This game is one of the best games I've ever played although it is very difficcult I give it 3 thumbs up!! It captures all the disney characters and their home planets perfectly! Definatly a great video game investment!

I was never a huge gamer, and this was the very first game I ever played on PS2. While I was at a friend's house, my friend invited me to play her brand new game on her PS2, so I decided to give it a shot. I have to say I was hooked on Kingdom Hearts in the first ten minutes. I had doubts in my mind that a combination of these anime characters and Disney characters would actually work, but let me tell you right now, you won't understand how totally awesome it is until you actually play the game yourself! The story is spectacular. The gameplay is great for beginners and advanced gamers alike. And the graphics, although they might not be overly phenomenal according to the standards of the most up-to-date games, are gorgeous. Also, the music is so very enjoyable (especially Simple and Clean by Utada Hikaru, which you hear in the very beginning of the game) that I ended up getting the soundtrack for myself. Furthermore, as I stated in the title of this review, this game is the best game in the Kingdom Hearts series. While it is a little more challenging than its sequels (which, for some of you, is NOT a bad thing), I still believe it has the greatest story and the best kind of gameplay out of the three that are currently out in America. So PLEASE, don't pass this up just because it SOUNDS bad. Give it a chance, and let it amaze you. This is definitely worth your money!

I am going to make it short. The graphics are beautiful, the characters are amazing and all stand out, espesially the main character Sora. The battle system is in real time and a great upgrade for square. And the ending is AMAZING!! If you have not yet experienced Kingdom Hearts, it is the best series square has released since FF. Give it a try.

I love the game, my kids love the game and we received it very quickly. Thanks.....

One might think that this game with younger characters and disney might sound shallow, but this is not the case. Very original, the game in my opinion has the best storyline since Final Fantasy VII, it has a way of grabbing you and wanting to find out what happens next. The battles are also a lot of fun, and give you the opprotunity to fight both final fantasy and disney characters.

The products condition in both CD, and Container was excellent. Game was able to run smoothly...even if I had afew mins of difficulty knowing how to play it but thats my own doing. The game is one of puzzles most of the time and has a third person view. Anyone who is a fan of disney should buuy this product...however anyone of the Final Fantasy Montage..if thats correct. You may be sadden..Cause they child most of the charaters T_T but i guess its ok. Havent finished it yet but its gets good as i progress. Thats really all i can say.

This is one the best playstation 2 games you'll ever find. It has challenging bosses, nice graphics, an interesting story, great characters, a action packed battle mode and much much more. . . I'd give you a full thumbs up!!:)

Pros:
- The graphics are awesome.
- You can see a bunch of Disney and Final Fantasy characters.
- You can explpore a bunch of Disney movie worlds
That's about it for the pros.
Cons:
- Sora and Kairi both look, talk, and act like 9 year olds.
- It's really really hard to take this game seriously (It's a mix of Final Fantasy and Disney, what did you expect?)
- Donald and Goofy get in the way a lot.
- The camera angles are AWFUL!
- The boss battles are either boringly easy or extremely hard.
- Flying the Gummi Ship is a waste of time and the graphics are awful.
- Everyone has gigantic clown shoes.
- You can't skip the cutscenes.
- I was almost at the end when I accidentaly deleted all my saved data and had to start ALL OVER AGAIN.
So if you only bought this to see the supposedly amazing ending (which I still haven't gotten to thanks to my little mishap) return it, read about the ending online, and buy the much better Kingdom Hearts 2.

when i first saw this, i thought it was gonna be the most retarded, cheez-iest game that i've ever played.when i looked at the cover, i rated it on the fact that it had donald and goofy on the cover. but when i popped it into the PS2, i watched the intro, and was in absolute AWE. 4 years later, it's still my favorite game, along with CoM, and kh2. this game, you can play over, and over again. i've even gotten one of my friends to play it as her first video game, and she was addicted to it.

characters: the characters are very loveable, and some of them are pretty dang HOT! and the disney characters somehow fit right in. who would've thought that donlad and goofy could beat the crap uout of Could?

storyline: a WONDERFULL storyline! it's about how a kid is trying to find his lost friends. sounds familliar, doesn't it? well it has an odd twist to this. i wouldn't tell, couse it would spoil the main plot for some of you.

graphics: AMAZING graphics. we're talking about a 2002 game that came out soon after the ps2. it's amazing how square can do that with a (once) reletively new system.

i love this game, and am soo glad that i bought it. just beware, 'cause it is REALLY addicting!

