Showing posts with label kingdom hearts: birth by sleep. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kingdom hearts: birth by sleep. Show all posts
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX (PS3) New Features Trailer
Kingdom Hearts 2 and Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep are returning to the spotlight with loads of new content in the form of bosses, items, and chapters. Witness all of the newness in this new features trailer. That's a lot of new!
Monday, April 14, 2014
SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - SPC Hearts PlayStation Edition
Welcome to a new edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs! This week we're all about PlayStation platforms, particularly the more retro ones, such as the PS1 and PS2. We have music from games like Metal Gear Solid, Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, and Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. If you're ready, then let the music carry you away!
v601. Metal Gear Solid (PS1) - The Best is Yet to Come
The ending theme of Metal Gear Solid, an exquisite masterpiece from the original PlayStation, The Best is Yet to Come is a haunting vocal theme, perfect for the finale of the game. We're going to get slammed for this, but we are among the few that actually enjoy the GameCube remake, The Twin Snakes, despite the new first-person perspective not really be conducive to the original's design. Still, it's a fun return to the classic that made the Metal Gear series so beloved.
v602. Klonoa: Door to Phantomile (PS1) - Vision 1-1: The Beginning of Gales
The theme that plays in the first level of Klonoa: Door to Phantomile, this song starts with a pan flute introduction, then the strumming of a guitar backs up the piece as accompaniment. The first level of Klonoa is a warm, inviting place, and this theme helps convey that feeling.
v603. Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (PS2) - Mountain Pass
We're not going to lie-- the Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy soundtrack is pretty dull and boring. We have a hard time remembering anything from it melodically with this theme as the exception, Mountain Pass. This level is a ride through a rugged mountain area full of explosives and other hazards to watch out for. While the soundtrack might be a disappointment, the actual game is anything but.
v604. Hot Shots Tennis (PS2) - Alpine Heights Court
After taking it to the links for four straight games, the Hot Shots crew decided to take up tennis as a new sport. Their first outing is a successful one, albeit not without issues, such as a lack of longevity. However, the PSP sequel, Get a Grip, offers a lengthy solo mode, customization, and a progressively more difficult challenge. Regardless of the iteration, Hot Shots Tennis continues its excellence in music with lively tracks such as the one that plays on the Alpine Heights Court.
v605. Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (PSP) - Birth by Sleep - A Link to the Future
Another quest in the world of Kingdom Hearts has been completed, but the day is not entirely safe. After all, we have to have some more sequels and spin-offs, no? Yoko Shimomura delivers a fantastic ending piece to accentuate the finale of the PSP Kingdom Hearts entry, Birth by Sleep.
v601. Metal Gear Solid (PS1) - The Best is Yet to Come
The ending theme of Metal Gear Solid, an exquisite masterpiece from the original PlayStation, The Best is Yet to Come is a haunting vocal theme, perfect for the finale of the game. We're going to get slammed for this, but we are among the few that actually enjoy the GameCube remake, The Twin Snakes, despite the new first-person perspective not really be conducive to the original's design. Still, it's a fun return to the classic that made the Metal Gear series so beloved.
v602. Klonoa: Door to Phantomile (PS1) - Vision 1-1: The Beginning of Gales
The theme that plays in the first level of Klonoa: Door to Phantomile, this song starts with a pan flute introduction, then the strumming of a guitar backs up the piece as accompaniment. The first level of Klonoa is a warm, inviting place, and this theme helps convey that feeling.
v603. Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (PS2) - Mountain Pass
We're not going to lie-- the Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy soundtrack is pretty dull and boring. We have a hard time remembering anything from it melodically with this theme as the exception, Mountain Pass. This level is a ride through a rugged mountain area full of explosives and other hazards to watch out for. While the soundtrack might be a disappointment, the actual game is anything but.
