Noob question

[Soft paw]

Hello!

I have never ever played any Kingdom Heart games so far but I am considering giving it a go since its so praised by its fanbase.

Although I have no clue which game I should buy in the whole serie, I think there are some remake and HD versions.
I don't want to buy 2 copies of the same game, with 1 of them that I would never open.

So which Kingdom Hearts I should buy to have the full story, the full experience ?

I own the PS2 and the PS3.
The PS4 will come as soon as FF15 is released.

[Fynn]

So you need to play the games in order, otherwise you'll get lost.

Start by getting 1.5 HD remix on PS3. There, play KH I and Chain of Momories. DO NOT WATCH THE 358/2 DAYS CUTSCENES YET!!!

Then get 2.5 HD. Play KH II, THEN you can watch the 358/2 Days scenes, and the play Birth By Sleep, and watch the coded scenes (this is actually skipable.

Then, once KH 2.8 HD come out on PS4, you'll play Dream Drop Distance and the new chapter ;)

[Soft paw]

Oh my god that's a lot, I'm already excited by all this :eek:

KH 1 and Chain of Memories go after 1.5 ?
KH 2 after 2.5 ?
That's weird.

Also last question, what are those 358/2 Days etc cutscenes, they're not actual games ?

[Fynn]

Uh, okay, so I should have been more clear.

The only two games that are out now on the systems you own is KH 1.5 HD and 2.5 HD.

Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix contains:
-Kingdom Hearts I (HD remake of original)
-Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories (HD remake)
-HD Cutscenes from Kingdom Hearts: 352/2 Days (a DS game)

Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD Remix contains:
-Kingdom Hearts II (HD remake)
-Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (HD remake)
-HD Cutscenes from Kingdom Hearts: coded (another DS game)

So knowing that, go with the order I told you: KHI > Chain of Memories > KHII > 358/2 Days scenes > Birth by Sleep > coded scenes (optional)

This year (I think) the PS4 is going to see Kingom Hearts 2.8 HD Remix. This will contain:
-Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance (an HD remake of KH 3D on the 3DS)
-Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep - A Fragmentary Passage (NEW GAME)
-Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover (HD Cutscenes from Kingdom Hearts χ which is a browser game not yet released in the West).

Hope this helped!

[Freya]

1.5 is the HD remaster, It has 1 and Chains and the Cutscene for 358/2.
2.5 is another HD remaster, it is KHII, Birth by sleep, and cutsenes of Coded.
2.8 is Dream drop and A new Birth chapter.

They just consolidated all the games and put them on three games instead of all over the place.

So play most everything on 1.5 (KH1 and Chains) Then start 2.5 (KH2) then go back and watch the cutsense story for 358/2. Then go BACK to 2.5 and finish it (Birth and Coded.)

Or you can just do all of 1.5 and then all of 2.5. It's not that bad if you watch 358/2 but it'd make more sense after 2.

2.8 is going to have Dream Drop Distance and a new chapter of Birth by sleep. OR you can just go play Dream drop on the 3DS if you finish all that before 2.8 comes out.

[Formalhaut]

I've just realised how many games have been released between Kingdom Hearts 2 and Kingdom Hearts 3.

[Fynn]

Yeah, we've been getting a steady amount of KH games, but people keep complaining "ugh, it's just spinoffs". Well, joke's on them, since they are all really important to the story :monster:

[CactuarKing]

1.5 is the HD remaster, It has 1 and Chains and the Cutscene for 358/2.
2.5 is another HD remaster, it is KHII, Birth by sleep, and cutsenes of Coded.
2.8 is Dream drop and A new Birth chapter.

They just consolidated all the games and put them on three games instead of all over the place.

So play most everything on 1.5 (KH1 and Chains) Then start 2.5 (KH2) then go back and watch the cutsense story for 358/2. Then go BACK to 2.5 and finish it (Birth and Coded.)

Or you can just do all of 1.5 and then all of 2.5. It's not that bad if you watch 358/2 but it'd make more sense after 2.

