the way he fights just makes the game... flow better, I guess. Riku's combos just don't flow as well, and... I don't know. What I do know is, I'm always a lot more excited when it's time to do a round with Sora, but not so much with Riku.

Is anyone else having this kind of experience (one way or the other)? I know both Sora and Riku are pretty similar for most gameplay purposes, but they feel like they play a lot differently to me.

 

[hamchan]

For some reason, I've been finding that I enjoy playing as Sora much more than I do Riku, and it's not just because I like him more as a character. I don't know, something about the way he fights just makes the game... flow better, I guess. Riku's combos just don't flow as well, and... I don't know. What I do know is, I'm always a lot more excited when it's time to do a round with Sora, but not so much with Riku.

Is anyone else having this kind of experience (one way or the other)? I know both Sora and Riku are pretty similar for most gameplay purposes, but they feel like they play a lot differently to me.

Riku has a longer pause in between some of his attacks I think.

 

[eXistor]

While this won't end up being a favorite, I am starting to warm up to the game after the first horrendous 3 hours. I think repetetiveness will strike sooner rather than later, but for now it's a fun enough diversion. The music is mainly what keeps me going, it really is spectacular.

 

[Nohar]

To be fair, the lack of Hellfire or a

Spoiler

Frollo

bossfight is pretty disappointing.

Aww... Truth to be told, I was half expecting both. That would have been awesome... And, well, ever since I stumbled on this fan-made Hellfire song with a KH vibe, I was hoping something as awesome in-game. Meh

 

[coughlanio]

While this won't end up being a favorite, I am starting to warm up to the game after the first horrendous 3 hours. I think repetetiveness will strike sooner rather than later, but for now it's a fun enough diversion. The music is mainly what keeps me going, it really is spectacular.

I'm about 2 hours in and finding it a bit of a clusterfuck...so are you saying it gets better?

 

[MaverickHunterAsh]

For those of you just starting out, consider stocking up on Drop-Me-Not items early on and using them to play through each world with each character in one go. (For example, Sora's Traverse Town, then Riku's Traverse Town, then whatever world you choose next with Sora, then that same world with Riku, etc.)

Why do this? Not having to drop to the other character every 15 or so minutes definitely helps make the story more cohesive and makes things like searching for every treasure chest in each world a lot more fun and far less frustrating, since you won't be getting disoriented by having to switch between characters and game states so often.

Also, doing this gives you the added benefit of accruing more than enough DP by the time you finally do drop to give your next character some great bonuses every time.

Once I figured all this out and started dropping to the other character only after I've completed a world with the character I'm using, the game became a lot (and I mean a lot more fun.

Just a friendly suggestion from someone who's four worlds in.

 

[Flame Lord]

Amazon has Mark of Mastery back in stock again (probably will run out soon) for those who still haven't preordered and want it!

Those people who paid $70+ on eBay must be pissed.

 

[Ken]

I saw a bunch of those Mark of Mastery boxes on the shelves at Gamestop. Worth picking up?

 

[HammerOfThor]

I saw a bunch of those Mark of Mastery boxes on the shelves at Gamestop. Worth picking up?

I picked it up just because I'm a KH fan. I have no use for anything that comes with it lol.

Edit: I still don't know if I want to leave it unopened and get a normal copy or just open it

 

[Seda]

Launch Trailer for US (via Kagari's site)

Kotaku Review (Yes)

WHY: Because it might not be perfect, but the fighting sure is fun.

Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
What I played: Around 20 hours, finishing up most of the worlds. Tried to beat the game in time for release date, but spent way too much time dying to bosses.

Two Things I Loved

• Zipping around like Superman on crack with a giant key.
• Lovely music, lovely worlds.

Two Things I Hated

• The infuriating Drop timer system.
• Dialogue like "The moment someone else looks at us, we begin to exist."

 

[hamchan]

The drop system really is the most pointless feature in this game. Storywise I don't even know why it's happening yet.

