For me it will always be 1. Not for any "nyeh the original was better" reason or anything. Just for the world they set up and the emotional impact the story had. It was such a new concept and they fucking nailed it in execution.
The instrumental track for the cutscene when Sora releases his heart gives me chills every time I hear it, even when not watching the scene.
Razhork ยท 46 points ยท Posted at 19:42:20 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
I would argue that KH1 feels like the most "full package" in terms of story, combat, quantity of content and characters.
Dive into the heart followed by Destiny Island being consumed by darkness and Sora seperated from his friends, was a really strong beginning to the game.
They delivered on most of the iconic Disney worlds and integrated them well into the overall story.
Then the whole stretch from Hollow Bastion to the End of the World is easily the best bit of Kingdom Hearts altogether to me. The stakes never felt higher than witnessing the remnants of consumed worlds in the dark realm.
Sora and Riku's rivalry was well realized in the game, and had great payoff in later titles. Sora, Donald and Goofy became a pretty solid trio which had really good payoff in 3 imo.
I could rave for ages. There are aspects that I genuinely dislike about the game (Camera and having to trigger dumb and vague events to progress certain worlds for instance), but the game is the most solid overall package by a long shot to me.
I would argue that KH1 feels like the most "full package"
Agreed, especially with the exploration and side quests. Nothing in the other games has matched the feeling of getting a new trinity/movement ability and thinking "oh, maybe now I can get to ____ in ____ world! I should go back!"
Especially the dramatic transition in tone from Neverland to Hollow Bastion, and then The End of the World?
Absolutely amazing storytelling and transition in the first game. No other compares to be honest.
Sure KH2 had the โbetterโ gameplay, but also being a maniacal Zelda fan, the game felt very comparable to Zelda 3D games. I fell in love with it immediately.
KH2โs combat was indeed responsive and vibrant, but it was also over the top. I really do enjoy the grounded feeling of KH1โs combat.
No, 3 would be an example of all flash and no substance. 2 has a lot of depth, especially when you play on higher difficulties. I mean you can just button mash on lower difficulties if you want, but that's the case in 1 as well. I know that's how I beat it as a kid.
1 has its own appeal to it with its gameplay, so I understand why some prefer it. But saying 2 has no substance is silly when there are plenty of videos explaining what makes 2's combat so good, such as this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tc8hrXyG1xw
[deleted] ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 06:48:50 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
Nah, I just recently replayed 2 on critical to prepare for 3 and barring a few of the data battles I button mashed my way through the entire game. The combat system is deep enough, there's just no need to bother with it. Maybe on a level one run, but I haven't done one of those and I imagine most people don't.
I love the story for CoM/Re:CoM, but the card mechanic made the game seem way too sluggish for me (thank goodness for Theater Mode though). This is especially true in the first half of the game when you don't have access to the better sleights. Plus, there aren't any super hard endgame bosses to work towards which makes me a little sad.
I did love having the chance to play as Riku though!
Birth by sleep for me. It had my favorite combat. The 3 characters were nice for changing up gameplay. It's one of the few games with sad endings for everyone. Plus, neemoy as Xehanort was absolutely amazing! Not to mention mark hamil as eriquis
Qualc1 ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 20:32:25 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
Kh1 for so many reasons. Some people feels bored because of chunky commands but hey, I played video games since 1998. KH1 is still fluid for my brain and that game is perfect in all the aspects.
Birth by sleep is my favorite because of the Wayfinder Trio and the fact that besides Back Cover, it is the darkest game of the series in my opinion. Personally, I love dark stories it just catches my interest and stuff, there is also the fact its a Disney game that is so dark (thanks to Square and Nomura) that it just makes me laugh and live for it. I also just have a love for characters that have been through so much shit, so Ventus is my favorite character for obvious reason and because of him being thru so much trauma. XEHANORT LEFT HIM ON THE DESTINY ISLANDS TO DIE FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, AND HES ALSO THE REASON VEN WAS DYING. I cant help but love Ven.
LadyJR ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 01:01:44 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
Dude! The scene where Xehanort just forces Vanitas out was so sad. Ven just didn't want to fight anymore but Xehanort just didn't care.
Splub ยท 22 points ยท Posted at 21:18:41 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
I thought the gameplay was very fun, and the story was extremely satisfying.
clubdon ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 00:33:26 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
Same. I like all of the numbered titles the best. I love the stories of all the others (sea salt trio for the win), but not so much the gameplay. I donโt really like command decks. No one liked collecting cards. 3D is decent minutes the Pokรฉmon crafting (which honestly imo is a little more fun then melding commands).
KH1 set the tone for the whole series and is an incredible game as a whole. Good combat for its time, probably the most coherent and best singular story line in the whole series. 2 was an absolute improvement over 1 and I think it was incredible what they did with making us wonder who Roxas was and all that, which was followed up excellently with CoM and Days. After those two is when the story starts to get a lot more โwtfโ (still enjoyable though).