2.8 is going to have Dream Drop Distance and a new chapter of Birth by sleep. OR you can just go play Dream drop on the 3DS if you finish all that before 2.8 comes out.

Wow.

To someone who has played KH1 and KH2 when they originally came out, what have I missed by not discovering this extra content?

[Soft paw]

Ok now that's pretty much clear!

So I will get the 1.5 and 2.5, I don't want to miss anything.

[Fynn]

1.5 is the HD remaster, It has 1 and Chains and the Cutscene for 358/2.
2.5 is another HD remaster, it is KHII, Birth by sleep, and cutsenes of Coded.
2.8 is Dream drop and A new Birth chapter.

They just consolidated all the games and put them on three games instead of all over the place.

So play most everything on 1.5 (KH1 and Chains) Then start 2.5 (KH2) then go back and watch the cutsense story for 358/2. Then go BACK to 2.5 and finish it (Birth and Coded.)

Or you can just do all of 1.5 and then all of 2.5. It's not that bad if you watch 358/2 but it'd make more sense after 2.

2.8 is going to have Dream Drop Distance and a new chapter of Birth by sleep. OR you can just go play Dream drop on the 3DS if you finish all that before 2.8 comes out.

Wow.

To someone who has played KH1 and KH2 when they originally came out, what have I missed by not discovering this extra content?

Everything, really

[Shauna]

To someone who has played KH1 and KH2 when they originally came out, what have I missed by not discovering this extra content?

Everything on these lists that are not KH1 and KH2, mostly.

[CactuarKing]

1.5 is the HD remaster, It has 1 and Chains and the Cutscene for 358/2.
2.5 is another HD remaster, it is KHII, Birth by sleep, and cutsenes of Coded.
2.8 is Dream drop and A new Birth chapter.

They just consolidated all the games and put them on three games instead of all over the place.

So play most everything on 1.5 (KH1 and Chains) Then start 2.5 (KH2) then go back and watch the cutsense story for 358/2. Then go BACK to 2.5 and finish it (Birth and Coded.)

Or you can just do all of 1.5 and then all of 2.5. It's not that bad if you watch 358/2 but it'd make more sense after 2.

2.8 is going to have Dream Drop Distance and a new chapter of Birth by sleep. OR you can just go play Dream drop on the 3DS if you finish all that before 2.8 comes out.

Wow.

To someone who has played KH1 and KH2 when they originally came out, what have I missed by not discovering this extra content?

Everything, really



To someone who has played KH1 and KH2 when they originally came out, what have I missed by not discovering this extra content?

Everything on these lists that are not KH1 and KH2, mostly.

Cheeky.......

Is it worth a punt for this extra stuff or is it filler fluff just to keep diehard fan-boys (or fan-girls) happy?

[Fynn]

I already said this before.

There is no such thing as KH spin-offs. With the sole-exception of coded, all Kingdom Hearts game bring in crucial plot details that are essential for the understanding of the overarching story. They should all be treated as if they were numbered games.

Really, if you go into KH III after playing only I and II, good luck keeping track of anything.

[CactuarKing]

Okay.

Cheers.

I will probably attempt to mop these up on PS4 before KHIII comes along then.

** Runs Away **

Actually, it may be on PS3 as I don't know if/when they are coming out on PS4....

[Ayen]

Jesus Christ, the series' already on its way of being the next Final Fantasy with how many games it has out.

[Fynn]

It's actually SE's main cash cow at the moment. And I'm fine with this, since it's one of the most consistently good series I know.

[Soft paw]

Since we are on this topic, can you please enlighten me on those 2 series:
- Tales
- Atelier

I know they have plenty of games, heard bad things about them from a seller though.
I really love to see how character stories develop in RPGs, that's why they caught my attention.

Also Ni no Kuni.
If you have others in mind, worth the penny, please throw names :jess:

[Shauna]

Probably better to get a thread up in the General RPG forum - in fact, there is already a Tales of thread (http://home.eyesonff.com/showthread.php/162838-Tales-Games) ready for you! :)

[Soft paw]

Right, thank you!