 

[Famassu]

Oh what, they cancelled BBS2 to make DDD? That...sucks.

It wasn't JUST DDD that caused BBS Vol 2's cancellation. They realized they simply didn't need the game and that there has been too many KH games, so it's time for Kingdom Hearts III instead of going on with the spinoffs. And I'm not sure if that game would've had any more relevance to the story than DDD does. It would have been a game with a story that would probably just have fleshed out some past events we already know about but not much.


And I don't really agree that DDD has nothing going for its story. First of all, it's got the whole Mark of Mastery thing going on, so it's kind of important in building Sora & Riku's character

Spoiler

especially since Sora kind of fails and Riku succeeds

. It's also about the return of Xehanort, which is kind of a big deal + setting up the whole 7 warriors of light vs 13 of darkness struggle. Then there's the whole Axel subplot. The worlds also have certain themes that are somewhat closely tied to what Sora & Riku are going through (or HAVE gone through). It's not a major MAJOR release in the series (that's why it's not III), but it has so many small things going on that quite likely just wouldn't have gone well if they had tried to cram all of it into Kingdom Hearts III, which should be quite epic if Nomura's hints about the game are true.

In addition to all of that, DDD is also important since it serves as a refresher for old fans and gives new ones at least half a possibility to get up to speed with the series.

For some reason, I've been finding that I enjoy playing as Sora much more than I do Riku, and it's not just because I like him more as a character. I don't know, something about the way he fights just makes the game... flow better, I guess. Riku's combos just don't flow as well, and... I don't know. What I do know is, I'm always a lot more excited when it's time to do a round with Sora, but not so much with Riku.

Is anyone else having this kind of experience (one way or the other)? I know both Sora and Riku are pretty similar for most gameplay purposes, but they feel like they play a lot differently to me.

No, so far I've liked Riku better, especially since his last hit has a longer reach so it fits combos better.

I'm about 2 hours in and finding it a bit of a clusterfuck...so are you saying it gets better?

How is it a clusterfuck? I thought this probably has the best beginning in the whole series, both gameplay & storytelling-wise.

 

[JacksUsername]

Picked up my copy this morning - only put in a half hour or so. It's been a while since I played a KH game, so it's fun to jump in the universe again. Glad I read those Gamesradar slides and feel like I have a general idea of what's going on (or a better understanding than I did before)

 

[Seven Force]

Picked up my MoM Edtion. Will probably start playing sometime tonight.

For some reason, I've been finding that I enjoy playing as Sora much more than I do Riku, and it's not just because I like him more as a character. I don't know, something about the way he fights just makes the game... flow better, I guess. Riku's combos just don't flow as well, and... I don't know. What I do know is, I'm always a lot more excited when it's time to do a round with Sora, but not so much with Riku.

Is anyone else having this kind of experience (one way or the other)? I know both Sora and Riku are pretty similar for most gameplay purposes, but they feel like they play a lot differently to me.

Same thing happened to me in my JP playthrough. I think I'm just happy to not be playing as a computer version of Sora, or a completely unrelated trio of characters, or even his nobody or whatever, but as the one, true Sora for the first time since KHII.

 

[Mario007]

It wasn't JUST DDD that caused BBS Vol 2's cancellation. They realized they simply didn't need the game and that there has been too many KH games, so it's time for Kingdom Hearts III instead of going on with the spinoffs. And I'm not sure if that game would've had any more relevance to the story than DDD does. It would have been a game with a story that would probably just have fleshed out some past events we already know about but not much.


And I don't really agree that DDD has nothing going for its story. First of all, it's got the whole Mark of Mastery thing going on, so it's kind of important in building Sora & Riku's character

Spoiler

especially since Sora kind of fails and Riku succeeds

. It's also about the return of Xehanort, which is kind of a big deal + setting up the whole 7 warriors of light vs 13 of darkness struggle. Then there's the whole Axel subplot. The worlds also have certain themes that are somewhat closely tied to what Sora & Riku are going through (or HAVE gone through). It's not a major MAJOR release in the series (that's why it's not III), but it has so many small things going on that quite likely just wouldn't have gone well if they had tried to cram all of it into Kingdom Hearts III, which should be quite epic if Nomura's hints about the game are true.