I have seen the bad reviews that this game got here. A lot of those people seem to be seriously overanalyzing it, though. This is a video game. I am 25 years old and I enjoy playing games like Rogue Galaxy and Dark Cloud for the PS2, Guitar Hero for 360, Rock Band, and We Love Katamari. I like this game because I enjoy seeing various Disney characters incorporated into a game that is not for 5-year-old children. There are some levels that are frustrating, such as the infamous Alice in Wonderland world where you have to figure out how to get through it with a lot of trial and error. This game isn't too difficult to play. I get tired of playing really hard games where you have to think a lot. Sometimes it's nice to play something you don't have to think about. If you don't like semi-youth-oriented games, then this probably isn't for you, but there are a lot of people who have enjoyed this game. The graphics on the cut scenes are some of the most beautiful that I have seen for PS2, much in the style of Final Fantasy. Anyway, this isn't a game to take too seriously. This might not even end up being your favorite video game, but that doesn't mean that you might not enjoy it.

My 14-year-old daughter played this game for two hours, shuddered, groaned, erased the file from her memory card, put the disk away in its box with the air of a night nurse cleaning up after an unfortunate accident, and washed her hands up to the elbow. It's sad to see Disney trying to inculcate good buying habits (buys Disney, get it?) in the very young, and comical to see a kid raise her eyebrow, frown, and grok the entire situation in a sudden furious flash. Sorry, but Disney's "crown jewels" can't compete with Final Fantasy XII (or even X). How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm after they've seen Valley of the Winds? And Square Enix should be ashamed of themselves for soiling their own brand.

I love this game it is so cool and it takes time to get through the game it isn't one of those game where you beat one person and the game is over!

When people speak of video games they played for hours and hours, Kingdom Hearts comes to my mind. I love this game of rmany many reason's.

I am an RPG fan, its all I really enjoy, and this is one of the best!The setting; it is still very Disney, but child to adult and teens alike can enjoy this setting that brings back alot of memories! And the battles are specatacular, however a dowside is that the camera on this game is a ltlle ... "messed up" during battles! By using a 'Lock On' feature on your opponet, the camera does not fly around crazily as much, but stays onto the opponet you locked onto.

The battles require strategy, but the game isn't so difficult people will get stuck. You wont need to worry about dying in a non boss battle, it wont happen! Some bosses are a challenge, and I have died a few times, but it is not hard to defeat any bosses. The game make sup for this by haveing the game be a nice 60 or 70 hours, and if you do everything( there are quite a few sidequests) ,it can reach a cool 100 to maybe 120. Howver, thos ehours are my experience, Im sure someone has something bigger or smaller.

The Story. This game has an amazing story that kepps you interested and engaged throughout the game, and continues on into an even better story in the second game.

I've been through this game 3 times on easy, 2 on hard, I love it, and you will enjoy it also. Its addicting, fun, and a darn good game!

My dad first got me KH, and I thought, "Why are Donald and Goofy sitting next to that spiky-haired Japanese Anime dude?" I didn't think it would be any good. I started playing and got stuck for two days trying to find a rope. I'm not kidding. My dad tried it, and immediately got stuck on the second boss. I finished it in about three months, because I also got stuck on the fifth to last boss, but got a better weapon (with the advice of a friend), and finished the game. I was elated, for my dad said he'd buy me KH2 when I finished the first. I worked the entire rest of the day so that he would buy it immediately. After I got stuck on the eighth to last boss, and wrote a walkthrough, and the dialouge and storyline of KH, which are now 101 pages long. I am in the middle of writing my adaptation of KH2. The two games are my favorite of all videogames. BUY THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The ability to run around the Disney worlds that we've grown to love is a very cool feature to this game. To interact with characters from the movies, with a few Final Fantasy characters thrown in, is pretty dang cool. The game has some nice visuals and decent bosses. The camera angles are fairly worthless and the controls are bad enough that you'll never quite get used to them even after hours of play. The weaponry is decent and the choices are definitely there. My only real complaint about the game is that Square Enix doesn't really allow you to use their characters throughout the game. The Disney character are the only ones you can use. I kept wanting to rock it up with Cloud from FF7. But this sadly isn't really an option. You only really get Donald and Goofy as companions. But aside from that, great game and definitely worth playing all the way through.