[Soft paw]

I just ordered:
Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix - Limited Edition
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix - Limited Edition

Along with:
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD Collector's Edition

from amazon, for 60€ each

[Mirage]

I actually went ahead and answered half of your question in that thread Shauna linked.

Also, wouldn't it be better to get just KH1.5 first, then buy 2.5 if the first was to your liking?

[Fynn]

Soft paw knows what he(or she)'s about :p

[Soft paw]

It's Square-Enix, of course I will love it :D

[Fynn]

It's Square-Enix, of course I will love it :D

That's... a very bold statement ^^;

Still, Kingdom Hearts is one of the best franchises SE is making right now, so if you like Disney and stuff, this should be right up your alley :up:

Also, I assume you realize KH is an action-RPG, correct?

[Mirage]

It's Square-Enix, of course I will love it :D

If that's the case, why did you have to ask before buying it at all?

[Soft paw]

It's Square-Enix, of course I will love it :D

That's... a very bold statement ^^;

Still, Kingdom Hearts is one of the best franchises SE is making right now, so if you like Disney and stuff, this should be right up your alley :up:

Also, I assume you realize KH is an action-RPG, correct?

I agree it's bold, but I have been a fan of SE for a long time.
Action-rpg or turn-based, as long as it's not tactical, I like it.



It's Square-Enix, of course I will love it :D

If that's the case, why did you have to ask before buying it at all?

Read my first post, I did not ask whether I should buy it or not, but, which ones I should get to have the full story.

[Fynn]

How can you not like tactical RPGs! :G

[Formalhaut]

Do you think the series is getting too big for itself? They've found it necessary to release three compilations just to contain the unwieldy series; I mean, I enjoy the series well enough, but blimey it's getting so convoluted.

[Fynn]

The only convoluted thing is getting it on so many different consoles.

In an era where everything is a franchise, I don't think it's possible for anything to be too big. Really, the story isn't hard to keep up with if you play them in order, so rereleasing them in such compilations was really the best course of action.

[Mirage]

It's Square-Enix, of course I will love it :D

If that's the case, why did you have to ask before buying it at all?

Read my first post, I did not ask whether I should buy it or not, but, which ones I should get to have the full story.

Ok ok, you win this one...

[Formalhaut]

The only convoluted thing is getting it on so many different consoles.

In an era where everything is a franchise, I don't think it's possible for anything to be too big. Really, the story isn't hard to keep up with if you play them in order, so rereleasing them in such compilations was really the best course of action.

I miss the earlier entries when things were somewhat self-contained. :p

[Fynn]

Ugh

Really, what's wrong with more Kingdom Hearts games? How exactly are there too many if they've all been satisfying in gameplay at least? Hell, no one would complain if FFs were released with such consistency both in time and in quality, so why do people have so much of a problem with Kingdom Hearts doing it? Persona 4 has like fifty sequels and thirty animated adaptations now, Assassin's Creed is releasing a new game every month or so, AA has its sixth entry in development with a bajillion spinoffs everywhere, and yet KH is the one becoming too bloated? I really can't understand how that is. Seven games released in the West over the course of 13 years is not too much.

[Freya]

Yeah if it's not your cup of tea to have a large series, you probably don't follow other large series. That's okay. KH is still great for those who do enjoy larger series. I personally like long series because it means I get more games that I enjoy the story of! Hence why I like Final Fantasy haha. Even though they have different plots, at the core they are similar.

[CactuarKing]

I'm surprised there aren't more games in the series with the Disney link!!:erm:

[Mirage]

Ugh

Really, what's wrong with more Kingdom Hearts games? How exactly are there too many if they've all been satisfying in gameplay at least? Hell, no one would complain if FFs were released with such consistency both in time and in quality, so why do people have so much of a problem with Kingdom Hearts doing it? Persona 4 has like fifty sequels and thirty animated adaptations now, Assassin's Creed is releasing a new game every month or so, AA has its sixth entry in development with a bajillion spinoffs everywhere, and yet KH is the one becoming too bloated? I really can't understand how that is. Seven games released in the West over the course of 13 years is not too much.

