Kingdom Hearts HD Collection (PS4) 31st March

[Hero-of-Time]

The Aqua playthrough has defintely been the trickiest of the 3. I swear she's even weaker than Ven when it comes to physical attacks. Killing even the smallest of enemies took an age. What made it even more difficult is that she didn't have access to my original grinding areas for a long time. I've only just now been able to get her powered up. Fighting a few of the bosses in a more weakend state proved to be challenging.

Its all worked out well, now that i'm been able reach the areas and been to do I wanted to do, she's now at level 33, got all Magic and Attack Haste bonuses, all the Combo Plus bonuses have been unlocked, as have the Cure Boosts. That should easily see me to my final grinding spot in Never Land 

I can now finally move on to the Olympus Coliseum.

[Aperson]

Beat Ven's story myself this evening. The final boss was an interesting affair in which I died a fair few times but that was down to my choice of deck.

 

Having spent a fair amount of time grinding for Ars Arcanum, Mega Flare, Salvation and Faith I decided I was going to have all four abilities and use the latter two for healing. I thought being able to do damage at the same time would help. Big mistake, Vanitas eats through the barrier and nullifies the healing. I ended up having to dodge.

 

Then the part where you use the Dark abilities really got me confused and I was messing up on the quick time events until eventually I realised what each one was doing and pulled through to finish the game on Proud mode. I got all the Stickers for Terra and Ven and so far have every Xehanort report.

 

But yeah, I'm not going for a deck like this for Aqua's playthrough...

 

[Hero-of-Time]

Butchered the last boss in Aqua's story this morning. I was level 45 and had a deck built up of Mine Shield, 2 Curas, 2 Thunder Surges and few random spells. He fell pretty easily.

The Mine spells are such a good way to get easy hits into a moving enemy. Just place then down, hang around near them and the bosses just walk into them.  

I thought I had cocked up in unlocking the final episode. After finishing Aqua's story it didn't unlock. Thankfully it turns out I had just missed a report in the Mirage Arena ( never even went to that place once ) with Terra. As soon as I nabbed it and saved my game the final episode unlocked. 

I took on the true final boss with the setup I already had and swept it aside pretty easily but only thanks to abilities like Second Chance, Once More and Leaf Bracer. 

After that, I unlocked the secret movie and a secret episode to play through that had another boss fight. Once again, the boss didn't pose any problems and it went down pretty fast.

With Birth by Sleep done, I now just need to watch the Re:coded movie and then i'm fully ready for Kingdom Hearts III. 3 Kingdom Hearts games all completed in as many weeks. 2 of which were platinumed and played through mutilple times. Not a bad going if I do say so myself. I don't think I'm even going to attempt to get all the trophies in BBS. 

I can't wait to see how everything plays out in the final game and I just hope everything works out for Aqua. Poor lass lost so much and I really want her to be reunited with Ven and Terra.  

[Beast]

I'm still on the first one, haha. So I've practically done most of the worlds. I'm on my way to my favourite world (Halloween Town) from my least favourite world (Atlantica). I loved fighting Ursula but HATED everything else in it. Also, Under the Sea has now become annoying again, lmao.

I still need to get the torn pages for 100 Acre Wood as well as all of the dalmatians.

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[Aperson]

Just finished Aqua's storyline this evening. Built up a pretty powerful deck with two Triple Blizzagas, Magic Hour, Raging Storm and two Curagas. In the first phase of the final fight I just spent all my time avoiding his attacks until Magic Hour had recharged then just used that to deal massive damage.

 

The second phase I knew Magic Hour wouldn't work and this particular enemy I've had many problems against since he can break your lock on and attack you. Also, he can damage in Magic Hour and Raging Storm. Whoops. I was stuck on a similar battle before and eventually changed strategy to using Shotlocks which were far more effective. I reprised this strategy for the final battle and beat it without too much trouble (I think I died the first time around but not so much afterwards).

 

Relieved to see that I have done enough to unlock the true ending. Saved my file for that one and will start it tomorrow and finish Birth by Sleep.