I really like the โfloatinessโ of 3. I like the fluidity of it. The game could definitely be more challenging, and the Disney attractions are more of a pain than they are fun, but the overall feel and fluidness are top notch. They just need to add some good challenges that really take advantage of the system. Upgrading keyblades is the best feature they added. And the story is good. The Disney worlds didnโt do much to add to Soraโs arc, but if you paid attention they definitely delve into what Org13 has been doing. Followed by, what I thought was, a fantastic and tear jerking finale.
Firstly, it has the best combat in the series, hands down. It improves on 1's combat in many ways, but it's also not too floaty like BBS & 3 ended up being. It's responsive, there's a lot of depth if you dig into it, etc. There are plenty of others who have already explained what makes it great better than I could.
Second, I enjoyed the Disney worlds the most here. While most of them were rehashes, I still felt more involved in the plot of the movie in 2's worlds than I did in 3. Take Land of Dragons for example. It was a complete rehash of the movie, but Sora and co. were regularly involved in it. Meanwhile in 3 they felt much more sidelined in the worlds that did just do retellings of the movies. Arendelle is obviously the worst example, but Corona was only slightly better. They were also sitting on the side a lot when movie stuff was happening, but there were at least moments in between where Sora was actively interacting with Rapunzel and Flynn. That barely spoke with Elsa and Anna. That said, 1 is pretty much as good as 2. While I'm sure I could pick out pros and cons if I really dug into them, but they're overall about even in this category.
Thirdly, while the story isn't as simple and clean (heh) as the first, it doesn't reach the convoluted levels the series would after it. You should know CoM to fully understand it, but you wouldn't be completely lost like you would going into 3 without the other side games. Also, it's ending would have been a decent conclusion at the time. Yes, the hint with Mickey's letter obviously implied something more, but I would have been satisfied with how it ended at the time. Sora, Riku, and Kairi are reunited and return to Destiny Islands, all the big bads we knew about at the time were defeated, and Roxas and Namine could live on in the hearts of Sora and Kairi. It wouldn't be the happiest ending for everyone since all of Organization members would be dead basically, but it could still be a conclusion for all of them. Now that's not me saying I think the story should have ended there. As much of a clusterfuck the rest of the series is, I love it. But if it had to end there, I could consider everything wrapped up. It's after the release of games like 358/2 and BBS that we really needed a 3 to finish everything up.
In the end, it comes down to 1 & 2, with 2 winning out. Where 1 had slight advantages in the main story, I think 2's advantage in gameplay was much bigger, while I think they're even when it comes to Disney worlds. Throw in FM content and it's amazing. As for 3, while I did still like it a lot, I do believe it was the weakest of the main trilogy in most categories. It has the best graphics, but that's to be expected, but I do enjoy the level designs of its worlds a lot. And while I think how its story played out could have been executed much better, I still at least got most of the conclusions I was looking for.
I didn't say hardly anything about the side games, but I really don't think they're as good as the main games for the most part. BBS comes the closest, but I think it only competes with 3 and is still way behind 1&2.
KH2 FM, itโs perfection, itโs everything that was great about Kingdom Hearts but with everything annoying or useless fixed or removed or improved. Especially after final mix but even the base game. Also, Xemnas is best villain, I wish as an extra boss somehow he could have wielded a keyblade but I guess Terra and the BBS story wasnโt fully decided at that point. Imagine the mindfuck it would have been to see him whip out Terraโs keyblade as his last resort
KH3 is my current favorite because of the combat system and level design, but KH1 is really just an all around excellent game with a wonderful story. I think it's really hard for me to pick one or the other
While I think KH2 has the better combat, Birth By Sleep is probably my favorite.
I loved the story and the TAV trio. Plus, I'm a sucker for games with multiple playable characters! I also thought the Command Deck was a great way to give us a bunch of easily used, very flashy moves without changing the basic Kingdom Hearts gameplay too much (for reference, I thought Re:CoM also gave us a lot of great looking skills, but the overall gameplay was too different from the main games because of the card mechanics).
I feel the Command Deck and the multiple campaigns are at odds with each other. I'm finishing up Aqua's campaign now after playing Terra's and Ven's and I will say that I've only engaged the gameplay systems enough to finish the campaigns rather than diving deeply into them. Maybe I would like the game more if it was the most recent KH game released, but I have yet to want to learn the systems enough to engage with the post-game content like I have with KH2FM (which was absolutely amazing post-game content). The prospect of grinding up three different characters is too much.
Story-wise though, BBS is pretty awesome. Sora gets tiresome, whereas some of the BBS trio are level-headed which is refreshing.
I liked the Command Decks because they allowed me to build out a set of skills that could be powerful, versatile, and flashy all at once. And the fact that each character had several unique Commands made me that much more excited to play through and unlock those new skills! The grind to max out three character's levels and abilities was a bit much though, so I'll agree with that.
Though I will say that the Command Styles could have been done better in BBS. I liked the idea of them, but not being able to manually enter or exit them make them kind of a hassle if you wanted to use or avoid certain Command Styles. If I could have at least selected which ones I didn't want to ever activate in a menu somewhere, then I wouldn't really be as upset by them. When I first played BBS, I thought they were going to be kind of like BBS's version of the Drive Forms from KH2 (one of my favorite mechanics in this series), but they ended up being much more of a hassle a lot of the time.