Except everything you listed we pretty much knew was going to happen. Return of Xehanort is explicitly stated in Re:Coded, his motivations are basically a repeat of BBS but this time using a different way to achieve it. Riku and Sora going through the MoM exam apart from the final result doesn't actually do much for the character development of either character. The way we left them at the end of Kh2 is the same way we leave them at the end of DDD. Even if Axel's subplot was that significant, it's still only like 3 cutscenes which could have easily been included in KH3.

Re BBS Volume 2, if you watch the secret ending of BBS FM you'll quickly realise that the story there was going to be much more complex and would have advanced the plot much further than DDD, especially in relation to Aqua and Ven who got like no screen time in DDD. In fact, the whole 'We must return to mend their torment' thing from Coded was still not explored and neither were the data Ansen hid in Sora and we've known about these plot-points since forever at this point. Basically, I'm not trying to say the game was bad but it simply wasn't on par to the mainline titles like Kh1,Kh2 and BBS and not even COM.

In addition to all of that, DDD is also important since it serves as a refresher for old fans and gives new ones at least half a possibility to get up to speed with the series.

New fans that probably don't own the system the eventual KH3 will release on.

Same thing happened to me in my JP playthrough. I think I'm just happy to not be playing as a computer version of Sora, or a completely unrelated trio of characters, or even his nobody or whatever, but as the one, true Sora for the first time since KHII.

Well, you're playing as a Sora in the dream world

Spoiler

and also brought there through time travel

but at least he'll remember this adventure.

 

[Wolf Akela]

Just got my copy. Even regular copies get some AR cards?

 

[Mr. Fix]

Anyone know of any trade-in deals for the 3DS/XL? Or for this game? Tight budget, but I'm kinda itching for this.

 

[Zomba13]

Aww... Truth to be told, I was half expecting both. That would have been awesome... And, well, ever since I stumbled on this fan-made Hellfire song with a KH vibe, I was hoping something as awesome in-game. Meh

:O that is so good! Feels like it was something that was made for the game and then taken out for whatever reason.

 

[Seda]

Just got my copy. Even regular copies get some AR cards?

Pre-order bonus?

 

[JacksUsername]

Pre-order bonus?

I think it might just be one of those first print deals. Picked up mine at Wal-Mart and the game had a label on the shrink wrap indicating "Limited Edition" with 3 AR cards included.

 

[Wolf Akela]

Pre-order bonus?

Store didn't have pre-orders for the game, so I just picked it up after work.

I think it might just be one of those first print deals. Picked up mine at Wal-Mart and the game had a label on the shrink wrap indicating "Limited Edition" with 3 AR cards included.

Oh man, probably this. When I picked it up from the shelf I saw the limited edition print. They took it to the counter and picked up another copy from their stock but without that print. I thought they removed it but I still got my cards. The store always opens the game in front of you when you buy one.

 

[Nohar]

I was wondering : what is the meaning/purpose of the "Heart Jauge" in the Spirit menu ? The one that increases little by little when I'm playing with them (it seems that this jauge begins at 2/2, and increases with time and affection (duh)).

 

[mugurumakensei]

Gots my mark of mastery edition. I can't wait to get home.

Interestingly, I learned Nintendo is actually harvesting Wiis from Gamestop.

 

[Seda]

I'll try to grab a handful of impressions and post it at the top of the OP. Post away!

 

[Murrah]

Would love some impressions for people such as myself who are not die hard fans. I haven't played a Kh game in 6 years and it tears me up because the premise is so good and I love Disney...

...but the story.

Hahaha I was sort of hoping for the same thing since I haven't paid any attention to this series since 2. If no one from that demographic posts anything in the next few hours I'll take one for the team

 

[thetechkid]

Just got my Mark of Mastery Edition, will not be seeing the internet/daylight for days.