Its insanley fun and you can replay it again and again and you will have a different experience each time. The main things that stink about it are the camera angles suck, and you have to watch the cut scenes all the way through so when you die at a boss you have to go back, watch the video, fight the boss and repeate the cycle if you die again. The graphics are beyond there time, and i am going to play it right now

Although it may be too difficult for children under eight, most children, teens, and many young adults enjoy "Kingdom Hearts." Although there is some dark content in this game, it is much less than most of the popular games today and most enjoyed the challenge. My nephews, cousins, friends, and many of the children I have watched over the years had fun playing "Kingdom Hearts." I even had allot of fun playing it and the kids had fun watching me trying to figure out how to work the controller. It takes many hours to win the game, especially if they want to put in the extra effort to get the bonus at the end of the game, so they get more entertainment for the money.

Ok. I saw the commercials and laughed. I saw people playing the game and laughed. I heard of the concept and laughed so hard I fell down. A Disney/Sqare Action-RPG mishmash? No way. Yet, last year, I found myself caught in the gaming drought of summer. No new games that I wanted to play, no new releases for a couple months. So.......I picked it up in the bargain rack, just to see how terrible it was. From the first few notes of the haunting score, I was hooked. The storyline of Sora and pals is of equal quality to the Final Fantasy series and pretty much every RPG ever. The "epicness" of the plotline, mixed with a beautiful score, pretty decent voice acting (Haley Joel Osment, anyone?), innovative gameplay, and surprisingly challenging difficulty makes this one of the year's best releases. I won't spoil the plotline for you, but it begins with a boy receiving a strange blade and a search for a lost king.

The most important part of any RPG (in my opinion), is the gameplay. How hard is it? Does the camera pose any problems? As an action RPG, is there enough depth in the magic system? Is there too much hack and slash? Well, good news. The game successfully answers many of these questions. Sora and his trusty Keyblade will slice and dice through literally thousands of Heartless, yet the boss battles can be so hard you will be shaking your head at how you were mercilessly obliterated by a Disney character. There is quite a lot of depth in the magic system and the Keyblade is customizable to your fighting style. Yet, the game doesn't overcomplicate things. However, the biggest foe is the camera, which seems hell-bent on messing up your sweet combos. This is a huge disadvantage, especially in a few of the boss battles, which are hard enough. For a game with all these great assets, I was surprised a renowned RPG powerhouse like Square didn't pay more attention to this serious flaw.

Bottom line: you'll have a great time with this action/RPG that appeals to all ages and difficulties. It's tons of fun to play with and against Disney characters that you know and love. It's an amazingly addictive game and I can't wait for the sequel. If you are any sort of an RPG fan or an action fan and you own a PS2, you MUST buy this game.

These kingdom hearts games are the best RPG'S games ever in my opinion and I am anxiously awaiting the third installment. It is not only a good game but a game that can teach you alot about life if you pay attention to the story while you are playing. SIMPLY THE BEST RPG GAME EVER

I have been wanting to play this game for a while. Friends of mine hyped it up and are obsessed with it, not to mention I am a huge Disney fan and to a lesser extent sorta like the Final Fantasy series. So I finally borrow the thing and quickly learn that its not all its cracked up to be.

The idea behind it is great. The story is even kinda cool. It makes me smile to see all my favorite Disney characters interacting in situations and worlds outside of their usual. The graphics are smooth and well done. I gave it a few stars for fun just because my favorite Disney characters are everywhere.