[Beast]

Okay, bit of a problem here. So I've done Atlantica, Neverland and unlocked Hollow Bastion. I wanted to do all the side-quests and 100 Acre Wood before continuing.

So I'm on 100 Acre Wood, got all the pages but for some reason, the last area won't unlock. I've hit the high score on that annoying 'break the pot' mini-game and collected the rare nuts for Owl but it won't unlock...any ideas why?

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[Aperson]

Finished Birth by Sleep today. The final boss gave me a fair amount of problems as I somehow finished Aqua's playthrough on Level 31 while Terra and Ventus were Level 36 by the time I finished, probably because of how strong the commands I was building up with Aquad were.

 

Ended up grinding to Level 38 before taking on the final boss and finally beaten it.

 

I then decided to watch the Re:coded movie, I was already aware that this story means very little in the grand scheme of things but I wanted to watch the movie anyway just to see all of what actually happens in this game, knowing full well very little of it actually matters to the overall plot. And it actually works quite well as a movie because the plot is mostly standalone. But wow, it is INCREDIBLY long. You have to sit through a 3 hour movie if you go through it on disk just to be told that the other two side games that came out alongside Re:coded and the characters in them will be important to the story going forward. And since it's technically the latest entry storywise at that point it's that game's ending that is how things proceed on from.

 

Basically, this seemed like an excuse to bring the bad guy back. And also to help all the existing cast remember what happened in the first game and then know what exactly happened right after that and why they need to know that location. I guess for story reasons they will HAVE to go back to Castle Oblivion in Kingdom Hearts III because the ending to Birth by Sleep and the Recoded ending seems to deem it necessary.

 

On another note, I recorded all the final boss battles from each campaign so here's the final fight in Terra's story:

 

 

[Aperson]

 

Recorded the above fight against Vanitas back when I finished Ventus' story but not uploading more than one video a day and the Smash Ultimate stuff took priority.

 

Anyway I went back to Birth by Sleep today after watching the Recoded movie... the Recoded movie is a thing alright and is OK for a self contained story, but you have to wait so long for the key information that you get from it. The revelation of the Book of Prophecies and the event in Castle Oblivion to link Birth by Sleep and 358/2 Days to the plot going forwards appear to be the main things going for it, also the revelation of what was actually written on the letter Mickey sent in the end of KH2.

 

After finding out I'd missed out on the Secret Episode I went to reapply all the stickers I'd found across all three characters and it unlocked. Secret Episode was pretty cool although structured in a weird way, you see the conclusion first and then it rewinds time to the gameplay segment.

 

Switched over to 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue (It's still a stupid title but apparently Japan is OK with having very long and descriptive titles since it doesn't actually take up that much room for them with each letter representing a sound.) and actually watched the Back Cover movie first. I really liked this Master character, he was extremely entertaining and I guess his design is where Organisation XIII's look came from. Apprarently the story is much more expansive that what was shown on disc so I might have to check that out but it looks like this series just got even more new characters that will be important in some way. How all of these guys will tie in to Kingdom Hearts III in addition to everything else that's supposed to tie into this game I have no idea. I also saw they had this pet creature that could turn into Nightmares and I kind of accepted it as new lore specific to that age... little did I realise that the game I was to be playing next identified what they were.

 

So, Dream Drop Distance. Positives, the Flowmotion system is an amazing addition to the combat and I love it. Now instead of just plain attacking you have the option to swing off lampposts and bounce off walls to attack enemies. I love how they integrated some of this although at times it feels like I'm playing a 3D Sonic game. That's mainly how I felt especially since Sora now joins Sonic and Ratchet in the category of characters that can rail grind on their feet. Also, Meow Wow's design is so cute that it reduced a grown man to tears... albeit confused tears as I didn't initially understand them but I think the music in the pet simulator may have had an impact. It reminds me of Pokemon Amie.

 

 

 

 

That said, the fact that you have to spend about 30 minutes petting a creature is a big problem with this game. I guess the designers must have went to great lengths to make these creatures and add a Pokemon like element to the game since levelling THEM up is the key to actually getting your abilities. I preferred melding to the skill tree that you have in this game, the rate of skill point progression from regular fights is so slow that if you don't spend time in the pet simulator you might be missing some vital skills as it ultimately ends up being quicker. I guess they ensure that their efforts in designing those creatures don't go to waste.