v604. Hot Shots Tennis (PS2) - Alpine Heights Court
After taking it to the links for four straight games, the Hot Shots crew decided to take up tennis as a new sport. Their first outing is a successful one, albeit not without issues, such as a lack of longevity. However, the PSP sequel, Get a Grip, offers a lengthy solo mode, customization, and a progressively more difficult challenge. Regardless of the iteration, Hot Shots Tennis continues its excellence in music with lively tracks such as the one that plays on the Alpine Heights Court.
v605. Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (PSP) - Birth by Sleep - A Link to the Future
Another quest in the world of Kingdom Hearts has been completed, but the day is not entirely safe. After all, we have to have some more sequels and spin-offs, no? Yoko Shimomura delivers a fantastic ending piece to accentuate the finale of the PSP Kingdom Hearts entry, Birth by Sleep.
Monday, February 18, 2013
SuperPhillip's Favorite VGMs - Presidents' Day 2013 Edition
Happy Presidents' Day to every USA reader. As for everyone else, it is just an ordinary day. Actually, for many USA readers it is still an ordinary day. This edition of SuperPhillip's Favorite VGMs will make today special with five tracks from five video games. We have music from Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, Let's Tap, and Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. Let's "hurry up" and get to the first song.
v316. Wario Land 4 (GBA) - Hurry Up!
While this song takes a little while to get going, Wario should be on the move the entire time, as he runs and tumbles his way towards the goal. Hurrying up is the aim of each level's conclusion, and the faster the player performs this action, the less time they'll have to hear the horrifying end to this song!
v317. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (GB) - Athletic
Sitting near the top of the best Game Boy themes, Super Mario Land 2's Athletic theme is a super catchy theme. Not only that, but alternate takes of the theme are played throughout the game. The composer, Kazumi Totaka, is a well known name in Nintendo circles. He has composed the music for many memorable games, including Animal Crossing, Wii Sports, and Luigi's Mansion, to name a few.
v318. DK: King of Swing (GBA) - Contraption Cave
DK: King of Swing is one of my more liked Game Boy Advance (notice how it is Advance and not Advanced) games. It was a unique take on the Donkey Kong Country formula, having levels with bonus barrels and hidden secrets, but combining all that with a Clu Clu Land feeling. I urge you to pick up either this game or DK: Jungle Climber, the Nintendo DS sequel.
v319. Let's Tap (Wii) - Tap de Papapaya
Let's Tap was a severely overlooked game by Prope, a studio founded by Sonic the Hedgehog creator Yuji Naka. The Wii title had players placing their Wii remotes onto a cardboard slab that came with the game and had them tapping the slab to interact with the various mini-games. It was a novel, but quite eccentric, idea that didn't do too well financially. At least the game had this insanely catchy main theme attached to it.
v320. Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (PSP) - The Encounter
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep was the sole entry in the Kingdom Hearts franchise on the PSP. After 358/2, Re:Coded, Chain of Memories, and this game, it was fair to say that even the most addicted fans were getting a bit tired of all of the spin-offs. That showed with the sales of Kingdom Hearts 3D.
With that, another edition of SuperPhillip's Favorite VGMs has concluded. Next week we'll have five more songs from five more games. If you missed a previous installment of this SPC segment, then check out the VGM Database where every song featured is listed.
v316. Wario Land 4 (GBA) - Hurry Up!
While this song takes a little while to get going, Wario should be on the move the entire time, as he runs and tumbles his way towards the goal. Hurrying up is the aim of each level's conclusion, and the faster the player performs this action, the less time they'll have to hear the horrifying end to this song!
v317. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (GB) - Athletic
Sitting near the top of the best Game Boy themes, Super Mario Land 2's Athletic theme is a super catchy theme. Not only that, but alternate takes of the theme are played throughout the game. The composer, Kazumi Totaka, is a well known name in Nintendo circles. He has composed the music for many memorable games, including Animal Crossing, Wii Sports, and Luigi's Mansion, to name a few.
v318. DK: King of Swing (GBA) - Contraption Cave
DK: King of Swing is one of my more liked Game Boy Advance (notice how it is Advance and not Advanced) games. It was a unique take on the Donkey Kong Country formula, having levels with bonus barrels and hidden secrets, but combining all that with a Clu Clu Land feeling. I urge you to pick up either this game or DK: Jungle Climber, the Nintendo DS sequel.