I just can't get over the gameplay and the poor camera design. Half the time I can't even see the enemies that I'm supposed to be attacking and end up attacking thin air. The camera is never where it needs to be, and control of Sora is abominably slow compared to the quick movements of the enemies. I cannot look up or down unless I press select and thusly become immobile. I mean, maybe its just me, but I like to see where I'm going, especially if I'm running around in the tree tops and can easily fall or am in the middle of a critical boss fight. =P

So far, there is no easily accessible gauge to show me just how I'm leveling up (it requires navigating through a few menus) or even any indication as to how much XP I get from killing a monster. Healing items are few and far between. It is very easy to run out just in leveling up and not have any more available to you before your next boss fight where you end up screwed. (And no, it doesn't make it any better that you eventually get Cure magic.) Bosses are either obnoxiously easy, or frustrating to the point of being ridiculous.

You have to have a lot of patience to handle the repetition. You end up in the same areas over and over again, with the same annoying music, and half the time it takes near-impossible jumps to get to items or to finish tasks. Areas are graphically pleasing, but not very elaborate and rather small, simplistic, and empty in design.

I have to say this is the first game that's ever given me a headache just from the camera mechanics alone. Add everything else into the mix and it leaves me very frustrated and wanting to throw my controller across the room. I think they tried to make it too much like the Final Fantasy games in mechanics when in reality the type of game that it is and the way they've set things up calls for a completely different style of gameplay.

I am writing this review, because there are probably some people who will soon become interested in the handheld side-stories but have never played Kingdom Hearts or KH2 yet. If that is you, you probably want to know whether you can jump into the new installment, or start from the beginning. I would encourage you to start from the beginning if you have a PS2 or PS3. If you don't have a PS2 or PS3, play KH:Chain of Memories on GBA, and read stuff online to understand the story of KH1. Despite the attempts to recap the story (like the intro of KH2), you will probably feel lost without playing KH before KH: COM or KH2.
From what is currently known about the stories for the 2 upcoming games, 358/2 Days for DS and Birth by Sleep for PSP, you probably need to play KH2 to truly understand them. You don't have to worry about spending too much, KH and KH2 are both great games and now 20 bucks each. Buy this game and welcome to the Kingdom Hearts Club.

This game came highly recommended, as seen in the other reveiws. Plus, it was Disney, so I thought my kids would enjoy it. Although it is an older game (thus, you have to read a lot of the dialogue: it isn't voiced), the graphics are good and it was fun...up to a point. My biggest complaint is the constant fighting. For me, the plot of a game rules; while this game has a decent plot (albeit poorly presented sometimes), I found myself fighting the bad guys every couple of steps I took, which often made it frustrating as I tried to further the plot. Even when you've beaten all the enemies in an area, the next time you visit you have to beat them all again, making it very difficult to explore the various worlds. I was often frustrated, and just plain annoyed with all the fighting. While there is no graphic portrayal of violence (the enemies pop into bubbles), I still think the constant fighting should have netted this game a higher rating. A game for "everyone" should be a little less free of violence: I feel uncomfortable letting my kids play this game, so it's staying on the shelf for now.

I remember first buying this game. My neighbor had it first, and i was always jealous. Finally, i went out and purchased it. It was so much fun. Every hardcore gamer needs a little break once in a while, and this was it. It's a world so bizarre and colorful that you can't help but enjoy yourself. The confusing plot line makes you remember just how it was in those few years between "kid" and "adult". But even with a lot of mystery, it's still not hard to tell who's the bad guy and who's your friend (Spoiler: Riku is your friendly rival, not an enemy) which makes it a nice change. Buy it, you'll thank yourself.