 

[Seda]

I'm going to post impressions here (running out of character space in the OP), and link this post.

I didn't find it as great as the console entries + Birth by Sleep, but it's miles above pretty much every other title. The flowmotion stuff is pretty great though, I hope it sees use in future titles.

I'm about 6hours in and I must say it's blown me away. The gameplay is deep, there's a seemingly endless array of moves and abilities, the graphics are the best yet on the 3DS and the overall polish to the game is impressive.

I tried to play it with the Circle Pad Pro and found that, actually, it was more of a hinderance than a help. The battles are so frantic and require so many button presses that you don't really have time to be using a second control stick to control the camera. Plus, with the lock on feature, it's not really needed. I play without my CPP now and I'm enjoying the game greatly without it.

Yeah, this is really cool so far. It's too bad command levels/melding are gone, but on the other hand it's nice that the new systems make it feel pretty different from BbS, and it helps that they're fun on their own too. Graphics are crazy.

It's also kind of hilarious how obvious it is that they're aware of how high the barrier of entry is, what with the constant Glossary updates, flashbacks, etc. Depending on sales, they're really going to need to release that HD collection ASAP.

I just got the game today and played for a few hours. I think some of the mechanics are a bit confusing but I am glad that the drop mechanic isn't forced that quickly. At first I kept switching characters in case it didn't switch by itself. It is an interesting story mechanic and gives the levels a bit more "depth". However I'm not a fan of the pet aspects. I do like that you can customize them (in a sense), but petting them to improve stats or feeding them just kills the flow. Good for small kids but it is distracting to the overall experience. Even if you don't have to pet them or feed them it still gives you benefits in doing so. Also the camera is killing me! The problem is how much it moves at once and that you have to lock on to be able to keep track of things around you (it doesn't help much even with the CPP!). Other than that the graphics and presentation is amazing. The game is also fun and fast paced, although I wish you had a bit more space when fighting the enemies as it get very "cluttered" and confusing at times. It seems like this series battle system gets crazier every time.

I don't get how to initiate the dream eater battles, but I will find out pretty soon!

Now I have played 13 hours and this is possibly my favourite KH game so far (keep in mind I have not played the PSP game). I think the difficulty is pretty decent and not way too easy. An example: I have avoided most of the random fights and breezed through the levels until I hit some nasty bosses with big health bars. Embarrassingly I ended up playing the same boss for 3 - 4 "drop" times. Then I figured should grind more by playing a new world as I was seriously underleveled.

Spoiler

Because I could not kill that damn boss (inside that whale) fast enough without having to switch to Sora.

The camera has at least grown on me, but I find the second numb useless and prefer to just use the shoulder buttons to switch the camera.

So yeah, this is crazy good. Worst thing is that sometimes I feel the controls are a bit unresponsive, like I can't jump or dodge because of animations when I feel I should be able to if this was a previous KH game (like BBS of KH2). Also the drop stuff is a tad annoying when it happens during a boss fight, especially when the time limit is so close to you being able to finish the boss off.

Other than that though I really like it. I like making new spirits and getting abilities and commands via their grid things and I like how Sora and Riku use their links in different ways. It's small but I like that you can paint them lol. Kinda wish we could have world characters join though, like Neku or Beat in Traverse Town or Sam in the Grid or we could make Donald and Goofy via a super secret special spirit recipe.

I've just got the end of Prankster's Paradise to finish up as Sora then I'm done with the first set of 3 worlds and I'm at 11 hours exactly. I'm intrigued with the little bits of Kingdom Hearts story I've seen and I kinda want to know what is up with the whole dropping thing and why Riku and Sora seem to be experiencing different versions of each world. Unless they are the same world but at different times (even though there are contradictions in each guys things).

EDIT: Also, did anyone else not get the R&R Seal card? I preordered and nothing, not outside or inside the game (got the other card thing though on the SE members thing.). When I looked online for the cards and tried to scan them it didn't work (any of them). I've done this before with KI and with worse scans and it worked fine for that game.