BBS hands down. The most interesting characters including protagonists and antagonists. You always wanted to know more about so many characters whereas sora and co are kind of taken for what they are. It also helped that they were fresh new faces. Everyone seemed to have a backstory or hidden agenda and they kept you interested.
Gameplay wasnโt perfect but was experimental and did well in what it was trying to accomplish which seemed to me like a way to vary combat other than just mashing X.
But my favorite thing was the not so happy, if not tragic ending. Itโs not very often any story doesnโt get a happy ending let alone one like this. Youโre basically told to deal with the outcome as a fan and it hurts so good. Makes you look forward to whatโs to come. Overall a fantastic overall game
Kh3 for me, blew my mind and was so happy throughout it
Peekoh ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:46:09 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
I adored this game from start to end and the combat never got old to me. It was cool to finally see behind the scenes for the Organization. The character development for the Sea Salt Trio had me invested so fast, faster than the others.
BbS. Best story. Best characters. Darkest game. Best soundtrack. Best gameplay...
PlentyC ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 07:59:06 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
Kingdom hearts 1 for story because nothing can touch that story. It kept you engaged throughout the entire game with so much to do and keep you busy. The coliseum was an amazing place to rank up,Pooh book for the strength boosts and AP boosts, you revisited worlds for many different reasons, everything was. Mystery and the Disney worlds actually cohesive with the story/plot. 2 has the best combat and skill building qualities. Iโve only played the main titles and I gotta day.. 3 is a disappointment so far. I tried to rationalize but I knew after a while I was doing just that. It all feels rushed.
KH1 and KH3. I love KH1 because it has a nice story, fun worlds, exploration, fun combat. I love KH3 for the same reasons, but the only things it lacks (compared to KH1) are better original worlds and FF characters. It has better worlds and combat though.
KH2 for obvious reasons. Birth by sleep because I just love that era of keyblade wielders, the story, worlds, and characters. Even the music. And 358/2 days because Roxas and the Organization.
KH1 - Decent story, but gameplay has aged badly IMO.
Re:CoM - Story is okay but I hate the combat system.
KH2 - Best gameplay in the series and the story was fantastic with great moments like the 1000 heartless fight and the final boss.
BBS - Fantastic story and the combat system took some time t o get used to, but became much more enjoyable over the course of the game. Level design is kind of boring and empty though.
358/2 Days - Great character devlopment for the Org members, especially with Axel and Roxas. Gameplay was okay, but repetitive.
Re: Coded - Gameplay was varied, but fun. Story is 99% filler though.
DDD - Combat was just like BBS but I'm split on the Dream Eater system. I hated the story though, all the time travel shit was so confusing. I enjoyed Riku's role though.
KH3 - I'm pretty much in the same boat as everyone else. Great gameplay and graphics, but the story is paced so fucking bad.
KH1 will probably always be my favorite. I played it with my sister when I was very young, so there's a lot of nostalgia value for sure, but beyond that I feel like it just has something the other entries lack. There's this sense of wonder and mystery to it, everything feels very connected and alive. As others have said, the Disney world were well implemented, and sora's interaction with the worlds felt very organic.
The thing that kind of depresses me as the series goes on is that the magic just starts to drain, everything becomes more superficial as the series goes, so by the time you get to 3, the final fantasy stuff is almost completely gone, and the Disney worlds feel like a complete afterthought to the ever more complex and ridiculous over arching story.
All that said, kh2 final mix has far and away the best gameplay, and a lot of what I like about kh1 is still alive in 2.
PlentyC ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 07:51:09 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
I agree with this. I know people in this sub will attack you if you bring up the flaws too often but Iโm almost done KH3 and Iโm over here skipping dialogue/cut scenes because they just donโt matter like the first one did. Story is actually pretty bad in 3
Yeah honestly nothing in Kh3 really did it for me. The game meanders about for 18 hours of Disney filler, and then rushes through the actual story in the last 3 or 4. None of the emotional scenes had any real impact on me because everything felt so rushed, there was no room for the moments to breath. Every last part of Kh3 felt like it was just going through the motions to me, like square and Nomura just wanted it out of the way already. It's so sad to me, because I used to be so invested in the story.
I honestly kind of hope going forward that they completely overhaul the structure of the games. The Disney worlds formula is holding them back at this point, I think they'd be better off structuring it more like a final fantasy game; go through a series of original locales, keep the plot in-focus the whole time, and have Disney stuff incorporated into the original locations rather than doing whole movie adaptations. Also gib me my boy leon back I miss him.
Recoded because the progression and data board were fun to interact with as you combine abilities in a better fashion than bbs, it also had a strong chunk of endgame content and risk reward things to allow you to keep playing
2FM for me mainly just cuz the gameplay itself is just so well designed. Feels like all your actions in combat have purpose and you cant just mash away at the X button especially on high difficulties. Even on standard difficulty, fights like roxas take a lot of effort and feel very rewarding to beat.
I'd still have to say KH2: FM. I feel like it had the most to offer content wise, felt really good to play (though I still love the forms in KH3 and how all keyblades can be decent up to the end of the game through upgrades), felt really impactful and even had a happy ending which looking back on past games tends to be easier said then done .__.