Its a weird concept. Disney meets Square! But, in execution, from the lush graphics, to the top notch story, to the well done voice acting, it turns into one of the best games ever for the ps2. Like top 10 best. Sora, Riku and Kiri, all live on this island, one of many worlds throughout the galaxy. The three have dreams of one day leaving the island, to meet new people, and to see new worlds. They hope they will always be friends, and be together. Sorta like they're family. Sora and Riku have a "Special relationship", which i suppose is a way of saying they are in love with each other, but don't really know it. How do you say? Well, though they never say they "love" each other, in the game, there is this fruit, that, when shared with another, bounds the two forever; Sora wants to share this fruit with Kiri, and although i don't remember, i think in the ending they do. Speaking of the ending...the ending is one of the most moving endings to any game ever, and its mostly because of Simple and Clean, written and Sung beautifully by Utada Hikaru. When Kiri sees the drawing that she and Sora made of them sharing the fruit, and she bursts into tears, i did to. Youtube it, you won't regret it. Gameplay is a tad bit annoying, thanks to the camera. Voice acting is well done, thanks to a few Hollywood stars, and both disney and Square characters, from Donald to Aries, are recreated beautifully.

Overall, while fun isn't 5 star, the overall game is. You will not regret picking up this game!

I absolutely love this game. If you are a fan of Disney or Final Fantasy, you probably will too as it features a huge cast of characters from both categories. This game includes many gameplay features from the Final Fantasy games, but lets you manually control the character (versus a turn by turn play common in FF). This appealed to me because it demands that you not only master the game through solving puzzles and mazes, but also through good eye-hand control.

Also, the art and environments created in the game are visually stunning. Each "world" is different from the rest, sometimes seeming as if you've hopped into another game altogether. You also learn to play the game differently as you go, mastering different spells or swordfighting techniques or flying or swimming or jumping as each level demands. This game is a lot of fun and very beautiful to watch. I highly recommend it.

Kingdom Hearts is a wonderful RPG(role playing game)that has the most odd mix of charactors.You play as Sora a boy who is in search for his friends and has to save the world with the help of Goofy and Donald.Yes Goofy and Donald Disney charactores that can kick butt and help you with your quest.Get ready to explore and save your favorite disney worlds form the darkness.
Stunning graphics,a wonderful storyline,great voiceovers,a cast of charactors that are loveable and a battle system that is easy to use makes this game a must have for all RPG fans and anyone who loves a great story.

This is my favorite game ever, on any system! Its hard too! Which keeps you interested!Storyline=AWESOME!Kingdom Hearts2 is equally great!Except easier!I have come to love Sora and all the Charactors! The storyline really makes you feel for what happens to the Charactors! BUY!BUY!BUY! You will dream of this game in your sleep!

"Whew!" is what I said to myself after completing Kingdom Hearts in one week. This game's image (Disney and Final Fantasy characters?) doesn't do justice of what it's actually like to play the game.

I'll admit that I wasn't interested in buying Kingdom Hearts when I first heard about it. I figured a game with Donald and Goofy, along with a host of other famous Disney and Final Fantasy characters, wouldn't be enjoyable. Well, I was wrong! I ordered it in early April this year and beat it within a week. I was proved wrong by two companies that I never thought would join forces! Disney and Squaresoft have really put together an amazing game... I'm really glad I played it.

First thing I'd like to mention is the fighting system. Enemies have pre-planned spawn points and will spawn if you get close enough. Sometimes enemies will keep spawning after you've killed one of the "groups." Potions and items are hard to come by, but that is easily overcome by the amount of HP balls (green colored, varied in size for how much they heal) they will drop up their death. You can say good-bye to random battles in this game!

Second thing I like about Kingdom Hearts is its leveling system. You get a certain amount of EXP for each enemy you kill, and can gain "Tech" points for performing certain actions in battle. I am not too sure what Tech points are for, but I am assuming they are extra EXP added to the kill. They occur most when you and an enemy "block" eachother's attack. Anyway, each time you level up your characters get a certain stat or stats added. Sometimes a level up is worth Strength Up, Defense Up or HP Up. It really varies. But it doesn't detract from having to train, seeing that you get a random stat/stats added on each level. It's always worth a surprise. :)