So I think I've finished all of Sora's side of things. Woah the story is banananananas. Like, even for a KH game. Having trouble with what I think is Riku's last boss but I'm pretty sure I'm underleveled and under skilled (On Proud, lvl 32 or something). Gone back to do some grinding and to train some spirits. Thank god you can buy the water barrels in the mog shop. Even though that minigame sucks ass it's quicker than grinding enemies.

Anyone know if you get anything good from doing the flick rush stuff? Is the ultimate weapon from doing that stuff? Does this game have one?

I hope KH3 or whatever is next has the flow motion stuff. I love just climbing up walls using it lol.

Ok just finished the game and I'm disappointed as hell. After BBS this is a huge letdown and a game that should have been great but somehow managed not to be. Here's my breakdown:

Graphics- Honestly, the level of graphics, while one of the best on the 3DS, is comparable to BBS. There are a few minor improvements

Spoiler

Aqua's

hair is much better for example. However there are some VERY noticable frame drops when there are many enemies around.

Level Design- it was quite refreshing to see vast areas in KH game again. However, the problem with these and the lack of anyone in them made the world feel very empty. BBS suffers from the same problem but manages to conceal it with smarter level design as the areas are smaller and sot he emptiness is not as noticable. However, in 3DS it really feels as though you're playing through a hack-and-slash game with RPG elements rather than ARPG.

Combat- HUGE letdown after BBS. The command deck was perfect in its form in BBS and Re:Coded. Merging and leveling commands was fun. Also the commands you got throughout the game just felt strong and gave you a huge incentive to use them as opposed to your regular attack. The way the commands work in 3DS is really dumbed down. You no longer level your commands. The only way to get better commands is through leveling your dream-eater and a-staring the dive sections. The combat also doesn't look as fluid as it did in BBS (probably due to the removal of the combos and chains).
Dream Eaters are a nice little addition but I much preferred D-Links with various Disney and KH characters.
Flowmotion, however, that is something I can get behind 100%. It really made the game fun when moving around and trying to avoid attacks while preparing for your own great attacks.

Story- Now, before getting into super spoilery stuff, I want to say it was a completely stupid decision to leave the explaining of the whole purpose of the game to skippable flashbacks. The pacing was also quite awful. In previous KH titles it was acceptable to get a goal at the start, go through half of the game's Disney worlds and lock some keyholes, go back to your hub world, get more explanation on your goal, finish off the Disney worlds and the keyholes and let the story really start in the final KH world. BBS did away with this as the interaction of Ven, Terra and Aqua with the Disney worlds around them mattered and they weren't there just to lock some keyholes. In DDD we're back to the former mechanic and, honestly, not only is it stale but thanks to BBS you can see how lame it is to have story unravel this way.

Spoiler

now, mind you, DDD does some good with a cutscene everytime you finish the world, but it's nothing stellar

.
For the super-spoilery stuff

Spoiler

I felt this game did nothing to advance the story at all. Xehanort is back, which we all knew about. He wants the X-Blade, which we all knew about. They do give us some new insights like the Organisation's true goals or the upcoming keyblade war but that's hardly something we needed a new game for. All in all, the game could have been shrunk in a few cutscenes at the start of KH3 rather than having a separate game for it. In fact, the game in this manner felt much more like Re:Coded rather than BBS in terms of importance.

Lastly, I'm kinda hating the choice of the system for this one and it feels more and more like Nintendo made some sort of an agreement with SE for the game (as evidenced with the publishing agreement in Europe). It's obvious that a system with more power could have made the areas feel much better and that the team seemed to have designed these with this in mind. Also because of DDD another game that Nomura originally intended to release after BBS was cancelled as stated in the Ultimania interview. And when you add to that the importance of DDD's plot to the overarching KH story, it really is a let down.