v319. Let's Tap (Wii) - Tap de Papapaya
Let's Tap was a severely overlooked game by Prope, a studio founded by Sonic the Hedgehog creator Yuji Naka. The Wii title had players placing their Wii remotes onto a cardboard slab that came with the game and had them tapping the slab to interact with the various mini-games. It was a novel, but quite eccentric, idea that didn't do too well financially. At least the game had this insanely catchy main theme attached to it.
v320. Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (PSP) - The Encounter
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep was the sole entry in the Kingdom Hearts franchise on the PSP. After 358/2, Re:Coded, Chain of Memories, and this game, it was fair to say that even the most addicted fans were getting a bit tired of all of the spin-offs. That showed with the sales of Kingdom Hearts 3D.
===
With that, another edition of SuperPhillip's Favorite VGMs has concluded. Next week we'll have five more songs from five more games. If you missed a previous installment of this SPC segment, then check out the VGM Database where every song featured is listed.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (PSP) Review
As promised from yesterday's VGMs, here's the first of two PlayStation Portable video game reviews. It's Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep from Square-Enix. They're really working this franchise for all its worth, aren't they? Regardless, here we go with the second review of the month.
Kingdom Hearts was an odd duckling when it originally premiered as a series on the PlayStation 2. It combined the magical and whimsical world of Disney and the angst-filled heroes and heroines of one of gaming's most storied franchises, Final Fantasy. The mix was off-putting at first, but once you got used to it, it meshed well. However, since the release of Kingdom Hearts II, there's been spinoff after spinoff with no hint of a third installment in sight. There's been a card game, two DS games, and now there's the first to hit Sony's PlayStation Portable, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. Is this adventure worth waking up for?
Three friends who all yearn to be great Keyblade Masters, Terra, Ventus (Ven for short), and Aqua are thrown into the middle of a plan to separate and destroy them. Voiced by Spock, Leonard Nimoy, Master Xehanort plans to reignite the fabled Keyblade Wars and wreak heck upon the worlds of Disney. Only by reuniting together can these trio of friends overcome Xehanort and his sinister plans. Ever since Kingdom Hearts II, the franchise has had a convoluted story, and this entry to the series is no different. Be prepared to scratch your head at multiple times attempting to figure out which plot elements are actually important and what's actually rubbish. Be well aware though that the knot that ties all this together is that of friendship. D'aww...
Against Yen Sid's wishes, King Mickey is out and about.
After a brief tutorial world, you're given the choice between playing as either of the three friends. Each character has their own storyline, worlds they visit like Cinderella's kingdom, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Hercules, among others), and each takes anywhere between ten to fifteen hours to complete. Then there's the final story once Terra, Ventus, and Aqua reunite to stand up to Master Xehanort and his evil apprentice. Don't forget all of the post-game content, too. Rest assured, there's plenty of content to be had in Birth by Sleep, but will you want to play that long?
The gameplay of Birth by Sleep isn't very far-fetched from previous installments. You travel from world-to-world, room-to-room accessing treasure chests, battling monsters and bosses alike, and meeting new Disney and Final Fantasy heroes and villains. New to the series is the EX Link. As you meet and greet and form bonds with new characters, you can use the EX Link to access a sampling of that character's abilities in battle. For example, with Aqua's powers you can use magic like Fira, Blizzaga, and Thundara. It's an interesting system that opens up possibilities and strategies severalfold. It's just a shame, however, that most of the battles come down to simple button-mashing.
Press the triangle button to unleash skills.