The only problem I have with it is that I need three (not counting PS4 for KH3) different platforms to be able to play all games that are relevant to the main story. This problem is partially alleviated by the HD ports, but it's still annoying to me.

[CactuarKing]

I feel the pain!!

[Fynn]

Ugh

Really, what's wrong with more Kingdom Hearts games? How exactly are there too many if they've all been satisfying in gameplay at least? Hell, no one would complain if FFs were released with such consistency both in time and in quality, so why do people have so much of a problem with Kingdom Hearts doing it? Persona 4 has like fifty sequels and thirty animated adaptations now, Assassin's Creed is releasing a new game every month or so, AA has its sixth entry in development with a bajillion spinoffs everywhere, and yet KH is the one becoming too bloated? I really can't understand how that is. Seven games released in the West over the course of 13 years is not too much.

The only problem I have with it is that I need three (not counting PS4 for KH3) different platforms to be able to play all the games. The problem is partially alleviated by the HD ports, but it's still annoying to me.

Without the HD remakes, you'd need more!

Let's see... If you don't count the remakes, then you need:

- a PS2 for KH I and II
- a GBA for Chain of Memories
- a DS for 358/2 Days and re:coded
- a PSP for Birth by Sleep
- a 3DS for Dream Drop Distance

And now you only need a PS3 and PS4 for the complete experience. I'd say it's a good deal.

[CactuarKing]

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

Wow. That's a lot of moolah needed!!

[Fynn]

And I played them all. Never played the HD remixes.

:bigsmile:

[Mirage]

That just strengthens my argument!

I never contested that the remakes weren't good deals, but as the games came out I was just annoyed by the fact that like 50% of the story was on consoles I didn't have and had no real interest in having. apart from maybe that one single game.

I generally don't like portable consoles a lot. To me they are nothing but necessary evils for when I'm not near a proper console or PC :p. When I am at home, I probably don't even play on my 3DS for 30 minutes over the course of a month, even if I have 4 games to finish on it.

[Fynn]

Well, since the whole story can now be experienced on the PS3 and PS4, you really can't say your argument stands, can you :colbert:

Yes, it was terrible that they put them on so many platforms. Even Tetsuya Nomura hated the idea, but that's what the execs wanted. So then they compiled the stuff so that people could actually experience the whole story.



I generally don't like portable consoles a lot. To me they are nothing but necessary evils for when I'm not near a proper console or PC :p. When I am at home, I probably don't even play on my 3DS for 30 minutes over the course of a month, even if I have 4 games to finish on it.

Mirage confirmed to be the anti-Fynn

[CactuarKing]

The power of capitalism unfortunately.

[Mirage]

You still can't actually *play* some of the games with the HD collections! I have both of the collections anyway. I found the combat to be lacking whatever was the second game in 1.5. Enjoyed it considerably less than i enjoyed the combat in the first game. Probably because it was designed to work on a portable console!

[Fynn]

Eh, I don't care that the majority of the world cannot appreciate the greatness that is Chain of Memories :p Though any weirdness probably stems from it using an unorthodox system that would have been strange regardless of whether it was played on a handheld or a home console.

Have you played Birth By Sleep yet? People adore that game, and it's a handheld title.

[Mirage]

I haven't. Is that on 2.5? I'm somewhere in between the beginning and the end of KH2.

[Fynn]

Yeah, it's on 2.5. It's the prequel. The deck system is pretty interesting.

[Hollycat]

Yeah, we've been getting a steady amount of KH games, but people keep complaining "ugh, it's just spinoffs". Well, joke's on them, since they are all really important to the story :monster:
Except Re:coded -_-

[Fynn]

Yes, coded is totally skipable. At least the leveling system was fun

[Hollycat]

Yes, coded is totally skipable. At least the leveling system was fun
It was novel, I'll give it that.
BBS is still probably the best combat wise, and 2 is probably the best story wise.