I still have not finished the game but it seems the consensus is correct. This is the least good of the main games but better than the spinoffs.

I hate how every friggin enemy seems to have long range attacks. Most of my deaths have been some stupid missile coming at me outside screen. Camera is too close to the player and it feels super hard sometimes to keep track of enemies. Also the chest hunting in this one is pretty lame since pretty much every chest has some lame ingredient or potion. In BBS you could find new abilities and stuff all the time.

I think for KH3 oldschool command menu would be ok but they need to take the superior cooldown system from new games and make every spell have a shortcut.


I would recommend it especially if you are KH fan. It's pretty good, just not as good as other main games.

Finished the game. I needed 16:52 hours, but I also rushed trough the game.
Was underleveled at the end and had to grind for 30 minutes, I didn't care for the stupid DreamEaters (I often didn't find the mats for them...)

The graphics are good (like the PS2 Versions I think), many enemies will cause a little bit slowdown if you use freeflow too much.

Freeflow is awesome! Love that.

The Story is okay, and the last two worlds are really really awesome. I liked them.

The 3D effect is one of the best on the system (the opening is stunning in 3D!!)

I didn't complete nearly everything, I just wanted to play through the game for the story and the new system, so that I can sell it very fast.

Hopefully Kingdom Hearts 3 will come out in the next 5 years, lol.

So I FINALLY got to sink a good five hours into my review copy, after work totally owned me last week. I'm a giant Kingdom Hearts fan, but right now I'm feeling a bit mixed about this title.

I love the Flowmotion stuff, and I don't want to see a future KH title without it. It takes a little getting used to, but it's immensely rewarding and fun once you get it down. I also like the fact the bigger worlds that have been designed to compensate for Flowmotion.

What I'm really not liking at all, though, is the Pokémon-like Spirit-raising stuff. I hate that most of Sora and Riku's abilities are linked to the Spirits you have in your party, and that if you remove a Spirit from your party, you lose all the abilities it gave you. In my opinion, this definitely discourages you from experimenting with different spirits, because who wants to pour a bunch of time and effort into learning abilities from one Spirit, only to lose them all when you remove it from your party? Honestly, it just makes me want to look at a FAQ or ask someone who's 100%ed the game which Spirits have the overall best ability boards so I can look out for them and never remove them from my party once I get them.

I also really, really don't like playing with my Spirits. It's just incredibly dull when what I really want to be doing is playing the game and discovering what happens in the story. It's just a boring, dull thing to do, and the fact that the game makes you do it if you want to learn more abilities is absurd.

I'm mixed on the Drop system. I don't outright dislike it, but having to switch between Sora and Riku every 15 minutes or so can be very disorienting when trying to do things like find every treasure chest in a world.

Graphics are awesome, but the framerate definitely suffers quite often -- there are just too many crazy visual effects going on in every battle. I would have preferred it if the Osaka team had scaled back the visual effects just a bit to make the framerate a little more stable. But hey, it's still a great-looking game.

The soundtrack, as expected, is incredibly good. Shimomura is one of the most talented musicians of our time, and Sekito and Ishimoto contribute some great tracks as well.

Overall, I'm enjoying the game and am excited to play more just because I love the series and want to see what happens in the story, but I'm really not enjoying the Spirit stuff. I'm still just in Traverse Town, though, so hopefully I find something about them that I like going forward.

So I've finished

Spoiler

La Cité de Cloches

and it's safe to say that KH 3D, like every other game in the series, has gotten its hooks in me. I just can't put it down.

I'm now of the mind that Flowmotion is one of the greatest additions this series has ever seen, and I don't ever want there to be a future KH game without it (or something equivalent to it). It's just well-implemented and way too fun to use, even just to get around.

I'm still not liking the Spirit ability learning system, but I can deal with it since pretty much everything else is so damn good.

The worlds are impressively huge, which is good since they need to be to accommodate for Flowmotion.