That's not to say all encounters are mash X. Far from it, actually. As you progress through the game, your characters earn new spells and abilities like the glide, high jump, and counterattack skills to maximize combat and travel efficiency. The problems with battles is that: 1) the lock-on is ineffective and it's impossible to track the correct foe most of the time, 2) trying to adjust the twitchy camera to the correct position is an effort in frustration, and 3) attempting to do 1 and 2 while cycling through your move-set with the d-pad is just impossible. Throw in bosses that are superior in battle and dole out huge difficulty spikes, and you have a game you can rage to. A boss should not be able to one hit kill my hero even if it's the final boss of Ventus's campaign. And, Square-Enix, three supremely difficult boss encounters in a row without the opportunity to save is just balls. That's all there is to it.
Some boss battles get ridiculously tough.
Of course, treasure-hunting and battles are but a majority of the equation. There's a handful of fun mini-games to play in Disney Town like fruitball, a rhythm-action game involving ice cream, and multiple races and arena battles to conquer. There's even a Mario Party-esque board game to play on several different boards. Winning earns rare items and prizes, but heck if I know how to actually play it. I sort of skimmed the rules, so that part's my fault.
Rock out with Experiment 626 (aka Lilo).
Fans of Disney will love all of the fanservice Square-Enix has bestowed on this game. From the worlds of Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty to the characters like Queen Minnie, King Mickey, Donald Duck, Goofy, Huey, Dewey, and Lewie, Chip and Dale, Pete, and many more, Disney-lovers will swoon with delight. Even Final Fantasy fans have characters, items, spells, and references to the series that they will find interesting.
Guest appearances abound in Birth by Sleep.
Visually, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep is a graphical powerhouse on Sony's portable-that-could. The characters are highly-detailed and are animated wonderfully. The backgrounds and worlds are all astonishing, and the draw distance is quite good, if not great. Yoko Shimomura astounds once again with exquisite compositions. Some are retreads from past Kingdom Hearts games, but most of the musical material is brand-new. The voice acting, too, is very good though you cannot help but root for the annoying brat, Ventus, to get his butt handed to him. All-in-all Square-Enix spared no expense with the presentation on Birth by Sleep.
It's a conundrum to try and recommend Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. It's certainly an above-average game, but I cannot help but feel disappointed. The button-mashing combat on scrub enemies does not teach good combat skills, and once you reach that steep difficulty curve, you're bound to become frustrated. The lock-on is heavily flawed, the camera is crazy, and the game is just all over the place in difficulty. Wake me up when Kingdom Hearts III is announced.
[SuperPhillip Says: 7.0/10]
Someone Wake Me Up
Kingdom Hearts was an odd duckling when it originally premiered as a series on the PlayStation 2. It combined the magical and whimsical world of Disney and the angst-filled heroes and heroines of one of gaming's most storied franchises, Final Fantasy. The mix was off-putting at first, but once you got used to it, it meshed well. However, since the release of Kingdom Hearts II, there's been spinoff after spinoff with no hint of a third installment in sight. There's been a card game, two DS games, and now there's the first to hit Sony's PlayStation Portable, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. Is this adventure worth waking up for?
Three friends who all yearn to be great Keyblade Masters, Terra, Ventus (Ven for short), and Aqua are thrown into the middle of a plan to separate and destroy them. Voiced by Spock, Leonard Nimoy, Master Xehanort plans to reignite the fabled Keyblade Wars and wreak heck upon the worlds of Disney. Only by reuniting together can these trio of friends overcome Xehanort and his sinister plans. Ever since Kingdom Hearts II, the franchise has had a convoluted story, and this entry to the series is no different. Be prepared to scratch your head at multiple times attempting to figure out which plot elements are actually important and what's actually rubbish. Be well aware though that the knot that ties all this together is that of friendship. D'aww...
Against Yen Sid's wishes, King Mickey is out and about.After a brief tutorial world, you're given the choice between playing as either of the three friends. Each character has their own storyline, worlds they visit like Cinderella's kingdom, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Hercules, among others), and each takes anywhere between ten to fifteen hours to complete. Then there's the final story once Terra, Ventus, and Aqua reunite to stand up to Master Xehanort and his evil apprentice. Don't forget all of the post-game content, too. Rest assured, there's plenty of content to be had in Birth by Sleep, but will you want to play that long?