THAT SAID, depending on what kind of DLC we get for KH3, This opinion could change for me. Even with the ending and how I dislike endings that pull the happy ending right from under you, I still really liked the game as a whole. First game will always have a special place but it's aged a bit over the years. KH2: FM meets that happy medium of engaging story with really fun combat, plus all the bonus Final Mix stuff to add on top of it :p
Kingdom Hearts UX. In all seriousness though Iโd probably say as an overall game is KH2FM. The combat was smooth, there was a fair amount of content, and the story was good as well. However, KH1 is probably my favorite KH game overall and KH358 days/2 was my favorite KH story bar none.
KH2 is top tier, and it isn't even close, but KH1 is great and it gets bonus points for being the foundation of KH2.
CoM was good on the GBA, meh on PS2.
BbS was okay.
358 and KH3 were meh, and DDD is just plain bad.
Never played Re:Coded so I can't rank it. Also if it has a final mix, assume that I'm referring to that version.
It's interesting to me that the consensus amongst my friends is that the games have an exactly inverse relationship between gameplay and story.
While KH1 and Days get brushed aside for poor balance and paper-thin mechanics, the execution and subject matter of their stories is held above other entries. Likewise, while KH3 is basically a Greatest Hits collection of mechanics, it has pacing issues and plot holes you can drive a truck through. KH2 and BBS manage to balance the two out.
This one is tough between KH1 and KH2, but kH1's narrative was amazing. The emotional investment to each character makes us care about them. Not to mention the worlds drove the plot forward (think of when Sora was trying to find Riku and Kairi in each world). Simple and Clean, with great story, difficultly, and a complete narrative. Not to mention the soundtrack and the beginning of the game gave us an eerie feeling of enigma.
Gestrid ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 22:24:16 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
Gameplay? KH2 Final Mix. Do I need a reason?
Story? KH1 Final Mix. The story is much better paced than arguably any other game in the series, and the story actually involves the Disney worlds. KH2 didn't really have that, and, while KH3 had it, Sora was pretty much sidelined for a lot of the movie plots, so, while the story involved the Disney worlds, the Disney worlds didn't really acknowledge it.
Doujini ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 23:21:19 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
KH2FM for overall best Gameplay
satisfying character progression through Abilities, especially Growth Abilities
best Bosses and a huge amount of them
best base Combos and Finishers with the perfect balance of being flashy and tight
god tier OST
well balanced Critical Mode and Level 1
enjoyable story that isn't too basic but also not too complicated
Cardoba ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 22:34:04 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
2 because itโs just the perfect kingdom hearts game. Not sure show to explain it further than that.
Saved comment
Nikomikiri ยท 85 points ยท Posted at 18:52:26 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
For me it will always be 1. Not for any "nyeh the original was better" reason or anything. Just for the world they set up and the emotional impact the story had. It was such a new concept and they fucking nailed it in execution.
The instrumental track for the cutscene when Sora releases his heart gives me chills every time I hear it, even when not watching the scene.
Razhork ยท 46 points ยท Posted at 19:42:20 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
I would argue that KH1 feels like the most "full package" in terms of story, combat, quantity of content and characters.
Dive into the heart followed by Destiny Island being consumed by darkness and Sora seperated from his friends, was a really strong beginning to the game. They delivered on most of the iconic Disney worlds and integrated them well into the overall story.
Then the whole stretch from Hollow Bastion to the End of the World is easily the best bit of Kingdom Hearts altogether to me. The stakes never felt higher than witnessing the remnants of consumed worlds in the dark realm.
Sora and Riku's rivalry was well realized in the game, and had great payoff in later titles. Sora, Donald and Goofy became a pretty solid trio which had really good payoff in 3 imo.
I could rave for ages. There are aspects that I genuinely dislike about the game (Camera and having to trigger dumb and vague events to progress certain worlds for instance), but the game is the most solid overall package by a long shot to me.
nivekious ยท 8 points ยท Posted at 06:01:54 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
Agreed, especially with the exploration and side quests. Nothing in the other games has matched the feeling of getting a new trinity/movement ability and thinking "oh, maybe now I can get to ____ in ____ world! I should go back!"
NexusPatriot ยท 12 points ยท Posted at 23:24:50 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
Hell. Yes.
Especially the dramatic transition in tone from Neverland to Hollow Bastion, and then The End of the World?
Absolutely amazing storytelling and transition in the first game. No other compares to be honest.
Sure KH2 had the โbetterโ gameplay, but also being a maniacal Zelda fan, the game felt very comparable to Zelda 3D games. I fell in love with it immediately.
KH2โs combat was indeed responsive and vibrant, but it was also over the top. I really do enjoy the grounded feeling of KH1โs combat.
Fuck the camera controls though.
Knight_of_Ironfist ยท 18 points ยท Posted at 20:14:42 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
Agreed. Even though KH2 has the best gameplay. KH1 offered a complete package compared to all the games that came after it.