 

The Drop mechanic is slightly annoying. I can see that they're trying to balance two stories side by side but I reached the first major boss with Sora and then Dropped in the middle of the fight and was forced to switch to Riku. That said, that might not be too much of a problem going forward as I hear you can get items to refill your Drop gauge and if you'd rather focus on one character's storyline over the other then you can Drop them and Drop back again to reset the gauge. If I'd known that sooner it might have helped. I am still in Traverse Town as things stand.

 

I have also heard that this game's storyline is kind of messed up, even moreso than the series has been so far so I await being able to continue and see exactly what goes down...

Edited January 3, 2019 by GenericAperson

[Aperson]

Man, getting the best abilities in Dream Drop Distance is a real pain. Not only do you have to farm for rare materials to create certain spirits, you also need to level up and max out those spirits in order to get that one ability you are after. This is an absolute pain. Not to mention that I got a Tyranno Rex and if you stand idly around he can push you off ledges...

 

Still, I've got a command deck with Sora that I really like and I'm working on getting Riku some top level commands. I have unlocked the final world and have been travelling the previous ones to get materials required.

 

 

I have one major positive to give the game, and that is the Fantasia level which is one of the best levels I've seen in any video game. The fact that they mute your character's voice clips and replace it with extra instruments to make it just like the movie is genius.

[Aperson]

Finished the collection today. Got done with 0.2's various battles.

 

I might as well mention that I beat Xemnas first time round. I might have been a bit overlevelled from having to train spirits up but it was worth it. Didn't quite realise that beating Xemnas would get rid of the Drop Gauge altogether and prevent me cycling Special Portals to get the Ryu Dragon. Whoops...

 

 

Yes, I carried the Meow Wow you get at the beginning all the way to the end.

0.2 made me realise how much I under appreciated KH2's combat system as I didn't realise you could actually combo spells like Firaga as part of your Melee attack combos. I tried this in 0.2 and it felt pretty cool, helped by the fact that the MP cost is minimal compared to healing which is fair enough.

 

Only two weeks until this day until Kingdom Hearts III comes out, so I'm all caught up in plenty of time. Although, the plot is one big pile of retcons by this point...

[drahkon]

I've always been tempted to give the Kingdom Hearts series a try and it seems like I could acquire a copy of this:

for 18€. Thankfully I'd be able to afford it after selling two games recently. 

If I remember correctly, @Hero-of-Time is a huge KH fan, so this is my question to you: You know my gaming tastes, would you say the series is something I'd enjoy?
Others may chime in, as well, of course  

Edited February 18, 2021 by drahkon

[Hero-of-Time]

You enjoy JRPGs and so this is a series you should at least give a try. Just remember that the combat is in real time and that the first game is a little rough around the edges in comparison to the later entries, It's also more whimsical and lighthearted. I know you like a challenge and some of the super bosses in these games are some of the hardest I've tackled in any game.

At the price you mentioned it's definitely worth picking up. It's a HD collection done right, with massive amounts of content, new features and upgraded graphics and framerate. 

If you do buy make sure you play and watch everything in the correct order.

[drahkon]

14 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

I know you like a challenge and some of the super bosses in these games are some of the hardest I've tackled in any game.

Sold

14 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

If you do buy make sure you play and watch everything in the correct order.

Ehm...so going from lowest number to highest?

[Hero-of-Time]

I'm pretty sure the order of play/watch is laid out correctly in the collection. I meant more in regards to being tempted to jump ahead to a game before seeing the events of the ones before it.

[drahkon]

21 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

I meant more in regards to being tempted to jump ahead to a game before seeing the events of the ones before it.

Nah, if I enjoy the story I'm going to follow each game to the end before jumping ahead.

[drahkon]

Ordered a copy

Looking forward to giving it a go. Should be here by Monday

[drahkon]

On 2/18/2021 at 3:54 PM, drahkon said:

Ordered a copy

Looking forward to giving it a go. Should be here by Monday

It's already here

Will start with KH 1.5 after Bundesliga.