The gameplay of Birth by Sleep isn't very far-fetched from previous installments. You travel from world-to-world, room-to-room accessing treasure chests, battling monsters and bosses alike, and meeting new Disney and Final Fantasy heroes and villains. New to the series is the EX Link. As you meet and greet and form bonds with new characters, you can use the EX Link to access a sampling of that character's abilities in battle. For example, with Aqua's powers you can use magic like Fira, Blizzaga, and Thundara. It's an interesting system that opens up possibilities and strategies severalfold. It's just a shame, however, that most of the battles come down to simple button-mashing.
Press the triangle button to unleash skills.That's not to say all encounters are mash X. Far from it, actually. As you progress through the game, your characters earn new spells and abilities like the glide, high jump, and counterattack skills to maximize combat and travel efficiency. The problems with battles is that: 1) the lock-on is ineffective and it's impossible to track the correct foe most of the time, 2) trying to adjust the twitchy camera to the correct position is an effort in frustration, and 3) attempting to do 1 and 2 while cycling through your move-set with the d-pad is just impossible. Throw in bosses that are superior in battle and dole out huge difficulty spikes, and you have a game you can rage to. A boss should not be able to one hit kill my hero even if it's the final boss of Ventus's campaign. And, Square-Enix, three supremely difficult boss encounters in a row without the opportunity to save is just balls. That's all there is to it.
Some boss battles get ridiculously tough.Of course, treasure-hunting and battles are but a majority of the equation. There's a handful of fun mini-games to play in Disney Town like fruitball, a rhythm-action game involving ice cream, and multiple races and arena battles to conquer. There's even a Mario Party-esque board game to play on several different boards. Winning earns rare items and prizes, but heck if I know how to actually play it. I sort of skimmed the rules, so that part's my fault.
Rock out with Experiment 626 (aka Lilo).Fans of Disney will love all of the fanservice Square-Enix has bestowed on this game. From the worlds of Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty to the characters like Queen Minnie, King Mickey, Donald Duck, Goofy, Huey, Dewey, and Lewie, Chip and Dale, Pete, and many more, Disney-lovers will swoon with delight. Even Final Fantasy fans have characters, items, spells, and references to the series that they will find interesting.
Guest appearances abound in Birth by Sleep.Visually, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep is a graphical powerhouse on Sony's portable-that-could. The characters are highly-detailed and are animated wonderfully. The backgrounds and worlds are all astonishing, and the draw distance is quite good, if not great. Yoko Shimomura astounds once again with exquisite compositions. Some are retreads from past Kingdom Hearts games, but most of the musical material is brand-new. The voice acting, too, is very good though you cannot help but root for the annoying brat, Ventus, to get his butt handed to him. All-in-all Square-Enix spared no expense with the presentation on Birth by Sleep.
It's a conundrum to try and recommend Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. It's certainly an above-average game, but I cannot help but feel disappointed. The button-mashing combat on scrub enemies does not teach good combat skills, and once you reach that steep difficulty curve, you're bound to become frustrated. The lock-on is heavily flawed, the camera is crazy, and the game is just all over the place in difficulty. Wake me up when Kingdom Hearts III is announced.
[SuperPhillip Says: 7.0/10]
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Most Overlooked PSP Games - Part Four
Okay. Let's be fair here. PSP software sales in America are piss-poor. I could choose a number of PSP titles, and they could qualify as most overlooked. Regardless, we're pressing on with five more PSP games that many of you just didn't buy!
Phantasy Star Portable 2
I love the Phantasy Star Online series of games. Old-school gamers yearn for a classic turn-based Phantasy Star affair, but I'm complacent with these online, multi-player experiences. If duking it out online against hoards of monsters isn't your thing, you can always try out the single-player campaign. No dorky Ethan Weber here! All-in-all, for a great online infrastructure and plenty of weapons to grind for, Phantasy Star Portable 2 does its job and does it well.