[deleted] ยท -2 points ยท Posted at 06:03:52 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
It's just button mashing though. It's all flash and no substance.
bamakid1272 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 06:25:54 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)*
No, 3 would be an example of all flash and no substance. 2 has a lot of depth, especially when you play on higher difficulties. I mean you can just button mash on lower difficulties if you want, but that's the case in 1 as well. I know that's how I beat it as a kid.
1 has its own appeal to it with its gameplay, so I understand why some prefer it. But saying 2 has no substance is silly when there are plenty of videos explaining what makes 2's combat so good, such as this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tc8hrXyG1xw
[deleted] ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 06:48:50 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
Nah, I just recently replayed 2 on critical to prepare for 3 and barring a few of the data battles I button mashed my way through the entire game. The combat system is deep enough, there's just no need to bother with it. Maybe on a level one run, but I haven't done one of those and I imagine most people don't.
Happy_Craft14 ยท -2 points ยท Posted at 06:23:53 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
Go play LVL1 Critical mode
[deleted] ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:46:28 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
You shouldn't have to do a level one challenge to make the game more difficult than blindly button mashing.
Happy_Craft14 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 06:48:27 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
Then do normal Critical Mode
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:52:05 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
I have. I actually was playing it earlier today. You can button mash and be fine on everything but a few of the optional fights.
Inanis-Cor ยท 16 points ยท Posted at 01:09:48 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
358/2 Days for me. The structure of Roxas's daily life reminds me a lot of my time at school.
[deleted] ยท 26 points ยท Posted at 19:17:42 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
CoM/RECoM. Interesting combat, Sora's memory story was intriguing, and I always love playing as Riku.
Richardclobbe ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 02:50:46 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
No asshole asking if you are joking? it's a miracle!
(COM was my favorite and people always thought i was a troll)
[deleted] ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 03:10:10 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
lol I'm for real. CoM stans unite
Serapius ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 14:46:24 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
I love the story for CoM/Re:CoM, but the card mechanic made the game seem way too sluggish for me (thank goodness for Theater Mode though). This is especially true in the first half of the game when you don't have access to the better sleights. Plus, there aren't any super hard endgame bosses to work towards which makes me a little sad.
I did love having the chance to play as Riku though!
RedRaven616 ยท 16 points ยท Posted at 19:42:59 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
Birth by sleep for me. It had my favorite combat. The 3 characters were nice for changing up gameplay. It's one of the few games with sad endings for everyone. Plus, neemoy as Xehanort was absolutely amazing! Not to mention mark hamil as eriquis
Qualc1 ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 20:32:25 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
Kh1 for so many reasons. Some people feels bored because of chunky commands but hey, I played video games since 1998. KH1 is still fluid for my brain and that game is perfect in all the aspects.
MiyreaZED ยท 16 points ยท Posted at 21:28:43 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
Birth by sleep is my favorite because of the Wayfinder Trio and the fact that besides Back Cover, it is the darkest game of the series in my opinion. Personally, I love dark stories it just catches my interest and stuff, there is also the fact its a Disney game that is so dark (thanks to Square and Nomura) that it just makes me laugh and live for it. I also just have a love for characters that have been through so much shit, so Ventus is my favorite character for obvious reason and because of him being thru so much trauma. XEHANORT LEFT HIM ON THE DESTINY ISLANDS TO DIE FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, AND HES ALSO THE REASON VEN WAS DYING. I cant help but love Ven.
LadyJR ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 01:01:44 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
Dude! The scene where Xehanort just forces Vanitas out was so sad. Ven just didn't want to fight anymore but Xehanort just didn't care.
Splub ยท 22 points ยท Posted at 21:18:41 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
clubdon ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 00:33:26 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
Same. I like all of the numbered titles the best. I love the stories of all the others (sea salt trio for the win), but not so much the gameplay. I donโt really like command decks. No one liked collecting cards. 3D is decent minutes the Pokรฉmon crafting (which honestly imo is a little more fun then melding commands).
KH1 set the tone for the whole series and is an incredible game as a whole. Good combat for its time, probably the most coherent and best singular story line in the whole series. 2 was an absolute improvement over 1 and I think it was incredible what they did with making us wonder who Roxas was and all that, which was followed up excellently with CoM and Days. After those two is when the story starts to get a lot more โwtfโ (still enjoyable though).
I really like the โfloatinessโ of 3. I like the fluidity of it. The game could definitely be more challenging, and the Disney attractions are more of a pain than they are fun, but the overall feel and fluidness are top notch. They just need to add some good challenges that really take advantage of the system. Upgrading keyblades is the best feature they added. And the story is good. The Disney worlds didnโt do much to add to Soraโs arc, but if you paid attention they definitely delve into what Org13 has been doing. Followed by, what I thought was, a fantastic and tear jerking finale.
bamakid1272 ยท 27 points ยท Posted at 22:06:16 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)*
Definitely 2 for me.
Firstly, it has the best combat in the series, hands down. It improves on 1's combat in many ways, but it's also not too floaty like BBS & 3 ended up being. It's responsive, there's a lot of depth if you dig into it, etc. There are plenty of others who have already explained what makes it great better than I could.