Last but not least, I would like to talk about the skills system. At the start of the game you're asked to pick from a Sword (skills of a Warrior), Wand (skills of a Magician), or Shield (skills of a Defender). After you pick that, you're then asked to give up one of the skills that you didn't pick. Doing this sets up your skill tree for when you level up in the game. Some skills can be acquired earlier with one pre-set than in another pre-set. You can look on GameFAQs for more information to see which skill trees are best. I advise not doing so until you've beat the game at least ONCE without help. :D

Overall Kingdom Hearts is a very good game. There's nothing about it that I don't like. I've fallen in love with the story, the characters and the game itself. I am looking forward to playing Kingdom Hearts II for the PS2 and Kingdom Hearts III for the PS3! Square and Disney make quite a team!

I owned this game when it originally came out, and it was such an epic masterpiece then. A few years later, I decided to re-purchase the game after I (regretably) gave it to my friend. I forgot how much fun this game was. It was just as much fun playing it now as it was then, and it was worth every cent - especially since Kingdom Hearts II is now on the market. Definately pick up a copy if you have never played it before or no longer have a copy. Oh, and to anyone who thinks that this game is for small children - you are entirely wrong. The storyline is really deep when paired with the sequel, and it is touching to people of all ages. Overall, it's a blasty blast. ^_^

I just finished this game today and the ending is awsome. Now I'm saving my allowence to buy kingdom hearts 2. Can't WAIT!!! Note: Kingdom hearts fans like me should look forward to some thing supposed to be coming out this year Kingdom hearts 3 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This game has a lot of potential, but very little skill is required for the majority. The activities necessary to get from point to point aren't so much challenging as they are tedious. For instance, during the vine swinging area you may get right to the end, swing to the next vine, hit it directly, but you will fall and have to start all over again. There are numerous parts of the game where the main objective is getting from point A to point B by jumping from tree tops or vines or pillars, but a few jumps will always be irritatingly right out of your reach, causing you to start from the very beginning every single time. It's not as much fun as it is time consuming as this jumping areas of the game are frequent. I purchased this game believing it was going to be like a fun form of Final Fantasy. It's not. This game isn't childish because it has Disney characters in it; it's childish because the tasks are boring and repetitive.

This Game is A deffinant must have for any adventur seeker that is not looking for blood guts and gore but rather awsome story line,plot, Graphics, Soundtrack. And the great thing is that it is rated E for Everyone so you and the kids can play together or you can play alone. Disney Really out done there selfs and the conpanion sequal Is just as awsome if you love this one after playing then Part 2 Is a Deffinant Must Have.

Beautiful graphics and interesting levels make this game a real gem. I'm a gameplayer that is very picky about the games she plays. I'm not very skilled and I like problem solving games. This game certainly has that. It provides challenging game play and puzzles a plenty. I really enjoy the beautiful graphics and interesting characters.

As a HUGE Final Fantasy fan I was hoping this would grab me but it does not come close (what does) to FF. It is a cute enough game but does not have the depth of story that I like in my games. Granted I have not played too many hours yet but I also dont have the desire to dive in and spend a ton of time in it.

FF fans looking for a fix should save their money for FF games or go searching for Chrono Cross and Chrono Trigger. Kingdom Hearts is a bit on the "kid-ish" side.

This is an AWESOME game!!! It has a lot of Disney and Final Fantasy Characters in it, and the plot is actually pretty decent! There is this 14 year old boy named Sora, and he is on an Island with his friends (he doesn't actually live on the island, but he goes there a lot) named Riku (15) and Kairi (14). They are going to use a raft to leave the Island and visit others Worlds, but the night before they leave, the Island is attacked by the power of Darkness. Riku goes to the Darkness, and Sora recieves the Keyblade. The Darkness takes Sora to a different World, where he meets Donald and Goofy. Together they travel to different Worlds, looking for Riku, Kairi, and The King. It is somewhat challenging, and it is very fun. I REALLY recommend buying it, especially if you have or are a kid. You won't be disapointed!

BTW, could someone please tell me who Nainme is? I know a Namine, but no Nainme! Is she in Final Mix or something? And what is it with her and Riku?