[Fynn]

Meh, I disagree. II had a cool prologue, but then it was kinda weak. IMO, Chain of Memories is the best storywise.

[Hollycat]

Meh, I disagree. II had a cool prologue, but then it was kinda weak. IMO, Chain of Memories is the best storywise.
I don't know.. (no KH has a BAD story) I'd put 358/2 in front of CoM honestly

[Formalhaut]

Ugh

Really, what's wrong with more Kingdom Hearts games? How exactly are there too many if they've all been satisfying in gameplay at least? Hell, no one would complain if FFs were released with such consistency both in time and in quality, so why do people have so much of a problem with Kingdom Hearts doing it? Persona 4 has like fifty sequels and thirty animated adaptations now, Assassin's Creed is releasing a new game every month or so, AA has its sixth entry in development with a bajillion spinoffs everywhere, and yet KH is the one becoming too bloated? I really can't understand how that is. Seven games released in the West over the course of 13 years is not too much.


Don't go 'Ugh' as if I've just said some really disgusting opinion. :p

I'm not really against large franchises. I love Final Fantasy (though they're more self-contained stories), Phoenix Wright has seven games attached to it, and Professor Layton has six games attached to it, all with a continuous story. Let's be fair, Persona 4 has like, three sequels (two if you merge the Arenas together), that are all self-contained stories.

It's less the size of the franchise, but I find the story to get more and more confusing. The story of I was clear, the story of II was clear enough as well (You didn't really have to play CoM, to be honest). But after that, there's the keyblade war, and Xehenort; I find him the most confusing element of the KH story, if I'm honest.

[Fynn]

358/2 was best on an emotional level. I think CoM just has the best structured and best executed narrative.

Formy: Xehanort's only confusing if you don't play all the games XD By BBS and 3D, his motivations are perfectly clear.

And I'm not "ugh"ing because your opinion is disgusting, but because it's a prevalent opinion on the internet that often stems from ignorance and people complaining for the sake of complaining.

[Formalhaut]

358/2 was best on an emotional level. I think CoM just has the best structured and best executed narrative.

Formy: Xehanort's only confusing if you don't play all the games XD By BBS and 3D, his motivations are perfectly clear.

And I'm not "ugh"ing because your opinion is disgusting, but because it's a prevalent opinion on the internet that often stems from ignorance and people complaining for the sake of complaining.

I need to play BBS, still. I guess his motivations will become more clear after that (of all the games post-II, Birth by Sleep seems the most essential), but if an opinion is that prevalent then there's a grain of truth there somewhere. :p

I really hope you think I'm not complaining for the sake of it, though.

[Fynn]

The opinion is there because people dismiss the non-numbered games as "side games".

Seriously, what's stopping you from playing them all? They're all fun, they all have good stories - why only select one? 358/2 Days is the most gut-wrenching thing, while Chain of Memories is superbly written, even if you don't like the controversial card system. Give them a go!

[Formalhaut]

Well non-numbered entries (especially handheld entries when previous games were on console) in all franchises are typically seen as side games. I don't say I necessarily agree with that sentiment, but it is one held commonly by many people.

[Fynn]

Which means it's a broad generalization based on ignorance, not fact

Seriously, Formy, I'm not big on the Ace Attorney series, so I'm not going on AA forums and saying the games need less puns and more of a cohesive narrative and characters to my liking, because the fans adore it for what it is. We KH fans adore KH for what it is and we're happy to get a lot of games. So no, saying there's too many isn't too nice. That was my whole point in that.

So either play the other games and see for yourself, or remain outside the fandom, your choice ;)

[Formalhaut]

Which means it's a broad generalization based on ignorance, not fact

Seriously, Formy, I'm not big on the Ace Attorney series, so I'm not going on AA forums and saying the games need less puns and more of a cohesive narrative and characters to my liking, because the fans adore it for what it is. We KH fans adore KH for what it is and we're happy to get a lot of games. So no, saying there's too many isn't too nice. That was my whole point in that.