Second, I enjoyed the Disney worlds the most here. While most of them were rehashes, I still felt more involved in the plot of the movie in 2's worlds than I did in 3. Take Land of Dragons for example. It was a complete rehash of the movie, but Sora and co. were regularly involved in it. Meanwhile in 3 they felt much more sidelined in the worlds that did just do retellings of the movies. Arendelle is obviously the worst example, but Corona was only slightly better. They were also sitting on the side a lot when movie stuff was happening, but there were at least moments in between where Sora was actively interacting with Rapunzel and Flynn. That barely spoke with Elsa and Anna. That said, 1 is pretty much as good as 2. While I'm sure I could pick out pros and cons if I really dug into them, but they're overall about even in this category.
Thirdly, while the story isn't as simple and clean (heh) as the first, it doesn't reach the convoluted levels the series would after it. You should know CoM to fully understand it, but you wouldn't be completely lost like you would going into 3 without the other side games. Also, it's ending would have been a decent conclusion at the time. Yes, the hint with Mickey's letter obviously implied something more, but I would have been satisfied with how it ended at the time. Sora, Riku, and Kairi are reunited and return to Destiny Islands, all the big bads we knew about at the time were defeated, and Roxas and Namine could live on in the hearts of Sora and Kairi. It wouldn't be the happiest ending for everyone since all of Organization members would be dead basically, but it could still be a conclusion for all of them. Now that's not me saying I think the story should have ended there. As much of a clusterfuck the rest of the series is, I love it. But if it had to end there, I could consider everything wrapped up. It's after the release of games like 358/2 and BBS that we really needed a 3 to finish everything up.
In the end, it comes down to 1 & 2, with 2 winning out. Where 1 had slight advantages in the main story, I think 2's advantage in gameplay was much bigger, while I think they're even when it comes to Disney worlds. Throw in FM content and it's amazing. As for 3, while I did still like it a lot, I do believe it was the weakest of the main trilogy in most categories. It has the best graphics, but that's to be expected, but I do enjoy the level designs of its worlds a lot. And while I think how its story played out could have been executed much better, I still at least got most of the conclusions I was looking for.
I didn't say hardly anything about the side games, but I really don't think they're as good as the main games for the most part. BBS comes the closest, but I think it only competes with 3 and is still way behind 1&2.
eric4716 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 22:57:20 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
If I could, I would give you all the medals.
kolaida ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 23:27:29 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
I'm in total agreement with you. KH2 is the best to me though I've enjoyed all the other games, too.
pedantic_cheesewheel ยท 32 points ยท Posted at 19:27:08 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
KH2 FM, itโs perfection, itโs everything that was great about Kingdom Hearts but with everything annoying or useless fixed or removed or improved. Especially after final mix but even the base game. Also, Xemnas is best villain, I wish as an extra boss somehow he could have wielded a keyblade but I guess Terra and the BBS story wasnโt fully decided at that point. Imagine the mindfuck it would have been to see him whip out Terraโs keyblade as his last resort
ZaHiro86 ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 01:46:29 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
KH3 is my current favorite because of the combat system and level design, but KH1 is really just an all around excellent game with a wonderful story. I think it's really hard for me to pick one or the other
Serapius ยท 9 points ยท Posted at 19:31:01 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
While I think KH2 has the better combat, Birth By Sleep is probably my favorite.
I loved the story and the TAV trio. Plus, I'm a sucker for games with multiple playable characters! I also thought the Command Deck was a great way to give us a bunch of easily used, very flashy moves without changing the basic Kingdom Hearts gameplay too much (for reference, I thought Re:CoM also gave us a lot of great looking skills, but the overall gameplay was too different from the main games because of the card mechanics).
PupperDogoDogoPupper ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 19:52:27 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
I feel the Command Deck and the multiple campaigns are at odds with each other. I'm finishing up Aqua's campaign now after playing Terra's and Ven's and I will say that I've only engaged the gameplay systems enough to finish the campaigns rather than diving deeply into them. Maybe I would like the game more if it was the most recent KH game released, but I have yet to want to learn the systems enough to engage with the post-game content like I have with KH2FM (which was absolutely amazing post-game content). The prospect of grinding up three different characters is too much.
Story-wise though, BBS is pretty awesome. Sora gets tiresome, whereas some of the BBS trio are level-headed which is refreshing.
Serapius ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 16:20:00 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
I liked the Command Decks because they allowed me to build out a set of skills that could be powerful, versatile, and flashy all at once. And the fact that each character had several unique Commands made me that much more excited to play through and unlock those new skills! The grind to max out three character's levels and abilities was a bit much though, so I'll agree with that.
Though I will say that the Command Styles could have been done better in BBS. I liked the idea of them, but not being able to manually enter or exit them make them kind of a hassle if you wanted to use or avoid certain Command Styles. If I could have at least selected which ones I didn't want to ever activate in a menu somewhere, then I wouldn't really be as upset by them. When I first played BBS, I thought they were going to be kind of like BBS's version of the Drive Forms from KH2 (one of my favorite mechanics in this series), but they ended up being much more of a hassle a lot of the time.