Being a big series fan (and having played every game), I'm impressed at how well-done the Chronicles explaining the past games are. They're not exhaustive, of course, and people who haven't played the games themselves will still miss a few things, but they do a good job of presenting the important events of each game in an easy-to-understand manner.

I may be alone in this, but I really like the drop system so far. It's refreshing to switch between characters, gives me time to take a break and reset myself, and is just a nice palette cleanser.

I would much rather do things this way than have to play through the game twice, each with a different character. Also is nice for my commutes. Sora on the way there, Riku on the way back

I've got to say, this is probably the hardest KH game I've played outside my challenge runs through II & BBS. I haven't really grinded a lot, so I entered The Grid (battle level 14) when both Sora & Riku were lvl 10, and at first I couldn't do much else but die on one thing or the other (before I learned enemies' attacks a bit, which ones to look out for). And even at lvl 14, especially Sora's boss kicked my ass. ;__; Tons of normal enemies have some dangerous attacks that can kill you if you're not careful, and bosses are a whole other deal, killing me in seconds when I get careless.

Also, the remix of "Calling" from TWEWY is fantastic! Just finished the first world with both characters, and as mentioned above, I'm not digging the Spirit companion element of the game. I'd rather just have Donald and Goofy.

Also not a fan of the switching characters. It's a nice idea, but generally I like to explore a little more, so I think I'm going to go with the Drop-Me-Not item gameplay recommendation from above.

Otherwise, still having fun with the game...Freeflow is great and I stopped using the Circle Pad Pro. Using it, it's really hard to adjust the camera in battle, which is when things get crazy, so it didn't seem worth it.

Well, I just finished "La cité des cloches" with Sora. It was pretty fun, and I liked it a lot more than Traverse Town (too much interruptions, didn't like the colors of this world, and really, the two bosses were really annoying to fight inside the last building). I liked the boss fight of this world, though I have to admit that without the flowerthing-spirit, I would have been toasted (this little thing kept casting Protect and Shell on Sora during the fight, and God was it useful !).

I've only played 2 hours, but so far I'm extremely impressed! The combat is awesome. There are so many different combos with the spirits that it's overwhelming. I want to make a lot of spirits, but I'm afraid that they will be too low level.

I grabbed this game and a 3DS when I got off work today.

First impressions:

Man, that opening movie was great. I have to admit, I was really pumped up by the end of it. I love how it tied everything together.

The flow motion stuff is a lot of fun. It makes moving around a lot more enjoyable compared to previous games, and the combat applications seem cool so far.

I don't think I'll be able to compare this to Birth by Sleep until I get more abilities and further into the game. My brain keeps making negative comparisons and then I remember that I'm thinking of end game BBS abilities compared to the very start of 3D.

It's so nice to have a brand new Kingdom Hearts game in my hands. It almost feels weird to be playing as Sora again, rather than Roxas or Aqua or whoever.

Just finished Traverse Town as Riku (but I haven't beaten the boss for Sora's story yet). Riku definitely gets a much easier boss fight there. The end of Riku's section there definitely has me intrigued for what will happen next.

And now, finally running around in a Hunchback world in a Kingdom Hearts game. It only took 10 years and seven games!

I have to say, though, that this Dive shit is ridiculous. Nomura, nobody fucking liked the Gummi Ship stuff, so why go back to something like that after Birth by Sleep just let us... *gasp* go to the worlds without doing any mini game nonsense? This feels like a big step backwards after BBS.

Big KH fan, kinda disappointed so far. I just beat TT with Sora and Riku, but it hasn't really grabbed me yet. Obviously I'm giving it more time so don't jump on me. Story seems especially face-palmy/nonsense-y (or maybe it's just because I'm older) and the camera is baaaaaaaad.

Took my sweet time with everything and beat TT with Sora finally. Really enjoying this game so far.

I've only played KH1 and very little of 2.