Valkyrie Chronicles II
Valkyrie Chronicles, the original for the PlayStation 3, was already an overlooked game. It makes sense that on a platform with rapid amounts of piracy that Valkyrie Chronicles II would share an even worse fate. Take command on the battlefield with one of many units in this tactical RPG. Sure, it might not be as good as Final Fantasy Tactics, but what is? The cool cel-shaded art style meshes well even on the technologically-inferior PSP.
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable
The original Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 was released on the PlayStation 2 many moons ago. Now you can take the fantasy thriller on the go with you thanks to the portable edition. This RPG is full of mystery, intrigue, high school kids-- wait, come back! The writing is so clever that you won't mind this cast of adolescents! It's like Saved by the Bell meets Medium. Is that a fair comparison? I think so. This critically-acclaimed remake is worthy of your PSP collection.
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep
It's Kingdom Hearts, so you know what to expect by now-- belts, zippers, f'd up storyline that only makes sense to Nomura. Regardless, you also get a rockin' combat system, superb visuals, excellent voice acting, and multiple wonderful worlds of Disney to explore! Sure, you've explored most of these worlds before to a point of ad infinitum, but who can resist the charm of Neverland all over again? Plus there's no Sora to be found! What have you done, Nomura?!
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Tag Force 5
What a stupid name for a video game. I did not know there were four previous Tag Force games-- that's how overlooked this series is! We're not even talking 3D this time around. No, no! This time around we'll be overdoing it in 5D. I don't remember reading A Wrinkle in Time, so somebody help me out on what 5D is. Maybe I should talk about the game a little, no? You collect cards, make decks, use trap cards, monster cards, and spell cards to take down the opposition in the addicting card game series. Just watch it with the hairspray, okay, kids?
Phantasy Star Portable 2
I love the Phantasy Star Online series of games. Old-school gamers yearn for a classic turn-based Phantasy Star affair, but I'm complacent with these online, multi-player experiences. If duking it out online against hoards of monsters isn't your thing, you can always try out the single-player campaign. No dorky Ethan Weber here! All-in-all, for a great online infrastructure and plenty of weapons to grind for, Phantasy Star Portable 2 does its job and does it well.
Valkyrie Chronicles II
Valkyrie Chronicles, the original for the PlayStation 3, was already an overlooked game. It makes sense that on a platform with rapid amounts of piracy that Valkyrie Chronicles II would share an even worse fate. Take command on the battlefield with one of many units in this tactical RPG. Sure, it might not be as good as Final Fantasy Tactics, but what is? The cool cel-shaded art style meshes well even on the technologically-inferior PSP.
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable
The original Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 was released on the PlayStation 2 many moons ago. Now you can take the fantasy thriller on the go with you thanks to the portable edition. This RPG is full of mystery, intrigue, high school kids-- wait, come back! The writing is so clever that you won't mind this cast of adolescents! It's like Saved by the Bell meets Medium. Is that a fair comparison? I think so. This critically-acclaimed remake is worthy of your PSP collection.
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep
It's Kingdom Hearts, so you know what to expect by now-- belts, zippers, f'd up storyline that only makes sense to Nomura. Regardless, you also get a rockin' combat system, superb visuals, excellent voice acting, and multiple wonderful worlds of Disney to explore! Sure, you've explored most of these worlds before to a point of ad infinitum, but who can resist the charm of Neverland all over again? Plus there's no Sora to be found! What have you done, Nomura?!
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Tag Force 5
What a stupid name for a video game. I did not know there were four previous Tag Force games-- that's how overlooked this series is! We're not even talking 3D this time around. No, no! This time around we'll be overdoing it in 5D. I don't remember reading A Wrinkle in Time, so somebody help me out on what 5D is. Maybe I should talk about the game a little, no? You collect cards, make decks, use trap cards, monster cards, and spell cards to take down the opposition in the addicting card game series. Just watch it with the hairspray, okay, kids?
===
Did you miss out on the three previous Most Overlooked PSP articles? Have no fear, if so. I've compiled the PSP trio into one beautiful list for your reading pleasure! Enjoy!
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