BigMoe52 ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 08:49:14 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
BBS hands down. The most interesting characters including protagonists and antagonists. You always wanted to know more about so many characters whereas sora and co are kind of taken for what they are. It also helped that they were fresh new faces. Everyone seemed to have a backstory or hidden agenda and they kept you interested.
Gameplay wasnโt perfect but was experimental and did well in what it was trying to accomplish which seemed to me like a way to vary combat other than just mashing X.
But my favorite thing was the not so happy, if not tragic ending. Itโs not very often any story doesnโt get a happy ending let alone one like this. Youโre basically told to deal with the outcome as a fan and it hurts so good. Makes you look forward to whatโs to come. Overall a fantastic overall game
doctor827 ยท 14 points ยท Posted at 22:35:24 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
Kh3 for me, blew my mind and was so happy throughout it
Peekoh ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:46:09 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
I adored this game from start to end and the combat never got old to me. It was cool to finally see behind the scenes for the Organization. The character development for the Sea Salt Trio had me invested so fast, faster than the others.
yaboioioioioioi ยท 9 points ยท Posted at 19:03:46 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
Kh2 simply because of the combat
Lostkaiju1990 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 00:53:06 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
Either 2 or birth by sleep. Two probably has the best gameplay overall, but I really do like the characters of birth by sleep.
DestinysCharm ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 01:52:42 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
BbS. Best story. Best characters. Darkest game. Best soundtrack. Best gameplay...
PlentyC ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 07:59:06 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
Kingdom hearts 1 for story because nothing can touch that story. It kept you engaged throughout the entire game with so much to do and keep you busy. The coliseum was an amazing place to rank up,Pooh book for the strength boosts and AP boosts, you revisited worlds for many different reasons, everything was. Mystery and the Disney worlds actually cohesive with the story/plot. 2 has the best combat and skill building qualities. Iโve only played the main titles and I gotta day.. 3 is a disappointment so far. I tried to rationalize but I knew after a while I was doing just that. It all feels rushed.
drew0594 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 11:35:06 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
KH1 and KH3. I love KH1 because it has a nice story, fun worlds, exploration, fun combat. I love KH3 for the same reasons, but the only things it lacks (compared to KH1) are better original worlds and FF characters. It has better worlds and combat though.
Omegalock4 ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 19:58:36 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
KH2 for obvious reasons. Birth by sleep because I just love that era of keyblade wielders, the story, worlds, and characters. Even the music. And 358/2 days because Roxas and the Organization.
firelights ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 00:30:25 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
KH1 - Decent story, but gameplay has aged badly IMO.
Re:CoM - Story is okay but I hate the combat system.
KH2 - Best gameplay in the series and the story was fantastic with great moments like the 1000 heartless fight and the final boss.
BBS - Fantastic story and the combat system took some time t o get used to, but became much more enjoyable over the course of the game. Level design is kind of boring and empty though.
358/2 Days - Great character devlopment for the Org members, especially with Axel and Roxas. Gameplay was okay, but repetitive.
Re: Coded - Gameplay was varied, but fun. Story is 99% filler though.
DDD - Combat was just like BBS but I'm split on the Dream Eater system. I hated the story though, all the time travel shit was so confusing. I enjoyed Riku's role though.
KH3 - I'm pretty much in the same boat as everyone else. Great gameplay and graphics, but the story is paced so fucking bad.
IMO from best to worst:
KH2
BBS
KH3
KH1
358/2 Days
DDD
Re: Coded
Re: CoM
thestrifeisrife ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 01:57:12 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
KH1 will probably always be my favorite. I played it with my sister when I was very young, so there's a lot of nostalgia value for sure, but beyond that I feel like it just has something the other entries lack. There's this sense of wonder and mystery to it, everything feels very connected and alive. As others have said, the Disney world were well implemented, and sora's interaction with the worlds felt very organic.
The thing that kind of depresses me as the series goes on is that the magic just starts to drain, everything becomes more superficial as the series goes, so by the time you get to 3, the final fantasy stuff is almost completely gone, and the Disney worlds feel like a complete afterthought to the ever more complex and ridiculous over arching story.
All that said, kh2 final mix has far and away the best gameplay, and a lot of what I like about kh1 is still alive in 2.
PlentyC ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 07:51:09 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
I agree with this. I know people in this sub will attack you if you bring up the flaws too often but Iโm almost done KH3 and Iโm over here skipping dialogue/cut scenes because they just donโt matter like the first one did. Story is actually pretty bad in 3
thestrifeisrife ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 08:09:16 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
Yeah honestly nothing in Kh3 really did it for me. The game meanders about for 18 hours of Disney filler, and then rushes through the actual story in the last 3 or 4. None of the emotional scenes had any real impact on me because everything felt so rushed, there was no room for the moments to breath. Every last part of Kh3 felt like it was just going through the motions to me, like square and Nomura just wanted it out of the way already. It's so sad to me, because I used to be so invested in the story.
I honestly kind of hope going forward that they completely overhaul the structure of the games. The Disney worlds formula is holding them back at this point, I think they'd be better off structuring it more like a final fantasy game; go through a series of original locales, keep the plot in-focus the whole time, and have Disney stuff incorporated into the original locations rather than doing whole movie adaptations. Also gib me my boy leon back I miss him.