So either play the other games and see for yourself, or remain outside the fandom, your choice ;)

I AM a fan. This 'us vs them' mentality is starting to concern me. :ohdear: I didn't know I needed approval to enter some fandom. You can be a fan and have a few issues with the series. I like Doctor Who and find the whole River thing confusing; doesn't mean I dislike Doctor Who.

[Fynn]

Hold your horses! That's not what I meant!

I just meant that like, you know, check out the rest because it's all awesome before you say it's too complicated :p

[Formalhaut]

Hold your horses! That's not what I meant!

I just meant that like, you know, check out the rest because it's all awesome before you say it's too complicated :p

Which I'll get around to. I already have like, five games I have in my catalogue. The Kingdom Hearts series is pretty big, and while the decimal compilations help, that's still three separate purchases. To be a KH fan is to buy a lot of games, basically.

[Fynn]

Oh yes. But it's much easier now, thankfully.

[Freya]

I honestly still haven't played BBS cause I haven't got 2.5 yet =x

I'm still working through 1.5!

[Crop]

KHI is definitely the best story wise it was so simple yet elegant it remains one of my favourite games of all time, KHII had better gameplay but that's when I found the story went a little downhill.

I too was irritated by the variety of games on a bunch of different systems, so was very pleased with them releasing the HD collections for PS3. Sadly upon playing them I realised that outside of KHI and (to a lesser extent) II I have absolutely no interested in the expanded characters and universe that they have created.

That said, I sure will be purchasing KHIII. Although I find the title itself a bit odd, it implies that if you follow I and II you can pick this one up and understand what's going on. Somehow I doubt that'll be the case.

[Fynn]

That said, I sure will be purchasing KHIII. Although I find the title itself a bit odd, it implies that if you follow I and II you can pick this one up and understand what's going on. Somehow I doubt that'll be the case.

BAHAHAHA XD Right

At the beginning you'll get a blurb summarizing everything that happened in Days, BbS and 3D, and SE's like "yeah, that's enough", while the fans scratch their heads

[Mirage]

That is what the titling implies, though, so this is obviously a flaw from SE's side,

[Fynn]

Yeah, it would've been much more logical to call CoM KHII, then II would be III and uh... Birth by Sleep would be 0 and... 3D would be IV and... Yeah, 358/2 Days and coded are kind of vague. I guess coded would be 3.5? And Days 2.5?

[Hollycat]

Yeah, it would've been much more logical to call CoM KHII, then II would be III and uh... Birth by Sleep would be 0 and... 3D would be IV and... Yeah, 358/2 Days and coded are kind of vague. I guess coded would be 3.5? And Days 2.5?
Really they could have just tossed Re: coded out imo. As for 358/2, I actually really like the name.

I imagine they didn't want to call CoM Kingdom Hearts 2 since it was coming out on Gameboy instead of PS2 and would have been seen either as an inferior sequel or possibly would have convinced people the series was going handheld for good.

[Mirage]

Yeah, it would've been much more logical to call CoM KHII, then II would be III and uh... Birth by Sleep would be 0 and... 3D would be IV and... Yeah, 358/2 Days and coded are kind of vague. I guess coded would be 3.5? And Days 2.5?

Probably not, but that's still not my problem to fix. The vast majority of numbered titles can be played/watched in succession without any other material needed. For KH, things are just a complete jungle.

I'm sure there must exist some sort of naming scheme that would have made more sense.

[Soft paw]

66295

I received them yesterday :D
KH 1.5 Limited Edition is still on his way.

I didn't adjust the focus, sorry for the blurry picture.

By the way, this Final Fantasy Type-0 HD Collector's Edition pack is huge and heavy!

[CactuarKing]

66295

I received them yesterday :D
KH 1.5 Limited Edition is still on his way.

I didn't adjust the focus, sorry for the blurry picture.

By the way, this Final Fantasy Type-0 HD Collector's Edition pack is huge and heavy!

:erm: Wow. Only slightly jealous right now!!

[Ayen]

Still can't get over how beautiful that cover for the X/X-2 Remaster is.