@Hero-of-Time any tips for the Platinum hunt? Would be great to get a head-start if I decide to go for the trophies

[Hero-of-Time]

1 hour ago, drahkon said:

It's already here

Will start with KH 1.5 after Bundesliga.

@Hero-of-Time any tips for the Platinum hunt? Would be great to get a head-start if I decide to go for the trophies

A couple of playthroughs are needed due to how some of the trophies work, so it depends how you want to tackle it. This is because you need to finish the game on the Proud difficulty but also complete the game without changing your equipment, which I'm not sure is a viable option when playing on Proud. 

The platinum itself is a massive grind, with you needing to essentially 100% the game. Having played the game a few times before the PS4 version dropped, I had experience in tackling these things but for a newcomer it may be a hassle, especially the Gummi Ship missions.

With this being your first KH game I would just forget about the trophies and see if you enjoy it first. 

[drahkon]

Thanks a lot

47 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

With this being your first KH game I would just forget about the trophies and see if you enjoy it first. 

Will do.

[drahkon]

Man...the movement is very clunky...
The game really can't hide its age.

First few moments on Destiny Island were very...odd. Characters look weird and...insane. Especially Selphie. Wakka appears to be entirely Jamaican now, ya? I don't remember his voice and manner of speech being so dumb in FFX.
And don't get me started on the fetch quest you immediately get thrown at you.

Not a great start.

Thankfully I decided to stop after collecting the second batch of items and watched two episodes of Ozark. That helped me getting over the mess that is my first impression of Kingdom Hearts 1.5 Final Mix (what exactly is it called? ).

Anyways, I'm either going to play this some more in a few minutes or go with God of War for now.
Gonna decide while I'm eating dinner

Edited February 20, 2021 by drahkon

[Glen-i]

12 hours ago, drahkon said:

Man...the movement is very clunky...
The game really can't hide its age.

Yep, Kingdom Hearts 1 just feels bad to play these days. Especially after playing later entries where the mechanics get more polished.

It's typical for a first installment, though. So I can kinda forgive it. Helps that the plot isn't completely insane at this point.

[drahkon]

2 hours ago, Glen-i said:

It's typical for a first installment, though. So I can kinda forgive it.

Yeah, it's why I'll keep playing.

Explored a bit of the worlds. Have to say: that Gummi Ship stuff is bad. Really bad. Everything about it is clunky and boring It's kinda funny how literally everything about the game play and its mechanics has been a turn off for me so far. Adding to that: the Final Fantasy characters suck. They look weird and are hilariously bland...

But...and it's surprising to say it...I enjoy the game
I guess it's the Disney charm...most of what I've seen so far have been part of my childhood. And it's great seeing all the characters in a game

Well...gonna have lunch and then it's time for some more Kingdom Hearts 1.5 Final Mix ULTRA MEGA CHICKEN EDITION.

[drahkon]

After 7 1/2 hours so far I can say: I'm warming up to the game a bit more.

With a few more spells available the battles aren't as repetitive as before, so that's nice
Managed to win Phil Cup. It was pretty easy.

Now I've arrived at Agrabah.

[Hero-of-Time]

1 hour ago, drahkon said:

After 7 1/2 hours so far I can say: I'm warming up to the game a bit more.

With a few more spells available the battles aren't as repetitive as before, so that's nice
Managed to win Phil Cup. It was pretty easy.

Now I've arrived at Agrabah.

The battles are pretty repetitive on normal and below difficulties. Most of them are a pushover. It's not until Proud mode where you have to think a little about how to tackle things. 

Have you fought any of the annoying enemies yet? The fat ones that you can't hit from the front. I always hated those things. 

[drahkon]

8 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Have you fought any of the annoying enemies yet? The fat ones that you can't hit from the front. I always hated those things

I have.

I know how to fight them properly, i.e. parry their rush attack and get behind them. But I'm an impatient asshole so I just attack until I get lucky.

Hate those fuckers.