Ok rant over, sorry. I've been holding that in.
Kenndrexx ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 19:32:29 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
Recoded because the progression and data board were fun to interact with as you combine abilities in a better fashion than bbs, it also had a strong chunk of endgame content and risk reward things to allow you to keep playing
NPG_Eseph ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 19:45:18 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
2FM for me mainly just cuz the gameplay itself is just so well designed. Feels like all your actions in combat have purpose and you cant just mash away at the X button especially on high difficulties. Even on standard difficulty, fights like roxas take a lot of effort and feel very rewarding to beat.
SolidScrooge ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 00:10:16 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
I see it as:
2 has the best gameplay
1 has the best plot
358 Days hast the best character writing and the best trio
Blue-moon-wolf ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 23:31:35 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
I'd still have to say KH2: FM. I feel like it had the most to offer content wise, felt really good to play (though I still love the forms in KH3 and how all keyblades can be decent up to the end of the game through upgrades), felt really impactful and even had a happy ending which looking back on past games tends to be easier said then done .__.
THAT SAID, depending on what kind of DLC we get for KH3, This opinion could change for me. Even with the ending and how I dislike endings that pull the happy ending right from under you, I still really liked the game as a whole. First game will always have a special place but it's aged a bit over the years. KH2: FM meets that happy medium of engaging story with really fun combat, plus all the bonus Final Mix stuff to add on top of it :p
AZleepyCactus ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 23:51:48 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
Kingdom Hearts UX. In all seriousness though Iโd probably say as an overall game is KH2FM. The combat was smooth, there was a fair amount of content, and the story was good as well. However, KH1 is probably my favorite KH game overall and KH358 days/2 was my favorite KH story bar none.
4PaiZuri ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 01:02:25 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
2 final mix. Nothing compares to the data battles with O13! And lingering will
Three_Toed_Squire ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 01:28:08 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
Recoded, it was the first I owned and properly got to play
IrishSpectreN7 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:47:26 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
KH2 is top tier, and it isn't even close, but KH1 is great and it gets bonus points for being the foundation of KH2. CoM was good on the GBA, meh on PS2. BbS was okay. 358 and KH3 were meh, and DDD is just plain bad.
Never played Re:Coded so I can't rank it. Also if it has a final mix, assume that I'm referring to that version.
TwoDoggos ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:10:19 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
Kh2FM without question.
GratzCiel ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:38:36 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
For gameplay, 2. For story, 1. But the best ending ever? 2. Unpopular opinion but they shouldve ended it there.
Archwizard_Drake ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:40:35 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
It's interesting to me that the consensus amongst my friends is that the games have an exactly inverse relationship between gameplay and story.
While KH1 and Days get brushed aside for poor balance and paper-thin mechanics, the execution and subject matter of their stories is held above other entries. Likewise, while KH3 is basically a Greatest Hits collection of mechanics, it has pacing issues and plot holes you can drive a truck through. KH2 and BBS manage to balance the two out.
So it really depends what you're into.
Monic_maker ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 23:01:21 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
kh2 > kh3 > kh1 > ddd > bbs >358 > coded >com
Vertium_ ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 01:09:19 on April 19, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
This one is tough between KH1 and KH2, but kH1's narrative was amazing. The emotional investment to each character makes us care about them. Not to mention the worlds drove the plot forward (think of when Sora was trying to find Riku and Kairi in each world). Simple and Clean, with great story, difficultly, and a complete narrative. Not to mention the soundtrack and the beginning of the game gave us an eerie feeling of enigma.
Gestrid ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 22:24:16 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
Gameplay? KH2 Final Mix. Do I need a reason?
Story? KH1 Final Mix. The story is much better paced than arguably any other game in the series, and the story actually involves the Disney worlds. KH2 didn't really have that, and, while KH3 had it, Sora was pretty much sidelined for a lot of the movie plots, so, while the story involved the Disney worlds, the Disney worlds didn't really acknowledge it.
Doujini ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 23:21:19 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
KH2FM for overall best Gameplay
satisfying character progression through Abilities, especially Growth Abilities
best Bosses and a huge amount of them
best base Combos and Finishers with the perfect balance of being flashy and tight
god tier OST
well balanced Critical Mode and Level 1
enjoyable story that isn't too basic but also not too complicated
Cardoba ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 22:34:04 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
2 because itโs just the perfect kingdom hearts game. Not sure show to explain it further than that.
Kingdommer ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 20:00:33 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
All in 1 collection... Amal 2fm and u know why
8bitbruh ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 23:28:11 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
kh 1.5+2.5 hd collection of course!
HoboSasuke ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 23:50:18 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
KH2FM.
Alongside KH1FM itโs probably the only title I ever see myself revisiting.
UnchainedSora ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 23:55:22 on March 14, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
2FM. By far the most fleshed out and interesting combat, especially on critical.
Snake7753 ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 02:05:43 on March 15, 2019 ยท (Permalink)
Objectively 2 is the best but my favorite is 358 for the story. Xion is the best girl hands down