Storywise I'm just kinda going with the flow, don't really care if it makes sense haha

So, three hours in, general impressions from someone who loved KH1 and 2 when they came out but hasn't touched a game in the series since:

- Looks gorgeous (duh doy), and they fixed my biggest complaint of the PS2 games - the levels actually feel decently sized and not just blocks of really small rooms

- That being said, where are any NPCs outside of the occasional moogle? I didn't mind it in Traverse Town much since it had such a weird dreamy atmosphere, but it doesn't feel right having no one around in the Hunchback level, especially in cutscenes. Definitely takes me out a bit

- The battle system is really fun. Flow motion is great (albeit overpowered right now), and I like customizing the command decks as well as the dream eaters

- I surprisingly like the dream eaters a lot considering how down on them I was when the game was first revealed, though I am a sucker for dumb puns and pokemonish elements. That being said, a huge appeal of Kingdom Hearts to me was having Disney characters (and Auron) in your party. Feels really lame to be introduced to Quasimodo and then just have him show up in cutscenes, and even then end up not doing anything. I'm not sure what a happy medium would be, maybe something like the various FF characters fighting alongside you in Hallow Bastion in KH2, but there has to be something to make the Disney worlds and characters feel like more than window dressing again

- Drop system seems dumb and pointless and I think I would prefer to just play through the game twice, but it hasn't bothered me yet

- Story isn't nearly as confusing as people make it out to be, and that's coming from someone who doesn't even care enough to read up on the past however many games I missed. It is dumb in a fun guilty pleasure way though

Basically what I'm saying is that even if you're not well versed in Kingdom Hearts, if you just want a fun action rpg on your 3ds I'd definitely recommend it, story be damned

I'll post anything and everything.

 

[TheChillyAcademic]

For those of you just starting out, consider stocking up on Drop-Me-Not items early on and using them to play through each world with each character in one go. (For example, Sora's Traverse Town, then Riku's Traverse Town, then whatever world you choose next with Sora, then that same world with Riku, etc.)

Why do this? Not having to drop to the other character every 15 or so minutes definitely helps make the story more cohesive and makes things like searching for every treasure chest in each world a lot more fun and far less frustrating, since you won't be getting disoriented by having to switch between characters and game states so often.

Also, doing this gives you the added benefit of accruing more than enough DP by the time you finally do drop to give your next character some great bonuses every time.

Once I figured all this out and started dropping to the other character only after I've completed a world with the character I'm using, the game became a lot (and I mean a lot more fun.

Just a friendly suggestion from someone who's four worlds in.

Anyone else agree with this?

This seems a viable option or one that makes sense and as I have to start the game, this seem like a good route?

 

[DarkChronic]

Welp, just picked up my copy, but not playing until the 19th. Want to experience this on a nice, big screen.

Thanks for all the impressions, folks! I enjoy reading them.

 

[Famassu]

I've just done Drops manually when it has felt like the good thing to do. I.e., if I finish up a world with Sora, I won't go into the next world until I've also finished with Riku. Yeah, I miss on some of the bonuses you can buy with DP, but I feel like that hasn't mattered so far.

 

[Angel Abaddon]

Anyone else agree with this?

This seems a viable option or one that makes sense and as I have to start the game, this seem like a good route?

Absolutely. I've just started the third world and going this route, and the world seems so much more cohesive than jumping between the two every 15 minutes or so. The only issue I could see is that you finish the world, you then have to redo a very similar one again, and I can imagine after a few worlds, fatigue will easily set in. Might be worth switching worlds up between characters if you feel confident mixing up world levels.

 

[Silent_Ocarina]

Anyone else agree with this?

This seems a viable option or one that makes sense and as I have to start the game, this seem like a good route?

I'm picking up my copy later today, and that's what I plan on doing.

 

[Mario007]

Anyone else agree with this?

This seems a viable option or one that makes sense and as I have to start the game, this seem like a good route?

I went to different worlds with Riku and Sora because a lot of them feature the same areas for both Sora and Riku so I wanted to spice it up. With that strategy in mind I didn't use drop-me-nots at all (I also used a lot of mummey on drop-eater materials which were costly)